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[CrouchingNunhiddenCucumber]

Entirely predictable I'm afraid, one step forward two steps back; the Mowbray way. 

[Wood26]

7 minutes ago, Fraserkirky said:

I'm afraid we just don't have good enough players available to be in the top 6. 

Mostly down to the recruitment efforts of Mowbray.

That’s harsh, it’s Mowbrays recruitment that has us just outside the play offs where teams like Stoke come to us and park the bus.

We are a solid side lacking that killer spark (aka Dack).

[Sparks Rover]

What was sad in my opinion, the 35 year old was fitter than any of them and more effective...DG was a complete waste of a sub....you'd be better with Ell up there, at least he can run (a bit)

Oh, and how easy a night did Martins-Indi have v Gallagher....a decent full back just literally schooled him, shouldn't play again this season, and god knows what to do with him for the rest of his contract 

Edited February 27, 2020 by Sparks Rover

[Fraserkirky]

5 minutes ago, Wood26 said:

That’s harsh, it’s Mowbrays recruitment that has us just outside the play offs where teams like Stoke come to us and park the bus.

We are a solid side lacking that killer spark (aka Dack).

You cant go away and blast 12million pounds on Brereton and Gallagher in the last two windows and get away with it. These signings inevitable left us we no money. January we needed 2/3 to mount a serious top 6 challenges and this is the result, close but no cigaro. 

Johnson another, total waste of money if his wage rumours are to be believed. 

 

Edited February 27, 2020 by Fraserkirky

[Wood26]

Just now, Sparks Rover said:

What was sad in my opinion, the 35 year old was fitter than any of them and more effective...DG was a complete waste of a sub....you'd be better with Ell up there, at least he can run (a bit)

How many balls did Lenihan hoof up to Armstrong, that he was never gonna win. I was delighted when Graham came on, but then we stopped that route.

[Sparks Rover]

Just now, Fraserkirky said:

You cant go away and blast 12million pounds on Brereton and Gallagher in the last two windows and get away with it. These signings inevitable left us we no money. January we needed 2/3 to mount a serious top 6 challenges and this is the result, close but no cigaro. 

Johnson another, total waste of money if his wage rumours are to be believed. 

 

Yeah, but compared to the G&B he's a solid championship midfielder.....obviously past his best but you do him a disrespect to compare his signing to them.

[Wood26]

Just now, Fraserkirky said:

You cant go away and blast 12million pounds on Brereton and Gallagher in the last two windows and get away with it. These signings inevitable left us we no money. January we needed 2/3 to mount a serious top 6 challenges and this is the result, close but no cigaro. 

Johnson another, total waste of money if his wage rumours are to be believed. 

 

I may be wrong here, don’t think I am, but that £12 million was not available for the squad. These were special allowances for players Venkys think we can develop for profit. I’m certain it wasn’t there to buy 4/5 players with.

Johnson has been a good signing, if we didn’t have him then Smallwood would of been playing last 6/7 games. Johnson flags for sure, but he has experience, puts his foot on ball and is a good Ariel presence for us.

[Sparks Rover]

3 minutes ago, Wood26 said:

How many balls did Lenihan hoof up to Armstrong

Yes, and how many pointless sideways passes this evening before the inevitable hoof from Lenihan.  Then we get Joe and Chaddy going on about our passing stats ?.  I was bored to tears

[Butty]

1 hour ago, jim mk2 said:

We've taken three points from home games against Stoke, Huddersfield, Wigan, Charlton and Luton. 

That's 12 dropped at home against struggling teams. You can't do that and expect to go up

Ever since Mowbray has been here one of our flaws under his leadership is an inability to break teams down who come to Ewood and park the bus. It’s so frustrating. 

[Fraserkirky]

18 minutes ago, Wood26 said:

I may be wrong here, don’t think I am, but that £12 million was not available for the squad. These were special allowances for players Venkys think we can develop for profit. I’m certain it wasn’t there to buy 4/5 players with.

Johnson has been a good signing, if we didn’t have him then Smallwood would of been playing last 6/7 games. Johnson flags for sure, but he has experience, puts his foot on ball and is a good Ariel presence for us.

Your theory suggests Venkys are only interested in profiting from the sale of player assets, not knowing the best chance in a decade of getting most of your money back is right in front of their face. Mowbray is either in charge of signings or isn't. Either way someone has royally ballsed this up. Gallagher looks like a high jumper out there.

Johnsons best attribute at this stage is his aerial presence, he looked like he was running in treacle tonight, he is also so slow with the ball, and takes way too many touches. He slowed things down quite often tonight and should have been hooked for Buckley shortly after the break. Better than Smallwood maybe but a far cry from a Harrison Reed at this stage.

