11 minutes ago, TonyM said:

Much as I care very much about our FA Cup runs and would love to see us progress, I think we will see as few of the settled first team players as TM can get away with involved in this...... I expect starts for Pears, Carter, Ayala, Magloire, Johnson, Davenport, Butterworth, Gallagher, Dolan  and maybe even a couple of the other U23s involved.

I'm definitely in favour of making a decent number of changes, but I hope the changes aren't quite as sweeping as that. I think it'll be prudent to give game time to established squad players who are essentially first teamers who have only been kept out because of how the current XI are performing - i.e.  Ayala, Gallagher, Johnson and Dolan. After that there are others you can make a case for, but putting Pears (who admittedly did well a few weeks back) and Magloire in there is going a bit too far for me. 

Hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes here, but as one of the surprisingly decent number of Rovers fans with a WN postcode, I thought I'd start the match thread for our (well, not mine obviously) short trip south in the cup this Saturday. As an aside, I've had a fairly complicated relationship with the club of my hometown over recent years. It was simple enough to wish them well when they were miles below the Rovers in English football's pecking order. Even when they found themselves in the same division - almost entirely because of the generosity of wealthy Rovers fan Dave Whelan - it was hard to dislike them too much when they were a source of an easy 6 points and the simplest of local away trips. All this changed after one of the more eventful games in our recent history in 2007, where a Santa-Cruz hattrick wasn't enough to stop a 10-man Rovers going down to a 5-3 defeat. Despite our record at Ewood remaining very strong (that game in 2012 notwithstanding), this fired the starting gun on a truly woeful run of form at their place. We haven't won in 10 attempts at the JJB/DW Stadium, stretching back to a routine 0-3 win almost fifteen years to the week, including a goal from a young Matt Derbyshire.  A simply unacceptable record against a jumped up non-league team.

Back onto the here and now, whilst we have bigger fish to fry, there are grounds for optimism in finally putting our recent run at Wigan to bed. Rovers are flying, and possibly a mere few months away from returning to our rightful position of at least two divisions above the Latics in the football pyramid. That said, after a year or two off the pitch that I wouldn't wish on the fans of any club, even genuine local rivals like Burnley, Bolton or Morecambe, they too seem to be on the up under new ownership. Callum Lang in particular has been banging them in, and with the form of both teams this has the makings of cracking cup tie.

Impossible to predict the XI of cup fixtures, but hopefully we'll get the proper balance with giving some squad players a runout whilst being confident of getting into the next round. Ideally I'd like to see something like this, with Butterworth getting decent time on the pitch too:

                      Kaminski

            Carter     Ayala     Van Hecke

Nyambe                                               Edun

                  Johnson    Davenport

        Dolan          Buckley           Gallagher

A sold out away end seems unlikely at this point, but the price of tickets are very reasonable so hopefully a decent crowd will see us through to the next round. 

2 minutes ago, booth said:

Cardiff, Hull, Luton, Swansea coming up. Should be targetting maximum points from those.

Looks like we've got a pretty long run of fixtures which don't look massively intimidating, but equally there aren't too many that you'd put in the Peterborough, Barsnley, arguably Birmingham at home bracket either. Home games against pretty strong teams in Boro and Forest. Aways look easier, but still not straightforward either, especially if we're missing Brereton for a couple. 

Cardiff might be an exception - not great at the best of times and by far their most creative player has just returned to his parent club. Missing a few through suspension too, but even there they'll be looking to avenge the thumping they took at Ewood. 

Rearranged for Wednesday the 19th.

Works pretty well for us, this. Hull play on the Sunday, so we have an extra day to prepare. Maybe more importantly, our next game is on the Monday evening against Boro, so we still get the best part of a week before we next play. 

3 minutes ago, rovers11 said:

Would be a very shrewd signing if true. Has a huge amount of talent but he's lost his way. It's not so long ago he went for big money and he's still only young. Plus out of contract in the summer too so Good potential for a permanent deal if he does well. 

We're not in the market for players who are at the top of their game, that's unrealistic. We need to find talent and "polish them up" as TM would say.

