Indeed, we saw it here with Mowbray here as well. There was always a player able to bring a spark or a goal out of very little. Dack primarily, but also Armstrong and later on BBD. Current Dack probably isn't going to be that player for Sunderland, and I'm not sure they have any others who can consistently step up in that role. The younger Bellingham is their best bet, but it's a lot of pressure on a 17 year old to consistently deliver in that fashion.

What exactly are the "mistakes" that were made by Greenwood, that seemingly had nothing to do with the leaked audio and pictures, that still meant United felt he couldn't continue at the club? Pretty confusing statement.

Thanks for the insights. I tend not to jump straight to blaming fans in these instances, even if from the outside it seems unreasonable, as we've seen ourselves that other fans are often unaware of other moving parts beneath the surface.

You'd think over time they'd get better at using VAR, but if anything they seem to somehow be getting worse. I don't know if it's because they're being asked to utilise it in more complex ways or if the officials chosen are just poor at what they do, but it's getting silly now. When VAR was initially introduced it was for "clear and obvious errors". Basically something that would be outrageous if not picked up on. In my mind that was something like Spurs phantom goal against United years ago, or Lampard's phantom goal against Germany - although goal line technology negates the need for VAR in that instance anyway. Maybe something like a stamp that had been missed by the on-pitch officials, or an obvious foul that should be a penalty. Note that word obvious, for example a player completely clearing out another player without getting a touch on the ball. Instead it's being used for contentious infractions that are a matter of opinion and often don't constitute what I would consider a "clear and obvious error" by the official, and that's where I think it's gone wrong.

What's the craic with Millwall fans and Rowett? I don't really follow them so not sure why the fans would already be turning against him like that. I thought he was doing alright there. They've only got one point less than us so far, and we're only three games into the season.

The abysmal standard of refereeing, massively aiding Spain's excessive use of the dark arts, made it a frustrating final to watch. With that said, England didn't look like scoring the entire game really. Just that one shot which hit the bar. Otherwise the attacking standard was very poor, although their goal aside Spain were no better. They just had that one clinical moment, and we had none. Not sure if the occasion got to our attackers, but they looked a shadow of what we've seen over the past couple of years.

Is it really a "clear and obvious error" though ? This is where I disagree with VAR usage. If it needs the level of discussion that was had for this penalty, it isn't clear and obvious, and VAR shouldn't be flagging it. Great save for the pen. Our attackers need to raise their game for the last 20 minutes, they haven't been at it today.

Not just you, there was a lot of aggy posts and it's depressing enough after a defeat without having to clear up a thread with our own fans having a go at each other. I get that people's opinions can be frustrating, especially if they're repeated, but I'd suggest the ignore feature or just scrolling past. Bait is only worth anything if people rise to it.

I think we're walking a much more precarious tightrope in terms of forward options than people realise. As it stands we have three primary strikers - Leonard, Ennis and Gallagher. Leonard - 19 year old lad with barely any senior footballing experience. Ennis - Mainly plied his trade in League 1, remains to be seen if he can make the step up. Gallagher - Never scored more than 8 goals in a season for us since we signed him permanently. Of these three, Ennis is unfit and had injury problems at Plymouth. Gallagher has had various injuries keeping him out for weeks at a time. Leonard is a young lad and could also easily get injured as he's still developing. There's a realistic propsect all three could get injured at once, and then what? Dolan up top? Hedges? Sammie? Siggy, assuming he's fit? Another youth team striker? And even if our actual strikers do stay fit, are any of them scoring a significant amount of goals? We surely can't expect too much from Leonard at this point in his career. Ennis is a total unknown, and Gallagher, as noted, has never been prolific. Meanwhile our defence is far from solid, conceding goals and making errors, suggesting we won't be able to rely on grinding out 1-0 wins with the odd goal from midfield or defence. We are desperate for reinforcements. If the window closes without at least one other striker coming in then we are taking a massive gamble.

To be honest I'd rather we'd won 1-0 and Rosenior was moaning about us being shithouses. Loved the good old bully boys days, pissing off the likes of Wenger, Benitez and Ferguson. Do whatever it takes, within reason, to get the result - and as fans, we all knew we were better than the tag, and it was lovely to see the big boys crying over getting a bloody nose from little old Rovers.

It's a strange one because he definitely has the ability - we've all seen it, he can be excellent. It's possible he's playing with a niggle, might be that he's lost some confidence, might be that he needs someone beside him to give instructions. I'm not sure. Regardless, we've conceded two or more goals in 3/4 games so far this season (cup included), so something isn't working.

It's certainly a concern. Feels like we're missing some vital leadership and experience at the back - probably why we've been trying to get someone like Batth in. I think Hyam is a solid enough CB, but you do wonder if he needs a more experienced head beside him to get the best out of him. You'd ideally like him to to be fulfilling that role at 27, but I'm not sure he's vocal enough to lead the back line.

It would be worrying if the players aren't being trained to deal with this kind of tactic, as for many clubs in this division it's standard. It should be something we're well-drilled to combat already. Granted today it didn't look like it.

Gallagher reminds me a bit of Dolan in that he seems to be a decent impact sub in the last 20 minutes or so, but start him and the limitations become apparent.

Concerning to me that we haven't kept a clean sheet in our first three games (four if you count the cup). With our distinct lack of firepower we need a steady defence, clean sheets are vital. Ipswich sit top having only scored 5 goals in their first 3 games, but crucially they've only conceded 1.

You sure it wasn't a signing being revealed?

I asked nicely for the personal attacks to stop. Goes straight to bans now, fair warning.

Just to be clear, direct personal attacks aren't allowed even if you strongly disagree with a poster's opinion.

Really poor result, no hiding from it. Struggling against Rotherham and Hull doesn't bode well. Reinforcements desperately needed or were looking at mid table, and that may be optimistic.

Boro one down at home to Huddersfield, will be some early pressure building on Carrick if they lose today.

Unfair to suggest I'm writing him off. Huge difference between that and saying he isn't ready to be in the first team every week.

Birmingham are leading Bristol City.

Feel sorry for the fans at Ewood so far. An early Rovers sending off and getting dominated by Hull (before and after Pickering went off). Hoping for JDT to pull off a second half miracle. Only positive is that we haven't conceded yet. For anyone thinking Leonard is enough to lead the line, last week and this week show why that simply isn't the case. The lad isn't ready for the first team week in week out. At 19 there's no shame in that, the shame is on the club for forcing things to be this way through unfit signings or just no signings at all.

Not like us to be this poor at home in fairness. We often have some insipid starts but today we look terrible. The red card is a disaster. I'd rather Pickering let the lad go and risk a goal than leave us with 10 men for 70 plus minutes.

I spent a lot of last season thinking, similar to Shrewsbury in our promotion season, they'd eventually run out of steam and not be able to keep going. Yet, they did, and finished with an incredibly high points total, suggesting they were far too good for League 1. Early signs suggest that they're carrying on where they left off, as they definitely don't look remotely overawed by Championship football.