Looks as if Klopp sees him as a midfielder, rather than a forward. I tend to agree. His brightest moments for us were often from deep, playing through balls. I have a feeling he'll have a break out season for Liverpool and get ahead of Curtis Jones in the team. It will look rather embarrassing for us that we had two Premiership standard creators/scorers, in Armstrong and Elliot, should they both do well, and we still finished 15th in the Championship, last year.

I just wanted to highlight this moment, seconds before the Forest player cuts in and scored in the last match. Brereton, as the 'right forward' in the team, has got back to defend and spots the opposition wing threat in the box. He points this out to Carter, whilst holding his position. Meanwhile, Buckley (I think) has got back to the 'D' and lets a Forest midfielder drift past him into the box. The result is that the defence get outnumbered as the shot comes in. Ultimately, because it was a shot, rather than a cross, the overload in the box doesn't contribute to the goal, which is a good long range strike. Buckely, clearly, has made an individual mistake to not track the runner, if it is him, but Brereton holding his position as the defence gets outnumbered is more than an individual issue. It's a question of the defensive role of the wide forwards in the team. At this moment, he seems to believe his role is to provide a counter-attack outlet by not marking in the box and, instead, to screen the edge of the box. In other words, he's thinking like a striker or a No.10. It's possible that Mowbray wants this to play a high risk/reward game. Having attackers stay forward has the benefit of occupying defenders and enabling a counter-attack. However, it means that the three central midfielders need to play a much more disciplined role in protecting the defence. Otherwise, we get outnumbered time and again, especially, at full back. It's a relatively simple tactical issue that still hasn't been resolved despite weekly cases of being exposed.

As the Millwall manager said after the last game, Rovers have some good individuals at this level. Our wage bill must be pretty high, comparatively. By implication, he doubted whether we have a good team and, at the moment, I feel we are getting results despite Mowbray's counter-productive line-ups. Carter RB was a good call, I must say.

I will believe it when I see it. I'm still convinced that Carter will be at right back in a 4-3-3. We stand a better chance with that formation. With a 5-2-2-1, Forest will overwhelm Travis & Rothwell with numbers. It only takes a forward to drop off and for them to beat the press to outnumber us in the middle. If Rovers want to play with wing backs, they need to go with a genuine 3-5-2, that is, with three midfielders in the middle and two strikers.

To be fair to Douglas and Bell, they had Gallagher or Brereton supporting them defensively, most of the time. In other words, they were horrendously under-protected. It was the same for Nyambe at right back, and we conceded a lot of goals down that right side but Nyambe was able to pull of heroics, at times, which Bell and Douglas were not capable of. It is surprising that Douglas was preferred ahead of Bell last season. It's picking between two weak players but Bell had pace and his run at the end of the season suggested he could be useful - for a mid to lower league team. There's the possibility that the call-up to Jamaica's national team has had the confidence boosting effect the Chile call up apparently had on Brereton. If Luton keep him in the team, I can imagine Bell having a good season. He'll, at least, likely have a better season than Douglas. I do wonder whether Rovers made a mistake in letting both Bell and Thompson go. I think Bell was offered a contract late on but not sure about Thompson. We're short in the LB spot with, perhaps, Rankin-Costello, Cirino and Garrett the likely options after Pickering. I don't think JRC is suited for that role but he has been put there before. Alternately, perhaps, Mowbray feels that Cirino might be ready to be a back-up. Edit: I see that Douglas is playing in Poland now with Lech Poznan. And they're top of the league. So maybe, I'll be wrong about Bell having the better season, albeit in, possibly, a different style of play.

Surprised to see Corry Evans has walked into Sunderland as their club captain. He's injured his hamstring and is out until September, apparently.

