Tony Mowbray Discussion

[JHRover]

42 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Totally agreed and he should be under pressure in my opinion now. 

Didn't Bristol City take Gary Johnson on? 

I find people's obsessions with Hughton or McCarthy or Roy Keane totally bizarre. 

Rovers need a manager with fresh ideas, tactical aware, can sort the defence out and motivate these players to out perform the opposition. Steve Cooper is achachieving that at Forest

Yes I heard from Jaquob tonight. I get the feeling he is under pressure from the owners. He knows the club tried to find a replacement and failed with those discussions. But I think he was surprised he was still in the job come pre season. Expect the club will review his position shortly. 

As I recall it Bristol City appointed Gary Johnson whilst in League One. He did a good job for a while, got them to the Championship but was then sacked.

Later on in his career he returned to Yeovil and performed a miracle in getting them to the Championship but they were relegaed after 1 season. He hasn't been back and has since managed Cheltenham and Torquay in League Two/Conference.

The point being that there are many, many examples of League One and Two managers who have done well at small clubs with low expectations but haven't ever moved up and succeeded in the top two divisions. Maybe Ainsworth will one day but surely if he was such a good option then a club bigger than Wycombe would have made a move for him by now?

I'm still waiting to hear what sets him aside from say John Coleman, Ryan Lowe, Darrell Clarke, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Nigel  Clough, Michael Appleton or Karl Robinson - all of whom have very impressive records at small clubs in the lower leagues but not above. Just because Ainsworth was born in Blackburn? Is that really the sum total of analysis?

In the last 10 years or so Hughton has won automatic promotion twice to the Premier League as well as had two play-off campaigns. He also kept Norwich and Brighton in the Premier League.

Mick McCarthy had Wolves in the Premier League, Ipswich challenging for the play-offs, managed Ireland and rapidly turned Cardiff around. Even now his record at Cardiff is better than Mowbray's here in the Championship.

[JHRover]

Just watched that Mowbray interview through and I'm surprised at how forlorn and beaten he looks. Talk about looking and sounding totally fed up. He appears to be a beaten man. He's been similar to this before and bounced back from it but this time he looks worse.

I almost feel sorry for him, but then I remember that he has been very well paid for the last 5 years and could walk away to a cushy lifestyle any time he wants if this is too much for him, but no he would prefer to hang on.

Mowbray's time was up 18 months ago IMO and it is hard to get past that, but the lowlife that are above him in the chain of command have left him out to dry. He should have been potted and replaced many months ago and the club able to move forward, but instead the cowards have just left us to rot.

[martonrover]

7 hours ago, unsall said:

I like Ainsworth but don’t think he’s the answer, yes he’s Rovers through and through just don’t think he’s the one, of the up and coming managers the lad at Blackpool seems to be doing a good job, talks sense and like how he sets up.

Ainsworth got Wycombe in the Championship, when they were favourites for relegation from League One.

I think even the likes of Klopp, Guardiola and Tuchel would've been hard pushed to achieve that at such a small club.

Okay, they fell short and went back down last season after a poor start, but even then they made a decent fist of it, and are now pushing to come straight back.

I agree that it isn't wise to appoint purely on a Rovers connection, but in Ainsworth's case I see that as a healthy bonus, rather than being the main reason for appointing him.

I do think his personality and enthusiasm would help the club to re-engage with the supporters.

It would get me back at Ewood for starters.

[martonrover]

6 hours ago, booth said:

What we need is the best man for the job whether he’s young, old or unemployed. Sadly venkys are still employing our managers in the same way they do their factories. They clearly don’t see the manager as important as it should be.

If they understood football in any way they’d be spending a big fee on investing in the best option, not the easiest.

All they need to do is have a look at Jack Walkers successes and failures. The training manual is there if they’d just show some interest.

 

I agree, but with the best will in the World, we would now struggle to bring in someone from the top draw.

Ainsworth is realistic and would be a good fit.

[chaddyrovers]

54 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Will they review his position shortly though?

I think it is his last season here but don't see him leaving  until his contract is up.

Fans will voiced their opinion and if we play poorly tomorrow and get beat I would the fans to turn on him. 

I would expect. I said i think they sack him around the November international football break. I stick with that opinion

[chaddyrovers]

36 minutes ago, JHRover said:

Maybe Ainsworth will one day but surely if he was such a good option then a club bigger than Wycombe would have made a move for him by now?

