I presume there is an element of sarcasm in the phrase "lump of lard with no pace" but obviously that is not true. He is not massively fast nor is he particularly slow, he has scored goals on the counter attack before where he has more than kept up with quick players. He also has the technical ability needed, and is very comfortable pressing.

Very poor is an exaggeration anyway, but even amidst his limitations, simply being a 20+ goalscorer every year meant that he was a top level Championship striker when he was here, such is the importance of goals. Does Armstrong have all of the attributes? Timing of runs, strength, aerial ability, hold up play, one on ones, scrappy goals, is he particularly good at any of those even at Championship level/standard? I would say no, not really. But as long as he keeps scoring goals, all of them become secondary. Both players are not top level in quite a few ways, and often contribute very little overall apart from scoring consistently which is the most difficult and important thing for any attacker. Thats why Rhodes throughout his career here and Armstrong throughout this calendar year were/are so critical to us as a team.

You try telling the referee that!

Very pleasing performance and result, as soon as a very limited Coventry went down to 10 men the result was a formality but the scoreline and many aspects of the performance were very exciting. Of course the key is consistency now. We have played 3 of the 4 poorest sides in the league so far and we have absolutely hammered all 3 of them. Against "superior teams" or stubborn teams of a similar level, we have struggled to get results. The good parts of the 3 wins have to come together on a regular basis, the start so far is ok, no more, but today I am very happy. Brereton was absolutely superb today, 3 assists and plenty of other good play, his best performance. The poor finish at the end was frustrating because when we got the first and obviously the man advantage, one of the main things that I was dying to see was another Brereton goal, of course until he starts properly contributing with a few goals there will always be a question mark, but very impressive overall. Armstrong is the main source of the numbers in Dack's absence, perhaps the least involved overall of the attacking players but the most important in putting the ball in the back of the net. Elliott looks a real talent, he doesnt look raw as I expected of someone so young, he looks surprisingly mature and seems to really be on the same wavelength as Holtby who ran the game, although whose finishing was dreadful! Their link up for the fourth was not a first time but it summed them up today perfectly. To see Elliott getting a goal and an assist already is a huge bonus. Further back, Johnson wasnt stand out but not playing him in front of the back 4 removes that worry of him being a liability in possession and causing us problems, he can put himself about more and he used his experience well, and Trybull whilst looking rather slow in transition looks a natural in that holding role. I thought that Lenihan was the pick of the centre backs, Williams was fine but Lenihan looked particularly determined to get that clean sheet, he has got some criticism lately but I think whilst not being perfect that we are better with him than without him. Douglas had to shake off some rust at the start with a stupid yellow card and being caught out of possession, ultimately defensively he wasnt tested but on the ball it is night and day with him and Bell, sensible decision to sub him off with the yellow but hes got to be the only choice there now. Rankin Costello would be a worry at right back v better teams, there was once or twice when he naively gave them the run of that right side either by losing it trying something he perhaps shouldnt or even backing off but on the ball he was good and the ball for the first goal was absolutely outstanding. Kaminski had a quiet day and I hope that he recovered for Tuesday. I thought we lost some control and quality when we made the 3 subs, the players coming on were all obvious downgrades. Buckley grew into the game to be fair and Gallagher got his goal through a terrible goalkeeping mistake but I was really pleased to see him score. He is not a right winger in a million years though so why Mowbray persists with it is beyond me. I dont think that I have ever seen him even come close with his head in a competitive match. In fact he often seems to purposely avoid aerial duels. Both of them are predominantly players that dont contribute loads from open play but are just regular goalscorers. Armstrong does have pace but often he still finds himself offside and he is quite languid in general play, when he wasnt scoring prior to 2020 he was often somewhat of a liability because his at times laziness (which was more of a problem because of the role he played then) was not being offset by goals. He is also hit and miss when he goes through on goal and isnt the biggest threat at sniffing out and anticipating chances likes Rhodes, Dack and even Graham were/are but boosts his numbers up by hitting a few screamers and also like Rhodes, penalties. Rhodes' limitations in general play were overly exaggerated and he didnt have the pace or even the technical ability of Armstrong but he was brilliant in terms of movement, anticipation, composure, intelligence and as you say his finishing, put him through on goal and he scores 9 times out of 10, Armstrong scores maybe 5, Rhodes also gets so many more tap ins. You never really see Rhodes smashing in one from 25 yards though. I think they are both very similar, not necessarily in style but in being very limited players in terms of how much they contribute overall, apart from getting regular goals. That being said, I think that as stupid as it sounds, simply being able to score goals regularly and consistently is a skill that is becoming underrated, hence why both players were and are so important to us.

