Back to back 1-0’s. Who’da thunk it. 3 points - Happy Saturday.

I think the biggest purpose he's served when starting this season has been to mark their tallest player when defending set pieces, which has bailed us out particularly when playing two centre backs from Lenihan/Wharton/Johnson. Now with Branthwaite in the side (6'5) that need isn't as urgent. It just seems insane to play him over the likes of Armstrong, Dack, Rothwell, Elliott or Brereton. I doubt you would see any of the teams at the top of this league sacrificing their best players in order to squeeze a Gallagher in.

I like this side, the set up gives us the balance we have often missed.... but I'd put Elliott in for Gallagher. No need to rest particularly with no midweek game either side. Elliott is quality and there is no need to sacrifice that quality when we are chasing points. Bar the odd anomaly, we win games when we score first and we lose games when we concede first. Get our best players on the pitch from the first minute and hope that the quality shines through. Travis and Davenport is certainly a midfield two worth running with. Dav has a lot to prove, but that combination could both take pressure off the defense through protection and gives the attacking players a platform to go and do their thing. Harsh not to include Rothwell but he can be a gamechanger off the bench, and moving forwards will start more often than not when inevitable injuries crop up, he can slot in to most of those midfield/wide roles.

100%. The 433 was useless but the last half an hour with Dack behind/around Armstrong with two out wide and two solid midfielders sat in front of the defence was much better. Lets just hope we set up the way we ended next game. Anyway, great 3 points and good to win 1-0 away.

Whilst this almost feels like a typical game in which Mowbray pulls a result off just as pressure on him has ramped up, I expect us to be bullied and beaten by a Warnock team with a spine based around some real grafters. As for system debate, something has to change. The 4-3-3 seems to invite soft goals and has looked poorer and poorer as the season has gone on. Added, it will take 2 goals tomorrow just to average a goal scored per game over the last 10 games, so defending the 4-3-3 due to us being top scorers (something like a quarter of these came against 10 men) feels redundant. We see a lot of the ball and create a decent amount of chances, but more often than not the chances are half chances, we also seem to have lost the ability to get it forward quickly and shoot before the defender has a chance to get in to position and block it in recent months. Other sides (Watford, Swansea, Norwich etc) seem to regularly create more nailed on chances to my eye, and find a way to mix it up and beat defences that 'sit in' more regularly, granted I have no data to back that up. Whatever we do, if we are to even get a sniff of top 6, the defence has to be improve immediately. We then have to pair that with finding a way of getting Travis, Dack, Elliott and Armstrong playing together at the same time. It's a gamble on the fitness of Travis and Dack, but without that gamble I don't think we stand a chance. I would argue developing the 4-2-3-1 looks like a sensible way of doing that on paper. A 3 at the back system would probably allow our attacking players to get in to a shape that best suits them however our defenders would likely get crucified. Sadly, as has been the problem for years, and looking at some of the goals conceded in recent games against Stoke, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Wednesday and so on, I think it will take more than a change in shape to give us the platform to go and win more games than we draw/lose.

‘We will absolutely respect the Jack Walker legacy’

Dire set up in both sides of the pitch from Rovers. More proof of a total refusal to address historic defensive issues by the manager. We can’t even do the basics right. Total waste of a crop of decent players at this level. Best chance is to put the manager in a taxi heading away from Ewood for the second half, let one of the coaches have a go at the second half. Mowbray out.

Bored with it all. We will always be a soft touch with no ability to grind results out with Mowbray in charge. What a waste.

Very impressed with Buckley’s range of passing and ability to find space when on the ball tonight

Wonder if Ayala will get a run out

In Lenihans head he’s not taking any risks of giving them a chance on the verge of half time. Conceding just before halftime would’ve been a bit of a mental blow, and obviously would’ve left us only 2 up. Perfectly happy for our players to do things like this to keep momentum going. We know Rovers, think PNE last season, you can really feel the swing after conceding at times. Think we’ve moaned that the side isn’t nasty enough for a while. We’re very streetwise at this level now and it’s going to help us win more points. Plus the likes of Travis and Lenihan are always going to be suspended once or twice a season. That’s their game. They’d be less effective players if they were told to take the edge off.

Absolutely not. In previous seasons we would’ve let the attacker ghost through, to square it and score. Professional by Lenihan. That’s how you see out games.

Standard procedure akin to everything else Blackburn Rovers 2010-present

Price rise. Big mistake. As naive a model as the season following promotion. Waggot, you are giving people a big, reasonable excuse not to go. A little bump up to you is a big deal to many. Financially for some, morally for others, perception wise to most. Either way, just like a daft tug on a shirt in the penalty area, you’re giving the ref a decision to make. Might make sense short term but this will be another harmful move long term. Reconsider ASAP.

