I don't get why it is a "joke." From Leeds perspective, to cancel the loan would merely be stopping an agreement that will see them continue to receive contribution towards his wage; that may be a small contribution, but even if its 5 grand a week for 20 weeks, it is 100 grand they otherwise wouldn't have. From the players perspective, he can still do his rehabilitation at Leeds so they certainly aren't neglecting him, and from their perspective, the alternatives are take him back and keep him when he clearly isn't close to a Premier League squad, try and loan him elsewhere which will be impossible due to his injury or keep him here whereby even if it is an outside chance, he may well have his only chance of first team football this season.

Away fans across the board tend to be more boisterous but as Mattyblue said, the fans have been great at Ewood and a big help in recent weeks. Time to bring that home? It is already home.

You say that a season is 46 games, not 20 and obviously I agree but you chose to constantly focus on 17 games last season rather than the final league position, which to me was damning enough. And also why are you also setting specific buffers for brief runs of form if you truly believe in that 46 game motto? It seems like that only applies when we are doing well. If Mowbray got us promoted which is less than 50% likely, then how would he be deemed to be "not good enough for the Championship?" If we went up, big if, then the job overall that he would have done here would go from ok to brilliant so it would be so so hard to justify his dismissal. That being said, I get the scope for a potentially brilliant opportunity regarding a new manager but it would take someone remarkable.

Out of interest, as I was certainly like you and most others in wanting him gone last season and did not forsee what has happened since so im gauging how things change. Im guessing that if you would agree to give him the job until the end of the season, ie if you became CEO today you wouldnt sack him considering our season so far? And could he possibly earn a new deal in your eyes? With automatic promotion? With promotion through any means? Through a top 6 finish? All of which would be impressive.

I see that Elliott will be introduced to the crowd before the game. Undoubtedly a talented player who contributed a lot in his loan spell but ultimately it was a forgettable season finishing in 15th and behind closed doors. Is getting him out a bit much? Not sure, he never created a bond with the fans as we wasnt there so seems a bit of an empty gesture.

I was the one that mentioned Solanke but not in that he is obtainable, more as an example of the type of striker that I think would suit us next to Brereton.

Gallagher is not a winger but im not too sure hes any more effective centrally, if anything many of his weaknesses including inability to hold the ball up and poor touch are exposed further. I might be wrong statistically but it feels like his goals return doesnt really change/worsen out wide either.

The Chile coaching staff didnt suddenly unlock the potential of Brereton suddenly in the space of a few weeks, they wont even be able to directly communicate with him. The main boost he will have got was confidence.

A more obvious change to retain the balance that has been critical to our excellent form would have been Davenport/Johnson for Travis.

You would have ripped up a style that has coincided with an unbelievable run and dropped 2 key players in that run in Van Hecke and Wharton?

A striker could surely provide that work rate just as a winger might. Solanke is a good example, he works hard and would fit into our system.

If you are purposely picking a manager to appease the fans in their initial reaction rather than the best person for tbe job based on his managerial competence then you are doing it all wrong.

No you dont! Why would a forward automatically have no interest in doing this defensive duties? A striker playing in a 2 with Brereton with the number 10 behind them. Obviously one with pace who will work hard and one who perhaps can drift wide like Brereton on the other side. I think you are being typically pedantic and implying that by saying "main striker" that there will be one in particular in the middle. Obviously I dont mean a big lump or someone only interested in poaching goals from close range.

They seem to have a particularly deluded and snobbish fan base who over a number of barren years have forgotten the purpose of football. The job he has done at Burnley over a number of years has been superb on a small budget.

I dont understand firstly why you keep suggesting to move away from a successful formation. Obviously stick with 352. I also dont get why there is any doubt over where a new striker would play. As one of the 2 forwards! Probably the right sided one, so in place of Khadra/Gallagher.

They would like it if they won football games.

Everton would be much better off going for Dyche rather than a sentimental appointment. I think he would suit Everton too, he likes 4-4-2 and he likes wingers. If he could get Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison fit, with the likes of Gray and Townsend whipping in crosses, they would have a threat plus he could tighten their leaky defence.