Does Brereton offer an aeriel threat?

Bournemouth equalised in injury time.

Happy enough with the team, although I would have started Nyambe at right back. Good to see Douglas and Trybull start. Apologies, didnt explain very well. I think he should be on the bench at the moment, and obviously if he makes an impact as and when needed then he can solidify his place in the squad and even push to start. If he fails to do so then be might struggle to get into the 18 at some point during the season and if that happens he can dip into the under 23s as initially anticipated. Nyambe cant head a ball. Over the last year or 2 our win record is much better with him than without him and especialy with Ayala out, he has to start.

I definitely think that there is scope to naturally dip him in and out of the under 23s as the season goes on. At the moment we look light across the front line and hes not in the first 11 at the moment so when hes needed off the bench he should look to have more impact than he did on Wednesday night and work his way back up the pecking order. When Dack, Gallagher and Rothwell are all available again, there may be a point when he cant make the 18 and if that happens he should play with the reserves rather than risking getting stuck in limbo.

The owners are disinterested and the CEO is his mate. Probably the ideal environment in terms of comfort.

I listen occasionally to not the top 20 and also the second tier podcast. Undr the Cosh are definitely one id recommend, they are very funny and at times focus more on the dressing room side of it and things like nights out etc as well as obviously the career of the players. David Thompson, David Dunn and Michael Gray amidst the guests over time.

Obviously the acid test is will we actually start beating teams with regularity? Hopefully so but if not, when does the point come in which we become less snobbish to playing styles and more pragmatic? I am not saying we should do that now. I find "instead of playing like Cardiff under Harris" a little patronising considering that it got them a play off place last season yet seemingly we are too good to consider resorting to that.

I never specifically commented on any tactical mistakes that I believe Mowbray made. My comments were about this underdog mentality not in keeping with a side expecting a top 6 finish, especially based on what i believe is an exaggerated perception of the strength of these relegated teams. Im not saying that there arent promising aspects to our performances but again in keeping with my earlier comments regarding an underdog mentality, my take home feeling after both games was frustration that we had lost. I havent seen any comments describing the exclusion of Douglas as a "disgrace" which would be over the top but I personally think that on the back of a Bielsa pre season and appearance in the cup plus the pressing urgency to drop an inept Bell who shouldnt have been given a new deal, Douglas perhaps should have played. You mention his atttibutes but Bell has pace which in theory gives him an advantage but he cant defend so that pace is of little use. If Douglas isnt a better one on one defender and better positionally than Bell then he is a pointless signing but I am sure that he is an upgrade. My main issue with Brereton is that he offers no goal threat. I dont feel (even on Wednesday) that he anticipates chances in the penalty box and his lack of willingness to get in the box and instead wait well outside the box for the ball to feet is infuriating, Mowbray himself said after the game that he cant score 25 yarders all the time. My comments about his lack of goal threat came before pleasingly he got off the mark, am I convinced that will prompt a spree or even a season where he gets even 8-10 goals? Not really but I am desperate for that to happen, the latter being a reasonable expectation and I was made up when he scored. I have repeatedly commented on a general improvement post lockdown (on an admittedly non existent benchmark) plus I again commented on Wednesday about his ability (which is a positive one, Craig Conway used to be the master of it) to "win" fouls (sometimes genuinely taken down, sometimes he initiates contact, sometimes he essentially dives, either way its a free kick for us so fair play) and have not seen whoever you have seen giving him "shit" about it, feel free to quote said poster and if so, again id disagree, it gets us up the pitch. I think the fans I know and indeed as shown V Bolton when fans are in the ground are particularly desperate to see him do well. There is no vendetta, to date he has not been a very good signing for us and has got fair criticism for that. Regarding your last paragraph, I am not sure what to suggest, locking the forum and waiting until 10/12 games in before people can comment on our results? Obviously there are people on both sides, there were comments suggesting that we will definitely finish in the top 6 should we maintain a level of performance that didnt earn any points. Ultimately people will judge continiously based on results and our points tally after 6 games is pretty poor. Absolutely terminal and leaving us with no hope? Obviously not.