Maybe he waiting for the right Club to go for him?

36 minutes ago, JHRover said:

I'm still waiting to hear what sets him aside from say John Coleman, Ryan Lowe, Darrell Clarke, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Nigel  Clough, Michael Appleton or Karl Robinson - all of whom have very impressive records at small clubs in the lower leagues but not above. Just because Ainsworth was born in Blackburn? Is that really the sum total of analysis?

Already explained why Ainsworth should be an option/choice for us as other people like @martonroverhas. I also said people like Alex Neil, Neil Critchley, Ryan Lowe and Chris Wilder should be on the shortlist. Cooper was the one I really wanted to be honest

36 minutes ago, JHRover said:

In the last 10 years or so Hughton has won automatic promotion twice to the Premier League as well as had two play-off campaigns. He also kept Norwich and Brighton in the Premier League.

Mick McCarthy had Wolves in the Premier League, Ipswich challenging for the play-offs, managed Ireland and rapidly turned Cardiff around. Even now his record at Cardiff is better than Mowbray's here in the Championship.

Hughton just been sacked by Forest. No plan B and not tactical aware or motivator we need. Look at the difference Steve Cooper has made there in 5 games with 13 points. Has a Plan B and had motivated the players there with his coaching and man management. That's is what we need here. A manager on the up, fresh ideas, tactical aware, sort the defence out and motivator. 

What's his Cardiff record this season under McCarthy? What's his plan b? 

Edited October 22, 2021 by chaddyrovers

[booth]

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

 

Oh dear... Did I just decipher that interview as, "Please sack me, I don't want to play this game any more and I want paying off?"

Imagine owning a football club and being happy to allow that to manage the staff you pay handsomely every week.

It's as if he completely begrudges having to put any effort in. I imagine he doesn't begrudge his massive wage packet though.

There's no way that man has any ambition for the club at all, which would explain a lot. He could not give two f***s.

He actually looks and sounds like a man doing community service and he can't wait to get home.

Get out of the club you charlatan.

[booth]

15 minutes ago, martonrover said:

I agree, but with the best will in the World, we would now struggle to bring in someone from the top draw.

Ainsworth is realistic and would be a good fit.

Money talks, but the penny hasn't dropped with Venkys that they have to invest in buying a manager like they would a quality player. It all starts with the manager. Jack knew that.

[DE.]

I don't think the average age of a squad is really correlated to league position. 

Teams with the oldest average age of players used so far in the division:

Sheff Utd (27.6) - 17th
Birmingham (27.4) - 19th
Millwall (27.3) - 11th
WBA (27) - 3rd
Derby (26.8) - 24th
Fulham (26.8) - 2nd

Teams with the yougest average squad age in the division:

Barnsley (23.1) - 23rd
Rovers (23.7) - 13th
Bournemouth (24.2) - 1st
Hull (24.6) - 22nd
Forest (25) - 14th
Swansea (25) - 15th

Even if you take out the recently relegated PL teams and Derby's points deduction I don't think there's going to be a particularly strong correlation between average age of the squad and league position. In fact I'd posit that it's very weak, even moreso when you take into account that the minimum is 23.1 and the maximum is 27.6. We aren't talking a very large variance there as far as the average is concerned. 

I can't be bothered to do a regression against the data but I am fairly sure it would not yield a statistically relevent correlation. I think it's just an easy excuse for him to make. 

Edited October 22, 2021 by DE.

[CrouchingNunhiddenCucumber]

4 hours ago, ben_the_beast said:

All I see is Chilean flags and chillies

Mental isn't it. Shame none of the clowns in situ will have a clue how to make the most of it 

[Mercer]

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

 

Would have sacked Mowbray on the weakness of that interview alone.

IMO, conforms what a turgid and uninspirational bloke he is.

Three games a week he said - another misleading statement I think.  Playing on a Tuesday or Wednesday followed by Saturday is two games a week unless my abacus isn't working!

 

[RoversClitheroe]

11 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Maybe he waiting for the right Club to go for him?

This is correct, spoke to him for a while (lives where I live and see him sometimes)

His number 1 job is QPR but he'd love to manage Rovers one day, which is his dream.

[Silas]

"It's very hard to criticise the football club and heirarchy........because they lose 20 million pound a year......"

 

Wtf is this nonsense. That's the exact reason to criticise it.

