Tony Mowbray Discussion

[Hoochie Bloochie Mama]

Alan Nixon on Twitter: "Might be some drama with a manager in the Championship this evening ..." / Twitter

We can but dream

[tomphil]

Not happening, he's safer than Churchills statue surrounded by Millwall and Royal Marines.

[Hoochie Bloochie Mama]

2 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Not happening, he's safer than Churchills statue surrounded by Millwall and Royal Marines.

Blackburn Lives Matter

[Blue blood]

34 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Theres a lot of talk about "the squad" that Mowbay has built. I am not convinced it is as good as we think it is aside from a few (4?) undoubtedly impressive individuals that Mowbray has signed, mainly along the front.

Dack when back, Armstrong, Elliott, cant argue with those 3. Kaminski in goal, a big improvement. Defence, basically the same aside from Ayala who cannot be relied upon. Midfield, lots of players who flatter to deceive to varying degrees, Holtby, Rothwell, Johnson, Davenport, Trybull. Gallagher a waste of time. Brereton better but nowhere near 7m. Dolan, Chapman, meh.

Sick of the injuries line too, all teams have suffered. Bristol City had 7 or 8 starters out the other week, Stoke had their 2 keepers, 3 main CM's and main attacking player all out amongst others, Norwich had quite a few out, its just how it is this season. 

It reflects badly on TM either way. 

If the squad isn't that good what the hell has he been doing the last 3 years. If it is, then they are underperforming. 

As it is, very few championship clubs are that good and it's about getting the best from limited resources and playing to their strengths and hiding their weaknesses. A lot of limited players in some of the teams above us but they are used effectively. That's the key and not many of ours are. 

My biggest gripe with TM is the basic mistakes that we make which we really, really shouldn't. Mistakes like just having injury prone centre halves and letting them decide when they play. Playing Gally as a winger which only bares fruit when we are battering teams. Mistakes like letting Nayambe's contract run down. These are mistakes only an amature would make and yet we make them consistently. 

As for the not beating top 6 etc. all that's happened is we have got more predictable. We have always been inconsistent under TM, now we are just doing what is expected on paper. The predictability is perhaps making things more frustrating but it is no change. 

The most worrying unchanging thing is no matter whether GB or TM we bottle it when real chances to progress occur. Today would have pushed us up the league, nearish the playoffs. Coincidence that this is a game blown, against a mediocre at best Stoke side? I don't think so. 

 

 

 

 

[Ewood Ace]

Is there anyone left out there who really thinks he can get us to the top 6 let alone promoted? Today really did lay bare many of his limitations.

We had his stubbornness in refusing to drop Gallagher or at the very least play him in his best position, him on the wing hasn't worked for 18 months now and it is never going to. It's no surprise that in the 5 games Gallagher has started we have only won one and the winning goal in that game was scored after he had been subbed off. 

We also have the stubbornness of refusing to switch from the 4-3-3 it's not working, we have played it ever since the return from lockdown and from those 29 games we have 38 points which is not good enough for a side with top 6 ambitions.

The neglect of the defence had a light shone on it more than ever today. After 4 years at the club and two and a half years after the defenders are coming speech we start with a back for of Nyambe who he inherited, Lenihan who he inherited, Johnson who is a midfielder and Douglas who doesn't resemble a defender in anyway. And what was the one sub he made in defence, take off his best defender and bring on a Buckley who isn't a full back and it again is clear as day to most that he is not up to this level. 

Most on here could see he needed another centre back given the injury records of Lenihan, Williams and Ayala yet he didn't and instead signed 3 goalkeepers only 2 of which have been required to play whereas 7 different players have played centre back already this season.

The 5 subs are more of a hinderance than a help to him, it almost like he thinks he has to make use of them and it certainly feels like the subs in midfield are just for the sake of it, for example Trybull was having a decent game today and last week we had the changing of the entire 3 in one go.

The same 'on a journey' crap again for the umpteenth time already this season. We are on a road to nowhere with him. O'Neill has taken Stoke from bottom to genuine play off contenders in 12 months spending a fraction of what Mowbray has done in his time at Ewood. Warnock has taken Boro from 21st to 6th in 6 months and barley spent a penny. As usual with Mowbray it is all about his own self preservation. The difference with those two managers compared to Mowbray is that they have some tactical nous and the ability to organise a defence and make a team hard to beat.

