Pretty much bang on there. Trouble is it has been that way most of the season, although earlier on results were papering over cracks. We don't actually do much of the important stuff very well. Plenty of possession and at times nice passing football but minimal penetration and defensively suspect. Other clubs fans can see it so surely Mowbray can.

Sheffield Utd's ground holds 32,000, they rarely fill it, yet their owner has released plans for expansion up to 38,000. Brentford don't fill Griffin Park but because it is run down and not up to standard they are building a new stadium. Preston built their new stand when they only get 10,000 on games. If you are serious about getting to the Prem you don't wait until getting there before work begins on the stadium, you do it in advance. If by some miracle we got to the Premier League and then decided to start work we would likely have a 3 sided ground and reduced capacity stadium for at least 12 months, better doing it whilst crowds are lower and the work can be done as easily as possible. Can't imagine much happening on this front mind.

Money spent on the squad comes into FFP calculations, so there is a limit as to how much can be done, especially having splurged a fortune on Armstrong and Brereton. Money spent on facilities does not come into FFP calculations, so there is nothing stopping the owners investing into that to whatever level they might wish. Investing into facilities is a much safer long term thing than investing into players. The club/stadium would be worth more with a new Riverside than without and might also help the club develop revenues. If there was a hotel/conference centre etc. run properly and making a profit of a few hundred grand a year then over say 10 years it would probably pay for itself. I do think this is something Waggott is keen on. He mentioned it a while ago at the forum and whilst he didn't go into much detail it was obvious he had been thinking about it. Can't imagine Venkys pushing the idea although if it can be argued that it will reduce reliance on them in the long run it might be the sort of thing they approve.

Yeah, a 4000-5000 capacity stand, single tier as it is now, all seats covered, with internal space which can be used to generate non matchday income, remove the old floodlights and jumbo screen and incorporate into the design. In the scheme of things we've more urgent issues to worry about but if the club wishes to grow, progress or develop it needs doing sooner rather than later. In an era of Ffp, especially for a club with lower end crowds, we need to make every penny possible on non matchday. Office space, conference venue, hotel etc. It's one of the worst stands in the Championship these days, rivals have built new modern facilities.

If Mowbray genuinely thinks that the referee was to blame for yesterday's capitulation then we're in a bigger mess than I thought. I'll be the first to moan about referees but the responsibility for yesterday lies in house.

Interesting. I've said before it needs doing soon if the plan is to ever get promoted or even survive in this division. There were also rumours that structurally it would need doing soon as the riverbank isn't stable, not sure how true that is. I just hope if it is done it is done to a decent standard and improves the ground. It needs to be nearer the pitch and designed so that it is in keeping with the other 3 stands, not done on the cheap or much smaller.

Our game management is atrocious. Having played relatively well up until their red card that should have been the game changer that would see us press home our advantage by pressuring them for a long period and testing their keeper and defence. On the contrary as soon as they went down to ten and they sat back we had no idea what to do, how to break them down, or how to take advantage of numbers. We could have played all night at 11 v 10 and wouldn't have scored. I said to my mate when the red was issued that it probably wouldn't help us in any shape or form. I also said that the referee, having had grief from the home ends throughout, would embrace any opportunity to even the numbers up and get home fans back on side and so what do we do? Throw away our advantage by committing a stupid foul in a secure position. It really is amateurish. Sadly a trait of this team though. Weak, clueless, no plan b, poor substitutes that never change games. Sheffield went down to 10 they made changed and adapted their approach. We resorted to our clueless passing around our defence with no idea whatsoever of how to try and break them down, whereas we are wide open and all over the place as soon as we go down to 10. No adaptability or flexibility. I've a confession to make. I walked out after their 2nd goal and went back to the car. Something I very rarely do and have always been against doing. But I was so thoroughly peed off and sick of watching it that I wasn't prepared to stay. As soon as their 1st went in I knew that the floodgates would open. It's a shambles. The manager has to sort it but our problems are so numerous and deep running I don't think it is as simple as making a few signings or changes to the line up. It runs deeper. It is mental and physical, ingrained in the psyche of the team and manager. It was there last season if you look back. Mowbray is showing no signs of turning it around, and needs to do so very quickly. We can't defend and can't create, we're dull to watch yet that isn't offset by being hard to break down or beat. I don't know what Mowbray really wants to do.