If losing money is the criteria for success he must think Derby County are the best run club in the Country.

In fact, at least Derby took the gamble and tried to achieve something, got to a playoff final and it could well have turned out different for them. 

We lose the money without even trying anything. Like bumping into your pal at the pub: "Had a nightmare today, lost £50 at the bookies, really weird cos I didn't even put a bet on." 🤔

That's how big a losers the club is at the moment, and he's trying to justify it like we're the idiots. Infuriating. 

[glen9mullan]

Problem here is, the clubs current league position is probably far more than I expected given the horrendous transfer window, and departure of decent loans and Armstrong from last season.

You cannot polish a T###!!!

Unexpected bonus's which without we'd probably be sat in the relegation zone.

1. Rejuvenation of Ayala, totally unexpected and gone from zero to first name needed on team sheet.

2. Brereton, his transformation into goalscoring threat has been major, its given the fans something to cling to, whilst masking the awful hash of the transfer window.

When we look at what we have cut from the wage bill and what we've spent or more the case not spent, then there is the underlying problem. I dont believe any sort of credible transfer budget was there in the first place.

This club and squad has been on a steep decline since we came out of the first lockdown, the need for major investment in the squad was very evident. Would any other manager have us any higher with no funds? I don't think so, but that just my opinion.

Its about Managing expectations and after witnessing the poor summer, my expectations were we'd probably go down. Thats not because of the manager, but because of the lack of investment into the playing squad.

TM is a symptom of the problem, which has and will always be the owners.

They appointed people like Waggott, people like Suhail (come on whats his footballing background?).

We have lowest ticket sales since before Jack Walker, and a shocking product.

I believe we are currently getting more from our squad, than perhaps we should be.

It frustrates the life out of me each game, I will be there again tomorrow probably saying "ffs". Its that frustration that will have me playing football manager stating

"Why is such a body not playing"

"Why is he playing him wide again"

"6.4 and cant head a ball, get him off ffs"

"I'd take such and such off and bring on"

"More touches than anyone but no end product"

"Had 80% of the game, then 1 shot 1 goal and we are chasing game again"

"£7.20 For a brew and pie, foooooking scandalous"

To put all the above in one sentence it would be:

Venkys have and always will be the problem, Their money may aswell be universal credit, it buys food, but will never get you a decent standard of living.

[Rogerb]

Not beyond the realms of possibility Venkys offer mowbray a rolling twelve month contract at the end of his current deal.  If it was possible to loan a manager Venkys would.

[toogs]

57 minutes ago, booth said:

Oh dear... Did I just decipher that interview as, "Please sack me, I don't want to play this game any more and I want paying off?"

Imagine owning a football club and being happy to allow that to manage the staff you pay handsomely every week.

It's as if he completely begrudges having to put any effort in. I imagine he doesn't begrudge his massive wage packet though.

There's no way that man has any ambition for the club at all, which would explain a lot. He could not give two f***s.

He actually looks and sounds like a man doing community service and he can't wait to get home.

Get out of the club you charlatan.

I’ve felt this to be the case for at least 3/4 years. 

[Silas]

58 minutes ago, El Tombro said:

I can't bring myself to tune in much after a defeat but is that what Mowbray said? If so, isn't the irony there that part of the reason the club is losing so much is because he is still in situ?

Pretty much word for word, I've just cut out his waffle of "errr from my point of view....errr at this moment in time.."

Yeah, we know Tony. Because you're in a press conference...being asked your point of view....right this moment in time! 🤬🤬

While we're on time he asked: "How far do you want to go back, do you want to go back 3 years, or do you want to go back 30 years?"

What's with the stupid riddles? He's one step off chatting about seagulls and trawlers.

God what I'd do to be the reporter. My answer would be: "I'm mainly interested in 2 very specific times Tony, 5 years ago when you took over the club, and right here today. Can you run through what progress has been made at the club in between those two points?" 

No doubt the answer would be: "Errr pandemic, errr young players,  3 matches in a week, clubs relegated from the Premier League, errrr Shearer/Sutton, 1995.......errr I respect the fans and they're welcome to their opinion.." 

[Miller11]

The main reason I’d be more than happy with Ainsworth isn’t simply that he’s from Blackburn, it’s that he actually gives a shit about the club. It wouldn’t just be a job to him. 

