The squad does not have the quality to be in the top 6. Last season prior to selling Armstrong and being so hamstrung in the market, he should have been far, far closer. There will not be just one reason or specific failing as to why that didnt happen, and indeed suggesting it is all solely down to Mowbray "being tactically awful" is a massively presumptious oversimplification. I dont think anyone is comparing Mowbray to any of those. Point being that there is minimal correlation between animation on the touchline and quality of manager. Scott Parker, top of the league, very placid on the touchline. Mark Robins, doing brilliantly, not the most animated. Daniel Farke, 2 recent league titles, again not a shouter. You get the picture.

"Falling asleep" again is obviously blatantly not true. Your illustrious sporting career aside, I don't get the fascination with how he behaves on the touchline. There are many better managers that are equally if not even less animated than him as I gave an example of in Allardyce. Alternatively, some of the most incompetent managers in the game kick every ball on the touchline like Coyle did. I dont really think that it makes any difference, you could argue that a manager constantly running around like a mad man would only pass over signals of panic and chaos if it did. If the results were good, as they were for example in League 1, no one gave a shit about his touchline demeanour. Ultimately, when results became poor last season, his unchanged touchline demeanour then became a further stick to poke him with when inadequate results is more than enough on its own to justify an opinion of wanting a change.

I have always found the regular conversation about Mowbray's touchline demeanour to be a little strange, I do get the frustration about him in general and he shouldn't be here any more but ultimately, better managers than Mowbray are more reserved and worse managers are more animated. Coyle used to jump around wearing full kit and he was as bad a manager as you could wish to see, whereas Allardyce used to spend the first half sat in the stands and he was a very capable manager. Mowbray was the same in League 1 when we won almost every week, that is just his personality. I don't think that his failures are down to a lack of ability to inspire, nor do I think that players are motivated by a manager jumping around like a maniac on the touchline.

What noise aside from nonsense about Alex Neil's imminent appointment?

A yearly 20m loss isnt obligatory as part of being a Championship club.

If he has had to go, then its totally crazy.

Surely they will come over to Ewood now that they said in a letter that they still care? Maybe not.

Yes.

Brereton will miss the Coventry game, but I think that Brereton suits being left of a 3 ideally, he showed in a couple of games lately in which he played centrally that it doesn't suit him to play central. Burns would be a total wildcard selection.

Still not many goals there, and absolutely no evidence based on Mowbray's selection history that he would start Butterworth over Poveda or involve Burns.

https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/football-news/blackburn-rovers-injuries-break-blackpool-21746960 Gallagher is having a scan on a hamstring injury. Not that he in isolation is a huge miss, but a potential front 3 of Khadra, Dolan and Poveda certainly won't put any fear into Coventry in a couple of weeks. Really lacking in forward areas.

Clearly not enough as its not signed.

How could you possibly know that?

Absolute shite with an underfunded squad lacking in quality and depth showing further signs of being lacking. As soon as Magloire was named in the starting 11, we had as good as forfeited before the game had begun.

You do wonder if giving him an extended deal was premature. Doesn't seem close to being up to the rigours of regular football.

Sounds like a mismatch for Saturday. Johnson is going to be involved, Van Hecke "not ready" although has been in full training for 2 or 3 days, Rankin Costello not mentioned but shown on the video, Lenihan a big doubt, Nyambe definitely out, Rothwell and Gallagher big doubts should be ok. I personally think we need to weigh it up and potentially take a small risk. If we go with Magloire, it will be a mix of a player not up to it and also some sort of mismatch, either Buckley at wing back or Magloire himself out of position. I think we need to weigh it up and decide who is fittest from Lenihan, (perhaps with a pain killing injection) Van Hecke or Rankin Costello. Not ideal but even if it backfired, we have loads more bodies back in 2 weeks, Lenihan, Van Hecke, Nyambe, Rankin Costello and Wharton.

Magloire at centre back wouldnt be too far off accepting defeat before kick off. Johnson is back available according to Mowbray. I think Johnson in for Nyambe with Travis moving to right back should be under serious consideration, not ideal but needs must.

Do people think there is a chance of postponement, looking at the forecast especially on the day and the history of postponements at Bloomfield Road?

With Edun, he certainly has regularly trained and played as a full back. Obviously, it is not ideal him playing on his wrong side, but he is a natural full back, it is better than playing a centre back so far off the required standard there instead. It would be between Edun and Travis, and I would prefer the latter in midfield. On Maja, we seemingly now have had it confirmed by Waggott that he was the player. Whether the loan would have been no strings attached, with a non committal option in it or an obligation will forever remain unknown, and ultimately is irrelevant to my point that the idea that we will have signings all lined up in an organised manner on a suddenly created budget seems fanciful to me.

Definitely another more viable alternative than what I expect (Magloire in a back 3, Buckley right wing back) but I fear that we would miss him too much in midfield. Who would your midfield 2 be? Edun, Davenport, Clarkson and if fit Johnson seem the choices.

Assuming that Rothwell doesn't make it: Kaminski Edun Carter Ayala Pickering Travis Johnson Dolan Buckley Brereton Gallagher Subs: Pears, Davenport, Khadra, Butterworth, Clarkson, Phillips, Cirino

I think Brereton is a good example, there was no evidence really in those first 2 years that we had a good player on our hands, definitely not one who would score 9 in 10 games. Ultimately, when anyone doubted him at that one point, me included as I did, they were justified to have an opinion, and they were wrong if they predicted anything other than what we see today. If the policy is refraining from holding an individual opinion and discussing those, simply believing solely in the manager, then this messageboard ceases to exist. I predict that he won't make it at this level, think that he is a total liability at the moment and would prefer never to see him again in a Rovers shirt for both of those reasons. That being said, if he does play, I will support him as I do all of the players whether I rate them or not, and certainly don't wish him any bad luck or ill will if he does go further down to continue his career. Although to be honest, Mowbray clearly doesn't rate him that highly otherwise he wouldn't have signed a loanee centre back on top of 4 centre backs already over Magloire, and he wouldn't re-jig the whole team and system in a failed attempt to protect him.

It is not a lack of support to predict that a player will never be up to standard to play at this level on an internet messageboard.

In kids football/friendlies. HIs ability at senior level is a total unknown.

To be fair, Pike has never kicked a ball in senior football, so can't really be seen as a convincing deputy himself. The loan was only for a month too.