Chapman made only 1 league start, in which he was superb, came off after an hour and was dropped again and injured his hamstring as a sub. He could play an hour surely after numerous 90 minutes for the reserves. Alternatively, a cameo off the bench. Ultimately, the main reason he wont is because Mowbray wants to play those who "know the league" even though theyve spearheaded a woefully inept run.

Your theory implying we need a win to get to 50 points before experimenting falls down on a key area. The side hes picking, all of his regulars are not at the moment winning or even drawing football matches. Experimenting is not something that will allow us to blood players but is likely to hinder results as that hypothesis suggests. Changing players, bringing in players like Rothwell, Chapman, Rodwell in midfield these arent total novices nor are they massive risks to utilise, the likes of Bennett, Conway, Smallwood etc are not going to push us forward nor are they doing anything to stop the rot at the moment. Changing the team is not solely to blood them for the future, its to change a losing formula now.

I personally disagree with that particular formation solely because I think it would limit the effectiveness of our best player. That being said, I would at least appreciate the fact that hes tangibly looking forward, obviously assuming it doesnt involve shoehorning the likes of Bennett in for the sake of it. I dont think the problem lies within the formation, my suggested changes fall within a 4231. We need to start games on the front foot, 6 (?) goals at home in the first half is an embarrassing stat over 19 games. Id like to see us think about how we can be proactive and hurt other teams, rather than constantly fall back to players who whilst work hard dont contribute nearly enough going forward or even provide anywhere near the level of defensive support that the manager likes to think. Rothwell and Chapman wide please. Also think Rodwell could be a big asset in his best position. Give him a run in central midfield with the view to giving him a longer deal as a more important player. Back to my point. We shouldnt wait until pre season, essentially we have an extended pre season with promotion/play offs impossible, relegation incredibly unlikely and crucially, the current way of working failing miserably.

If that is his plan would you agree it should be from now? No need to wait.

The team is continiously backed on a match day so its a little unfair to even mention that. Wanting a manager out and expressing that (with potential replacements) on an internet messageboard and backing the team on a match day are not mutually exclusive. Ultimately the main flaw of the viewpoint that he will get it right in the summer and rectify our problems is that he got it so wrong last summer so what makes people think that will significantly change? Hes even unwilling to constructively experiment now when weve nothing to play for. Mentioning alternative formations he wants to play yet wastes a perfect time to start using them. And continues with the same old players when they are neither working short term nor are they the answer long term.

I also disagree with the idea of playing 433 as ultimately it doesnt have a natural place for our best player. But if Mowbray does intend on moving to it he should start now and use the rest of the season as an advantage.

Would go: Raya Nyambe Lenihan Mulgrew Bell Travis Rodwell Chapman Dack Rothwell Graham Subs: Leutweiler, Davenport, Armstrong, Brereton, Reed, Butterworth, Evans No point bothering with Smallwood, Williams, Conway and Bennett in the squad. Need to look towards next season not back to last.

Compared to Rothwell and Chapman, I would agree of course that Bennett and Conway would offer more defensively but I don't necessarily subscribe that they are particularly making a difference in terms of making us more solid, they will always put in the effort but Bennett in particular can be very rash. I dont think its the night and day difference between them and the younger lads. And our exciting younger players are going to need to be given time at some point and now is as good a time as any. You cant pick wingers solely on defensive capabilities. Im not convinced that we would be a different animal in comparing the competitiveness of the squad Mowbray inherited and the one he has now, aside from Dack obviously who has been a masterstroke of a signing and would be a big difference. Aside from that, not so much. The main hopes are young players with undoubted attributes but we are still in the dark as to whether they are competent Championship players. (Rothwell, Chapman, even Armstrong who for me bar one superb month has been cold much more than hes been hot) Youd still look in numerous areas and suggest that we need recruitment, our squad is very imbalanced. Indeed aside from Dack, the main difference is that alot of the crap that was soiling the squad Mowbray inherited (Lowe, Akpan, Greer, Brown etc) was out of contract at the end of his first season and is no longer burdening us. That and Travis' emergence.

