Tony Mowbray Discussion

[SuperBrfc]

Johnson's legs might be going, but he is a leader and still has that fire in his belly. Fair play for giving it a go in the first half last night. He wasn't going to say no, but there's only so much nonsense anybody can put up with. These lads will hate seeing us throwing away the opportunity before us.

A couple of years ago Johnson was doing a live interview on YouTube with a new podcast channel. It was pretty low key, as it was with a small channel, not well known. There were only around 5 of us Rovers fans in the chat. It was one of those very rare occasions where any question or comment (within reason) could be put to a player.

We were playing Luton away the day after. I basically said to him "we have the quality to out play and beat Luton tomorrow and should go there with no fear, there's nothing to fear in this division".

He sat up as the comment was read out to him and was nodding in agreement. The type of nodding that says "damn right". Obviously, I'm not putting myself forward as some kind of motivational speaker, just saying that some of the players might agree with us and will appreciate hearing that kind of talk.

Bigging up these average opponents as if they are Bayern Munich every week, worrying about the opposition and tinkering accordingly won't go down well with the players. Especially if we're dropping points. It looks like Johnson at false 9 was the final straw for the lads last night and I'm glad they took matters into their own hands at half time.

[martonrover]

55 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Sometimes these bust ups clear the air, fans, manager, players all having a pop gets it out the system.

It could just have done the world of good and galvanized everyone again for a little while longer at least.

Agreed, but it is still odd that the manager’s demeanour was so noticeably downbeat after a comeback win.

The natural response would be bullishness.

[Upside Down]

Mowbray's problems have always been him meddling with the squad and trying to outfox the opposition. Just play to our strengths for fuck sake!

We have a squad of decent players who are mostly young and eager. We should have pissed those last few games and been way ahead in second but constant pissing about with the lineup and playing people out of position has totally fucked us.

Funny how when Giles was on the wing and Gallagher was up front a goal was created. 

 

[BlueBro]

Last night was one of the worst displays of football management you could witness. Like everyone else I was dumbfounded to see that Johnson was seriously playing as a high energy pressing false 9. Imagine if anyone had suggested that on the pre match thread, they would have rightly been ridiculed. This comes the game after seeing Gallagher hugging the touchline, and Giles, one of the league's most creative left wing backs playing on the right wing, whilst Pickering is bang out of form. 

I am convinced that this group of players, with the right management and motivation would have been capable of automatic promotion. You could see in the first half last night they had no belief in Mowbray and how they'd been set up. I hope some of them did put him well and truly in his place at half time. 

The winning run we had been on needed the minimum input from Mowbray in that everyone was on form and fit, so the team was picking itself game after game. The minute we needed some adjustments Jurgen Pep Mowbray came into his own and made an absolute pigs ear of it and players started under performing instead of playing to their maximum. So the downward spiral began.

Somehow we need to re group from here. No need to ditch the back 5, just get Giles as left wing back due to Pickerings loss of form. Hopefully Nyambe will be back soon on right side, but in meantime will have to make do with Costello. The key is that the wing backs are instructed to play as genuine attacking forces on the front foot for 90 minutes, getting the ball into 2 more centrally located forwards. If wing backs are doing their job right, why on earth do we need two wide strikers and no one in the middle.....where did Mowbray even get that idea from. Gallagher(until Diaz is back) and either Dolan / Kahdra can play more central. Midfielders 3 of Travis, and 2 from Buckley, Dack, Rothwell. 

Keep it simple Mowbray for what will hopefully be your last few games at this club. Last night proved once and for all he needs to go, along with his equally useless crony Waggott. 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by BlueBro
Spelling

[roversfan99]

29 minutes ago, BlueBro said:

Last night was one of the worst displays of football management you could witness. Like everyone else I was dumbfounded to see that Johnson was seriously playing as a high energy pressing false 9. Imagine if anyone had suggested that on the pre match thread, they would have rightly been ridiculed. This comes the game after seeing Gallagher hugging the touchline, and Giles, one of the league's most creative left wing backs playing on the right wing, whilst Pickering is bang out of form. 