I'd say could be, rather than would be. I worry hugely about a 24 year old who still gets criticised for lacking game awareness after playing well over a hundred games. His goal record too is appalling for a forward, although apparently he's played all over in recent years, so I'm not sure how much that has impacted things.

It could be that a change of environment is what's needed, and so long as the money involved is small I wouldn't be against signing him. At the same time you'd have to say that it's his early promise which is the anomaly in his career, and the norm seems to be struggling to live up to that brief promise. 

4 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

I can't see Brighton recalling the players at this stage given that they will learn more whilst playing regular here. Plus I believe that their sporting director Dan Ainsworth is holding discussions with Newcastle about joining them as Sporting Director. So that could impact certain things at the club. 

I don't see Brereton being any factor in this given that he is our player and we have good chance of promotion 

a question for anyone, would you be happy if our 2 only incoming transfers were Tommy Doyle and Josh Maja both on loan in January? or do you think we need more? if so which position?

Two additions to the squad will probably be enough provided there are no outgoings and we get a fair run of injuries. That said, I know next to nothing about Doyle other than he's highly rated at City but has only managed a handful of appearances at second-tier Hamburg this year. Could be great, but I'd be a little sceptical of his ability to come in and improve the XI, and there's basically no chance of City letting him go permanently. On the fence.

Maja, provided it's on the cheap with no obligation to buy, I'd be happy enough with. We already have a pretty good array of options in attacking positions, but an x-factor player to replace Poveda would be very useful and if if the deal doesn't expose to too much risk in terms of his injury, then it could be a shrewd move. 

19 minutes ago, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

Well the obvious answer is Covid cases. Brighton probably don’t care that much about our promotion push and need the extra numbers in case they’re hit hard by Covid. We’d do the same in their position.

They won't care about the promotion push for us, but good experience for their players to develop & increase their value vs having them sat on the bench.

Ridiculously though, I hadn't really factored in Omicron, so you've probably hit the nail on the head there. 

7 minutes ago, BigUts said:

LT reporting that both Van Hecke and Khadra increasingly likely to be recalled next month. Losing those two would be a HUGE kick in the ballcocks!

Really? That'd be incredibly disappointing but I really don't see the logic. They've probably started about 15 games between them but are now looking like key players in a potential promotion push. Does the LT say why? I suppose it would make sense if they had an injury crisis, but it's not as though they're anywhere near the bottom 3. 

3 minutes ago, unleaded said:

Think they are looking for a Ian Poveda type replacement who can play on the right … Buckley Back Up … 

Good to see that they're not just relying on Dack's comeback to fill the attacking-midfield spot. Hopefully a sign that we'll be treating him with kid-gloves until next season. 

3 minutes ago, Officer Barbrady said:

35m or they can fuck off

There's a decent argument for not selling him irrespective of the price now, but if we decide that we do it would need to be that sort of figure at least. I.e. substantially more than we could realistically command in the summer, which even if he tails off a bit should be at least around £20 million. 

39 minutes ago, unleaded said:

Josh Maja got a run out & scored i see … Chairman insisted he was fast tracked from his back injury  so he could be moved on in the next window …. Also hearing Rovers are interested in a teammate who has caught there eye whilst scouting Maja ….attacking Midfielder ……

Maja is too much of a risk for me … could breakdown anytime .. this was his first game since summer …. 

Apparently was a part of a 10-0 win! Fair to say that he'll have tougher tests in the English second tier.

I'm with you on the risk. I'd take him on loan with a (cheap) option but no obligation to buy. It could be a case of getting a good player on the cheap a la Santa-Cruz with his injury record, but I'd want him to have several months with our medical team looking at him before we pay out any significant financial outlay on him. 

2 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Concentrate on ourselves and the rest takes care of itself. At this point though, would we consider it a failure if we did not at least secure a playoff place from the position we find ourselves at the moment?

Certainly getting there, although a bad January on and off the pitch could change expectations very quickly. 