-Conway and Bennett's defensive qualities are overstated by Mowbray. Even playing one or both doesnt seem to stem the goals going in, indeed when Bennett is asked to be a right back his defensive abilities repeatedly lead to him diving in and getting exposed. Neither of their work rates are ever in question but the defensive quality they provide is. -Armstrong is also apparently played for his running going back, thats a complete lie. -You've repeatedly defended Mowbrays summer recruitment. If we are having to name such a supposedly defensive midfield to protect our terrible defence, surely that says it all? -It may not work to stick Chapman and Rothwell wide, we dont know yet. But surely if ever theres a time to try it, its now, we are losing with the usual favourites guaranteed a place, and we have little to play for in terms of promotion/relegation, why not give it a go for a few games? - Why sign players he clearly has no trust in?

To be fair, in that instance he did so to overcompensate for that fact, something I sort of understood. Mowbray totally under-appreciates the intricacy of a 3 at the back formation however. When we played it v Newcastle Mowbray admitted that we hadnt really trained on it and it was a late decision. If he does intend on moving to that formation then hes going about it the wrong way, nows the perfect platform to bed it in. Look at Sheffield United, it works for them because their players play it every week and they know exactly how to play it.

He has flirted with the idea but what makes you sure that this is the plan. With Rodwell on the bench on Saturday, if that is the plan, it shows how forward thinking he is that he didnt play it on Saturday. Surely it would have made sense to play the formation he supposedly intends on playing going forward whenever current personnel allows, It would have allowed Bell and Nyambe to assimilate and stake a claim for the wing back roles, and perhaps have allowed the likes of Dack and Rothwell to start to gel together in a tweaked attack. I dont agree with going back to a formation that has posed more questions than answers in the past, but if that is the plan, I would have welcomed 8 trial runs starting at Villa Park as a sign of our manager thinking and planning ahead. But no, in went Bennett and Conway, Armstrong back in for Rothwell, back to the status quo. And that would beg the further question, why sign Chapman?

Firstly, when the payments are made is irrelevant, and purely speculative, point is we have committed that level of money, a very healthy budget to at least somewhat improve the first team. I don't see how his summer recruitment can be defended. We are within a process whereby Mowbray has repeatedly stated that the aim is to challenge for promotion. Following promotion, there is plenty of scope to improve a side, you are far from the point of development at a team that you can put all of your eggs into signing players seen as development players who in turn havent even provided serious competition, when its neglecting areas of the team that are not good enough for a progressive Championship side. You look at the individuals he has brought in, Reed is a successful albeit temporary signing, the Palmer situation on the flip side was handled poorly and has to be deemed as a failure. The Rodwell situation sums up how much of a priority he sees the defence as, reported interest in Bauer but his plan B was a midfielder who may well have proved a bargain in his natural position instead used unsuccessfully as a sticking plaster in our flimsy defence. Davenport may or may not exist and he has signed 2 attacking players in Rothwell and now Chapman who ultimately he has absolutely no trust in, and are quite clearly the polar opposite of what is in the Tony Mowbray manual of being a wide man. And the main bit, we only really have Graham as a central striker, to sign someone for 7m (with over 50 Championship appearances) who hasnt been able to put any pressure at all on an impressive but veteran striker is indefensible. I don't see him moving away from his set way of playing Armstrong one side and Bennett/Conway/Reed while still here on the other, he mentioned that even today and seems insistent on sticking with his favourites even though its quite clearly failing him at the moment. In general, I suspect that it is incredibly naive to expect him to ditch all of his favourites in a summer overhaul. He is far too stubborn and loyal to players who this season have ultimately let him down (quality not effort) numerous times. Also, he managed to combine conservatism (picking wide men for perceived and debatable defensive abilities) and a horrendous defensive record in incredible fashion.

Armstrong is undoubtedly quick (as are Rothwell and Chapman) but he doesn't help out going back and doesnt have a defensive bone in his body. I have no idea how he has garnered Mowbrays unwavering trust out wide when Rothwell and Chapman (mainly last season of course) are ignored. You say Chapman and Rothwell may have to wait but surely if ever there was a time for experimentation (structured, not mass throwing in the youth teams etc) it is now, amidst a rotten extended run of form with very little but pride to play for? His reluctance to do so makes no sense in that he trusts the likes of Bennett implicitly, and whilst his effort and work rate are unquestionable, his output offensively is dire and defensively he is not that good either, save for always being willing to run around.