0-0 in the U23s game versus Everton, approaching half-time. Teams are: Eastham, Cirino, Phillips, Annesley, Saadi, Nolan, Haddow, Garrett, Burns, Vale, McBride. Subs: Dowling, Brennan, Weston, Durrant, A. Wharton Tyrer, John, Anderson, Astley, Welch, Butterfield, Hughes, Whittaker, Dobbin, Price, McAllister. Subs: Barrett, Cannon, Garcia, Mills, Warrington

You're right, pace was an issue and confusion as to what position best suited him. i believe that he made his debut for Rovers on the right of midfield, having been prolific as a forward for the U21s. Finally, at Preston, I think he settled into a central midfield role - though, could be wrong. Had he played in Italy or Spain, he'd probably have been given a No.10 role. Given his talent, he should really have had more Scotland appearances - though, early in his career, there were complaints about his work-rate and desire, so perhaps, that played a role. But, he certainly had a good career at Preston NE, after a stop-start career before then.

I didn't realise that Paul Gallagher had retired and is now a first team coach at Preston. I thought that he'd be a Scotland international regular for years, when he first broke through at Rovers, but, earned only the one cap. Meanwhile, central defender/left back, Jay McEveley got three caps.

Didn't see the game but being dominated by a side who finished mid-table last year sounds worrying. It looks like we returned to the "tried and tested" 4-3-3, with our tallest attackers, Gallagher and Brereton playing wide?

Yes, and Mowbray peaked, as a manager, at West Bromwich Albion, seemingly, when he won the Championship and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 2007/08. He assembled a really good team with Zoltan Gera, Jon Greening, Robert Koren and James Morrison in midfield, with Chris Brunt supporting and strikers like Kevin Phillips, Roman Bednar and Ishmael Miller. That season, from a glance at the records, Mowbray's management team reinvested brilliantly, having sold star names such as Diomansy Kamara, Nathan Ellington and Jason Koumas. At the time and, even, once in the Premier League, his team received rave reviews for the style of play.

I'm not such a big fan of Souness - though we did emerge out of the mire with him. He deserves a lot of credit for promotion, the Worthington Cup and high league finish but he was extremely fortunate to inherit Damien Duff, David Dunn and Matt Jansen in the team. I would suggest that he was also fortunate to inherit a well-run club, led by John Williams, though, on the pitch it was in disarray (Lee Carsley top scorer, I seem to remember). To my mind, Souness was able to manage the young players but often failed with experienced players, as we saw we his numerous bust ups. He liked to tap into the old boys network when signing players and whilst very successful with Tugay and Friedel, he failed miserably with others, such as Amoruso, Sukur, Unsal, Ferguson and the £6/7 million signing of Ciccio Grabbi, with his Serie B/C goal record and history of Ledderhose disease (see this link, in Italian) was beyond negligent. He got found out tactically and embarked on bizarre choices such as Dominic Matteo left midfield and Dino Baggio, the renowned Italian defensive midfielder, as a forward. Just as with the incredible luck Rovers had when Birmingham actually paid to take Dwight Yorke off us, Newcastle coming in for Souness was a huge relief for many fans. But for the goals of Jon Stead, signed in February 2004, we probably would've been relegated in 2003/04. Things got so bad that we had Jonathan Douglas on the left of midfield, with Andresen, Tugay and Flitcroft alongside him, as Souness went ultra-defensive to protect the failing defence, that included Amoruso and Gresko. He should be remembered for some of his major achievements but I consider him an impressive figure for young players to be motivated by but weak in just about every other area.

I feel that trying to get Nyambe, Kaminski, Lenihan, Rothwell and Brereton to sign new deals should be the priority - even if it involves including a release clause. Then, signing a central defender with pace and, possibly, a defensive midfielder to challenge a stuttering Travis. I don't think Davenport is the answer - though, I'd be glad to be proven wrong. The forward line of Brereton, Gallagher, Dolan, McBride, Butterworth, Chapman could do with an addition but I think, if it was actually configured in a rational way - ie Gallagher and/or Brereton central, it would be decent in this league. The aforementioned pair would get at least 10 goals a piece, if played central and kept fit, I reckon.