Chelsea will recall Palmer, there's no point in leaving him here given the amount of time he's spent on the pitch, and will send him somewhere like Hull or Ipswich where he will play every week.

Pre-season has been inadequate for years. Another symptom of being run by Venkys with their bonkers June summit meeting - nothing can be done or planned until they approve it. I'd bet other clubs at this level would already have outline plans for recruitment, friendlies and training camps for next summer, I'd also bet that we'll have none of those, the manager won't have the first idea what the plan or budget will be and won't find out until we're playing catch up. We need a Technical Director who knows the industry who can be on with this sort of thing now so we can hit the ground running in future, not running around at the last minute.

The problems we have are a result of failing to recruit properly last summer, along with the team not being fit enough and not knowing how to see games through. I'm of the belief that merely signing a few more players in January isn't going to be a magic wand that sorts all our problems out. The stuff we're witnessing at the moment goes way above and beyond personnel. It is fitness, mentality, game management - all not what they should be. The manager needs to inject it quickly or vacate his position for someone who will do.

A lot of people saying this is going to be a season of consolidation and that we should be happy with a mid table finish. That's fine but to do that we are likely to require another 25 to 30 points. Usually pushing 50 to secure survival and another 10 to reach mid table status. Until we are at 50 there can be no consolidation, no pats on the back. We can't just turn around after each painful defeat and argue that as we are on course to achieve safety there's nothing to worry or complain about.

Exactly. This isn't a product of being in a higher league or up against better sides. The problem has been lingering for the last 18 months and the main difference now is it is costing us more than it did last season. Mowbray either will not or cannot stop it. It could be personnel, it could be fitness, it could be tactics and organisation. Either way the responsibility lies at the managers feet.

Not sure I would agree with some of those verdicts. Rotherham I thought we were poor in the first half and barely had a chance and were lucky to be 0-0 at half time. Another one of those games we had an awful first half with no goals and very few chances. We upped the tempo in the second half and had a few decent chances and they were on the rack but then went down the other end and scored with their only chance, which then cost us 2 points as we needed 2 to win. Preston and Wigan were abysmal and embarrassing. Wigan's only win in about 13 games and we barely laid a glove on them. Sheffield Wednesday were at the height of their crisis when we played them. Telling that they are the only side we've beaten by more than a single goal margin. Birmingham - threw away 2 points - again - having barely been troubled. Incompetence. Leeds took it to new levels - regardless of the opposition to take the lead in the 90th minute and end up losing is a travesty and brings our failings into the spotlight. It would have been a smash and grab job had we got the win but you need a few of them over a season. Once again the goals came through a couple of set-pieces dispatched well by Mulgrew rather than through open play - another issue we have - very rare we score unless through Dack, Graham or Mulgrew.

I wish I shared your confidence. Next two are tough games which we'll do well to get anything out of. On paper we have a kinder run in January and February beginning with a trip to struggling Millwall, but given the way we are playing would you fancy us going down to the Den and getting a win against a Millwall side fighting for their lives? Our record this season against the bottom half sides is very poor. Failed to beat Preston, Wigan, Rotherham, Ipswich, Millwall, Reading, Bristol City and scraped wins against Bolton, Brentford and Hull. That will have to change. We SHOULD have enough to survive in comparison to the likes of Ipswich, Bolton and Rotherham but strange things happen. A lead of 10 points+ over them going into the 2nd half of the season SHOULD be a good gap. But we're on a slippery slope and I honestly wouldn't fancy us to beat anyone at the moment. We have a knack for snatching a draw or defeat from the jaws of victory and have done all season. The only thing keeping us going is the camaraderie in the squad and the presence of Mulgrew/Dack/Graham who between them can deliver the goods infront of goal.

We can talk about personnel or panic/fear in the team. Ultimately it is the manager's responsibility. It has been a trait of Mowbray's tenure that we cannot kill teams off and struggle to defend properly for 90 minutes. I don't think Mowbray knows how to sort it. I doubt bringing in a replacement CB will suddenly fix our problems. It is a team effort and there is clearly something wrong with the team when defending a lead or under pressure. Anyone who watched us last season will be able to recall multiple games we ended up winning where we struggled to see the game out and at times only did so due to poor quality opposition. No such luck at this level I'm afraid.

