Have really high hopes for this one. I get (and share, to to a degree) the view that we already have a tonne of players in his position(s) and it's hard to know who should be left out.

Having said that, how many times have we brought in players in similar circumstances and they've turned out to improve us no end. Friedel, Tugay and Samba jump out straight away. If only we took a similar approach to Zidane then we might've been a very different club these days.

Spoke very well in his interview too, hope he's as impressive on the pitch.

Really wary about this one. At the start of the season I'd have had them down as in the group most likely to get relegated, but they've clearly got potential to cause damage when you look at the Cardiff result.

Not an easy game to predict, an away draw might not be the worst result.

6 minutes ago, unsall said:

 

So taking that route it'll Rovers, Leeds, Huddersfield, or any of the other NW clubs.

Watch it be PNE now!

3 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Think Cowley has made the wrong move.

Some clubs nosedive on PL relegation and that negative atmosphere on and off the pitch is fiendishly difficult to turn around in the short to medium term. Jones at Stoke is another example.

Sure they’ve got nice contracts, though.

Think that's right. Could probably put Rovers a few years ago in that category too, the likes of Appleton may well have done better if he wasn't trying to keep a half-sank ship afloat.

I wonder if Downing's age might be a slight factor too. As much as I've been pleasantly surprised by him so far, you can only really go 12 months at a time for a player in his mid 30s. Next season he might be gone/much less of a fixture.

Broadly on track for me.

10 points from 7 = 1.43 points per game, over the course of the season that puts us on just under 66 points.

That won't get us where we want to be, but it would get us within a couple of results and if the early fixtures have been a bit unkind to us then I think we can say that this is a decent start.

Just now, joey_big_nose said:

I was pretty certain Hoilett would progress into the CL. Don't think he really wanted it enough unfortunately, plus maybe I over estimated his quality.

His final ball was pretty dodgy, but the thing which surprises me is the way that he's gone backwards in the area he was so strong at, beating players.

In the K**n years, he seemed to be torturing full backs every time he got the ball. He seems as though he's still doing it in flashes, but like you I expected him to get somewhere near the top by his mid 20s.

Just now, Ewood Ace said:

I think it is becoming a bit of a myth that Graham is only suited to direct football. He is a far better technical footballer than any of the other striking options. Not to mention when he plays he also brings the best out of our most creative player. Also you don't play and do well in a Brendan Rodgers team unless you can play with the ball on the floor.

To be fair, it's more his mobility which I think will lead us to go with another option. Agree that he's technically underrated, and he's a very, very clever player. 

I think we'll probably opt for a quicker player to get in behind, but I wouldn't want to make Graham out just to be a battering ram, I agree he's far better than that. 

Just now, RevidgeBlue said:

Hoillett did absolutely nothing wrong imo. He wasn't an Allardyce type player and therefore wasn't given a contract or opportunities commensurate with his ability and by the time he came to the fore under Kean (strangely) his contract was running down and he could pick and choose the best offer to go elsewhere.

In fact he's the last player Rovers fans should be calling out imo as it was largely down to him we didn't get relegated at the end of Kean's first season in charge. But there's football fans for you  I suppose.

Spoke to some Cardiff fans on the train when I was on way to Ewood on the opening day, think they were playing Wigan. 

Asked them about Hoillett, and whilst they were happy enough with him as a squad player at this level, they definitely weren't going overboard. I still can't quite get my head around how he hasn't kicked on after leaving Rovers. The form he showed in the spell you mentioned he looked as though he had the world at his feet. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49429764

Cardiff missing Marlon Pack, big loss for them. 

Just now, Ewood Ace said:

Surely Graham has to start this game up against two big strong centre backs in Morrison and Flint.

I suspect that we might try and play on the floor a bit more and leave DG on the bench. Obviously Graham's easily our best option for a target man, but given that we're playing a Warnock side I think playing direct balls for their centre backs to gobble up might be playing into their hands. 

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

In what way?

I thought his one-on-one defending was getting better. He was forever letting his man get past him/getting a cross in at the start of his time with us which didn't happen has frequently as the season went on. Grabbed a couple of goals and travels well with the ball too, albeit with his final ball still being pretty awful. Not denying for a second that Cunningham doesn't look like a massive upgrade, but I think Bell's steady improvement would've been commented on a bit more had it not coincided with our bad run.

In any case, my main point is that Williams should definitely remain at centre back. If Hart gets a run out against Cardiff then I've got no issue with that.

Just now, tomphil said:

Leave the centre backs alone and come up with something else for the LB position Lenihen and Williams are developing just nicely no need at all to break it up swapping around is daft.

Couldn't agree more. Bell has his weaknesses but did improve last year, and should be hungry to try and get his shirt back. 

Even if we play Hart (would Downing be a possibility?) Williams absolutely deserves to keep his spot there. 

38 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

I reckon 10. Win Saturday, draw against WBA 

If we do, that'd be a really strong return. Especially when considering that involves having played two relegated sides and WBA away already.

I think we'll win on Saturday too, but I'm not sure we'll get anything from West Brom. Obviously hope I'm wrong. 

Just now, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Disagree that Gally was very good vs Boro, didn't think he was great last night either, won the freekick that led to the goal by using his physicality to recover a poor touch.

He's still a very loose player in my view. Still prone to heavy touches. Think he should've scored with that second half header that he ended up pulling back across goal. 