I am convinced that this group of players, with the right management and motivation would have been capable of automatic promotion. You could see in the first half last night they had no belief in Mowbray and how they'd been set up. I hope some of them did put him well and truly in his place at half time. 

The winning run we had been on needed the minimum input from Mowbray in that everyone was on form and fit, so the team was picking itself game after game. The minute we needed some adjustments Jurgen Pep Mowbray came into his own and made an absolute pigs ear of it and players started under performing instead of playing to their maximum. So the downward spiral began.

Somehow we need to re group from here. No need to ditch the back 5, just get Giles as left wing back due to Pickerings loss of form. Hopefully Nyambe will be back soon on right side, but in meantime will have to make do with Costello. The key is that the wing backs are instructed to play as genuine attacking forces on the front foot for 90 minutes, getting the ball into 2 more centrally located forwards. If wing backs are doing their job right, why on earth do we need two wide strikers and no one in the middle.....where did Mowbray even get that idea from. Gallagher(until Diaz is back) and either Dolan / Kahdra can play more central. Midfielders 3 of Travis, and 2 from Buckley, Dack, Rothwell. 

Keep it simple Mowbray for what will hopefully be your last few games at this club. Last night proved once and for all he needs to go, along with his equally useless crony Waggott. 

 

 

"Last night was one of the worst displays of football management you could witness."

Presumably it would have been THE worst display of football management in footballing history had we not won by 2 clear goals!

[Gutted]

50 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

"Last night was one of the worst displays of football management you could witness."

Presumably it would have been THE worst display of football management in footballing history had we not won by 2 clear goals!

If we'd have stuck with Mowbray's 'game plan' we'd have been comprehensively beaten. Fortunately his set up was so inept fans and players demanded change, with the odd exception such as yourself possibly. Thankfully common sense and professional pride prevailed. 

[Gav]

6 minutes ago, Gutted said:

If we'd have stuck with Mowbray's 'game plan' we'd have been comprehensively beaten. Fortunately his set up was so inept fans and players demanded change, with the odd exception such as yourself possibly. Thankfully common sense and professional pride prevailed. 

Mowbray changed the game at H/T -  3 points and 3 goals as a result, tremendous, We are all delighted.

Onwards and upwards. 

[Torgeir]

Smells of a little mutiny during HT here. Change of formation, two subs (Mowbray hardly ever make them at half time). After he said it wasn't about formation but about execution and that they hadn't prepared because the game came so soon the huge disappointment versus Bristol City. I don't know, just speculating. Johnno might have subbed himself off but at least the right subs were made. Players were tired, and so was Mowbray. Vital match before a good period of training coming up.

[tomphil]

I'm hoping a few away games against teams needing wins will see us back to our counter attacking. 3 home games have returned 4 out of 9 points which is pretty standard Mowbray era stuff.  So time to get back to picking some up on the road and hopefully he gets the plot back.

[AllRoverAsia]

The revolting players changed the game at H/T -  3 points and 3 goals as a result, tremendous, We are all delighted.

Onwards and upwards. 

[AllRoverAsia]

I suspect that Bradley J may struggle to play for us ever again under the current regime.

[47er]

10 hours ago, 1864roverite said:

What makes you say that?

Experience

[Torgeir]

8 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

I suspect that Bradley J may struggle to play for us ever again under the current regime.

Did Rothwell and Johnno swap positions without Mowbrays consent? 

[AllRoverAsia]

30 minutes ago, Torgeir said:

Did Rothwell and Johnno swap positions without Mowbrays consent? 

The instagram post will maybe not go down to well and ruffle some fragile egos

[lraC]

5 hours ago, AllRoverAsia said:

The instagram post will maybe not go down to well and ruffle some fragile egos

It’s brave of Johnson to say what he did on Twitter. When I first saw it, I questioned it’s validity, I was that surprised at seeing it. The fact that he was prepared to say it in response to a fans post, shows how angry he must have been. I find it hard to accept that he and the other players, sat back and accepted it and did not have a go at the manager about it. The boss is not always right.