In a club with ambition and aspiration he would have been gone a long time  ago but I have not doubt that the owners and his mate Waggott will let him muddle along to another mid table finish and then into next season where I fear a tough season at the wrong end of the table may await, as we learnt previously you can only tread water in this division for so long.

Edited December 19, 2020 by Ewood Ace

[chaddyrovers]

59 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Ayala who cannot be relied upon

You were massive in favour of him signing here wasnt you? 

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

Brereton better but nowhere near 7m

We are missing Him massively cos his importance on wide left is need

[tomphil]

It doesn't matter if everyone is fit or not you'll still get exactly the same from the manager. I'm truly amazed there's a core who still refuse to accept this.

It doesn't mean you have to want him sacked to accept it but it at least would show reality dawning.  A fully fit squad would by definition make us stronger obviously and we'd get a few more points you'd like to believe. The way he operates though and the faith still in under performers who would still be in the team screams what you see now is what you'd get then.

The difference would be between finishing 13 th and 10th rather than 12th or 6th. His methods too flawed in terms of chasing the upper quarter of the division whoever is available. And this is not judging on today which was always going to be tough it's looking at the last year or so and the bigger picture.

[bazza]

58 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Why on earth would he sign a new one?

Frequently left out for Bennett and JRC in the past (neither of whom are fit to lace his boots) and sacrificed for Buckley of all people today.

Kevin Gallacher said Nyambe picked up an injury in the first half. That's why he was taken off.

[G Somerset Rover]

5 minutes ago, bazza said:

Kevin Gallacher said Nyambe picked up an injury in the first half. That's why he was taken off.

Of course he did. He’s been due another injury. 

[roversfan99]

18 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

You were massive in favour of him signing here wasnt you? 

We are missing Him massively cos his importance on wide left is need

Ayala had the potential to be a good signing, the intention was to sign 2 centre backs and it never materialised. Throw in a poor signing at LB and its little wonder we still dont keep clean sheets.

[chaddyrovers]

3 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Ayala had the potential to be a good signing, the intention was to sign 2 centre backs and it never materialised. Throw in a poor signing at LB and its little wonder we still dont keep clean sheets.

Didnt want Douglas in the 1st place. Always wanted Manning here. Mowbray made a massive mistake there. 

Never materialised cos Williams never moved on and Wharton was good enough to part of the centre back options

[roversfan99]

9 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Didnt want Douglas in the 1st place. Always wanted Manning here. Mowbray made a massive mistake there. 

Never materialised cos Williams never moved on and Wharton was good enough to part of the centre back options

Either way, we have conceded too many goals this season, and kept too few clean sheets, again. Same shit, different season.

[JHRover]

We're at the Middlesbrough October 2013 stage. The penny dropped there with Steve Gibson that their legend Mowbray wasn't going to take them any further than mid table and that he needed to make a tough but necessary change to give them a shot at promotion. He binned Mowbray and brought in Karanka and they got promoted.

We're at that point IMO. If we really want promotion we need to be ruthless and make a tough and arguably controversial decision. Or we can persist in mid table in perpetuity as it's easier and we don't upset the apple cart.

One thing I think we can all agree on is that we aren't going up or even getting close to it if things carry on as they are.

Edited December 19, 2020 by JHRover

[nuttyrover]

Best manager in the last decade. Centre-backs dropping like flies. Still missing (arguably) our two best players. 
 

Would be insane to sack Mowbray.

[slowmo]

Mowbray's after Stoke game comment about  teams with large possession not equaling wins . At the start of the season it was top teams have the possession . I think it's consistency and being wise 

[tomphil]

12 minutes ago, slowmo said:

Mowbray's after Stoke game comment about  teams with large possession not equaling wins . At the start of the season it was top teams have the possession . I think it's consistency and being wise 

The whole idea of his wasting last season on transition to possession is so we could compete with the better teams. Well we've transitioned now and still have Gallagher as a wide player. Dack won't fit this style and the full backs still can't create anything.

He's just stringing it along by the end of the season he'll have come up with something else.