That said I think overall his contribution has been good in the last week. Take your point about relying on physicality, but that can go a long way if you've got the sort of attributes that Gally has. 

Think this will be another game with Graham on the bench. No point playing it long to a target man if you're playing a Warnock side with two massive centre halves. 

Will be a good test for our possession based approach. Very important to be getting the first goal in this one. I'm going for an optimistic 2-0, Armstrong & Gally.

                     Walton

Bennett  Lenihan  Williams  Bell

             Travis  Johnson

Armstrong       Dack        Downing

                       Gally

13 minutes ago, Dreyski said:

2-0 loss I’m afraid, Reed to score (sod’s law)

I’d play:

Walton

Nyambe, Tosin, Lenihan, Cunningham

Johnson, Travis

Armstrong, Dack, Rothwell

Graham

 

I think we’ll see:

Walton

Bennett, Lenihan, Williams, Downing

Johnson, Evans

Gallagher, Dack, Armstrong

Graham

Be very surprised if Evans plays. Didn't even come off the bench last week.

Emotionally, I'm sad to see him go. He was one of a few players who obviously cared in our relegation season, had he managed to get on the park a bit more we might very easily have stayed up. In League One, he was so much better than almost everyone else in the league it was embarrassing at times. Oozed quality on the ball.

Fact remains, as others have said, that he has been found wanting as a centre half in this league. Not as often as some have made out, but enough to make this - head over heart - the right call.

Even so I'm going to remember very fondly his time in a Rovers shirt. 

Just now, imy9 said:

Williams and Lenihan at CB, Bell at LB and Nyambe at RB. 

That's my guess for tomorrow. 

I'd be surprised if Tosin isn't centre back. I think you could well be right with the other three. 

4 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

I know I was saying Tosin shouldn't have started last week due to him just being in the door, but I would put Cunningham in due to him being so much better than Bell.

Ryan Lenihan Williams Cunningham 

Hon the Irish lads 

Changed it for you ?

Just now, savage90 said:

Leeds, Bristol City, Brentford, Sheffield Wednesday, Derby, Fulham, Stoke, Swansea, Forest, Cardiff and West Brom are miles ahead of us and will finish ahead of us. Unfortunately that is half of the league.

Some of those have had huge upheaval. They may have brought players in, but at least a handful have had to by losing their big hitters.

I'd happily bet here and now that we'll finish above at least a few of those sides.

Just now, dinglebasher said:

I take your point but every signing is a gamble. Who would have thought that Sanchez would be so poor at Man Utd? Who would have thought that Samba and Nelsen would do so well for us? They, at least, deserve the chance to show what they can do. 

Again, fair enough, but there's a difference between bringing in Samba when we already have recognised defenders who are up to it and signing an albeit promising young lad to plug our biggest weakness.

Not saying it's not going to work out or that I don't recognise the overall job TM has done, and I'm certainly not falling for some of the more laughably pessimistic statements.

Even so, I'd feel much more relaxed if we brought in a proven defender, if we had I'd have no problem in saying that we've had a good summer.

Just now, dinglebasher said:

Sorry to interrupt the communal wrist slitting with a controversial opinion but how about we put away the razor blades until we’ve seen how this lot play football matches? 

This message board has been chock full of criticism of Mulgrew (who, if we’re honest, was scarcely good enough for League 1 at centre half - we only looked defensively competent that season when Lenihan came back in), Raya and Smallwood, and TM has binned them all off. Smallwood wasn’t even in the squad on Saturday.

Ultimately, managers live and die by their signings, and in general, TM has improved the squad massively since he took over. 

The midfield in his first match was Feeney, Lowe, Conway and Guthrie. Emnes was up front with DG, with Steele in goal. The bench was Stokes, Gallagher, Tomlinson, Joao, Wes Brown, Tomlinson, Raya and Mahoney, and the context was a club in free fall with a transfer embargo and indifferent / insane ownership. 

To improve the squad from that line up to the current one, whilst bringing us out of FFP and in the context of Venkys is nothing short of miraculous. 

We should be grateful we have a club at all, and for those of you expecting Premier League football three years after that situation - check yourselves.

Shall we not just see how they get on?

I'm very much in the TM has been amazing for Rovers camp, I agree with basically all of your points, and also think that plenty of posters on here have been harsh in the extreme on players that broadly have contributed well for us.

That said, I think it's totally fair to point out that this window can be at best described as a gamble. Centre half was clearly the position which needed improving. Collectively Tosin and using Williams as CB might make the world of difference, but if they don't work out then we have to say we look very exposed in the area which cost us from going for the top 6 last year.

Totally agree that his job since taking over has been very good, and and suggestion of getting rid of him (or that we'll be in a relegation battle) is ridiculous. I actually think 70% of our business is good/promising. But I'd be lying if I wasn't concerned about failing to sign a proven centre half.

Just now, CambridgeRover said:

Tin foil hat time

Rankin-Costello gets the starting RB. Nyambe moved inside to CB to replace Mulgrew. Cunningham at left back to permanently move Williams to CB leaving 4 CB's at the club fighting for the first team spot

With Cunningham coming in, it's a risk that may pay off.

Without Cunningham, total madness.

Just now, Oldgregg86 said:

Just got in. Did we sign anyone. Did we lose anyone

did magloire go to rochdale

Just in time, by the sounds of things