I would love someone of the ilk of Wagner and Jokanovic with inventive new ideas and recent success in this league but suspect they will be unrealistic. I would strongly consider Cowley at Lincoln, doing a great job and would be an exciting appointment, I would also take someone like Karanka or Rowett any day over Mowbray.

You perhaps quite fairly question his numbers but considering a similarly primarily substitute role thus far, havent you defended Brereton and his lack of goals? For me, them quotes suggest that he is not considering a change of approach any time soon. His line about Armstrong is a load of bollocks, he is just as negligent defensively as anyone. But ultimately, he is choosing all 4 midfielders based on their perceived defensive capabilities first and foremost, so surely that is pretty galling considering our defensive record is so poor?! I also dont think Bennett is as reliable defensively as Mowbray seems to think, and hes next to useless going forward. Also, why even bother signing Rothwell and then go and sign Chapman, if he quite clearly has no faith in them whatsoever?

For me, the weakest and most illogical argument in regards to keeping Mowbray is that surely he deserves another summer. The reason being is that in a summer that he had 10m to spend, he hasnt improved our team at all, so how can that be the crux of your plea to keep him?! I also dont really get why people are so sure that he is suddenly going to become much more ruthless. Unfortunately, he crazily rushed to sign Williams and Smallwood on longer contracts, and hes said in his quotes above that he maintains that he needs a Bennett or Conway out wide, oblivious to the fact that neither are up to it.

If you are looking at a potential starting 11 for next season, youd probably struggle to name half of one from the current squad. Graham is definitely one that has proved his ability at this level. We definitely need an alternative but Graham is still a big player for us. And its a myth (one especially peddled by RevidgeBlue whose agenda against him is crazy) that our current tactics are to the benefit of Graham. We are lucky that he is able to do as well as anyone reasonably could with such dire service by limited players and set up by a manager with a seemingly limited tactical skillset and a preference for very limited players such as Bennett and Smallwood.

Wasnt that the plan last summer when he spent 10m and didnt improve the first team?

Dont understand how Graham is one of the players to be ruthless with. He has been our best player this season.

Seems a bit too nuclear considering youve missed out players like Dack and Graham who will be here next season (youd bloody well hope) so surely we should try and fuse players around them and see who can work with them? Agree in playing Rothwell and Chapman, feel like theres scope to see between maybe Rodwell and Davenport as potentially a partner for Travis, and the 3 other young lads in and around the picture, but I'd like to see experimentation done a tiny bit more structured than that. The key is to remove the likes of Bennett, Conway, Smallwood and Williams from the squad entirely.

1) The reason for sacking is not because we arent in the top 6 at all, suggesting that shows a level of ignorance IMO. It is a lack of belief that the manager is capable of turning this side into a top 6 challenged as he has mentioned. The main reasons for that are : -prolonged series of poor results far exceeding the duration of a blip in form -continued reluctance to experiment/continued overloyalty to inadequate players and sticking to a formula that isnt working -continued inability to set up a defence mirroring similar troubles at previous clubs. Conceded 3 less with 7 games to go than we did under a season with Coyle as manager for most of the season. -disastrous previous summer transfer window with considerable funds (no starters yesterday not at the club last year) displaying zero logic in trusting him with another summer window. 2) Neither side, especially Rotherham is a worthwhile barometer of success. Our wage budget as discussed by Waggott would rank higher in the league than where we are, and we spent 8 figures in terms of transfer fees in the summer. Both them 2 sides have been in and out of League 1 recently. If you want to have unrealistically low standards then thats your call. 3) What kind of logic is that? If part of Mowbrays sales pitch to stay in a job that he is not as bad as Kean and Coyle then its a pretty flimsy one.

There are 2 aspects here that confuse me a little: 1) We are in a position where no matter what wide man combination we have used, we seem to concede goals. Why is there a myth that Rothwell is so much more defensively irresponsible than everyone else? Armstrong is no better from that aspect and he didnt deserve to walk back into the team yesterday. 2) Of course he will be judged by his league finish! That said, your statement implies that experimenting will result in a lower league position. The results with the status quo in the last 10 games suggest otherwise.

