It's a disgrace -Stroud is nearer Bournmouth than Blackburn. 😉

Deleted-poor spelling.

Will Mowbray care if he is off? Will the players care? If several are leaving for a variety of reasons, then avoiding injury would be a priority. Just enough effort to make it look like they aren’t totally taking the micky? Whatever the result, Mowbray and co will have plenty of scapegoats and excuses (in their heads) to flesh out the usual narrative for failure.

glen May I take this opportunity to thank you for your useful and enlightening posts. Please post more if you feel that the whole sorry mess of a club hasn't exhausted you. Kind regards.

Please tell me Dunn has nothing to do with HSH.

Indeed. What a cesspit football has become. We are a long way from say a chairman who was a big man at a local factory, players who caught the bus with fans and did part-time jobs close season and youngsters whose parents got a nice fridge if they signed on.

Remember it all sadly. A sterling job and should be widely known. You deserve a medal. Hope you are well.

18/19 Preston 14th Rovers 15th 19/20 Preston 9th Rovers 11th 20/21 Preston 13th Rovers 15th 21/22 currently Rovers 8th Preston 13th

It’s all been fairly straightforward for Uncle Tony to control the narrative. Clueless and absent owners. Supine local press. Yes men on the bench. Mate as top man. Mediocre back room staff. Friendly agency. Apathetic fans beaten down by previous managers grateful for crumbs of hope. Wily pressers, masterclasses of deflection and doublespeak. No shortage of happy clappers. Brereton nearly blew it though, what with all those goals in the first half of the season. Normal service resumed now.

There are many, many informed and interesting posts on these boards summing up the sad situation here. It really comes down to this for me. In the heat of the moment during a game, like anyone else, I’m delighted if we score or win or play really well. But in the cold light of day and stepping back to think rationally, a few things are clear. Win or lose, under this ownership and management it doesn’t really matter (apart from the obvious of relegation/promotion) and is hard to get excited about. Mediocrity is baked in throughout the club. Ultimately, with the Venky’s in charge, it would still rationally be difficult to get too excited but it would certainly be a lot easier if there were a dynamic and competent management system and personnel in place.

Dack was offside all day long for that goal-and given nice and early. Any nonsense about Blackpool being dirty is tosh. The ref was standard and nothing he did affected the result. All stuff about refs on here is pointless deflection to avoid the pathetic performance of the home side. Blackpool should certainly have had a penalty. Blackpool are a bang average side and club with little money but they worked hard and gave their best and that was more than good enough for us. In fact, a fair result would have been 1-2/3. Rovers fans were quiet all game because they knew they were watching mediocre dross and had little to get excited about. Blackpool fans were vocal because they knew that their team were average workhorses but that they gave all. Mowbray and his staff are mediocre and going through the motions. This side is mediocre and going through the motions. This side, even the best players, seemed to have lost faith in the club and management. Any sensible and longstanding fan with half a brain, sadly, will also have little faith that those in charge (whoever that might be) have an iota of sense to bring in an inspiring and competent replacement team. (Or of course, one could argue that those making any such decision about replacements, have a vested interest in hiring incompetents or pliable numpties who will keep gravy trains going.)

Herbie Many thanks-that works.

The pdf link in the first post doesn't work for me.

I’m interested in this “how far is Mowbray responsible” e.g. if we win or if we lose. I think I would argue that Mowbray is not responsible for much really. Bringing in players? I guess –scouts or him? That could be audited I suppose. Shape on the pitch –almost certainly. And on that, I think he hasn’t much of a clue and has been lucky. Ethos and belief? Well. And all the nitty gritty on the pitch and training? Very hands off, just go out and play I would think. And thus I am certainly in the glass half empty with regard Mogga. …..we have got the amount of points we have as a direct result of his management….. …..tactics used were critical to our good run, the false 9, the back 3, wing backs, wide forwards etc.…… Well, how responsible is Mowbray? Did he not stumble on this as necessity? That shape at the back certainly shored things up and was a main factor. But the main reason we went so high is BB and his astonishing run of goals and I suspect Mogga couldn’t believe his luck. Yes Mogga is responsible for bringing him in (or at least scouts) but he did nothing for 2 seasons. Imo Mogga does very little to coach on any level. You only have to watch a game to see that there are so many details not attended to. There were so many games early on in the season where this much lauded shape (Buckley false 9 etc.) resulted in the most dire 1st half performances without us remotely looking like scoring. Only for BB to pop up and score a goal out of nothing and save our bacon. And BB has improved imo from the self-belief gained from Chile. “Saying it was a brilliant second 45 are wide of the mark” = agreed. It seemed obvious (to me anyway-not hindsight honestly) after watching the appalling 1st half that we could improve 100% if we just did a few basic, even primitive things. For instance, clearly they are a tiny side so I began to think that our only chance of scoring would be from a header –say a good cross, good corner. And so 3 headers, 3 goals. It was clear also from the 1st half that we would never outplay them by passing –they gave us a lesson in that. In fact, I was impressed with how Rooney had coached that side. Just also clear that they lacked quality in front of goal (thank goodness, as Exiled says-could easily have been 2-0 down) and as I say tiny at the back. The other basics are energy, effort and pressing –all increased in second half. It was clear that pressing them might yield results because obviously it looked like Derby were under orders on pain of death to play from the back. Soon as Gally/Dolan pressed the atmosphere changed. We simply began to bully them a little. So my overall point is that the way we set up was pathetic and clearly the players’ hearts weren’t in it because it was stupid. All we did second half was some sensible basic things that any reasonable coach could set up and hey presto things improved. However, we were still pretty poor in open play. One thing that I was pleased with and that was our set up for our attacking corners. I liked the two groupings –one at the near and one at the far. Corners are one thing where we could offer a threat. It’s an easy thing to do. You could be playing shite but a good set piece and you could be back in the game. Have you believed for the past 3 years or so that we are a threat from corners? Great to see Wharton’s goal. I wonder if that is down to the players or coaching? Hmmm. So:- Mowbray is a weak, stubborn, Neanderthal manager. Mowbray has no ability as a coach to bring on/improve players. Mowbray has no ability to ensure his players do basics (corners/set pieces/penalties/) Mowbray has no tactical nous Mowbray has no ability with subs Mowbray has no ability at ordering game management to players Mowbray’s man-management is poor Mowbray by his own admission is not interested in some of the above basics in training Our attainment of 2nd was down to: a) BB’s phenomenal goal run and that had nothing to do with Mowbray b) a solid defence –stumbled upon by necessity c) high energy levels and pressing from the front –just basic stuff really d) a) papering over weaknesses Of course we are overachieving given finances but I have always believed that with a more inspired manager who can also pay attention to basics, we could be doing better.