We really need to be seeing Connor McBride feature for the first team, not only for his development, after a fantastic season with the U23s as both a goalscorer and creator - but also, to ensure we keep him. If he's frozen out this year, I don't see him staying too long. It was an inspired signing by whoever the scout was who spotted/recommended him but we need to make the most of it now.

For Morecambe's first goal, our formation and a lack of desire and discipline catch us out. Presumably, Butterworth was meant to be in the attacking midfielder role but he finds himself in the centre forward role. Brereton and Dolan are also up front, leaving two central midfielders to stop the Morecambe counter. Dolan makes some effort to get back but the rest watch on and Travis shows little desire to intervene, as the Morecambe left sided defensive player ambles forward and then plays the through pass. Lewis Travis doesn't make it into the box by the time the ball is in the net and the other CM, Rothwell/Davenport gets there too late. You can criticise Lenihan and the defence - but, just as with last season, when forwards and midfielders don't work hard enough in the press and tracking back - and don't play with positional discipline to protect the defence, they will get exposed. PS. Just think, Rovers leading light is a teenage free transfer let go by Preston. It shows how good Dolan is and can be but reflects terribly on the rest of the team and on the management. Moreover, I think we're asking too much of Dolan. He's expected to be our main goal threat, our presser in chief and, then, tracking back in defence, when other forwards don't. He's talented but he will get burnt out and or injuries.

The LET match report suggests that the formation worked well in the first half. Morecambe changed two at half-time and Buckley went off and we conceded early and things went down hill. Well done, Morecambe - especially ex-Rovers, Lavelle and O'Connor. They beat our near full strength team.

Armstrong's strength, in my opinion, is to make a yard, with his pace, and strike a fierce shot. He doesn't need to beat defenders and is confident having a strike. I would hesitantly and very generally compare Adam Armstrong to a young Shane Long, mostly, in terms of their somewhat stocky frame and burst of pace. A potential difference is that Armstrong has got a long-range strike in him, as evidenced by a couple of goal of the season awards in his career, which, I'm not sure Long has, so much. I'm sure others might correct me on this comparison, as it is based on very limited knowledge of Shane Long. The problem Armstrong may have is if he's asked to play as a wide forward, rather than the centre forward. He'll have to work a lot harder and won't have the luxury of waiting on the shoulder of defenders so much. I do wonder whether he'll struggle in that position given that Saints have Redmond, Djenepo, Walcott, Tella and, possibly, Diallo competing with him. Perhaps, Hassenhuttl does see him as centre forward. Regardless, I think Armstrong's an intelligent player and could adapt, with the right manager. PS. Saints memories - Marians Pahars' goal in our Roy Hodgson/Brian Kidd relegation season. From what I remember, it was a late goal that made relegation all but certain. Especially, painful as Pahars was one of my favourite non-Rovers players.

I strongly agree with this. If you look at the Swansea attack at the end of the highlights published by Rovers on Youtube, it is shockingly easy to cut Rovers open - once you by-pass the press of the front three. As the still below shows, the Swansea defensive player, No.2, puts the ball through into midfield, taking out five Rovers attackers. Brereton, Dolan and Buckley (?) can't get back (don't try), so the Rovers full backs and defenders are outnumbered and a Swansea attacker has a shot from the edge of the area.

Remember, we outplayed Newcastle with a similar team, last year. Gallagher on the wing and Dolan in the false 9 is not sustainable. Dolan has the energy and pace to cause team's problems on the counter, but, any team that plays cautiously, will crowd him out and our attack will disappear. He'll lose confidence and next thing you know, we're back to chopping and changing every game. One moment, we're the free-scoring team of the league, the next, a pitiful side without any shape. Play Dolan alongside a central striker and let him develop into the role. Imagine the young Damien Duff being expected to play as a central forward at the start of his career.