We'd probably need somewhere between 70-75 points to be confident of securing a top 6 spot. Our 6 fixtures before the end of January are:

Hull (a)

Barnsley (h),

Hudds,

Cardiff (a), 

Middlesbrough (h)

Luton (a).

If we keep the squad together, and get something like 3 wins and a draw from those 6 games, then really average form until the end of the season should be enough for the top 6. 

10 hours ago, JHRover said:

I'd personally have rather Fulham drew with Sheffield tonight.

At the moment I am looking at reducing the number of clubs who might be able to rise from mid-table and overtake us. I'm looking at in-form and decent squads Sheff Utd, Forest and Middlesbrough in particular as potential threats to deal with.

Fulham will at the very least be in the top 6, probably top 2 come the end of the season. It would take a disastrous collapse for them to not at least finish 6th. So we need to accept that. Meanwhile clubs like Forest, Sheff Utd and Middlesbrough we will probably need to finish above if we want top 6.

Hopefully we continue to put distance between ourselves and these clubs. I am hoping that all 3 just have momentum after managerial changes that won't be sustained, but I think Wilder and Cooper are good managers who will fancy their chances of getting top 6 so every point we gain on them will be important.

I thought the same with Boro vs Bournemouth, but for this one I actively wanted Fulham to win. Even with their dodgy form, I think Fulham are still massive favourites to go up (probably as Champions) with their quality and depth. 

Bournemouth are a different kettle of fish, I think they're there for the taking either for Rovers or another one of the chasing pack. At the same time, we're not secure enough in the top 6 to not worry about teams like Boro & Sheffield United. Sheff. U in particular worry me if they carry on with this run.

Just now, oldjamfan1 said:

Mowbray should be doing what's right for Blackburn Rovers really. With Ayala's winter injury record we should keep Carter just now. Doing what's best for the player rather than the club has been Mowbray's undoing in seasons gone by.

It's a gamble, to be sure. 

I suppose my view is that the club also taking a gamble by barely letting a promising 22 year old play for 12 months. Not saying Carter will be as good as Wharton, but we'd be much poorer if instead of spending his early 20s clocking up regular appearances, he instead was sat on our bench occasionally replacing Lenihan, Mulgrew or Tosin.

Not sure which option I think is most sensible, but I'd hate to see Carter go down the same path as Davenport, who doesn't really reach his potential because he doesn't spend enough time on the pitch (alongside injuries in Davenport's case too, obviously). 

10 minutes ago, Officer Barbrady said:

I may be in the minority, but I hope we take the cup seriously. I want us to win every single competition we enter even though yes the league and getting promoted should be the main focus. Regardless, hope we give it our best shot.

Ordinarily I'd agree (and I suppose I do in that I'm not advocating throwing the game) but I think we've got too much riding on the league this year. I wouldn't want to see ridiculous changes, but the likes of Carter, Edun, Davenport, Butterworth and Clarkson would all be starters for me, and if he was up to it JRC too. 

One thing going for us so far is that we don't (yet) need to reschedule any games cancelled through covid, so that'll be a break where other clubs will be getting busier schedules. 

18 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

If we’re going to continue with the 3 centre half system we can’t afford to loan Carter out. He’s needed in case of injury or suspension.

I don't think this is a straightforward call, personally. At the moment he's clearly 5th in the pecking order, arguably 6th if Mowbray would play Johnson in the middle of a back three (we can argue whether he should do or not, but he's showed signs against Posh that he would favour that option).

He's just turned 22, and I think it's vital for the player to have a decent number of games under his belt before he enters his mid 20s. I accept it's a bit of a risk though - maybe if we get an extra right back in January & keep Nyambe, then that could provide extra defensive cover there too. 

8 hours ago, Miker said:

I think we were shambolic defensively when Braithwaite came into the back four and agree we were absolutely dreadful during that period. We started picking up steam again after that though with Dack returning and scoring 2 in 2 before being injured again. We deteriorated again after that injury and didn't recover until it was too late. I remember thinking that 1-0 loss at Brentford was the end of our season. Their only goal was from a non-penalty and then we weren't given a penalty of our own late on when Raya fouled Dack in the box. 

