A player who we are better off with for sure, but not one that has particularly improved and a constant in our run of 16 games without a clean sheet. On the ball, utterly dreadful and very rash in general, but we are a worse team when he is absent. Disgusting tackle yesterday, one that he is very lucky not to be banned for.

I do agree that Mowbray has been left with a thin squad, and one that has been stripped of any quality and looks as poor as I can remember in recent history. I don't doubt Waggott and Pasha's incompetence but whilst we can speculate as to the exact reasons that deals didn't get over the line, the common denominator as ever is Venkys and they deserve the majority of the blame for the hollow shell of a squad we are left with. That being said, there are still things that Mowbray very much can be blamed for, and the need to remove him from his job again comes to the fore. Even yesterday, he got his tactical changes and his substitutions all wrong, and again the 12m set of jokers up front failed to deliver. 16 games without a clean sheet is a horrendous stat too.

So do I.

Take on board the point about Nyambe sometimes being a little overhyped but interesting to note the Pickering comparison. Unsure how much you have seen of the games this season but I think that Pickering has a lot more question marks around his defensive capabilities based on what we have seen so far, obviously a big thing is how slow he is, but he also often can be quite hesitant and has been caught out a few times. I don't think history suggests that we would find better, the likely replacement would be Rankin Costello who as a one on one defender is much worse. No idea as I have said, but we are pretty desperate if Gallagher or untried kids is all that we have. A signing will not be lined up for the start of January, that is quite simply not how our club works under Venkys.

So no then, you listened to the punditry of someone who is obviously a friend of Gallagher and who played with him, so will be reluctant to criticise him. His goal at Boro was excellent and if a striker scores he justifies his place, but the same limitations were there. He can't hold the ball up, his first touch is horrendous, he can't link the play, he is clumsy and technically very poor and his decision making is really poor, he showed all of these signs again yesterday, all summed up when he went into the corner for that counter attack, perhaps an argument could be made for that being a sensible choice, but he then predictably instantly lost it and gave away a foul. When the ball goes up to him, he cant use his body properly, he rarely wins headers and even if he makes contact he rarely does so to the benefit of the team. He has no intelligence, he is thick. What can he do? Very little. Yesterday, his missed chance was not even what frustrated me. His general performance was just abysmal with nothing positive to cling on to. He is a poor striker and this idea that he would thrive once given a run down the middle is bollocks, sadly for us as we need him to play well due to a lack of alternatives. 5 million down the drain.

Acknowledged in my second post, big part in that first goal. I wish him and Rothwell would contribute more going forward more often. In general I felt that he was quiet today.

Totally agree that he is even less useful out wide. Hes just a poor player and money down the drain sadly.

Yeah, the referee went down at the start of injury time which took a good few minutes. He eventually went off, no issues with time keeping.

I would like to think that we will ramp up the search for a striker through the free agent market, we all know we desperately need one. Might be slim pickings and a scraping of the barrel though.

Did you watch the Boro game? I thought he was fairly poor aside from the fantastic strike for the goal, all of the same failings, he cant hold it up, worst touch you will see at this level, lacks intelligence (today a couple of his decisions near the end summed him up) and in both of the last 2 games, we have been unable to keep the ball out of our half for long as a result. What Joe said was bollocks, as is what you are implying regarding agendas. Had you asked me yesterday my opinion on Dolan, I would have said that I think he is well off the standard of a regular Championship contributor. Obviously my opinion hasn't drastically changed on one game, but if I couldn't see past my opinions on players, or agendas as some may call them, I would not be so strong in my praise for Dolan today, who thoroughly deserved the man of the match award. If you or indeed anyone think that my criticism regarding my suggestion that Buckley was ineffective from an attacking perspective, something which I feel is a common theme, whilst not suggesting that he was awful or anything hyperbolic, then fair enough, you clearly both are not capable or willing to have constructive debates on the matter.

Ayala very passive for the equaliser and soft and lucky for the disallowed goal, looking back. Another decision in our favour.

Agenda my arse. I dont recall very much that he did from an attacking sense at all, hence why I described him as very quiet. Won the ball back a couple of times, including once towards the Jack Walker when he sluggishly then allowed his man back ball side before fouling him. He wasnt awful, kept things safe a lot of the times and probably marginally better than Rothwell who kept losing the ball, but not enough again IMO. Good ball in the build up to the first though, but nothing else. But can we stop with the "agenda" bollocks please. Im sure we all have opinions on players so it is natural to have a bit of confirmation bias, I notice that your Analytics page is particularly bigging up Pickering who I thought aside from his excellent take and finish, was again not convincing. Buckley is a player who for me the physicality commonly mentioned is less of an issue, he just too rarely does much from an attacking sense. I often question Dolan and dont particularly rate him, still I am clear in my opinion that he really impressed me today. If I was agenda driven, id play down his performance. What did you make of Gallagher down the middle, where you have consistently said that he will be good at?