Edited February 27, 2020 by Fraserkirky

[Wood26]

6 minutes ago, Fraserkirky said:

Your theory suggests Venkys are only interested in profiting from the sale of player assets, not knowing the best chance in a decade of getting most of your money back is right in front of their face. Mowbray is either in charge of signings or isn't. Either way someone has royally ballsed this up. Gallagher looks like a high jumper out there.

Johnsons best attribute at this stage is his aerial presence, he looked like he was running in treacle tonight, he is also so slow with the ball, and takes way too many touches. He slowed things down quite often tonight and should have been hooked for Buckley shortly after the break. Better than Smallwood maybe but a far cry from a Harrison Reed at this stage.

Yes I’m certain that’s our strategy. Build up academy players, find gems for cheap like Dack or Armstrong, or invest on someone we think we can profit on. There’s no way we would spend £5 million on Charlie Austin for example, while it may help get us up, it’s not a gamble Venkys are interested in. Again maybe I’m wrong, but knowing how tight Mowbray is, no I don’t think Brereton was his call.

Agree I’d of preferred Reed, and so did Mowbray, we tried, but he chose Fulham. A free Bradley Johnson, best mates with our captain, we all would of taken in start of season, and I’m glad we did. 

Edited February 27, 2020 by Wood26

[Bbrovers2288]

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

It's also a nonsense to keep harking on about how 'dominant' we are. Dominance to me is not having the majority of possession at home but producing nothing with it. Teams like Stoke will be more than happy for our midfielders and defenders to keep passing it around in circles before sending it back to the keeper whilst their banks organise and nullify our few threats. 

Dominance is actually making things happen and creating proper goalscoring opportunities, not being limited to a handful of mainly long range shots that the keeper deals with comfortably.

100%, and why I criticised the hull performance so much despite the end result. Make no mistake this game was hull mark 2, it just so happened that stoke didn’t have the u21s in defence and so held out rigidly to the end. We need to create much more and break down teams easier when we have so much ‘dominance’. A midfield pass ball around does nothing. 
 

for what its worth and going against the wave of criticism , I thought gallagher had a decent game apart from he needs to add goals more regularly now. Some nice lay offs and hold up play. Makes a nuisance of himself. But yes I know he is a striker brought here to score and he does need to notch more 

[nathan_rovers1]

ahhh back to the doom and gloom of this site. Another point, onwards and upwards to Saturday. 

[bluebruce]

1 hour ago, Wood26 said:

That’s harsh, it’s Mowbrays recruitment that has us just outside the play offs where teams like Stoke come to us and park the bus.

We are a solid side lacking that killer spark (aka Dack).

Is it just his recruitment, or does it have rather a lot to do with an excellent youth system that has produced Nyambe, Travis and Lenihan, consistently three of our best players? As well as squaddies like JRC and Buckley, and previous contributor plus fundraiser, Raya.

Major hits for his recruitment are Dack, Armstrong, Downing, and a bunch of loanees we won't have next season unless we buy them. Acceptable signings are Rothwell...I'm only going to say Bell because he is currently a starter in the team who are were you say they are...maybe Johnson for the same reason though overall I consider both flops. Major failed are Gally and Brereton. And no, you don't get to exonerate him of those with no evidence and despite him saying himself that he bought them.

The recruitment is a mixed bag and has included repeated failures to properly address the defence. The few successes, the academy, and the team spirit he has built, are why we are where we are where we are. The recruitment failings, the stubbornness, and the bizarre tactical and selection decisions are why we aren't higher.

Edited February 27, 2020 by bluebruce

[Wood26]

31 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

Is it just his recruitment, or does it have rather a lot to do with an excellent youth system that has produced Nyambe, Travis and Lenihan, consistently three of our best players? As well as squaddies like JRC and Buckley, and previous contributor plus fundraiser, Raya.

Major hits for his recruitment are Dack, Armstrong, Downing, and a bunch of loanees we won't have next season unless we buy them. Acceptable signings are Rothwell...I'm only going to say Bell because he is currently a starter in the team who are were you say they are...maybe Johnson for the same reason though overall I consider both flops. Major failed are Gally and Brereton. And no, you don't get to exonerate him of those with no evidence and despite him saying himself that he bought them.

The recruitment is a mixed bag and has included repeated failures to properly address the defence. The few successes, the academy, and the team spirit he has built, are why we are where we are where we are. The recruitment failings, the stubbornness, and the bizarre tactical and selection decisions are why we aren't higher.

We can knock his loan signings, we need them, and Tosin has been one hell of a get. Let’s remember all summer talk was of our defence, which now has 12 clean sheets and he lost his left back to injury which can’t be helped. The academy had been good to us but who has put them in the side and developed them? Mowbray.

Like you say, he has built this young team and team spirit.

