Totally invisible, it isnt just his lack of stature that prevents him from making a mark on tough Championship matches. We dont need him in regards to midfield numbers with Travis, Davenport, Holtby, Johnson, Trybull, Downing, Rothwell and Evans. Loan him out and re-evaluate in the summer.

Really pleased to get a win and a clean sheet against tough opposition. Lucky and not a good performance but at least we got that win. Lets not beat around the bush, we were very lucky with the decision and the game would likely be totally different had we gone down to 10 men and they been given a penalty as should have happened, embarrassing on behalf of the official and to be understand I understand why Warnock was so angry. Mowbray got the midfield balance wrong, not for the first time. The initially selected 3 obviously didnt get much time before Johnson's injury, I thought that Travis was a bit more like himself but still not great, at times he played poor passes/made wrong decisions and I was wondering whether they were down to rustiness or just the limitations in his game. Davenport was fairly underwhelming and we failed to gain any control of the game until after the goal. On to Buckley and he was literally totally invisible. Unfortunately he shouldnt be anywhere near the squad, he doesnt impact on games and its an area where we have Travis, Davenport, Trybull, Downing, Evans, Johnson, Holtby etc so we dont even need him to add to the numbers. Get him out on loan and re-evaluate upon his return as to whether he thrives and develops, whether he needs further time out on loan next season or indeed whether it is best for him to make a name at a lower level permanently. He just looks totally lost. Too much unfair criticism towards Armstrong again about his greed. I think that one extreme example v Bristol City has tarnished his reputation, he does shoot a lot in general but he also scores a lot of goals, hes the top scorer in the league. He is going through a dry patch (is it 2 in 10 and 2 games without so its not horrendous) and looks lacking in confidence but he took 3 shots today, none of which he made the wrong decision by shooting. The first was a difficult one early on, the second was clearly a man lacking in confidence and the third lacked composure, but im sure he will return to form. He was chasing the keeper down every time and his work for the goal was excellent, hold up play he isnt famed for but a lovely touch and perfect ball to Elliott who also was again very quiet aside from yet another assist. The pair offer a threat even when they are out of form. Rothwell was also invisible but pleased to see him get a third goal which I think is his best ever League return which shows you where the frustration comes from, hopefully the contributions will become more consistent. Dack's cameo was really, really pleasing and exactly why I keep saying that we should start him and get him fully fit ASAP and playing as a number 10. He makes such an impact in that final third and makes us so much more dangerous, some great hold up play himself and one or two superb passes. Defensively, we were much more solid led by Lenihan who deserved his man of the match, he was colossal at the back. Branthwaite doesnt convince me based on todays showing, lucky both with the penalty incident and taking too long on the ball not long after. Nyambe was below his usual standards and let them in a couple of times, I thought Douglas was the better of the 2 full backs even if he isnt totally convincing, defended much better and also better on the ball than Bell could ever dream to be. Am I convinced about him for the rest of the season? Definitely not but in recent weeks he has been a bit better. Kaminski has an aura of reliability behind and gives us the security we need.

That will have to change because I can only imagine what Warnock will say at the end!

He also led to us conceding a free kick on the edge of the box by messing about. I think he looks very shaky.

If that is true, as "they" is rather cryptic. Their judgement is hardly much to base things on looking at how things are progressing!

Should have been a red card. Endangering the safety of an opponent.

Absolutely dreadful watch again, offering nothing. So, so lucky not to have conceded the most obvious penalty ever. One to remember next time we play the woe is me act. Branthwaite in general has been poor, he looks like a kid who has barely played any senior football strangely. Lenihan has been for me the only player to come out of that half with any credit. The sub of Buckley was totally bizarre. Never does he bring any semblance of control, he is usually invisible.

So if you was a Burnley fan, 8 years in, off the back of a win at Anfield, consistently secure in the Prem, having enjoyed promotion, the top half and even Europe, youd now be "bored?"