Agreed on the loans for sure. No I havent listened to any podcasts with Eric Kinder. I have started listening to podcasts called Open Goal with Si Ferry, the Danny Graham one was uploaded on here the other day but the player who mentioned it was Barry Ferguson who has gone into coaching in Scotland. He was actually quite complimentary towards Rovers but he said that he didnt like that if we lost or drew we didnt boo, which he found strange after being at Rangers. The best podcasts are Undr the Cosh with Jon Parkin and Chris Brown though, and football ramble are good general daily podcasts too.

No but I think as a side who sees themselves as being in the top 6 this season, then we can feel disappointed to lose even to the better teams in this league, rather than being content at the performance and embracing an underdog mentality and David v Goliath narrative that is neither constructive nor particularly accurate. That doesnt mean that I expect us to win every game, that I cant accept that we will lose from time to time, or that there arent aspects of the side that show promise. Its just that the main thing for me is results, and if I am taking the top 6 push at face value, then these sides are rivals, not teams that we cant compete with. Deeney and Gray werent even available and Capoue only was for a cameo following injury and/or transfer speculation. Watford have just had to appoint a new manager, they have had the mental blow of suffering a relegation, they have sold many key players, whereas we are years down the line with our current squad/project, have continued to build rather than sell, slowly working our way upwards. If we come away having lost both games focusing more on the "competitive" performances against these teams rather than the result then does it suggest that the top 6 isnt a realistic aim?

That would be a huge blow.

We are missing him at the moment, hes the one player we have who has that knack of anticipating the ball in the box and picking up scraps. Hopefully he can be back after the next international break.

He said that he could probably play if it was the only option but then went on to say that Williams is available so I presume that he was implying that he doesnt need to risk him.

In regards to having only 3 centre backs, obviously thats a given now, is it sustainable to have 4? Not sure, maybe a different conversation. But I disagree that Magloire is the least risky just because he has pace, pace alone is pretty worthless. Bell has pace and hes useless! Magloire didnt seem to be able to head a ball when he played those 2 games in the League, he was absolutely bullied by the very slow and limited Nihiu. Rochdale took him and didnt want him pretty quickly. Take your point on board about moving Nyambe which is very difficult as not only does he lack a lot of things to be a centre back but we have no other natural right backs. Wharton looked shaky when he came on at a difficult point of the game but at least he has successful league experience under his belt. If he starts a game my confidence would dip admittedly and I just hope that 2 from the 3 CBs are fit at all times but Wharton is correct to be 4th choice IMO.

I know he has had a bit of an injury but it is a shame that Magloire couldnt get a loan spell lower down in League 1 or 2. He was clearly well off it physically when he played for our first team and he has only played a couple of games in an unsuccessful loan spell since. Regardless of a competent performance in a kickabout against Leicester, I would not feel comfortable if Magloire was needed in the Championship for us this season, we have to hope that at any one time, at least 2 of our 3 injury prone centre backs are available throughout the season. Wharton didnt convince me the other night either, it is not a position where you can afford a player who is not 100% ready. Playing with the kids will only take him so far. I have been listening to a few podcasts lately and a couple of former players have mentioned that they believe that the old reserve leagues should have been maintained and that now, all you have is young players continuously playing against the same kids that they have throughout the age group and it doesnt fully prepare you for mens football.

