Tony Mowbray Discussion

[Mercer]

IMO, a season of despair - devoid of hope.

Mowbray just turns me cold.

IMO, just spouts sh1te and soundbites.

The 'happy clappers' might be happy tonight but I'm just p1ssed off with Mowbray's mind numbing Rovers.

[RevidgeBlue]

Yep.

I always said that if Mowbray stayed I would probably renew to whatever the Club eventually  came up with for next season but not bother going to many games as I'd rather enjoy my free time.

That drew some rather odd looks from my better half when I said it most recently yesterday and comments along the lines of why should I pay his wage, so I'm starting to reconsider even that.

I just can't see any hope as long as Mowbray remains in charge.

[Ewood Ace]

Mowbray has the aura of a man who knows that he has come to the end of the road and that he has run out of ideas. Sadly despite his claims to be an 'honourable guy' I don't see him walking away. He knows he's onto a cushy number here and his retirement pot will be totalling up nicely.

Edited July 22, 2020 by Ewood Ace

[JHRover]

Anyone observing Mowbray's body language tonight would see that as a man who had at best a passing interest in the game, perhaps a pre season friendly attitude, and certainly not a man desperate for a win. Contrast to that cretin Jones who spent the entire evening like a rabid dog on the touchline, whereas Mowbray was slouched over the advertising boards and benches like he was on his holidays. Did he even stand up? Was Venus even there?
The most exciting point of the evening was David Lowe's skirmish with Jones at the full time whistle. At last someone showing some passion and anger.

Sadly it just isn't good enough.

Fair do's to Hayden Carter, a good young prospect, but i find it a mixture of bewildering and embarrassing that we are turning up for Championship fixtures with no option but to chuck him into the side. We aren't playing Tosin because we are saving on his wages and we aren't playing Mulgrew because we are trying to force him out (even though the manager handed him a lucrative contract until 2021). Ridiculous. As for Derrick Williams the 'solution' to our CB issues - where on earth is he and what injury has he had?

I don't know where we are going next with this operation which is a shame. I believe we have the ingredients for a play off side - some quality in Dack, Armstrong, yes Gallagher, Trav, Evans, Lenihan, Nyambe - but massive gaping holes in the squad that are here because the manager has failed to fill them. Some canny dealing, organisation and discipline and this group could quite easily be a top 6 side, but that appears to be beyond this outfit, partly due to the owners but also Mowbray living in fairy tale land with his philosophies and beliefs.

'We need to give these young lads games to get them experience' is the cry from the terraces.

No we don't. We need to get ourselves a squad good enough for promotion. Either you are good enough or you aren't. We don't sacrifice our objectives to enable individuals to get game time.

Edited July 22, 2020 by JHRover

[47er]

I forecast we would finish 12th. We finished 11th! If Mowbray stays I'm quite confident in forecasting that that's where we will finish next season as well and so on forever till he's gone.

[Angry_Pirate]

I'd be concerned if anyone has a strong opinion that Mowbray going is a bad decision. It is the correct decision which will not happen.

Does he deserve to go (yes), is it a risk (... grudgingly yes), should he go (YES).

Bottom line is this has been a painfully dull, frustrating and uninspiring last 20 months as a Rovers supporter.

Has there been some good performances and results (a few, yes), have we rivaled paint drying for entertainment/passion for 60-75% of his time in charge (yes), have we wasted a huge chunk of our transfer funds, been soft and naive in the market, and sold and/or marginalised better players we had (Raya, Nyambe, Graham) for no discerning reasons except for clear manager bias (yes).

Do i think the only chance we have of avoiding a relegation dog fight next season, if Mowbray remains manager, is if 6-8 other teams all start on -12 points... yes.

Time to go, YES. NO QUESTION.

[Sparks Rover]

I actually find it quite exciting when a new manger comes in.  Yes theres a chance he might fail, but i always hang on to who might come in from the new manager's contacts....hope I think its called.

Mowbray has taken us as far as he can, time for a change.  No hope

Edited July 23, 2020 by Sparks Rover

[north_ender]

From an outsider's perspective, I've always wondered why Mowbray's position isn't more widely discussed. He's spent £15m, correct me if I'm slighly wrong, on strikers yet can't mount a serious play-off push.

Looking at some of the options you have got, a more ambitious and hungry type of manager would probably get more out of them. Mowbray has underachieved in a similar way to Lee Johnson at Bristol City.

Edited July 23, 2020 by north_ender

[RevidgeBlue]

On 03/08/2019 at 17:28, Neal said:

No lessons learned. No possession football. No plan B. No Joe Rothwell. No defence. No defenders signed. No method. No Ryan Nyambe. No positivity. No progress. No idea. 

