I am suggesting players who I THINK we should get, and the way I THINK we should play, not players who I think Mowbray will get, or who I think suit what I think Mowbrays planned tactics are. Otherwise I would be also suggesting "wide forwards" and "false 9s" who again I wouldnt play personally. It isnt pointless just because my opinion doesnt perfectly marry with what I think Mowbrays opinion is. Clarke is a fair shout, seemed decent when I saw him last season but then again, Derby conceded a goal more than us. He is hardly of the Adarabioyo mould of bringing it out from the back, I dont think a player of similar ability in that regard who also can help us keep more clean sheets is realistic if I am honest. If we can get a defender who (with the help of a goalkeeper and left back) helps us gets that goals conceded column down massively, that will do me just perfectly. Ideally with some recovery pace to allow us the option to push out a bit. If he is considered a "ball playing centre back" then thats a bonus. The 2 arent mutually exclusive (or mutant exclusive which sounds scary) but very difficult to get both so you have to prioritise.

Once Dack was injured, he played far more centrally and was far more effective. Thats why he started getting more goals. There was also an excellent performance at Sheffield Wednesday where he got 2 assists. He was much more central in the last 2 games too. He will always have that tendency to stray to the sides on occasion but he is far more effective centrally. Against Reading he was essentially left of a front 2, in a 4-2-2-2 formation, same v Luton. If anyone tended to spend more time wide, it was Brereton which allowed Holtby to come inside.

Have you ever seen this Chumi play? My point is that we must prioritise getting that goals against column down over playing it out from the back. If that means we have to become slightly more pragmatic and compromise on any principles to play out from the back, then so be it. As ever, you are just trying to second guess Mowbray to ensure that he appears to be right. I am worried that Mowbray will again not adequately fix the goals against column. If he fails to again, then I suspect it may be his last season as Rovers manager, and for the likes of Dack and Armstrong too. I never said necessarily sign a "no-nonsense" centre back, just that the main priority needs to be to stop conceding so many goals. If Kipre could slot in next to Lenihan for a cut price fee and help us get the goals against column down, as Bauer would have done, then he is perfect. As we have discussed, it is hardly as if the rest of our team is suited to playing that way anyway. Lenihan is very limited on the ball, and Travis and Evans are decent on the ball without being capable of regularly dictating games, but are much better getting in peoples faces and using their energy. A more important attribute might be recovery pace. That way, we can press higher up. If we can sign someone like Adarabioyo, then perfect but I dont think that is possible personally on our budget. Of course, the fact that Mowbray wants to doesnt mean that we should put our opinions directly in line. After all, he also felt it was the correct idea to sign Brereton and Gallagher for 12m. I personally think we are best when we are getting in teams faces, pressing high, using our energy and when possible, countering. I dont think its realistic to expect us to dominate games every week. I am not going to start recommending prioritising the ability to play out from the back and having wide strikers just because Mowbray has tried to do that. Wide forwards dont work either. Gallagher and Brereton lumbering down the sides? No thanks. Again, just because Mowbray chooses to play them, doesnt mean we have to endorse and agree with it. Have your own opinions.

The main reason for Armstrongs improvement has been playing mainly from a more central position, although post lockdown he played wider until the last 2 games, when he scored 2 more goals. If we can get him and Dack working in the same team from central roles and tighten up at the other end we might have half a chance.

On a very limited budget when we also have numerous other positions to sign, I struggle to believe that we can get a good player who can do both well. Adarabioyo is unattainable and even with him in the defence we still conceded 63 goals and he could do both. Although he wasnt as defensively capable as Lenihan in my opinion.

I really hope that Mowbray isnt prioritising the ability to play the ball out over the ability to keep the ball out of our net.

It really is silly season if people have the time and the motivation to find old articles about League 1 midfielders and modify the picture to make out as if we are signing them.

I think its a big ask for him to come into our side as a first team regular at his age and after experience 2 leagues down and plug a problem position replacing a player who had a positive impact. We need to bring in someone to fill the void that Adarabioyo left externally, someone who we can be confident can come straight in and really make a difference. Wharton by all means can be part of the squad and hopefully if he can show himself as up to it at this level, it would be a huge bonus as even if we get a good quality CB, the chances of him and Lenihan playing 46 games are unlikely and we lack depth there. https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/stoke-city-transfer-harry-souttar-4423158 Stoke want to loan out Souttar anyway it seems, which certainly isnt remotely appealing, although it is second hand info from Alan Nixon so expect either a permanent move somewhere this week or for him to be made Stoke captain!