I think fans are guilty of seeing us as something we are not. Saying we should have penetrated Stoke better. Why? They are saying this like we are a Top team under performing. When we are not. We are a good side, getting results, going away 4th in league and getting a draw, having big spenders like Stoke Park the bus.

We don’t deserve to be anything, we are where we are. We are in the mix and competing for play offs, we beat Sheffield Wednesday 5-0 away, are we that kinda side?? Not at all.

What’s important is we are still in the mix, and hard to beat, if we can get some winning goals then we can make it.

 

[jw_]

1 hour ago, Wood26 said:

We can knock his loan signings, we need them, and Tosin has been one hell of a get. Let’s remember all summer talk was of our defence, which now has 12 clean sheets and he lost his left back to injury which can’t be helped. The academy had been good to us but who has put them in the side and developed them? Mowbray.

Like you say, he has built this young team and team spirit.

I think fans are guilty of seeing us as something we are not. Saying we should have penetrated Stoke better. Why? They are saying this like we are a Top team under performing. When we are not. We are a good side, getting results, going away 4th in league and getting a draw, having big spenders like Stoke Park the bus.

We don’t deserve to be anything, we are where we are. We are in the mix and competing for play offs, we beat Sheffield Wednesday 5-0 away, are we that kinda side?? Not at all.

What’s important is we are still in the mix, and hard to beat, if we can get some winning goals then we can make it.

 

Re the bit in bold; I think many fans including me see us as something we could be if different tactics were used, not to mention players out of position, team selections etc etc

[@roverseas]

Dier Straits! Thats what that was! Danny Dyer! Woeful. Or... well played Stoke City. Either way we missed our chance to close in on top 6, now we have to earn it.  I feel Swansea is a more winnable match despite their lofty position. Stoke are scrambling for points and have a quality bunch of players.  We just could not unlock them today. Words from the gaffa and more.

 

 

[philipl]

Sadly another two points dropped in the Manager's dug out.

[Ossydave]

On a more positive note.....

Of the remaining home fixtures not one of those teams will come and do a park the bus job on on us because they're all going for promotion, apart from Reading but I imagine our fate may be decided by then anyway.

It's not really acceptable that we STILL can't cope with teams setting up like that mind.

 

[philipl]

I would have recognised Johnson is going through a tired patch and played Buckley for his superior passing ability. 

Arma wide right to use his pace, Downing left, Samuel centre for his ball control and Rothwell in the Dack slot for his unpredictability and told go show what he can do. Gallagher on the bench and subs used earlier if it were still goalless.

And I would have beaten Stoke.

[RevidgeBlue]

6 hours ago, Wood26 said:

Personally I think he’s doing a good job. Out of league 1, transition season, and the current where we have 11 games to go and are well in mix for play offs. Baring in mind he lost 2 signings Holtby and Cunningham for season who would improve us greatly and our best player Dack.

He deserves the rest of this season at the very least.

 

 

We're not "well in the mix" for the play offs at all though are we? That's the entire point.

We've never occupied the play off positions at any point in a terrible division and when the ordinary nature of the rest of the Clubs occasionally contrives to give us an opportunity to challenge we blow it.

[USABlue]

Games like tonight are why we are not playoff bound.

[arbitro]

A friend on the bus back home mentioned the lack of X factor and I think that was the nail on the head. We were predictable and sometimes ponderous in possession and in all honesty Stoke were never really stretched. I couldn't understand the selections of Gallagher and Rothwell over Buckley and Samuel. The pace of Samuel has been a feature of the last few games and Mowbrays 'fish out of water' selection policy didn't he'll us on the night. Losing Lenihan is a blow but I would throw Hayden Carter in.

[Stuart]

7 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Same old, same old. Too much walking football. receiving the ball stood still etc. It's been like this for the last 3 seasons. I thought Johnno might have improved things but he hasn't.

Having watched how Johnno’s teams play, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt while he’s not yet in the dugout...

[Stuart]

14 minutes ago, arbitro said:

A friend on the bus back home mentioned the lack of X factor and I think that was the nail on the head. We were predictable and sometimes ponderous in possession and in all honesty Stoke were never really stretched. I couldn't understand the selections of Gallagher and Rothwell over Buckley and Samuel. The pace of Samuel has been a feature of the last few games and Mowbrays 'fish out of water' selection policy didn't he'll us on the night. Losing Lenihan is a blow but I would throw Hayden Carter in.

The thing is though, and you aren’t the first to point him out, Rothwell was the one player who actually generated any excitement when he got the ball. If anyone has the X Factor it’s him.

I certainly would have kept Samuel playing instead of Gallagher though. I don’t understand the logic, especially if he had an existing back problem.

Edited February 27, 2020 by Stuart