I didn't go to that Blackpool game, I remember watching it online though and Brereton was hopeless and didn't seem to be fully trying even. Out of interest, what was the abuse that day, one or two pissed up people or quite a few, swearing/insults, personal stuff, booing, what exactly was it? Was he definitely crying and as a direct consequence as it never seems to have been acknowledged since publically, even in a "look how far he has come since" kind of way. I was at Blackpool away however, and heard no such "dogs abuse" to the hapless Magloire. Again, what sort of abuse did you hear, the odd piss head calling him shit, or something more substantial? Mowbray regularly talks about loaning out kids to feel what professional football feels like, when working class people pay good money and spend good time travelling up and down the country, and when their team isn't performing, it is normal that the frustration spills out, and it is a different way from the uncompetitive, sanitised world of kids football. I am trying to establish exactly what you have witnessed, whether it is normal frustration spilling over or something that overstepped the mark. I think there is this narrative that unfairly grows as if Rovers fans at stadiums are an unruly pitchfork wielding mob which would be obviously untrue. I think Mowbray's approach to blooding youngsters towards the end of the seasons is definitely mixed, I felt he did well letting Carter having a couple of games the season before last, realising that he was nowhere near ready and eventually got him loaned out, but in the main he can be reluctant as I felt was the case last season. But Brereton did get quite a few starts towards the end of that season if I recall, one of which was against Bolton. I do think he took him back out though for the last 2, definitely Norwich away, and a few others have not been given enough experimentation. The problem is, its long term v short term, ultimately the most important thing (until if you get near the end of the season and there is little to play for) is to win the next game, which is why it makes me laugh when Mowbray has been criticised this season for bringing on loanees over permanent players, as if that should come into consideration during a game so early into the season, and often with the irony of said permanent player being in the last year of his deal. I still don't think that Buckley has performed to a level whereby his selection is guaranteed even now, although in the absence of much credible alternatives, it is natural that he gets a run.

When he did make cameos, he looked so poor though, he didn't warrant or justify more of a chance, especially with the Dack and Graham combination as you mention. I don't like the idea that he got a hard time off the supporters though. Criticism in places like forums (and even on social media although you get a lot of real idiots on both sides of every argument there) is perfectly fine, in the ground he has never been given a hard time.

My point was that the important and more senior players, including our captain, main goalscorer and best full back are all proving too difficult to get to sign again, whereas kids on the fringes yet to prove themselves fully are the ones we can get done. I think it is a self explanatory point and one that you are arguing about for the sake of it, to be honest.

Not the point that I was making. Senior players with 100+ games and noticeable impact on Championship games, ones who would interest other teams if they were free, we cant get them to sign. Dolan signed a new deal about 20 senior games into his career, at least half from the bench. Buckley signed his last season before establishing himself as a regular. Carter had about 4/5 senior starts at Championship level before signing, Wharton himself had about 10 maximum and was suffering from serious injury. They are far easier and far cheaper to get to sign.

You have conveniently ignored that last season, he was much improved (albeit unremarkably so) on his first 2 seasons to which a football pitch looked alien to him, and he didn't warrant more time. I am sure that there are many factors that have led to this season's goalscoring form, not just the added confidence from his fame over in Chile. As mentioned, he had improved last season, further training has led to him using his body better, looking bigger and more powerful, improving technically etc, that can be put down to coaching. He also seems to have thrived now key players have left as the man (rather than Gallagher who has failed to do this) to really step up to fill the void and the responsibility. He takes penalties now, 3 extra goals and presumably more to come from that source main player, taking penalties which will boost the goal tally and then his confidence. It doesn't fit the constant narrative, but I very much doubt that Mowbray's future is key to Brereton's decision, and making out that he is a huge anchor on Brereton's potential development is unfair. Money is and will be the main factor, as will the potential chance to play at a higher level, much more key to any decision than Mowbray v other Championship managers. Seemingly a mixture of a somewhat counter-productive strict wage cap and a lack of proactivity have left us in a sticky situation, but lets not make out that the improvement is totally down to the Chilean manager/staff in a couple of weeks. Release clauses may become a necessary evil. It means that we could hopefully fit the player in within the wage structure, we accept that they may be sold at some point, but that point doesn't have to be now.