Totally agree with the point you are making but not your specific examples. Dack is our best player and who we should be building around, there is no reason why we should play only one or the other, we should try and fit Dack and Rothwell in together. I also felt that Magloire looked well away in terms of being ready for the first team. The last 7 games have to be with a view to next season. No Conway, Bennett, Smallwood or Williams, whats the point, they are tired and tested. In goal, Raya may aswell carry on because Leutweiler wont be here next season. Nyambe and Bell may aswell continue at full back, although I don't rate the latter at all defensively. Lenihan has to start, I would personally play Mulgrew simply because I dont see any alternatives in terms of being anywhere near ready at the moment. In midfield, Travis is the first name in there now. I would love to see Rodwell given a run in there, I think he has more than enough quality AS A MIDFIELDER to warrant a new deal. I would also like to see Davenport get at least 2 or 3 starts. They should be the 3 at the forefront of Mowbrays mind. Wide is an area we have struggled to get any excitement or supply from. Get Rothwell on the left, Chapman on the right, them 2 with Dack in between will be far more exciting and enterprising. As an alternative, if Armstrong plays, he has to be on the right where it simplifies his game. Graham will be key next season, I dont see a rush to not play him even though he is a veteran, and I dont think either Brereton or Nuttall are near him, but obviously give them minutes as and when.

Thats blatantly untrue. Bowyer, who is not a particularly good manager I would say, had us finishing on 70 points and 67 points in 8th then 9th. He didnt take over a good situation either, the squad he inherited was poor. His recruitment was far, far better than Mowbrays, ultimately he was incapable of getting the team he assembled into the top 6 despite having a 40 goal strikeforce. One of his main flaws was blind spots towards certain players, Lowe was Bowyer's Bennett and Williamson his Smallwood. The football wasnt entertaining but far more effective and it was better on the eye than Mowbrays boring crap. We were much better off under Bowyer than Mowbray as a Championship team, however.

The issue centres around development for next season. Mowbray was given a very healthy budget in the summer and we went to Villa Park with a fully fit squad bar Evans and not one of the starters wasnt here last season. How can that be justified? The Brereton deal is done to death I admit but he has taken responsibility for it and it was incredibly negligent considering the state of our defence. So how can people argue that he knows what to do this summer when he got last summer so badly wrong? Are we after a difficult start now really growing as a team in the division? No, quite the opposite, and the stats over a considerable period are galling, 8 defeats in 10, I think 13 in 22, its horrendous over a large period of time. And also, is he building for next season? Certainly not. Travis is one of the first names on the team sheet but needs a midfield partner. We have a very good technical midfielder in Rodwell whose contract is expiring, why not give him the last run of games to see if he warrants a contract in his natural position? Because he feels the need to shoehorn Bennett in, a player who has come up short in every position he plays in this season yet Mowbray continues to pick 10 players and play him in the place that remains. Why play Conway, he should have been let go 2 or 3 years ago, hes not the future. Rothwell needs a run of games, he was our best player v Wednesday, instantly criticised in public and dropped. Chapman and Davenport have played quite a few full games and are now fit, surely they warrant a place in the squad over Conway, Smallwood, Williams and one or two others. The football is also terrible to watch, which is always secondary to results, but his reasoning behind decisions dont make any sense. How can he say that Rothwell and Chapman are not defensively capable enough to play when we are conceding so many goals as it is and he plays Armstrong wide week in week out, a player who is not defensively responsible himself. He has continued to neglect the defence as he did at previous clubs, why hasnt he learnt his lesson? To bring in Rodwell as one of three "centre backs" at the club was pure stupidity. The whole we have just been promoted crap keeps getting peddled and the season hasnt been a disaster but we were out of the league for 1 season and have spent well over 10 million in the last 2 years, we cannot be directly compared to Wigan and Rotherham. To be clear, I think our current league position is a little underwhelming but no one is saying it is disastrous. I think everyone is basing their desire to see the managerial change on the trajectory of our season, the repetition of the same mistakes, the continued over loyalty to under performing players, and the lack of tangible signs of building ahead of next season. He totally messed up last summer, and has neglected his defence in previous jobs, how can you justify expecting that this summer will be totally different?