A good, solid, professional performance and a team set up to beat Cardiff. The defence was well protected but the team and the manager were let down in the final third all game. Graham had two chances in the first half. Second half chances fell to Johnson and Williams as well as a couple of half chances to the likes of Downing. Dack is completely off the boil. That’s our biggest problem at the moment.

Pretty sure he’ll play three at the back to counter the aerial assault. With Benno and one of Bell or Hart as wingbacks. A midfield three of Downing, Johnson and Travis and Dack off Graham. Bench - Leut, Nyambe, Evans, Rothwell, Arma, Gally * Id personally play Downing lwb, Dack in the midfield three and see how much trouble Gally and DG can create.

This ????

Agree 100%. The perfornance wasn’t perfect but it was exactly what the manager has been talking about wanting to do for two years. “Let’s go there, get on the front foot and cause them some problems” The summer signings in general have been fantastic and a massive improvement. The only question mark at the moment is Gallagher but the margins with strikers are so slim. He had two chances against Charlton and a header just past the post vs Fulham. If one of those goes in then the next one does too and that header across the box last night is aimed into the top corner. Personally I’d stop playing him on the right and set up a straight dual with DG for that top spot. I think Gally will be a top top player for Rovers. Note - I can see why TM doesn’t play DG away from home. Literally looks like a different player! Non existent when he came on. Weird.

This is a great point. We made our own luck tonight by going away and being in the front foot. Every credit!

Great point. That triangle of Cunningham, Johnson and Downing is brilliant. I’d like to see Nyambe, Travis and Rothwell on the right.

Fantastic away performance! On the front foot and got exactly what we deserved. Del and Downing the best players on the pitch. Walton, Cunningham and Johnson massive improvents on what we had last season! ??

Me too but ultimately he’s 34 and cannot play every game. Moreover his record away from home is usually pretty poor.

The sensible thing to do would be to rotate Graham for Armstrong, put him on the right and a Gally up top.

I know I’ve already showed my hand with Gallagher but as I’d boycotted the whole of Coyles reign I hadn’t seen anything of him - I love the guy. Wins headers, good feet, quick and works as hard as anyone I’ve seen for Rovers. The goals will come too. Was close to a couple yesterday. Fabulous addition!

The subs were bang on. How they set up after them was baffling...

It was a poor match overall in terms of quality. Higlights - Walton is more commanding than Raya, Cunningham, Williams and Lenihan looked like a defensive unit, Travis and Johnson a mahoooosive upgrade on last seasons Smallwood and Evans and I’m a little bit in love with Sam Gallaghers desire to play for Rovers! Lowlights - Bennett deteriorating, forwards working hard but not creating much, Mowbrays move to sub DG and not put SG up top and AA on the right was baffling and invited pressure. Overall - A big step forward. Get Nyambe in at RB and keep the back 7 (keeper defence plus Johnson and Travis) steady and we’ll be much harder to beat. I think he set the team up right yesterday. But why he didn’t just put Rothwell and Armstrong on at 70 mins for DG and SD and just counter attack in the wide areas with SG down the middle is beyond me. Interesting - Buckley for Dack who looked unimpressed. I liked it. Put a shot across Dacks bowes. Feels a bit too comfortable for him at times.

I agree 100%. He was non existent the whole game and only popped up four times to miss glaring chances! Was a bit unlucky with the handball. I still can’t work out what type of striker he is...

I’m a lifelong fan who happens to have a bit of real insight into how things actually work Stu. That’s not ‘championing failure’ it’s real life. Suck it up. As Iv said, many of your / our concerns are valid. The biggest one not being mentioned is exactly what happened between Mowbray and the lads transfer deadline day resulting in Mulgrew going and Lenihans ‘injury’ as well as being overlooked for the captaincy....can’t get a bean out of anyone re that!!

Which facts are those? The fact that Mowbray has given more U23s debuts than any other Rovers manager in the last 30yrs? The fact that he leads a management team who seek investment into retaining the academy CAT A status? The fact that he’s the first Rovers manager in modern history who watches youth training and matches everyday and makes himself available to speak to those young players everyday? The fact that he lead the call for Jonty to come into the first team set up with considerable expense attached because he wanted to improve the pipeline of young players into the first team and introduce analysis based coaching? The person I was attending with has the full confidence of the young players. But yeah, I’ll take the opinions of the CEO and the players over someone who sees from afar and has no actual knowledge or direct dealings with anyone. There’s lots to be concerned about as a Rovers fan at the mo. Trust me when I say this is not one of them.

Grayson, Magloire, Butterworth, JRC and Buckley will all play for our first team I reckon. Certainly as long as Mowbray and his team are there...

They did try to help him. He didn’t want to move.

Because money doesn’t necessarily make you happy mate!

Hahahahah mate. Leave it. This is coming from the young lads and Jonty. I’ll trust them on this one thanks ??

I think he has put himself up as a target in respect of the expectations he’s raised Glen. I also think he might end up losing his job...but I spoke to Waggot pre match and sat behind him, Suhail and Cheston and they didn’t seem or look too concerned.

Wow. You just added 2 and 2 and got 642584326! Couldnt be any further from the truth re the managers belief and encouragement of the young lads. I spoke with Steve Waggott and Joe Graysons mum this evening and both spoke about the manager and the clubs desire to integrate the young players in. The team he (TM) picked tonight including Platt, Grayson and Buckley in an important match (contextually) proves that. JRC and Butterworth will play this season too. 100% barking up the wrong tree here.

Cunningham decent. I thought Grayson played well too. Brereton no existent for the full 96 minutes. Nyambe was poor at RB and has definitely played himself out of a start on Sat... walton Benno Tosin Williams Cunningham Travis Johnson Armstrong Dack Rothwell Graham Leut Nyambe Bell Evans Gally Chapman

No. It isn’t. It’s somewhere between fair and good.

£5m is nothing in that league now. Clubs vying for those spots have huge budgets. What’s clear now is that our budget doesn’t match our ambitions. It’s the managers job to deal with expectations and if he says he wants promotion then he has to have access to a much bigger budget. He hasn’t! So he will fall. But it doesn’t change the fact that his championship record isn’t abysmal.

How so? I stated clearly at the beginning of the window that we had to judge the window at the end of the window - we’ll its not good enough. So my feeling is that the manager has let himself down and I think his days are numbered. Club first!