Why is the word supporters placed in inverted commas? Does not rating a player or criticising a players performance in any way make you less of a supporter? I don't recall any booing or indeed any hating, but if nonsensical and petulant hyperbole helps you to get a point across, then fair enough. In his first 18/24 months, he showed minimal if any signs of even being a promising talent, he looked hopeless, and I felt that Ewood was very supportive of him, I recall the happiness/relief for him after his goal v Bolton. This nasty supporter narrative that some seem keen to thrust forward at every opportunity really does confuse me. To go off on a tangent, I suspect if he ever misses a key chance, a penalty, if Chile don't qualify for a tournament etc, the hostility there would be a lot more than a few moans and groans from a third full Ewood when something goes awry. And I also suspect that all agents are not leeches comparable to a deadly disease, and indeed footballers are young men who are probably lacking the awareness to be able to successfully negotiate their own contracts, so I can understand why they pay someone more qualified to do it for them. All of them players will surely be right near the bottom of our wage structure, minimal to no interest from elsewhere, Wharton with an injury too, different ball game to our senior players who we are unable to offer sufficient terms to.

Good news for him, but not for Rovers for whom the likelihood of a new deal gets ever slimmer. Need to offer him a wage at the top of our wage structure and have a bit of flexibility, goalscorers are worth the most and we simply cannot lose another asset for cut price. Sensible structure my arse.

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I think the exciting thing isnt even just his potential but very much how good he is now. Stands out regularly in big games. If Winks gets back into the England reckoning then something has gone awry.

I just think thats hes a brilliant player, at 21 everytime I see him he stands out even around world class players.

The problem is, are they going to displace the clutch of attacking midfielders that are currently being picked?

More financially sensible ie restricting your self imposed wage cap so strictly that your key assets leave for free.

I do think with Foden that he is brilliant anywhere along that front 3 and even deeper. He regularly plays on either side or even as a false 9 for City and stands out with regular goals and assists. Southgate seems to love Mount in that central role for what he does off the ball but I think especially as we need to become better on the ball as shown v Italy, ideally Foden could go in there with the team built around him. Bellingham could potentially displace Phillips too. The question I had with Grealish joining City is whether he can adapt. At a mid table club he had the ability as a maverick and thrived being a big fish in a small pond with the whole team geared to serving him. At City he is surrounded by better players but to justify regular selection he needs to become more flexible, as equally hard working and match the goals/assists that they all get and its the same with England.

Dele Alli surely will never play for England again, he looks totally shot, he was a flash in the pan I think, embarrassing in the North London derby last week. We do have some good strength in depth but mainly amidst the players already being selected, not sure the likes of Maddison, Konsa and Loftus-Cheek would come close to worrying the bigger nations. The pressure is on the next World Cup because of reaching the Semi Final and Final of the 2 tournaments prior, there is a natural expectation that we should be one of the favourites to win it for the first time in my life time anyway and if we fail to even match that last tournament final place, there will be strong pressure on Southgate to be removed, and the margins in tournament football are so thin. We have to build around Foden, that I am sure of.

We may aswell have been in an embargo to be fair, we were in a self inflicted one, whereby we could only bring in kids on cheap, heavily sponsored loans who don't seem of the calibre to improve us particularly, whilst our self inflicted strict wage cap will see numerous valuable assets leave on frees.

I get the general frustration and the 11 year thing is exactly why the real common denominator here is Venkys and why I could happily call them words much stronger than pricks. They are the ones that deserve all of the wrath, Mowbray is just a manager who was doing a good job but whose tenure has grown stagnant and turned into him doing a below par job. But my point was, as far as I know to some people who didn't even attend in the first place so weren't personally "affected," are him not coming over to clap fans (something I wanted to clarify, maybe there was something else that he did that made calling him a prick necessary) and also complimenting the atmosphere of the Blackpool fans (which was a good atmosphere to be fair) really reasons to get so worked up? Especially when there are much more valid and constructive reasons to be frustrated with him, tactics, team selection etc. Again, your last sentence implies that he is choosing to "dig out fans, point out untruths to protect himself and at times just bare face lie" ahead of focusing on his own failings, as if there is time to do one or the other and he is actively choosing the former. He gets asked questions in interviews and last season like any manager struggling with poor results, he could at times get prickly or even wrap himself in knots from game to game trying to desperately justify poor results, it happens, the results themselves are the issue, not what he says after, how he behaves and carries himself on the touchline, whether he claps the fans at the end, these are all trivial issues.

Impossible to learn anything against such poor opposition. Abraham does however look rather clumsy and ungainly and the ball bounces off him too easily. I do wonder who would play as the striker if Kane got injured, no one really stands out. Greenwood is out of favour and is he a natural striker? Then the likes of Abraham, Calvert-Lewin, Watkins etc, none are top class. I worry that Foden isnt seen by Southgate in his first 11. He is considerably better than Grealish, Mount and Sterling, and that is based not against a pub team tonight but consistently across the last 18 months. He is a special player.

Out of interest, did you attend the Blackpool away game? And what specifically did he do to cause such personal offence and for you to call him a prick, just not come over at the end and clap? I was there but left at full time, whether Mowbray came to clap wasnt a concern. I also think that to take offence from his post match interview merely complimenting a good atmosphere, you would have to look for that as some will do. What I find is that because weve all agreed that Mowbray should go, some people become focused and obsessed in finding fault him in everywhere even when it is unfair. I thought his main error at Blackpool was the avoidable selection of Magloire as a right back.