Nyambe straight back in, 100% with Zeefuik on the bench. Travis also has to start, if he isn't well enough then Davenport should start. I would like to see Markanday start, but I fear for our attacking threat and who will score goals. Khadra is better than Gallagher but Khadra and Markanday would not convince me in terms of their styles.

He may well not be, but especially with the word "vertical" it is just an attempt to seem more clued in. Just say forward.

I don't see why signing a striker has to be one of those 2. On Healey, like yourself I have never seen him play so I couldn't possibly comment on whether he would fit in. Maja I have seen a few times and perhaps he could yes with his pace a useful asset but it was reported in the LT last week that Bordeaux are only entertaining a permanent offer well beyond our budget so it is irrelevant. Without Brereton, we only have Gallagher who is crap and then lots of small, winger types such as Khadra, Dolan and Markanday. One player that I mentioned who obviously is unobtainable but in terms of style that I think would suit us would be Solanke, works hard, quick, can run the channels, would provide physicality either with or in the absence of Brereton but crucially unlike all bar Brereton would offer a regular goal threat.

Apparently Scott Wharton is a "ball-progressor" known for his "vertical" passing.

He got his team selection wrong yesterday, he was without a key player and our depth is very weak, Davenport has never totally convinced and Johnson is past it so I understand to an extent why he avoided their selection but it was to the detriment of the teams balance. He is performing brilliantly this season though so lets hope that we get back on track on Monday night. I have never understood this idea of putting Mowbray as director of football, once he is deemed not suitable for the managerial job, then he should leave the club entirely. Similar to the constant calls for ex players to join as coaches, pure sentimental nonsense most of the time.

I think you are taking the word "striker" too literally. There is absolutely no reason why a striker couldn't fit into the current formation which we would be crazy to ditch. As long as he is the right type of striker, ie someone with pace who could offer us a goal threat that only Brereton does from the current crop, then we could fit another striker without a formation revamp.

Poor refereeing first and foremost, 2 terrible decisions. If we had VAR both would have been corrected, but people don't seem to be keen on that idea. But I always think that there is little to be gained from focusing too much on the referee, I am much more worried with certain cracks that are appearing. Mowbray has managed to get the team playing more than the sum of its parts in the last couple of months, consistent selections amidst tactics and a formation that has worked perfectly, but there have been signs of weakness in recent games and as soon as you get beyond that first 11, the team becomes massively weakened. Gallagher is an absolute donkey, why he got a new deal is beyond me and his inclusion also upset the balance, Khadra was poor and didn't suit that role and we have seen how reliant we are on Brereton's goals, it is similar to last year with Armstrong, the supporting cast don't get enough. We have lots of attackers that I would consider to be ill suited to being paired with a similar partner from the same group; Dolan, Butterworth, Khadra and Markanday, with Gallagher being a donkey leaving only Brereton as a slightly more physical, regular goalscorer. We badly need another striker before the window that fits into the way we play and can play either with or without Brereton, perhaps as the right sided striker, that can offer a serious goal threat. Rankin Costello was beyond poor, understandably rusty but I don't think that he is particularly good to begin with, he seems to have a reputation as an attacking full/wing back from nowhere really. It isn't a major worry in that Nyambe can come back in on Monday and we also have Zeefuik ahead of Rankin Costello. Edun is also nowhere near the standard of Pickering and it just shows that there is a drop off past that first 11. There has been talk of Buckley developing to be a deeper midfielder, it did not suit him at all yesterday. The subs were weird choices, I can only presume it was to add physicality but it seemed a strange choice. A really important game on Monday. Nyambe has to come back in for Rankin Costello, Travis has to come in (or Davenport if he doesn't recover in time) to replace Gallagher. The big worry is up front, without Brereton, who will score? I would start Markanday, possibly with Khadra but that doesn't seem like it is well balanced.

Moving away from a back 3 would be stupidity. Its just a rumour though and even if the player did join, there is no way that a random journalist knows how we will set up.