Having a scan but expected to be very minor and could even probably play tomorrow if absolutely necessary.

My post was not a critical one, I was stating that we have definitely progressed under Mowbray and indeed if he left today he would deserve to be remembered fondly which he would by me and the vast majority, but I was also mulling over whether the improvement is enough based on the time Mowbray has had, plus the resources. I didnt conclude either way. I am not in the business of embracing narrow losses in which we "play well" this season. We are not at a stage in which we are looking for green shoots of promise ahead of a rebuild, or good performances, we are much further down the line. We are a self declared promotion contender. You mention the young team, but there is plenty of experience amidst our side. Mowbray firstly failed the tough task of keeping us up but then did well to get us back up first time. We have stabilised in the league, the perhaps ambitious target last season was the play offs and we fell well short and never broke into the top 6. This season, that is a much more realistic aim. Also, yes Bournemouth and Watford came down but they are not Premier League giants a class apart in this league. Both have new managers, both have squads that will be mentally recovering from the blow of relegation, and both have lost a clutch of players, Bournemouth lost Wilson, Ake, Fraser, Ramsdale and had Brooks only available as a sub and King unsettled and wanting to leave, and Watford have lost Doucoure, Dawson, Deulefou, Pereyra, Holebas, Welbeck and had Capoue only on the bench and Gray and Deeney still not back again after transfer speculation. I am not doubting that both games were tough, I am not saying that I expected/demanded to go to either and win, I know that they were tough games. But if say you are a relegation battler and you lose to either, theres more scope to think, right it was always going to be tough, at least we competed. As a side with genuine promotion aspirations, we can justifiably feel really frustrated that we didnt pick up a point in either game, or indeed in any game. It is all about results now, hence why the start to the season has been a fairly poor one.

We have undoubtedly improved since he came, that is obvious. Of course it is key to factor in the time and resources that he has had and an improvement of the squad is undoubted. The likes of Greer, Brown, Lowe, Guthrie etc had contracts about to expire so he was lucky not to be lumbered with them. The question (which im not necessarily casting an opinion on) is based on the time and resources, is the team as progressed as it should or could be? I would disagree that we have 2 decent players for every position. You look at the current squad now, the goalkeeping position is one of great uncertainty, we dont know how the new keepers will turn out. Defensively, Lenihan, Williams and Nyambe he inherited, Ayala hopefully will be a big improvement, Douglas temporarily, Bell a poor signing and player. In midfield, there are plenty of players like Johnson, Holtby and Rothwell all of whom have been very inconsistent in a Rovers shirt. Travis came through, Evans was already here, we will see on Trybull, a better set of players than he inherited? Of course. Massively convincing? Not sure. His main 2 brilliant successes are in attack in Amstrong and Dack. Aside from that, and maybe Elliott could be exciting temporarily. Not much substantial beyond that. And at this stage in Mowbrays tenure, there is nothing to be taken from narrow losses and perception about becoming an attacking team. This far in the team and managers development, its all about results.

Bell should never be under serious consideration to start even if Nyambe is unavailable if Douglas is available. He may be quite fast but its ultimately worthless if he cant defend which he cant. Very wary of making changes specifically to counter our opposition, especially one like Coventry.

Kaminski Nyambe Lenihan Williams Douglas Holtby Trybull Johnson Elliott Armstrong Brereton Subs: Pears, Rankin Costello, Wharton, Evans, Buckley, Dolan/Chapman, Gallagher Really important game on Saturday, we have to be winning after a poor start to the season. Not interested in "exciting" performances leading to a loss.

He definitely looked to be mature and not just a raw talent that youd expect from a player at that age. Lets hope he can get some goals and assists for us in games to come.