Edited December 19, 2020 by tomphil

[slowmo]

15 minutes ago, tomphil said:

The whole idea of his wasting last season on transition to possession is so we could compete with the better teams. Well we've transitioned now and still have Gallagher as a wide player. Dack won't fit this style and the full backs still can't create anything.

He's just stringing it along by the end of the season he'll have come up with something else.

It does make a mockery of the reasoning behind the style change, though I do prefer the new . Agree with SG not working there. I think Dack can do well in a few positions , like Harvey. When Dack got injured my hopes for that season went , he was that important. We have found a way to play without him,  but getting him back should be a game changer. Even now we aren't being out classed by any team , just aren't being clued up and being native. The injury list doesn't help with a settled defence and understanding, was that 9 unavailable today.

[Blue blood]

26 minutes ago, nuttyrover said:

Best manager in the last decade.

not saying much! I mean Venkys have no clue at appointing managers. They have appointed Kean and Coe so really, it's somewhat of a disingenuous comment. Also if Big Sam is in the last decade then clearly TM isn't the best manager we has had.

 

Centre-backs dropping like flies.

Three of our centre backs are injury prone so it's hardly a surprise we are short there. It helps if you don't only have injury prone defenders in there. 

 

Still missing (arguably) our two best players. 
 

Many other teams have injury problems. And we have had windows to come up with short term solutions and cover. 

Would be insane to sack Mowbray.

On what basis insane? Because he is going to get us promoted. There's very little evidence of that. Not sure how it is insane - as in no evidence or logic. If after 3 years you are no nearer to promotion then I don't know when you will be. Hardly insane on any level. 

 

[Bbrovers2288]

Roll the bloody dice venkys , I’m so done with mowbray 

[Ewood Ace]

46 minutes ago, nuttyrover said:

Best manager in the last decade. Centre-backs dropping like flies.

He has done no better than Bowyer, in fact probably not quite as well. He has basically got us in the same position that Gary Bowyer did only via a different route way as Bowyer succeeded where Mowbray failed and kept us in the Championship. Also Mowbray has spent a lot more money than Bowyer ever did, in fact Mowbray spent more on just Gallagher than Bowyer during his entire tenure and Gallagher isn't even Mowbray's most expensive buy.

As for centre back's dropping like flies it was obvious with the injury records of Lenihan, Ayala and Williams that we were going into the season a centre back light yet rather than rectify that he signed 3 goalkeepers instead. 

[Gamst]

Really fed up of all the false dawns. We are so streaky. Go on a winning run until we get near the play offs or play a decent team and then loose a few and end up back where we started. Its like groundhog day and we are stagnating. 

[Bbrovers2288]

6 minutes ago, Gamst said:

Really fed up of all the false dawns. We are so streaky. Go on a winning run until we get near the play offs or play a decent team and then loose a few and end up back where we started. Its like groundhog day and we are stagnating. 

Not all the false dawns, there is one false dawns- mowbrays tenure. 
 

guaranteed to go on winning and losing runs, fail to break the top 6 

no matter what personnel we get through the door, which makes transfer windows all a bit pointless sadly. Taking away the best part of the game 

[47er]

9 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

I don't think Bennett should have started ahead of him, but Nyambe isn't perfect. It's good that he is now offering more going forward. I don't think anyone will take his place now. I don't see the issue with rotating him and JRC. 

Is he captain of his country? I didn't even think he was a guaranteed starter. 

Nobody ever claimed Nyambe was perfect.

[47er]

69% of possession away from home! 15 shots on target to their 3!

BUT---no goals and no points.

Deja vu, dog day afternoon----all the cliches yet again!

Once again he talks of the opposition being "very well organised" without any sense of irony at all.

Clearly we are going to spend the rest of the season battering down the castle gates in vain while those inside slip out by a back door.

We will never be promoted under this manager who, with his vast experience as a player, still hasn't grasped the basics as a manager----at club after club.

Beside myself with frustration, must have lie-down!

Edited December 19, 2020 by 47er

[Wood26]

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Didnt want Douglas in the 1st place. Always wanted Manning here. Mowbray made a massive mistake there. 

Never materialised cos Williams never moved on and Wharton was good enough to part of the centre back options

Manning hasn’t been getting games due to his life style. I have a connection to him, and football isn’t coming first for him in life choices.