 

You're a nice bloke, you've done a good job but this is as far you will take us. Don't ruin your legacy, do the right thing and step aside. Charlton are relegation fodder so what does that make us? 

 

Go. 

Just look at the first post on this thread by Neal following the first game of the season last August.

Apart from the bit about (pointless) possession football, it could have been written yesterday.

[philipl]

We finished 20 points off automatic promotion and 7 points off the play-offs.

We are a lot closer to relegation than the Premier League.

With this squad of players over 46 games, that is managerial failure, 

Plain and simple.

[CrouchingNunhiddenCucumber]

7 hours ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

I'm happy with the progress we've made.

You're happy with 5% progress? Settling for mediocrity whilst our debt continues to pile up and the single way for it not continue for it to pile up is promotion is frankly, pathetic. 

[Paul Mani]

Big questions of the manager imo. Statistically 5% improvement on last season which seems even more negligible when you consider the turnover of players which is about to ensue. No doubt the injury to Dack contributed to the final points total but it’s not been good enough overall. Finishing on 70pts this season would’ve been acceptable to me.

Weve finished exactly where our budget sits but we need to overachieve to be successful. Time for a change? Yeah, seems reasonable to me.

 

[Hoochie Bloochie Mama]

Hull (twice), Reading (twice), Sheff W (twice), Bristol City (twice), Barnsley, Millwall, Brentford, Derby, Stoke, Boro, QPR, Charlton, Cardiff. 

The teams Tony has beaten this season. Not at lot of stand-out results. 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Hoochie Bloochie Mama

[Mercer]

Last night was very interesting.

From bits I saw, Mowbray, IMO, looked very disinterested.  

Was Venus there - someone mentioned they didn't see him?

The normally statuesque Lowe seemed, IMO, to throw a wobbler at the end.

No Mowbray comments that I can see in the LT.

You can but hope that this is the end for Mowbray, Venus, Lowe and Benson.

 

[tomphil]

I don't put much stock into Mowbray words anymore. Defenders are coming - well yes they did but only really in the form of 2 back up loans after he decided to give Mulgrew another go and allow Williams to move to 3 rs choice CH.

We sold the goalie to buy a striker, more words he said that he soon turned on their head when it didn't look the best move.

Transition to possession game has also acted as a convenient excuse too many times this season as well.

God knows what claptrap awaits now. It's a massive test of him this summer but another I expect him to coast.

[cesus]

The goals conceded last night summed up Mowbray demeanour now, half arsed! First goal not fully concentrating, second goal a lazy flick and the third you knew what was going to happen straight away. All so predictable. Nobody has a clue what the owners are going to do, I just hope its without Mowbray.

[arbitro]

The real worry for me is that the whole club is becoming stagnant. Mowbray is Mr Average who will probably keep is mid/lower table which some are happy with. His body language and recent interviews have the look and sound of a man who knows he has gone as far as he can. Waggott seems to have a similar intention as he appears to be in his comfort zone at Rovers with essentially errant, uncaring owners who seemingly never question anything. Both Waggott and Mowbray are under no pressure. The supporters are mainly disenchanted and disenfranchised by the whole situation and I firmly believe that season ticket sales will be the lowest for decades and who can blame anybody for not renewing?

But ultimately nothing will change. With the new season less than seven weeks away there appears to be very little planning done on or off the field. Mowbray allegedly doesn't know his budget so can't plan accordingly, season tickets and merchandise aren't yet available but this isn't new to us. Every close season under these owners we have the same issues. 

The elephant is still in the room and whilst it is we are going nowhere.

[Mattyblue]

26 minutes ago, cesus said:

The goals conceded last night summed up Mowbray demeanour now, half arsed! First goal not fully concentrating, second goal a lazy flick and the third you knew what was going to happen straight away. All so predictable. Nobody has a clue what the owners are going to do, I just hope its without Mowbray.

We went the 9 games post lockdown without a clean sheet (plus the two matches prior). 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Mattyblue

[G Somerset Rover]

Just now, Mattyblue said:

We went the 11 games post lockdown without a clean sheet (plus the two matches prior). 

Shipping 23 in the process. Simply not good enough yet he trots out the same garbage week on week which the LET etc all eat up.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Ok ,I've made the decision not to discuss the manager much going forward, it's ultimately pointless.

What I will say on it is it's classic Mowbray that we were more bad than good after the re-start. The top, top managers would have had the players well drilled and fit as hares coming back. Like didn't Bielsa get in trouble for getting the player together to train during lockdown? We are a low intensity outfit. 