Ryan Nyambe and Darragh Lenihan are very valuable players at this level. The club should have been trying hard to commit them before March 2020, when the pandemic hit the UK. If the players weren't keen, then a sale should have been made. We can't sell all but nor can we afford to let all leave on Bosmans, either. Apparently, Kaminski and Brereton are in their last year too. Clearly, the finances are not all Mowbray's fault but the dealings described above, not to mention handing out appearance fees for Bennett, Evans and Holtby and the Brereton deal are his responsibility. I think Davenport has been a bad signing too and I don't hold much hope for him this season, though glad he's getting a chance. I would hope that Rovers are actively trying to sell someone like Rothwell or Chapman, alongside, Armstrong. Getting transfer fees for some players will be necessary - but it must be balanced against depleting us for certain relegation.

I suppose Armstrong could by a second-coming of Andy Johnson for Palace - only, I assume he would likely play in a three, as a wide player, beside Benteke, if he did sign? For Rovers, he's never convinced when played as a wide forward - as far as I know. I think he could be effective as a striker alongside Benteke but not sure Palace ever play with two forwards these days. Edit: Just looking at the Palace squad, of Conor Gallagher & Mateta signed on loan, joining Zaha, Eze, Schlupp and Jordan Ayew, I think it's fair to say that they don't need Armstrong and won't, I wager, sign him. If Palace have the next Matt Jansen coming through, would be glad to take him as part of the unlikely deal... However, do bear in mind that Rovers U23 finished 2nd in the U23 Premier League, whilst Palace's team were playing in the league below, last year. (Though, I'm sure Palace have got some good players coming through and no doubt the better ones were out on loan!). Edit 2: Just seen that Palace have a blue and white halves third kit...

It's not exactly relevant for the football but I think the casual equating of the UK and India's coronavirus experience, in the letter, is extremely ignorant. India's current death toll of over 400,000 suggests a relatively low per capita death rate. However, studies of excess deaths in India over the pandemic period suggest that the true number could be closer to 3-4 million. After a devastating second wave this year, with oxygen, medicine and beds in short supply, there is the possibility of a severe third wave, as around 12% of the population have been double vaccinated. As for the football, it's true we have some promising players coming through the academy but if they're not given chances and the right environment to perform, they won't develop. A case in point is John Buckley, who has a lot to prove, but he won't have a fair chance if not given a regular position and kept in the team when performing.

Swansea have lost Andre Ayew, Marc Guehi, Freddy Woodman and Conor Hourihane and a few others, so, perhaps, will be weaker this year, barring some major new signings. They have signed a £1m new striker from Holland, Joel Piroe, who looks like an Adam Armstrong type signing - with very good youth U20s international and lower league records but yet to prove himself higher up in the league. They've got a new head coach in Russell Martin, recently installed, and, apparently, he favours a back three with wing backs, which, I believe, they used last season anyway.

I wonder if the mixed experiences of Harwood-Bellis and Harvey Elliot at Rovers will discourage some players/teams from loan deals. Their valuations were hardly enhanced, despite glimpses of ability. Then, there was Jarrad Branthwaite, who struggled badly. If players can find a more stable team and club, they'll probably give Rovers a miss. Aside from adding a real star to the squad, I don't mind too much about missing out on youth loans and would prefer our own U23s given a chance. The position where I think we're desperate for anyone half-decent, be he inexperienced or not, is at CB. Magloire is yet to convince here or on loan and, the other CBs lack pace.

If this Ben Brereton highlights reel is reflective of his performance in the game, it goes to show with almost absolute certainty, that he should only play as a striker. When playing in midfield roles, he drives with the ball well at times, but he loses possession so much. But for the goals, these highlights (again, if reflective of the game, that I didn't see) suggest that he had a really poor game. Also, I find it notable that some Rovers players were strolling back to kick off after Brereton's goals - as if they had minimal interest in the scoreline. PS. Does Brereton have a Chilean PR agency producing these videos? I find it hard to believe that an average to below average Championship player has such keen fans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8AyS2_2qEY