The 2 are totally different players, I think there has always been an assumption amongst much of the fanbase that the plan was to replace Graham directly but they are chalk and cheese. Graham loved linking and playing with his back to goal, and was also instinctive in front of goal, Gallagher is unnatural and also is best running long distances. To be fair, I dont think that Mowbray has tried to make him into a proper number 9 in that mould either. To be honest, hes just a very limited player, he definitely could improve on his hold up etc but he will never thrive at that side of his game. He is more powerful and quicker than Graham ever was but Graham had an excellent football brain and was technically better. You could probably teach Gallagher to an extent but to try and directly replicate Grahams style would never work. Im not sure simply getting one former player to directly train another to do a similar job would work in general but especially one with a different skillset.

Obviously I don't. But I am saying that a kid who is struggling to score in League 2 is clearly not the answer either.

He has 2 goals in 10 games for League 2 Scunthorpe. He may impress playing v kids but like with Vale, their loan spells suggest that they are a million miles away from Championship level, they are not the answer.

You said that he cant take us to the next level. But are you now saying that if he did take us to the next level. Something which I would consider even to be making us a top 6 team, but even if you say it has to be promotion. He would be sacked anyway? Any promoted Championship side will be up against it if they got promoted, especially a side that has been assembled for relative peanuts. Fulham will struggle if they go up, Bournemouth will, look at Norwich now. Thats not a slight on Mowbray that we would. Since Christmas we have been poor, prior for a couple of months we were incredible, ultimately all that matters is where that levels out and its in the top 6 as things stand. Surely it depends on whether that is the case after the last game? His transfer record has been at least reasonable I would argue. He has only (to my recollection) spent a million or more three times, out of those, one scored nearly 30 goals and got sold for a huge profit, (that wasnt reinvested) another is on 20 goals and again will likely generate a huge profit in the summer, the third admittedly is crap, he has chipped in with a few goals in his time but a poor purchase, 2 out of 3 isnt bad. After that, hes dealing with cheap transfers, freebies and loans. He has signed Dack, Kaminski, Pickering, Rothwell and a few others who all have been bargains, of course there are some duds too, thats the market. Some inspired loanees too, but overall not dealing in a top 6 level market.

That QPR was the exception to the rule in the last 8, and even in that game, the goal was a free kick that their keeper easily should have saved.

@only2garners can these horrendous ticket prices be brought up and serious questions asked of Waggott at the next meeting. Also, minor points, but that bloody stadium announcer is so irritating, as is the lack of a constant timer.

We might have created a few chances, but I still don't think we would have scored. None of the 18 man squad offer a real goal threat. Buckley always misses sitters, Rankin Costello I don't think has ever scored a league goal, we know how much of a donkey Gallagher is and Lenihan always misses chances when he comes up for corners. It told me a lot when our 3 subs were a kid who scored 1 in 10 at bloody Halifax, a kid released by Preston last season and a 200k signing from Aberdeen. We badly need Dack and Brereton back.

We don't know the circumstances, whether it was reliant on a Rothwell sale for example. We will see if that fee is added to the summer budget. I suspect not. The Peterborough chairman confirmed the Dembele bid, how do you know for sure that a bid was accepted for Styles? If there is any truth in it, that would tally up to my theory that they were the 2 players lined up by Mowbray with the Rothwell funds, before the owners stubbornness got in the way. One thing that I called for in January was a forward that could play as a wide striker, so someone who could offer more of a goal threat without needing us to rip up the formation. I suppose armed with a budget of a twix and a curly wurly, that is a difficult task. Why is that "whatever the outcome this season?" Just off the back of one frustrating result against a side off the back of 5 wins? Why do interviews matter? Surely there is no need for such rigid statements with 10 games to go. He has 10 games to go to prove that he can take us to the next level, now what that means may depend on the individual. I would probably argue that a top 6 finish regardless of what happens in the play offs has taken us to the next level, I don't think that will probably happen, but if it does, I am open minded to him staying, if not then im not. Equally, if people think the only way to show that we can go to the next level is actual promotion, if that happens, does he still go in your mind? Even though he would have proven what you said he cant do? Also @J*B when trying to quote more than one post, when it says at the bottom to then quote them in an actual post, the box is usually impossible to press because of the placing of the adverts. Can that be changed?

If the game was still playing now we still wouldnt have scored. Millwall missed a trick not showing some ambition because an away win was there for the taking in what was an abysmal quality football match. Still waiting for the rest of the attackers to start chipping in as predicted sadly.

Scraping the barrel with all 5. That front 3 has barely 10 career goals between it. We are unfortunate with Armstrong sold and no money given by Venkys to replace him, Brereton being injured and Gallagher the dud of the 3 being the only one available. Dack also injured who is also a goalscorer further hinders us. The other 4 are a 200k winger from Aberdeen, a loanee, a kid playing his first season of regular football and a kid released by Preston last season. Throw in another couple of kids on loan both injured who again havent barely played senior football before this season. Not the armoury a promotion chasing team needs. Brereton and Dack couldnt be more missed.

Rashford has been crap for a while, well before Ronaldo's arrival to which there is no reason why he couldnt work in tandem with him. His body language and work rate is appalling, when looking at United troubles for some reason the focus of the media goes straight to Ronaldo and Pogba (im not saying they are without blame) but its definitely not just them, look on Sunday when Pogba had gone off and they stopped trying with Rashford and Lingard still on the pitch. A bit like Alli, he has obvious talent but has always been overrated and maybe he can be rejuvinated but he looks a busted flush already who believed his own hype.