I said it in another thread,but watching the Forrest game last night I was thinking "fucking hell, the best team for them to play would have been us" and that is a damning indictment. 

Ok, that's it on the manager from me. Just sign defenders and before October, please. 

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Bigdoggsteel

[Hoochie Bloochie Mama]

https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/football-news/blackburn-rovers-mowbray-budget-transfers-18646217

"Apart from that, we're a very proud football club and we will strive to get to the top six next year. We believe we can, and yet you never how strong the relegated Premier League sides are going to be. We have to keep building and looking after ourselves and strive to make the top six as soon as we can."

Not the words of a man who thinks he's under pressure. 

[RevidgeBlue]

28 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Ok ,I've made the decision not to discuss the manager much going forward, it's ultimately pointless.

What I will say on it is it's classic Mowbray that we were more bad than good after the re-start. The top, top managers would have had the players well drilled and fit as hares coming back. Like didn't Bielsa get in trouble for getting the player together to train during lockdown? We are a low intensity outfit. 

I said it in another thread,but watching the Forrest game last night I was thinking "fucking hell, the best team for them to play would have been us" and that is a damning indictment. 

Ok, that's it on the manager from me. Just sign defenders and before October, please. 

 

Sorry, I won't let up on the issue of the manager until he's gone or improves beyond all recognition as I think he's taking the owners and supporters for complete mugs as evidenced by his body language and demeanour last night.

There's no hope until he goes imo.

[RevidgeBlue]

10 minutes ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/football-news/blackburn-rovers-mowbray-budget-transfers-18646217

"Apart from that, we're a very proud football club and we will strive to get to the top six next year. We believe we can, and yet you never how strong the relegated Premier League sides are going to be. We have to keep building and looking after ourselves and strive to make the top six as soon as we can."

Not the words of a man who thinks he's under pressure. 

No commitment to getting into the top six next season there , just whenever he can. An ambitious manager would be setting a target of trying to finish in the top 2 anyway.

The alleged uncertainty over the budget is really playing into Mowbray's hands. He has his excuses lined up in advance like ducks in a row already.

[MarkBRFC]

2 hours ago, Paul Mani said:

Big questions of the manager imo. Statistically 5% improvement on last season which seems even more negligible when you consider the turnover of players which is about to ensue. No doubt the injury to Dack contributed to the final points total but it’s not been good enough overall. Finishing on 70pts this season would’ve been acceptable to me.

Weve finished exactly where our budget sits but we need to overachieve to be successful. Time for a change? Yeah, seems reasonable to me.

 

70pts with a decent goal difference (that we had at one point) would have gotten us in the play off's this year.

The lowest total for a while to finish 6th.

Missed a big opportunity this season.

[Parsonblue]

55 minutes ago, Mercer said:

Last night was very interesting.

From bits I saw, Mowbray, IMO, looked very disinterested.  

Was Venus there - someone mentioned they didn't see him?

The normally statuesque Lowe seemed, IMO, to throw a wobbler at the end.

No Mowbray comments that I can see in the LT.

You can but hope that this is the end for Mowbray, Venus, Lowe and Benson.

 

Venus was there with Mowbray.  There is a post match interview with Mowbray on the club website, the tone of which suggests he will be here next season.  The interview illustrated why he was looking so displeased during the game - basically frustrated with the lack of consistency of certain players and suggested those who cannot deliver the consistency required would not be here next season.  Lowe was upset at the gamesmanship when Luton got rid of the balls that were part of the covid-19 protocols so that play was held up waiting for the one ball to be retrieved. 

Personally, I felt before the season started that our squad was a mid-table one at best and would need luck to get towards the top six.  Long term injuries to Cunningham, Dack and Evans really didn't help.  Has Mowbray been faultless this season - obviously not.  He has made mistakes, like all managers, but he has made progress - albeit of the slow and steady variety.  I've seen nothing to suggest that he won't be given at least one, if not both the remaining years of his contract to try to achieve promotion.    

With little or no money likely to be available we may well have to rely on the young players next season who will have to "learn on the job" as it were.  Carter made mistakes last night but no more than you would expect of a youngster breaking into the team - I'm old enough to remember some clangers that a young Mike England made - one spectacular own goal in particular that any centre-forward would have been proud to claim.  

With the new season just seven or eight weeks away, Mowbray is going to need to know the budget he is working with sooner rather than later.  The fact that every decision has to be signed off in Pune is what really hampers any progress.  Yes, money is put in and keeps the show on the road, but football decisions need to be immediate and until that problem is resolved we are always going to be playing catch-up with other clubs.