We're too reliant on Mowbray. I'm not saying he should be sacked but if that decision were to be made it would no doubt then significantly impact upon other areas of the club - recruitment, staff, communications with owners etc. Plus we'd have all the talk and worry about who would lead the search and who on earth they would bring in which would be used as a reason not to make a change even if one were needed. As I went into the other day, we need a head coach structure in place (which Mowbray was originally appointed as) so that if needed a change can be quickly made without the need to rip up the entire operation and start again. Won't be happening though which is another reason we'll never follow Leeds/Norwich. Nowt to do with crowds or money its having a plan and structure from the owners down that can work and a good head coach who will work within that.

Nail on the head. This has been going on now for 18 months. We cannot see games out. Yesterday took it to a whole new level. I'll be honest, when we went 2-1 up my only celebration was that i believed it would at least ensure we got a point although i fully expected them to make it 2-2 even with only a few minutes left. We simply cannot cope with protecting leads under pressure when teams throw everything they have at us. I'm sick and tired of the 'heroic' line from club PR. Pats on the back because little Rovers went to mighty Leeds and almost got a result but just couldn't in the end. Yesterday should never happen. I can forgive the equalizer as frustrating and predictable as it was but to concede twice in the final 3 minutes is outrageous. This is a serious issue that needs urgently addressing and I see little to no evidence that this is being dealt with. Simply cannot throw wins away like we have against Birmingham and Leeds recently,

I remain of the view that the best prospects of long term success are by installing a qualified, capable technical director or director of football who can oversee and orchestrate the football operation with a head coach operating alongside/beneath him. The D of F or whatever you want to call it would liaise with the owners and report to them and be given a budget and he would take overall responsibility working in tandem with his choice of manager. I look at Leeds and Norwich steaming clear in this league and both are doing so with good head coaches who have come into this sort of system working under a footballing director with recruitment a joint effort. Bielsa has come along and fitted smoothly into the structure at Leeds which was set up before his arrival. The way we operate is extremely old school with the manager having too much responsibility across too many areas. In this day and age the manager should be able to focus on training and matchdays with academy/recruitment going on elsewhere. It is ludicrous that the manager has to fly to India to get his instructions/budget. There are odd exceptions these days like Warnock at Cardiff or Dyche at Burnley which were more traditional ways of doing things but I think in our circumstances with absentee foreign clueless owners we need a structure in place that ensures continuity and so managers can come and go without being utterly reliant upon them for the entire football operation. It seems Mowbray played a part in our CEO arriving which is also bonkers and quite alarming. I'm not for one minute slating Mowbray or saying he should be removed from his role but we're now in a position where we are heavily reliant on him for virtually every aspect of the operation - speaking to the owners, this 'trust' thing we have in place, recruitment, training, scouting. If we unfortunately reach a stage where Mowbray reaches the end of the line at the club then it will all have to be started again from scratch, which will probably take several years to achieve. We need to be able to change manager if required without losing all direction and having to start again from scratch. That's how Leeds have managed to get where they are - not through spending daft money or even being particularly well run - but having a structure above the manager that continues and into which the manager can fit.

Leeds haven't swept many teams aside recently. At home they've an impressive record but wins usually by the odd goal. We know how Mowbray will approach it. Could go either way. A repeat of Derby or West Brom away or Swansea/Bristol City. Depends if we go behind early or can hold firm. Will be a long afternoon either way.

Managers are ultimately judged from above by how they perform with the resources they are given. It is a fact that last summer Mowbray used more money on new players than most managers in this league did. If we believe the figure of £7 million for BB that we committed to then that represents a net spend of pushing £10 million on fees. Irrespective of where we've come from, what the 'plan' is or how much on wages those people cost, that sort of expenditure at this level massively raises expectations. If it were me signing the cheques I'd probably expect to be finishing above half of the division purely on cash paid out. If we'd have spent a few hundred grand and sold a few, like Preston or Millwall, then expectations would be lower. If we'd been under restrictions like Birmingham or Sheff Wed then expectations would be lower. Mowbray has seemingly had a perfect summer transfer window - allegedly he's in complete control of the operation and decides on who we sign, he's had a relative warchest to spend by most club's standards, and he's not had to sell anyone. Most managers will give their right arm for that sort of position not having to contend with a director of football or selling before buying. So far we've done OK but i have a number of concerns about our recruitment, performances and run of form with fixtures coming up.