Edited March 17, 2022 by lraC

[1864roverite]

9 hours ago, 47er said:

Experience

Of what exactly? 

[martonrover]

4 hours ago, lraC said:

It’s brave of Johnson to say what he did on Twitter. When I first saw it, I questioned it’s validity, I was that surprised at seeing it. The fact that he was prepared to say it in response to a fans post, shows how angry he must have been. I find it hard to accept that he and the other players, sat back and accepted it and did not have a go at the manager about it. The boss is not always right.

Yes, that Twitter post can definitely be construed as undermining the manager and broke the code of keeping dressing room politics in-house.

[AllRoverAsia]

11 minutes ago, martonrover said:

Yes, that Twitter post can definitely be construed as undermining the manager and broke the code of keeping dressing room politics in-house.

Meanwhile on RoversTV (there for all to see and hear before anyone denies it!) Mowbray says that there was player 'aggression' in the dressing room at HT and he wished a couple of them had shown the same aggression on the pitch .......

[47er]

23 minutes ago, 1864roverite said:

Of what exactly? 

Venkys---exactly.

[lraC]

15 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Meanwhile on RoversTV (there for all to see and hear before anyone denies it!) Mowbray says that there was player 'aggression' in the dressing room at HT and he wished a couple of them had shown the same aggression on the pitch .......

With some of the responses on here, I was starting to wonder if I had miss read Mowbray's body language and facial expressions, but given the admission he made about player aggression, perhaps not.

[AllRoverAsia]

9 minutes ago, lraC said:

With some of the responses on here, I was starting to wonder if I had miss read Mowbray's body language and facial expressions, but given the admission he made about player aggression, perhaps not.

There is a school of thought that we fans should not micro analyse what the manager says or does or how he acts or makes strange finger movements.

Well, I have tried to wean myself away from Mowbray drivel for years but it is addictive and more importantly unless his sayings and doings are reviewed how can anyone make an informed opinion and judge against known results and performance of the team. Surely an interest in the club dynamics is a good thing.

 

[lraC]

6 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

There is a school of thought that we fans should not micro analyse what the manager says or does or how he acts or makes strange finger movements.

Well, I have tried to wean myself away from Mowbray drivel for years but it is addictive and more importantly unless his sayings and doings are reviewed how can anyone make an informed opinion and judge against known results and performance of the team. Surely an interest in the club dynamics is a good thing.

 

Exactly my feelings. In addition to that, I was very impressed with what Mowbray said when he first arrived at the club and his early efforts, bringing some stability to the club were brilliant. I think back to little things like trying to persuade Connor Mahoney to stay and the statement when asked about why he took the job " This is Blackburn Rovers" was very impressive. His efforts in keeping us up to were fantastic and turning around what Coyle had done, was simply amazing.

Like may others, I have been hugely disappointed with the death spirals we go on and as a one off, I would accept that it was bad luck, or some other reason for the odd wobble. Dalglish suffered one, all those years ago. It is that more than anything else, that has me thinking he is stubborn and will not listen to an alternative view.

We can do very little as fans, so having a go, when it appears things are not as harmonious as they should be, is what it is all about in my opinion, be it on forums like this, or at the stadium.

We have a right of reply, as we have been here years in many cases not the 5 that the current manager has.

[Armchair supporter supremo]

1 hour ago, martonrover said:

Yes, that Twitter post can definitely be construed as undermining the manager and broke the code of keeping dressing room politics in-house.

Sorry i don't do twitter at all! 

What was said? 

Cheers 

[lraC]

3 minutes ago, Armchair supporter supremo said:

Sorry i don't do twitter at all! 

What was said? 

Cheers 

It is posted on here a few times now, but to save you searching, here it is again.

[Exiled in Toronto]

1 hour ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Meanwhile on RoversTV (there for all to see and hear before anyone denies it!) Mowbray says that there was player 'aggression' in the dressing room at HT and he wished a couple of them had shown the same aggression on the pitch .......

I got the impression from the full interview that the aggression was between the players, and I would have expected no less, especially given Lenihan/JRCs pushing match.