I dont think Wharton can be expected to come into our starting 11 but assuming that we sign a first team centre back he wouldnt have to. If he could come back and be either 3rd or even 4th choice then that would be a big plus. Souttar has seemingly done well at League 1 level and got good reviews and I am assuming that he is more likely to be Championship ready. His inexperience like Pears means that although he might prove to become a good player at this level in time, they cant realistically be expected to come into a side supposedly pushing for the top 6 and have the consistency to play most or even every week and rectify our main fault. Kipre like Dunkley (and Marshall) will be cheaper due to Wigans situation.

To be fair, whilst I totally agree with what you say constant inconsistencies in Chaddys post, I think based on the game time they have had, none of them 3 are up to playing in the first team at the moment. Wharton could be a bit different after consistently excelling in League 2 but the difference between him and a new signing would be that Wharton wont be expected or depended on to come straight into our first team and improve us. I dont doubt that Souttar would likely be closer to our first team than all of them based on a seemingly impressive loan spell in League 1 but we dont need closer. We need someone to slot in and help us concede less goals. I think of all of the names mentioned, its the likes of Van Der Hoorn, Ayala, Kipre, Balogun, Dunkley and maybe at a push Chester (the latter 3 have already gone elsewhere) that are what we need. Players we know that could come into the side now and there wouldnt be a doubt that they can perform. 4 of them are/were frees and the other 2 will be sold cut price, they are off the top of my head. Get a Souttar aswell if budget allows after fixing all positions by all means.

Chey Dunkley has gone to Sheffield Wednesday. Another potential signing going elsewhere. Would have potentially been a shrewd addition. Also a rumour that Dominic Samuel failed a medical at Rotherham.

I appreciate his motive of wanting to play football. My question is, he is a player with minimal first team experience, well out of the picture (at the moment) at a club that conceded more than we did, one has only played in League 1 and briefly in Scotland, who is only 21, is he going to come in for Adarabioyo and make a significant difference in getting that goals against column down? Which is what we need. You presumably have seen him play more than me, I did see him make a mistake in the play offs, so maybe he is a ready made and unknown gem ready to step up, but forgive my scepticism. All being said, the rumour has come from a terrible source therefore there isnt any truth in it.

If Stoke have 6 centre backs already yet conceded 5 more goals and are happy to let Souttar leave, and at 21 years old, is he going to be of the calibre and experience to be able to get us into the play offs? Not a question I can answer but seems a little bit of a jump. That being said, its come from a really dodgy source so guessing that there is no truth in it.

Dont sense any urgency, thats for sure.

That account linked Travis to Coventry.

The Mowbray and honesty comment was tongue in cheek really, of course I know he would. Regarding Venkys, I am their biggest critic. But implying that they put specific demands on our manager spending money on attacking players just seems a little elaborated, and more invested and interested than they clearly are. Even if its via their stooge. Especially when defensive woes with Mowbray are a regular problem. Not sure about that, if theres any truth in it. A 21 year old whose experience has come from a handful of games in Scotland and a season and a half in League 1. Also notably he is apparently very slow. Think we need someone for the here and now.

The thing is though, Mowbray had claimed full responsibility on transfers so the conspiracy implies that he is an outright liar. It also requires Venkys to have put this rule in place which would require them to a vested interest in what is going on at the club which they clearly dont and a basic knowledge of football to specifically only fund certain positions. Mowbray has had similar problems at former clubs, he left Coventry after admitting failure to sign a centre back that was needed. His West Brom job became untenable because it was built on flimsy foundations. When Venkys came in their main early signing was Scott Dann who obviously was a defender. We had Grant Hanley coming through who obviously established himself at Championship level as a very competent CB and there was no need to replace him at that time. We also then signed Duffy once Dann went, again for a (smaller) fee who established himself alongside Hanley and that was one area which was fine. When we eventually sold them both, that was during a 2 year period (between being in embargo and relegation) in which every player of any value was sold off and there was no budget to replace them. When we were relegated Lenihan (academy graduate) and Mulgrew (one of the higher profile frees Coyle brought in) were more than capable in League 1 so again that wasnt an area that Mowbray concentrated on. I think it is more circumstantial and it seems farfetched that Venkys have either the knowledge or interest to specifically only spend in certain positions. You might call people pointing out the lack of defensive reinforcements as the "Mowbray out mob" but hes made these same mistakes at previous clubs. It seems like a case of removing any blame.