Lots of talk about the ref, he was poor and had little control but obsessing about him removes the accountability, we didnt draw that game because of the ref. We benefitted more than Luton from him because we should have had 10 men for 80 minutes, Lenihan's challenge was disgraceful. Gallagher put in as bad a performance as I can remember from a central striker. I have read a lot of unsubstantiated bollocks about him being a competent Championship striker "wasted" on the wing, today showed what he is about. Doesn't win flick ons, doesn't hold the ball up, horrendous first touch, clumsy, cant finish, thick as pig shit. Did nothing right. Brereton had a mixed day, he certainly isnt the saviour that a goal against Bolivia may have fooled people into thinking, although he has unlike Gallagher shown noticeable improvement, using his body, bringing others into play etc. Both of them were piss poor with the chance at the end. I thought Dolan had as good a game as he ever has, good goal and really gave their winger a torrid time, although a stupid dive wasted a good attack. Travis was off the pace and could have cost us a goal, Rothwell was poor and kept running into traffic and Buckley again was very quiet. Defensively, another game without a clean sheet without any stand out poor performers. Pickering looks a big question mark defensively, he is targeted because he is so slow, good goal though. Ayala is the best of the 2 in the middle and dealt with most things dealt with minimal fuss, Lenihan so poor on the ball and lucky to be sent off but deals with most things too, and Nyambe was fine. Kaminski his usual self, helpless for the goals, one good save, poor kicking. Mowbray got his subs horribly wrong, the 5 at the back nonsense needs to stop especially when Magloire comes on, he is so poor and so far away from Championship standard, summed up by how badly he misjudged that header early on. How with 3 centre backs do they score like they did, in the middle of the box deep into injury time, 6 yards out? Davenport was anonymous really too. I think that the day that pride is my primary feeling coming off throwing a 2 goal lead away to Luton is the day that I have started to lose interest.

Has he actually got a route into our first team at this moment in time? He is probably 7th or 8th choice even here, he is a boy lets be honest. Imminent first team minutes wont be happening here or at Liverpool, nor is it an urgent need. If it did become us v Liverpool, totally hypothetical of course and a huge assumption, the standard of coaching there plus a massive lift financially would be too good to turn down for basically any young boy.

That Sanogo is absolutely dismal, I would rather have Robson Kanu and that is saying something. I understand the desperation though, our attack is as lacking as anyone in the league, we are so short of goals. Lete just hope that there is a hidden gem from abroad that we dont know much if anything about, I wont hold my breath though.

Mowbray said yesterday that we have left a space open for a potential free agent according to the LT. If that is the case, it has to be imminent, no pissing around because anyone without a club will need time to get up to speed.

But ultimately tonight's result doesnt mean much, at least they are playing competitive football whereby the result genuinely matters, and if they make mistakes, they will have (a few) fans getting on their back, giving it that importance. But I agree that non league football is of little use, it is so far down that even if they go and do really well, does it prove anything? They should have been loaned to league clubs if possible before the deadline, the "we need bodies in ourselves" line doesnt work when we let them go even when we didnt get enough signings in. Unless neither are considered genuine first team prospects and are being loaned out with a view to eventually carving out a career in the lower leagues?

I thought the issue was bonuses? Either way, if true it would have been a really good signing had it happened, but becomes irrelevant when it doesnt sadly.

This would be mixed news, I hope he does start tomorrow but to miss him for 3 games in a couple of months would be a huge blow. It says a lot that we are so reliant now on such an average player, but there you go.

If Bell provides us with any worries, then we may aswell pack up now and accept relegation. Bell is not only a poor attacking player, but a horrendous one on one defender too, these metrics in the main tend to be worth very little. It would be worth getting Poveda to run at him as much as possible, mind you it will no doubt be Gallagher wide right, and Poveda central.

I don't see much attacking quality in either side, a nil nil might not be a bad shout. Goals in short supply.

Of course, but you can say that about all young players. Point being, we would now be in a position whereby we are reliant on them to come in and hit the ground running at a level so far beyond what they have played at so far, it is unfair on them and really poor from us. We should really have enough senior goal threats to be able to pick and choose which kids are closest to the first team if any to the point that they can be dipped into contention when it suits us, which ones can be loaned out and which ones are not ready for either and still need to remain with the kids. Put them down? Behave. I have no opinion on them because they have never played senior football. I am sure some of them are good prospects, but I revert back to my stance above. Youth cups are by proxy not of the same competitiveness as league football. The primary objective is development, not results, and you are playing against kids, not adults. And you know full well that I don't watch kids football as you repeatedly ask me. But I have explained myself.

https://www.brfcs.com/magazine/football/match/716858/blackburn-luton Looks like we can still barely cobble a squad together for Saturday. The team and bench look piss poor and an average Luton side will fancy their chances. Our game plan has to be to get at the incompetent Bell. Would probably go: Kaminski Nyambe Lenihan Ayala Pickering Buckley Travis Rothwell Poveda Gallagher Dolan Subs: Pears, Khadra, Butterworth, Clarkson, Davenport, Magloire, another kid chosen at random.

No mention that it was Maja. Just says a player, could be anyone. A shambles either way though and whatever the mystery reason was, as it sounds like the player was on board and convinced, it could even cost us a place in the division moving forward with such a weak attack.

It is a totally different prospect putting himself about against boys in a sanitised, uncompetitive kids match and against Championship level professionals.