A lot of the games post-Braithwaite we were the better team but lost points due to stupid penalties or back passes given away. 

I know we were going through something of an injury crisis, but Branthwaite was the perfect example of the sort of Prem loan that you don't want. I.e. a player who has all the attributes for a good career but needs a spell of making mistakes so his parent club can feel the benefit.

A player who'll probably have a good career, but a few of the performances he put in for us were up there for some of the worst for a centre half in our recent history. Agree with @tomphil though that our possession game was partially responsible too. 

1 hour ago, oldjamfan1 said:

I've probably got a slightly unusual perspective on this, living in Scotland. I would be able to dine out on England winning the world cup for the rest of my life probably, whereas generally nobody up here really gives a fuck about Blackburn Rovers as such. Despite all that its still a close call though....... 

This is a good point. The prospect of losing to Scotland at a major tournament when you have Scottish in-laws was up there with the prospect of losing to Burnley when we had the 30 year plus unbeaten record. 

Definitely Rovers. I get really involved in major tournaments & this summer was brilliant (until it wasn't), but at the same time I often don't even watch the Qualifiers during international breaks.

Completely different with Rovers. Only things which take up more of thoughts are family and work, and there are times when they're debatable! 

Johnson's shirt has been posted as hanging up in the dressing room on Rovers' twitter, so presumably not him.

The plot thickens!

Got a funny feeling that Gally will end up being a big player for us today. Maybe not the worst idea to play him from the start given the sort of team they are. Going for 2-0 to the Rovers. 

I think for his sake and ours, the best thing would be to let him go on a free and see if we can slip a large sell on clause there if we can. 

You can make an argument that he's been messed around slightly, you can make an argument that he's been unlucky with the timing of injuries, and you can make an argument that he doesn't have what it takes mentally to make the most of his talent in professional football. The end result though is the same - he's entering mid career and he's a million miles away from where we need a first teamer to be at our level (never mind next level where we should be aiming for).

Exciting player to watch in L1, genuinely wish him the best, but the only way I can ever see us getting any value from him is that he can eventually put some form together for a small club and we might get a few hundred grand from him moving on.

47 minutes ago, JHRover said:

I went on the Ipswich forum at lunchtime to see what they had to say about this. I have to say I find it fascinating the difference of opinion and how highly they regard him.

To me I wouldn't be bothered if he went although to be honest it would sum up what a shambles this club is if it were to happen at this juncture. 

Yet the Ipswich lot seem almost giddy with excitement. Salivating at the mere prospect of it. Bizarre really.

I know he was popular there as a player yet his managerial career hardly sets pulses racing. We are on a good run and doing well but take away the last month or so and we have been much of a muchness in the Championship for the last 3 years.

A popular name in the betting there is Neil Harris who got Millwall out of League One, kept them in the Championship and did an Ok job at Cardiff yet they are lukewarm as to his credentials yet Mowbray who got us out of League One (with a lot better squad), kept us in the Championship is seen as an incredible appointment.

 

It shouldn't do really, but they're in such a desperate state I can see why. Club that size who have spent (relative) megabucks in that league and in their third season they're as close to the relegation spots than the play offs. Then there's Mowbray, a former player with a recent record of getting out of that league at the first attempt, buying a player like Dack for the same sort of fee they've been paying, playing reasonably attacking football and currently sitting 4th in the division above.

Obviously that's ignoring the long list of negatives that come with TM as manager - but I think if you were to offer our last five years or so to Ipswich fans (or Sunderland fans) they'd be throwing street parties. 

Sounds like Pears is getting another game here

7 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Ayala, Gallagher and possibly Kaminski back in contention apparently. I’d leave the first two on the bench and only play Kaminski if he is 110% fit. 

I was much more worried about Ayala missing PNE than this one. Can't see the centre halves needing to head as many balls as they were expected to last weekend. 

20 minutes ago, booth said:

If you look on the Bournemouth forum there’s some fans who aren’t convinced they’ll stay in the top two.

One win in six. Not many teams go through a Championship season without a sticky patch but they can't afford to carry on like this for too much longer.