He wouldn’t need to make stupid and untrue claims about walking away if he became a burden, he’d actually just do it. He’s one person who would attempt to tell Venky’s a few home truth instead of being all servile and subservient.

It’s been us v them since day one. It’d be nice to have one of us in a position of influence. However, our overlords would not like this and would probably bin him within a fortnight.

[den]

5 years of Mowbray for what exactly? 5 years and £100m of Venkys money totally wasted in my opinion.

He just shows total disdain for any suggestion that we might do better.

Edited October 22, 2021 by den

[Butty]

Another Classic Mowbray interview today, like his interviews have been for nearly a year now, a man who clearly doesn’t want to be here but doesn’t want to leave without getting paid up, the latter is understandable I suppose but fuck me it’s torture for us fans who he clearly doesn’t give a flying shit about by the way. 

It’s sad because I used to have a lot of respect and admiration for him but that is long gone now! He’s not close to being our worst ever manager that would be to far but without question he is the most miserable, uninspiring and dull man I’ve ever seen, these days especially. Any fire and desire he had for the job is long gone. His current manner makes Gary “right good go” Bowyer look like Kevin Keegan circa 1996. Put the clown out his misery and sack him, I’m not expecting this team to challenge for the playoffs or get promoted any time soon, all I want is a manager with some passion who actually wants to be here and manage our great club.

 

[roversfan99]

32 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

The main reason I’d be more than happy with Ainsworth isn’t simply that he’s from Blackburn, it’s that he actually gives a shit about the club. It wouldn’t just be a job to him. 

He wouldn’t need to make stupid and untrue claims about walking away if he became a burden, he’d actually just do it. He’s one person who would attempt to tell Venky’s a few home truth instead of being all servile and subservient.

It’s been us v them since day one. It’d be nice to have one of us in a position of influence. However, our overlords would not like this and would probably bin him within a fortnight.

But there is no suggestion that Mowbray genuinely "doesn't give a shit." He spends numerous days living on his own away from his family, and there is no suggestion that he doesn't put in the hours. Ultimately he is a dour man anyway, add some awkward questions about his underperforming and he is never going to give off energy and charisma.

His main achilles heel has been bizarre tactical decisions that stem from overthinking, it always has been. Strange tactical choices such as 3 at the back, Clarkson almost as a false 9 etc, they have similarities to playing Bell and Williams down the left hand side at home to Oldham, saying how much he respects the Bury right back etc. Going from extreme possession football to being bottom of the same table in the next season, from one extreme to another. He is always trying to get ahead but seldom do his crazy ideas work. That is an issue of competence, not effort, and that is what we need from our manager.

[danger19_80]

47 minutes ago, Silas said:

While we're on time he asked: "How far do you want to go back, do you want to go back 3 years, or do you want to go back 30 years?"

What's with the stupid riddles? He's one step off chatting about seagulls and trawlers.

A very conscious dig at the fans. He clearly thinks we're living in the past and have completely unrealistic expectations about the club's ability to challenge. Irony is he set those expectations himself last season.

[RoversClitheroe]

4 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

His main achilles heel has been bizarre tactical decisions that stem from overthinking, it always has been.

Don't think that's the only reason for him being a bad manager.

[SuperBrfc]

59 minutes ago, Silas said:

 

 🤬🤬

While we're on time he asked: "How far do you want to go back, do you want to go back 3 years, or do you want to go back 30 years?"

I took the 30 year thing to be a subtle dig at the fans. In his deluded opinion, the fans are unhappy and are complaining because it's not the 90's anymore. It's just insulting and disrespectful. We've had a couple of awful managers under this lot, but even they didn't come out with crap like that.

There have been too many contradictions from him to bring up here. However, the following stands out from a few years ago: "this is Blackburn Rovers, they should be in the Premier League". What ever happened with that? It's almost like he was just telling us what he thought we wanted to hear.

[roversfan99]

35 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

Don't think that's the only reason for him being a bad manager.

Main achilles heel implies that he has other weaknesses. That being said, I do not see enough to suggest that a lack of effort or care from him is causing any of the issues we see.

It is a shame that things are becoming somewhat toxic as he did a good job initially, he seems a decent guy and he is the best manager in the last 10 years, albeit that isn't an honour to be particularly proud of. I don't doubt that he thinks that he can turn it around and that he does care but this last 18 months have been going backwards and will continue to do so.