Mowbray likes to natter about football, if hes sensing pressure from anywhere it is likely to be from local media/supporters. Theres no way he is justifying his position and the specifics around it via the EFL Podcast to the owners. What youve heard hasnt been played out by the last 10 years.

Dyche plays 2 wingers and 2 strikers, so not sure how defensive it is. They just realise that passing out from the back isnt mandatory which seems sensible.

In your opinion. He has done a brilliant job regardless and has proved that such a style doesnt have a shelf life which discounts your original point. You find Mowbrays football entertaining though so...each to their own.

The midfield balance doesnt look right, 3 defensive midfielders. Not sure how Johnson has retained his place. Would have started Dack over him for a better balance.

You specifically referenced Dyche as an example of a manager whose "style" has a "shelf life." As a manager who using such a "style" has been in his job for 8 or 9 years with plenty of success, it was a bizarre comment. I never said that Hughes' style was defensive but it was built on solid foundations, which is similar to Dyche albeit the latter has less resources relative to the competition. (Hughes didnt have much either to be fair but in 15 years the finances across the league make it more difficult) But no, successful football does not have a shelf life. And those who tend to get "bored" of it should just be discounted.

Before you get into the matter of coupling managers together assuming they play the exact same style. Its a totally bizarre statement to suggest that the "style" of a manager who is in his 8th or 9th season having done such an incredible job to get Burnley promoted twice, into Europe and into the top 10 of the Premier League again amidst keeping them stable as a Premier League club has a shelf life. Laughable.

An example of the total lack of clarity and the confusion of Mowbrays tactics was perfectly shown v Doncaster. Firstly he went with Dack as a false 9 which has never worked. Then he made a series of subs that left us with Armstrong, Dack, Brereton, Dolan, Rothwell and Elliott all on the pitch (I think those 6) with Buckley at right back and no central midfield.

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Doesnt that mean that the contract had a 12 month extension in the clubs favour that we chose to trigger in the summer? Whenever that clause was triggered to be honest, it was the wrong decision.

No I dont. Dyche is the perfect example of a more pragmatic style NOT having a shelf life depending on how it is played. I also find watching Burnley (dislike of them aside) with 2 wingers and 2 forwards more entertaining that watching the likes of Brighton who are like watching paint dry. Many football fans seem to have lost track of the overall objective of a football match and the latest fads are goalkeepers passing it out and bringing it out from the back. But every team cannot play like that. There is somewhat of a re writing of history regarding the Hughes era. Our defenders were well drilled but hardly the most cultured, our goalkeeper wasnt for playing it out from the back and we tended to have 2 wide players with good deliveries into 2 forwards. We had flair within with the likes of Tugay and Bentley but we built on being well organised and structured. I of course would rather be entertained but I have never not been entertained by watching Rovers win and I also dont think that the only form of entertainment is the one set style that seems to be in vogue at the moment. Also, at the moment, Mowbrays football is neither effective nor entertaining.

Bell had a one year contract extension triggered this summer which was totally unnecessary. Why re sign someone who has repeatedly shown himself to be incompetent? Didnt W Fitness wise, Bristol City had 7/8 usual starters out for a spell including when they beat us. Norwich had more than 11 injuries to the point that they had one senior sub. Stoke and Preston as you mentioned, the former at one point had 3 keepers, Fletcher, Mikel, Allen, Clucas and Fox out. At the peak of our absentee list, many were down to not being registered in time. Injuries and covid absentees are common this season. Ultimately Mowbray made 2 defensive signings to try and fix a defence he has repeatedly neglected in the past and neither have been successful.

Its this bizarre logic that certain managers can only play certain styles of play. As if a manager with such experience would come in to Rovers with Armstrong and Dack and launch long balls to him all game. Its also this stuck up attitude towards playing certain styles of play. Im not saying that direct football is necessarily more entertaining or even effective, my point is that there is no right or wrong way but Dyche gets pelters for his style and even without understanding the imbalance in resources, you get the press fawning over teams like Brighton who try to pass it out from the back, often have 3 or even 4 centre backs in the side and dont even score as many goals. Mowbray tactically is trying to do something based on flawed principles whereby he wants certain parts of the team to do things they are incapable of doing and in a way which also exposes a part of the team that he has already neglected. This is all based on the correlation between possession and points which he has overestimated. At least a manager like McCarthy would bring clarity and clear and consistent ideas. Lately we have repeatedly changed, going from 433, maybe to 4231 then this stupid box midfield nonsense and even with a false 9 in the cup, its desperate.

