Mercer

I think poor and outdated training sessions and even poorer recruitment.

In reply to PhilipL's post - spot on. Think our club has been dumbed down from top to bottom including a once decent sport's science / medical department. To me, there are no longer any surprises. Our once legendary fitness under Hughes in particular and Big Sam is a thing of the past. You don't need to be an expert to realise that over recent years, other teams invariably seem mentally and physically far better equipped than us. I honestly don't know what either Waggon or Mowbray bring to our club and I think it's time they were bulleted along with Venus, Lowe and Benson. IMO, as a football club we are stagnating at best, at worse, we are regressing.

Good to see Nyambe start - think Mowbray's management of the lad has been shocking. A midfield of Holtby, Johnson, Travis with Dack tucked in there will have far, far too much for the Terriers. IMO, Armstrong has one asset and that is pace - unfortunately I think he is bereft of skill and football intelligence. If he is preferred over Gallagher then, IMO, it just underlines what a poor, poor player Gallagher is with yet more £millions spunked away. Despite Huddersfield's improvement under Cowley this will be an easy Rovers' win by at least two goals

With the defenders available, Mowbray has to go for it and play to our strengths - pointless trying to keep it tight even when all available at the back, we are just hopeless at defending as our goals against record testifies. Nearly always optimistic pre Rovers' matches so I'm going for a 3-2 win with the likes of Holtby, Dack and Rothwell saving Mowbray's skin for at least another week.

Clutching at straws! Don't be silly. Any number of managers will change clubs before Christmas and I dare say the majority won't have seen the opportunity coming. I've no agenda and know very little about Artell - simply posting what someone told me who I'd regard as a credible source. Should Mowbray get bulleted in the next few weeks only then will we know if there is any foundation in it. After all, I think it's fair to say Rovers have made some very strange appointments, that few saw coming, since Big Sam left. I think Mowbray needs to go and on that I think many of us agree!

Even if it is correct, you wouldn't expect Artell to know anything about it at this stage. At any one time, there must be at least a dozen or so clubs unhappy with their progress and considering their managerial options. You are not telling me that they don't do any 'homework' as to potential replacements (formulating a list of potential replacements that would include managers both in and out of work) should they decide to pull the trigger on their existing manager.

As many would have reacted prior to Coyle's appointment! Just passing on what someone told me and source does have some credibility. Certainly wouldn't be my choice!

Next 5 games: Hudders - home Brum - away PNE - away (3rd fixture in a week) Owls - home Leeds - away I would take 5 points from those games which speaks volumes as to how far expectation levels have fallen. PNE is a funny one. Presently, you would say it's an absolute home banker, a licence to print money. But football is a funny old game, you just never know. Anything less than 5 points from those games then I think Mowbray is gone. Told last night that if Mowbray goes in next few weeks then lump on Dave Artell to takeover. Interesting. Must add, not my suggestion, just what I was told.

IMO, an excellent post that says it all.

What job? We've been relegated whilst he was brought in to keep us up (Mowbray's words) and league position wise, we aren't hugely better off than when he arrived and in the meantime, I think Mowbray's spunked £15million+ away on Armstrong, Brereton and Gallagher whilst we have, possibly, the most porous defence in the Championship. I think we will be struggling to keep out the bottom six never mind challenging the top six. IMO, Mowbray has done very little to move us forward and we are as far away from the PL as ever.

So true. I think so many of our injuries are 'self inflicted'. I think our once decent medical / science department has, like most areas of the club, been 'dumbed down'. I don't think we even have our own club doctor now and rely upon a local Whalley GP who's classed as a 'consultant' Our once famed fitness and durability (remember the Hughes (in particular) and Allardyce eras) are things of the past. For years now, when I watch us, the opposition all seem to be a yard or two quicker and snappier and have far more stamina (perhaps illustrated by the substantial number of goals we seem to concede in the last quarter of games). It doesn't help the cause when we sign players like Chapman who have poor injury records. Then we have the likes of Davenport who seems to have been injured ever since we signed him from City. All clubs suffer bad injuries (breaks, cruciates etc) but surely, notwithstanding that, we need to be signing tough, robust individuals who we know are going to be available for 90%+ of our games. I think our defensive crisis lies entirely at the door of Mowbray. There simply cannot be any excuses. 'Defenders are arriving' - well they feckin didn't and it's going to be hugely challenging to even stay out of the bottom six now instead of challenging the top six. Bottom line, IMO, is Mowbray isn't up to it and never was.

Stuff of legends! Who can forget the 'Sports Pink' which was in your newsagent within about an hour of the match finishing.