Which would also make the 4 wins on the bounce the best run in our history, easy to focus on specific runs. We finished 15th over the course of the season, that is what matters and that wasnt good enough. Again, this need to make him out as this ignorant "prick" to further tarnish him, there is more than enough regarding last season to justifiably want a change of manager. No need to become petty and nasty.

I don't get why Raya and Rothwell are directly comparable to be honest. There will be examples of players who were highly rated here and deemed to be not managed correctly who left and faded into obscurity too. Raya in that first season following promotion cost us a number of points through his eccentricity. We dont see Brentford week in week out but even when I have seen him in the last 2 years in the Championship, he made horrendous errors, one v Hull away and one in the play off final in the first year stand out, the key is to reduce those errors which he seems to have done, his shot stopping was always excellent. After over 2 years of development, he is obviously a different player and how much of that is purely down to continuing to play regularly and learn from mistakes and how much is down to coaching is purely subjective, but what he is doing now doesnt mean that the criticism and doubts over 2 years ago were invalid. The big issue for me is spending the money (plus a bit extra) on a striker we already knew was poor, then loaning a sub par replacement for Raya, it was a double whammy. Rothwell has played this season much deeper as has been touched on, in more of a defensive role than an attacking one, and still hasn't totally convinced. He played to the left of a three last season and has played on the wing prior, in all positions it has been flashes of genius amidst general mediocrity and anonymity.

Think chaddy said that "it was his understanding" that he was. Rich Sharpe seems to disagree though.

Ultimately we are all somewhat speculating and estimating no matter how much some profess otherwise but that would mean that we would have been over 10/15m over FFP regulations prior to the Armstrong sale. I don't doubt that Mowbray's spending has been far from 100% efficient. Gallagher is the stand out mistake, not very good, big fee and big wages. Often criticised a lack of ruthlessness upon promotion when he dished out new deals too. I don't doubt that he played a big part in coming into the summer with a poor squad, and based on last season he shouldn't be here, but he has been very restricted by an uncompetitive budget this season, and it is not Mowbray's fault that he got such a restrictive budget, he isn't in charge of the purse strings, and being so restrictive will actually impede us financially when assets leave for free, so it is short sighted by Venkys. The lines have been about how tough it has been in India and putting the breaks on the journey, the FFP reason in the main has come solely from supporters, surely if we was so far over regulations, Waggott in particular and even Mowbray would have regularly brought it out as an excuse throughout the summer, but they didn't. He does want as a big a squad as he can but even by loaning 4 in, the squad is still very thin and massively depleted in numbers compared to last season and we are struggling to name a squad with just a few injuries.

Mowbray has repeatedly said that he would like the current players to be given extended deals and regularly mentions the idea of selling players at a profit and then reinvesting part of that windfall, which should be the policy. He has also (as well as Waggott) mentioned the strict wage ceiling which has been enforced above his head that is preventing those players from signing on. He has just made 8 figures worth of profit on one of his signings, if the owners allowed just a little flexibility in slightly moving that ceiling up, they could then sell on some of those assets down the line and financially benefit. Sadly, they don't have a plan. When those players contracts were renewed, it was a very strange decision and compounded by the decision by Waggott and presumably those above to refuse refunds on season ticket holders, it felt like a slap in the face. But for an extra month, it would have been small fry overall if you compare it to the potential budget to sign players, and that strict ceiling would still remain. I don't get how is to blame for the uncompetitive budget of this season. I take on board and share the criticism aimed his way at the state of the squad going into the summer, 100%. But why is he to blame for the uncompetitive budget this time? FFP regulations? Something that regularly crops up but Mowbray/Waggott never once really mentioned it in regards to the low budget. A lack of trust? In which case, why is Mowbray still manager?

Could argue that he is keeping his feet on the ground. He has been publically very supportive of Brereton for years.

I am unsure how you have concluded from my post that I am constantly making excuses from him when you agree with the point I am making, that the only reason that people even notice his touchline demeanour is because of results, especially in the second half of last season. In regards to the other stuff, Mowbray is not the one who sets the budgets, so that is nonsensical. What he is to blame for somewhat is the state of the squad going into the summer, that I would strongly agree with. The budget this summer was not a competitive one, unable to even sign experienced loanees despite selling one of his own signings for a profit, mind you, he shouldn't have been manager going into the summer. But me constantly making excuses for him doesn't fit in with the fact that I have consistently said for months that I want him to be sacked and that he would have been if the owners had any interest in us. His touchline demeanour is an example of a stick used to beat him unnecessarily, the results and 15th place finish last season is a strong enough argument.