He isnt going to regain full match fitness until he starts a couple of games in the senior team. You have spent the majority of his absence disregarding his return, underplaying his importance to us, repeatedly suggesting that he should be sold and implying that he will never return the same player. We cant be sure on the latter (although there is no reason yet to suggest that he wont) but he has signed a new long term deal and lets get bloody excited at his return, he has been our best player (all as a number 10) from signing here until his injury, our season has shown no improvement, our form and performances for months now have been shite, lets get excited, get him (and Travis) fit and hope that he can be a catalyst to resurrect a season that is already crashing into further mediocrity. Ultimately, has the 433 improved us as a team considering that so many players are apparently thriving (Armstrong, Elliott, Brereton and Rothwell) in it? No it hasnt, so there is very reasonable and serious questions over whether and why it should continue. I cannot fathom why people are so desperate to keep that formation above everything else when it hasnt improved us. If Dack comes back in, Armstrong can still remain as the striker. All that Dack's return will mean is that defences have a second serious threat to contend with, and that we have a player who has far more imagination and ultimately consistent end product compared to the other players we have had in midfield this season. My scenario fits in our joint best player (out on his own until Armstrong has scored so many in the last year) and it should be of utmost priority to get them both in their best positions. My system does that. Fuck the 433 which has not facilitated an improvement. And Dack's best 30 months in football have come in a Rovers shirt. He may have impressed in a Gillingham shirt, where I am sure you was a regular watcher week in week out, but his career took a step up when he came here. He was instrumental in a League 1 promotion, and then consistently scoring and assisting in the Championship, all more than he did in a Gillingham shirt, and all as a number 10. I think it is safe to say that he is a natural there.

You are right in regards to the change in Brereton, even now he is inconsistent and often ineffective even if he has massively changed from the joke he was prior to this season. Im not convinced however that it is specifically the formation that has brought the improvement in Brereton, there is no reason that with Armstrong central, Dack behind and Elliott wide right, that Brereton couldnt still play from the left effectively. I would also question how I am being told that so many are suited to the 433, and we have played it this season yet not improved. If it came to it and assuming that we suggest that Brereton is best suited to 433 which as mentioned I dont think is as straight forward. I would want to build a team to suit Dack more than Brereton as the former is far better, far more consistent and far more effective, but his position doesnt exist in a 433.

The problems are mainly self inflicted. He chose to sign one centre back rather than 2, and the one he chose was one who hadnt played for 9 months who had a reputation as a sick note. The main reason he chose to sign one rather than two was because that he chose to reject the advances from Swansea who wanted to take another sick note in Williams off our hands. Signing Ayala AND keeping Williams was always an incredibly risky move. At left back, part of the problem has been down purely to poor performances by both left backs, one of whom we knew was poor yet he re-signed, and one who he didnt sign until the last day of the window who he has been lucky to get as much football from as he has based on his recent injury history. It doesnt come down to resources either. In central midfield, we already had Travis, Davenport, Johnson, Evans, Buckley, Rothwell and Holtby. Was there a need to add both Trybull and Downing? Probably not. The defensive issues are far from this season and added to the fact that every team has had injury and covid issues this season, quite a few far worse than ourselves and the excuses dont really wash any more.

Theres absolutely no chance of Gerrard leaving on the back of breaking a chain of Celtic league titles and ahead of Champions League football. That being said, we should be looking at managers with a bit of imagination and/or ambition and if we get a couple of rejections along the way, so be it. The notion that Mowbray is the best we can do is simply untrue.