Another typical Rovers game and performance. Can't fault the effort or application but lacking in quality, fitness and defensive strength. Another game where we've conceded late on and lost points through it. Last 15-20 minutes the difference in fitness levels between the teams was embarrassing. We were wandering around with 3-4 players absolutely knackered and Norwich put their foot on the gas, ran at us and got their inevitable goal. I say inevitable because it was clear to me they were going to score at some stage or other, as most teams do against us without putting us under much pressure, and it was also clear to me that for all our effort we weren't going to score. We didn't create anywhere near enough considering the amount of possession we enjoyed. There's lots of chat about 'chances' we created but for me we didn't create anywhere near enough to deserve to win a home game. We had lots of possession and had a few occasions where we got into good positions to make things happen and cocked it up. I don't remember any chances where we've got a shot away or tested their keeper. The performance for me was decent. Or at least it was in the 2nd half, whereas the first was another typical non-event which happens most weeks at home. How many times is that now we've gone in at HT without having scored or even had any decent chances? There's an inevitability about everything we do. Inevitable that the first half will be a dull affair with no goals, inevitable we'll up the tempo in the second, inevitable that we won't ever put the opposition to bed and inevitable we'll concede usually in the last 10-15 minutes. To be honest I find it quite boring. The way we play, the lack of a 90 minute performance, the ease with which the opposition break us down, then the self-pity afterwards as we've battled bravely once again but once again not got the result we wanted or probably deserved on the balance of play.

Birmingham is 15 quid anywhere in the ground, sell out expected. I've seen no evidence whatsoever that Rovers have any desire to see 20000+ fans in Ewood. Sadly it is too easy to cart on with 11000 home fans and hand over the Darwen End to big away followings. If you want more fans to turn up you dont: Close home stands and force people to move Put prices up across the board Introduce a ludicrous surcharge on matchday Move numerous kick offs to inconvenient times sometimes for no good reason. Until there's recognition that the above will have had an impact of some sort on numbers there's no point doing much else.

I wondered whether they might have done something like that. My suspicions were aroused earlier this week when Rovers announced the game had become all ticket with no sales on the day. That suggests to me that Leeds expected to sell out and were concerned about their fans trying to get into the away end, rather than Rovers' allocation being close to a sell out. I'd of course love to be wrong and would love it if Rovers took an impressive 2000+ following there, particularly at those prices. In theory this should be a popular one, on Boxing Day, not far to travel, attractive fixture, but at those prices I'd be very, very surprised. We've been to Leeds about 6-7 times since relegation in 2012 and I don't think we've ever got remotely close to selling 2000+ tickets, usually less than 1000 due to scandalous pricing. I'm sticking to my theory that Leeds want it on live streaming and Rovers have agreed in exchange for some sort of payment. The 'few hundred tickets remaining' line will be to appease those going and probably satisfy the authorities.

During the summer there was talk as the deadline approached of there being nothing to worry about if we didn't get everyone we wanted because we had the loan market, then as that deadline approached it was all about we've only go get through 4 months and then the January window would provide the opportunity to strengthen, now, as expected as the January window approaches expectations are being downplayed. It's a difficult time to do business, we won't panic buy, the summer is more suitable etc. That's fine if you use the summer to address your weaknesses and January is just icing on the cake or minor adjustments.

I'll eat my hat if Rovers have got anywhere near to 2500 tickets sold. What I suspect is happening here is that Leeds have sold out or close to it so Leeds now want to stream it online. The only way that can be done is if Rovers agree to it. I bet Leeds or IFollow are paying Rovers to agree to this and to 'justify' it Rovers are claiming only a few hundred of the allocation remain available. If they said 1000 were left to sell people would be asking questions as to why they have agreed to broadcast it online.