I saw this on twitter @JoeH which supposedly also considers the difficulty of saves made. That is subjective in reality so not sure on the worth of it. But the top 6 goalkeepers are of no surprise. And some really poor keepers near the bottom like Long, Camp, Grabara etc. But again, its possibly not anything to take too seriously. Sluga is quite high up but has made so many mistakes this season. Walton just below half way.

Considering that they played in different sides with different styles and different defences, I think only the top stat is useful really in that it measures saves to shots which is clear cut. But not particularly flattering to Pears. The aerial catches is a surprise on Waltons behalf, even though his ability at that is a overrated that is a really low figure. Obviously taken with a huge pinch of salt because it doesnt factor in things like mistakes leading to goals etc too, Waltons well into double figures which is the main issue. Thanks for the stats though, the shots saved one is useful. I remember watching Pears play v Forest and he made a really bad mistake from a corner to allow Grabban to equalise. I also remember him clattering Rankin Costello v us although that wasnt a mistake. Otherwise I dont really remember him when I have seen Boro play this season, last time I saw them v Millwall he had been dropped. The thing with Pears, not factoring in a very mixed bag of opinions from Boro fans. Is that hes barely played any senior football so I hope it is just paper talk. The plus would be that he would be ours and he may well turn into a very good keeper but he is so far from his peak. He is also small for a keeper.

What about Pears' goalkeeping stats compared to the rest of the divisions goalkeepers?

It is also interesting to note that when we really went more aggressively towards being a "possession team" post lockdown, the world of false 9s etc, we picked up 10 points in 9 games (1.11 points per game, compared to 53 in 37 prior, 1.43 points per game) and we kept 0 clean sheets, conceding 18 goals. (2 per game, compared to 1.22 per game prior to lockdown)

Even outside the play offs in the possession league ☹️

No, if that is the primary thing that Mowbray wants from his defenders then I dont accept it, I oppose it because we need to stop the goals going in! I know, I have summarised why I think the obsession over the possession "league" is flawed, both based on our current squad and also the numerous exceptions, with the teams you have quoted me all having squads far more suited to it than we do. Its the goals conceded that you want to look at. QPR seem to be a fifth exception to this supposed rule, all that possession undermined by conceding the third most goals in the league. Give me some "basic" defenders any day.

Which is totally baseless you mean. Its not like Rothwell has previously had really productive seasons before but has just entered a bit of a lull.

Also, Mowbray goes on about the possession v league position statistics but the thing is, the correlation is far from 100%. The specific teams right at the top, either through incredible superior coaching (Leeds) parachute money (Fulham and West Brom) or incredible scouting (Brentford) have the strengths to specifically play that way. We have central midfielders that can get in your face, we have 2 natural goalscorers and plenty of pace to press or counter dependant on the situation. Can Travis, Evans or Johnson dictate games every single week? No. Can Lenihan play passes through the lines? No. You look at some further examples, Barnsley are right near the top but are ultimately spineless at one end and lacking goalscorers at the other so they ended up lucky to be bailed out by Wigans off field problems. Cardiff finished 5th with the lowest possession. They have really good wide players with pace, and are really organised. They really take advantage of those strengths. Forest and Milwall are both right near the bottom of the possession stats but above us in the league. Im not saying that we should purposely aim for low possession but we shouldnt obsess over it. More important is the correlation between goals conceded and league position. The top 4 teams had the bottom 4 goals conceded. If we can actually fix our defence then we have 2 goalscorers and that makes us dangerous. Again @chaddyrovers youve dismissed Bauer as basic. Playing out from the back etc is not critical. If he could have come here and helped us knock 13 goals off our goals conceded column, then thats what matters. Lenihan cant pass the ball out from the back so we had better sell him too.