Not Sam’s biggest fan in terms of talent. But no doubt about effort. Pressed well with K. and D. Watch again the build up to Johnson’s easy chance. Sam pressed well and then nicked the ball off the defender and squared it nicely for Johnson (to erm, tamely side foot to the keeper. ) On a lighter note, was amused to see Trav’s little strop. When he was on the floor injured (and it did look like he was really hurting ) JVH wanted to get on with it and take the free kick. He offered a hand up to Trav, who promptly slapped his hand away.

Just knew we would win today –it’s so Rovers because all the logical signs were that we would never score a goal. And seeing the line up before kick-off seemed to cement that idea –keep it tight and hope we nick something up top. But then, a nice surprise first half as it was all us though obviously no surprise we passed up several good chances. And I thought if this remains goalless or a single goal away win, then this message board would be white hot by tea-time. And then, deep in the first half, it seemed that we would do our usual of dominating but conceding a soft goal when up they popped with a nice through ball for a one on one only for Kaminski to save well. That was huge. And I could be my usual glass half empty man. I could point out that there are still lots of frailties (set pieces, crossing, scoring etc) that we all know about. I could point out that despite creating chances we couldn’t finish and that the goal we scored was really a mistake from their keeper who flapped. But no, now’s not the time and that would be far too churlish. We played really well and looked at it from the off. Dolan was the catalyst for most things good and the front three’s pressing first half was great. By and large we nullified them well –van H brings a calmness and makes the others play better. Thanks lads for an exciting game with full commitment.

KAMINSKI LENIHAN VAN HECKE WHARTON NYAMBE GILES BUCKLEY(Rothwell) TRAVIS KHADRA Dolan Hedges

Weathered an initial storm and in the past would almost certainly be 1 or 2 down. Came back into it and the kind of game where we could score on the turn over. Sadly, not sure the quality is there up front to do that. We'll see.

The level of discussion has been quite high over the last few weeks or so. Seems to have deteriorated again .

Other local games on. It’s funny how refs decide to pick on poor old Rovers.

Saw the pictures of snow covered pitch at midday. Thought no chance. Few minutes, later read on here that the game was on after a pitch inspection. Very surprised. Parked up car at around 2.15 to hear BBC radio 5 say game off. On drive home, wondered how long it would be and what line would be taken by club apologists, apparatchiks and spin doctors. Deflection to ref was my thinking-easy scapegoat. Waggot wasted no time. At 12, if a pitch is covered in snow, how do you make a decision to go ahead? It must be with assurances from groundstaff/Rovers officials that the ground could be made safe and playable. It couldn’t and wasn’t.

Posted this elsewhere - better here. Formations? With ball/attacking/goal behind Kaminski Lenihan Van Hecke Wharton Travis Nyambe Buckley Rothwell Pickering Dolan Brereton Without ball/defensive/goal up Kaminski Nyambe Lenihan Van Hecke Wharton Pickering Buckley Travis Rothwell Brereton Dolan Gallagher to replace Brereton as needed Khadra to replace Dolan as needed Giles to replace several as needed

Formations? With ball/attacking/goal behind Kaminski Lenihan Van Hecke Wharton Travis Nyambe Buckley Rothwell Pickering Dolan Brereton Without ball/defensive/goal up Kaminski Nyambe Lenihan Van Hecke Wharton Pickering Buckley Travis Rothwell Brereton Dolan Gallagher to replace Brereton as needed Khadra to replace Dolan as needed Giles to replace several as needed

So is this the team? Kaminski Nyambe Wharton Van H. JRC Travis Rothwell Giles Diaz buckley Gallagher edited

Remember after an utter dire first half at home in the early part of the season with Buckely in same position and thinking how on earth could we score or win. That game it was 0-0 t half time. Second half, up pops BB with a goal out of nowhere and the goal totally changes. Hmm. Buckley should be off for being a prima donna as someone mentioned (or 2 yellows.)