Mowbray doesn't need a D.O.F. - IMO, we just need him out of our club, full stop! Wouldn't touch Coleman with a shitty stick. I couldn't trust the guy. Out of those listed would go for Hughton. Would be a sound appointment. Knows the game and gets results. Think Huddersfield have made a great appointment in Danny Cowley. Friend of mine who's a Terrier has been extremely impressed with his impact in such a short space of time. Getting things done and not talking about years down the line ala Mowbray. IMO, we need a Cowley type. Dynamic, hungry and shown they can be successful in a challenging working environment.

He's already done that! In his own words at Blue back in Feb., he was brought in to keep us in the Championship that season. He failed - full stop.

IMO, the reality with Mowbray does not match the perception! Over his time with Rovers, IMO, he's hung too many players out to dry, particularly younger players at the expense of his established 'favourites'. Always been a bit suspicious about the bloke - to me, comes across as too good to be true at times. His meet the fans at Blues back in February, IMO, put a torpedo through his credibility with his comments on the defence and future player trading plans for the team overall. IMO, being 'too nice' a guy has little to do about his success or otherwise in the world of football. The bottom line, IMO, is he's unable to set up a team properly, he's tactically naive, he fails to get the best out of what he has (consistently far too many square pegs in round holes) and other than Dack, his player trading is pretty poor with Armstrong, Brereton and Gallagher being horrible expensive signings. I do not think we have a playing identity and after three years in charge, I think that is a sad indictment.

Very true. Just why the feck did Mowbray sign him. Beyond comprehension.

I would never have appointed Mowbray in the first place. Since his appointment, I have consistently flagged my concerns about his abilities. I cannot see a single strength in his management. Mowbray, Venus, Lowe and Benson all, IMO, need clearing out. IMO, we owe Mowbray nothing - we rescued him from football's scrap heap and no doubt he has been handsomely rewarded and probably set up financially for life. I think Huddersfield have made a great appointment in Danny Cowley and he has started to turn them around. Hungry, talented young managers are out there and we need to find one.

A club's identity extends beyond its playing style. It's the heartbeat of a club. It's how fans connect to a club. What does it stand for, what is its purpose, what is its direction, what is its overarching football philosophy. I doubt if anyone could answer those questions in relation to Rovers. Formations are tactics. Football identity is clear. For example, is a team about pass and move, possession play, counter-press and counter attack, old-school long ball etc. After almost three years of Mowbray, I don't know what our football philosophy is. IMO, for three years it's mainly been old-school long ball. Sadly, as a club, I think we are culturally bereft from top to bottom with no identity, playing or otherwise, and we are drifting along in the seas of mediocrity.

It is. A remark that stood out for me "Mark has gone in there and given them an identity". Well Mowbray's been here almost three years and I haven't a clue what our identity is!!! Think QPR are still a flaky, soft touch and with the players at our disposal, we should be going there and winning comfortably and I am very confident we will despite, IMO, our dinosaur of a manager. At 11/5 for a Rovers' win, it's time to fill your boots.

Football is a funny old game. Surprisingly, you can get Forest at what I think is a generous 3/1 with Rovers only just better than evens on the exchanges. We are so unpredictable. My punt is on an unexpected Rovers' win tonight with a fiver on 3-2 at 30/1. Certainly think goals will be plentiful tonight.

A football club needs a first rate CEO and a first rate manager. They will pay for themselves many times over. Sadly, IMO, Waggott and Mowbray are way off the mark. What a half decent manager would have done with the £15million+ I think Waggott and Mowbray have wasted on Armstrong, Brereton and Gallagher.

Think Mowbray has spunked £15million+ away on Armstrong, Brereton and Gallagher. I would have sacked him after the Brereton debacle.

Try Adu, Bendtner, Bentley, Christanval etc who all shone brightly for a while before fading into obscurity in their late twenties.

Any signing that adds a touch of quality to our squad is welcome. The lad seems to have a bit of pedigree and potential but can the potential be realised or will he turn out to be another Armstrong, Brereton, Gallagher, Chapman etc. It's also time Mowbray showed a touch of ruthlessness and carried out a 'cull' - it's not as though there are insufficient candidates! Big questions are can Mowbray establish a stable formation, a pattern of play and settle on his best starting eleven without having umpteen square pegs hammered into round holes. Mowbray has been backed heavily in the transfer market. There can be no excuses from him

Rovers' win by two goal margin. What's the doubt? We are playing a team in 17th place, 3 points behind us and who've lost their last two games. Keep saying it but reading posts on here would make you think we are playing Barca, City and Liverpool rolled into one! For fecks sake, if we can't go to Reading with confidence and come away with something then it's time a supermarket was built on Ewood.