When Rothwell goes, that will be on the owners who refused to consider allowing the manager to sell in January whilst he had value and bring in 2 players that he wanted. Out of interest, does Mowbray get any credit for that excellent defensive record? Also, does he get credit for getting us "on the cusp of something sensational" and indeed still being in the top 6 now? I stood there in the freezing cold being bored to death like others did whilst you sat at home having to fork out for a takeaway after yet another misplaced bet so I could easily allow my frustration to lead to one sided comments but its important to have balance. Half of our game is excellent, half is in crisis at the moment. We are in a good position as things stand.

Boring shite, a terrible way to spend a Tuesday night watching that crap. Our incompetence in front of goal will surely cost us a play off place. Firstly, the defence. Mowbray is not getting enough credit for how solid we are at the back, Millwall not helped by negative tactics (we werent scoring and they had won 5 on the bounce so they could feasibly have nicked a winner had they tried) never had a sniff. The wing backs were fine too, Rankin Costello aside from his miss was better than usual. Kaminski really cannot kick however. Going forward, we wouldnt have scored if the game was 12 hours long. The best summary of Gallagher is that when we need a goal, he was replaced by a kid who scored 1 in 10 for Halifax this season. I get the desperation but he isnt the answer. Giles was ineffective on the wrong side, as were both Dolan and Hedges. Buckley was good in the first half but its no use if he is going to miss sitters. Mowbray is getting the blame for the January window as if we had a massive kitty available to which there is no evidence. Although perhaps a forward on loan would certainly have helped. The options we had today, a 200k winger from Aberdeen, a kid released by Preston last summer and another kid who couldnt score in the Conference shows where we are at in terms of options. No ambition even in January from the owners to reinvest any of the Armstrong proceeds. Brereton and Dack both out, Gallagher is a waste of money of which there is no doubt but 2 out of 3 signings over 1m have been proven goalscorers so I suppose its not a bad record there but why he signed Gallagher is beyond me. He did certainly get his selection and his subs wrong today though. Giles on the right needs to stop, totally neutralises him. The subs were too late and didnt do anything, the Vale one was desperate. Badly need Dack back, I suspect he will be needed for a cameo on Saturday as I cant see us scoring prior to that. Brereton is being missed more and more by each passing game too.

I thought id suggest changing up a forward line that hasnt been scoring goals. I dont think hes the type of player who focuses on crossing the ball no matter what he plays. Whether he plays right left or central he is always 100 miles an hour trying tricks etc. Sometimes causing defenders a real problem, but sometimes tricking himself and not yet causing enough genuine problems in the final third. Enough to work with though and hopefully that decision making will improve over time, not really at a stage yet where he is ready to start every game for a promotion chasing team but an asset to have around.

Agreed with much of what has already been said. He definitely does have value and playing him as a false 9 does allow his main strength ie his pressing and energy to thrive, but there has to be far more at the end of it. He has a long way to go however, the excessive step overs miles away from goal may look flash but they need to be toned down I would suggest. His awareness needs to improve, the example already given at the weekend where we had a man over and he didnt look up showed that. And not only does he too infrequently score or set up a goal, but he doesnt look like he is about to do those things too often either, he isnt a threat very often deep in the final third/penalty box. I suppose he was a kid with no senior football who came on a free from Preston, so its not a case of he should be this or that, he is only 18 months into his career. I do think though that the circumstances of his breakthrough and how it was so unexpected at the expense of a local rival and also how he appears off the pitch, very grounded and a seemingly nice guy who helps others, that people often overlook his defeciencies on the pitch.

Pre match!

I think that is the only time that Dolan has crossed like that and Gallagher is hardly the ideal target to score from such chances to be fair.

We really havent. We have had at times marginally more of the ball but we certainly havent been dominating possession. Teams seem to be playing deeper against us. Brereton as a right footer has cut in from the left onto his right and scored 20 goals. Our wing backs are always on the right side like Spence is.

Lampard's Everton look even worse than Benitez's somehow. The "right fit for the job" indeed.

For them, such is the importance of the games, the risk is worth taking. If they don't do well in these 2 games, they wont be at he World Cup.

I get why they want him from Chile's side, but as a Rovers fan, following the initial novelty factor, Chile are really becoming a bit of a hindrance to us, with the extra games, the extra travelling, and now potentially risking him when he isnt fully fit and there is nothing that we can do. https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/19974714.blackburn-rovers-chile-locked-talks-ben-brereton-diaz-fitness/ I can't say I'd be disappointed if they lost the first of their 2 games coming up and had no chance of the World Cup going into the second!

2 more games I think.

Surely that would depend on how we finish the season? If we made the play offs and/or got promoted, surely that would be the ultimate progression? 4th suggests a level of competence, of course the only full gauge will be after the full season.

A good striker will also anticipate potential chances which Gallagher doesnt really do. I dont think playing him central will lead to a significant improvement in his performances and I definitely dont think loads of crosses against big centre backs will be too fruitful as he is deceptively poor in the air. That being said, it would make sense to try him centrally just to try something slightly different.

A reason why I was unsure as to whether to suggest Gallagher up front is that he isnt a physical presence and playing against 3 big centre backs, crossing balls in to him will not be a successful plan. Quick players and balls slipped through might be the way forward.