Sarr would make sense with this in mind. From the Charlton manager a couple of weeks ago: “I’m sad to see Naby go,” said Bowyer. “He is a lovely fella and very good in possession – he got us playing.” “I’d have liked to have kept him but under this embargo we’ve go no chance. He’s had to move on.”

Bell is utterly inept. Makes Williams look like Roberto Carlos. Disgustingly bad.

Don't f*ck this one up Rovers............

Very cautious on authenticity. But don't underestimate how good of a signing Kipre would be. He's proven to be a very good centre back at this level at the age of 23. He ticks all of the boxes in terms of attributes, I don't think there is much better out there available. And clearly if he was anywhere but Wigan he would be way, way out of reach. Venky's history says spending circa £1m on a defender doesn't happen so i'm expecting disappointment. But on top of needs meeting value, the relatively safe development and future sell on potential might just get this attention, particuarly with the sweetener of the majority of Williams/Mulgrew's wages off the books.

Not a bad run out for the first pre season game. Glad to see the 4-3-3 was built with actual wing play rather than inside target men types. One thought. If Travis and Buckley are to be two of the first choice midfield three, I think we need to bring in another all-round midfielder type. Somebody box to box who can also contribute to the odd goal. Not sure Evans or Johnson have enough mobility or creativity in them to make the side balanced enough. Aware we’ve priorities elsewhere, though. Impressed with a few of the youngsters, Dolan especially.

It's become painful to watch, yesterday was a prime representation of SG & BB's Rovers careers so far. Consistently play like headless chickens. I understand they've found themselves on the wing a lot but regardless, they've both had ample opportunity playing as and around a number 9 role. They cause very few issues to defenders on balls in to the box despite being something like 6'3 and 6'5. Rarely get head or foot to the ball and it's a breeze for the defender. When balls do fall to them in the box, they tend to panic and finishing is wild/poor. How often do they trouble the goalkeeper? Around the box, when needing to square the ball or link somebody in, again it's usually near post straight to the keeper or ballooned beyond everybody for a goal kick or throw in. It's surely a basic expectation to think your big money strikers at this level can at least cause a few problems and put themselves about each week? Playing those two to save face will potentially cost our season. If Danny Graham (15 goals last season) had kept his place, or at least been the man to step in post Dack's injury, i'm convinced we'd have more points on the board. He gives the defenders something to really deal with, scores an acceptable amount of goals against the chances that fall to him and knits the attack together by using his strength and first touch. I want them to succeed as we all do, and I keep hearing they've got potential, but after over a year of watching them both I'm really struggling to get on board with them. Whether the players are simply crap, the coaches are misuing them, they don't fit the system or whatever, something needs to change and click soon.

On reflection, despite the opportunity we had, yesterday was the worst i've seen us in a while. Poor at both ends of the pitch with gaping holes in the middle. Lenihan is invaluable. Without his leadership, and with Bennett in Nyambe's spot, we're fragile as expected. The biggest frustration for me was the decision making particularly in the final third, the attackers played like puppies with zero footballing know-how. We got the ball up the pitch in to some decent positions relatively regurlarly but never threatened. They knew Armstrong was the only danger man, they stuck two men on him at all times, and that was that. We're still in with a shout, but not if we continue to play anything like we did yesterday.

Yes, I’m going and paying on the door.

This would probably be my team too. Having two strikers buzzing around, with both a pace and crossing threat from the wings seems like the way to go against a team that might defend deep at Ewood. That's where the 4-2-3-1 has come unstuck over the past couple of seasons in games against Millwall, Wigan, Brum etc in which we dominated but couldn't create enough clear cut chances.

Agreed. Cliché, but it's a '14 cup finals' mentality needed if we're going to push ourselves up in to the playoffs.

At the moment Walton is probably no better than an average Championship keeper. Regularly makes decent saves and has some sort of a presence. Seems to have a slightly higher than usual mistake rate in him and his decision making can be slow and costly at times. For that reason I'd be looking to sign better. As others have said, I'm sure we could do better for the same or a smaller price tag, with a keeper from the European leagues. Maybe even an older keeper knocking about over here. At 24 he's young for a keeper but we can't realistically afford the luxury of waiting (and hoping) for him to develop and cut out the negative side to his game through experience. That for me was the whole point of the Raya sale which made the Walton loan signing baffling.