I can see what you mean but I don’t think this site represents all Rovers fans. I enjoy some of the topics on here but like it or loathe it this place has never been known for its upbeat positivity! I think I recall several posters peddling negative rhetoric on here right after we were promoted! Ha ha Im genuinely not spoiling for a fight and I’ve learned to embrace it but bloody hell we can’t half moan! ??

I just get the feeling that’s the formation he’d play if he had the players. He’s talked a few times about Sheff Utd. You can play wide forwards if you play 343.

I’ll be honest the Rothwell thing is just bizarre. I think he’s a fantastic player and impacts the game every time he plays. Can’t get my head around why he doesn’t start.

And if he cannot do that then he will fall on his own sword. He knows what he needs to do.

I respect that you disagree. But I think it’s odd to suggest he ‘carried on’ picking awful players when those exact players were the ones who’d got us to within touching distance of the playoffs. Had he changed the side and the results gone down hill he would be being castigated for fixing something that was not broken. You make decisions and sometimes you get them right, other times you get them wrong. Q - Had he started the season poorly and picked up after the first 10 games to come roaring back in the second half of the season do you think there’d be the same clamour for his head? Football is fickle and fans forget easily. Iv given my opinion. I respect yours. Agree to disagree?

Though I suspect they’ll sign two and promote one of the young lads?

Agreed.

They’re all the same players who started the season so well and were a couple of points from the playoffs in Jan. Having said that, even in those early months we had conceded late goals. Though I think the consensus of opinion was that the problem was ‘game management’ as oppose to poor defenders. I think it’s fair to say that the overriding desire last summer was to keep the group together and add some young, potential to develop and hopefully break into that team. £10m isn’t a huge amount of investment in that league and I don’t think the actual payments so far will be even half that. My point is that having deployed that method, it worked for half the season and has failed since that point. But I genuinely believe that he has to be given the opportunity to do the right thing and put this right this summer by buying players ready to step over his favourites in order to move us forwards. If he can’t or won’t id be content to see him moved on. There’s nothing weak or illogical in that argument. That was then, this is now. Had we still been in contention for the playoffs then he would’ve been fully justified in his decision. He deserves THAT chance imo.

I understand your worries. But the team was performing perfectly well until January. Probably exceeding expectations if anything. 2-3 months after he was likely being lauded for doing a great job, he can’t now be a crap manager? It’s entirely fair to say that the players he trusted have proven themselves unable to sustain their early season highs. I may have done things differently but I can accept his reasons for staying loyal. That said absolutely has to abandon several of those players now in order to kick on. I for one don’t think we’re a million miles from being in the mix for the playoffs. Our form up until Jan backs this up. But the day of reckoning is fast approaching for Tony. A make or break summer. Do the right thing and cut the apron strings and he has the chance to go down in our famous history. Refuse to do so and he’s a dead man walking. Either way, imo he’s earned that chance.

I’m pretty sure we’re heading towards 3 at the back so wouldn’t need wingers.

This forum is so harsh at times. The manager has been a breath of fresh air in general. He united the fans with the club and got the club feeling good again. I can’t remember a happier atmosphere than last seasons final home game. As Iv said, I see this summer as being Tony’s moment as Blackburn Rovers Manager. His loyalty to the players who worked so hard to get us up last season was fully vindicated until January. But he deserves the chance to put it right in my opinion. He’s earned that surely?

I agree with all of the superlatives about Graham. But if we have any ambition, then Danny Graham HAS to be the understudy to our main man. Imo

He won’t get a free pass from me. I think he’s done a good job in difficult circumstances. I have even credited him for being loyal to the group. But we now need ready made replacements for several first team players. We’ve got to replace him though. Whichever way you look at it. Managers always get a defining moment (season) and this is Mowbrays. I hope he does what he needs to. Thoroughly decent man. Reminds me a lot of Bowyer. His defining season was THAT year he had Cairney, Hanley, Duffy, Rhodes. Gestede etc....he blew it and never recovered.

Yeah absolutely. The ruthlessness I’m talking about is based on my belief that if we are going to kick on then we need to buy first choice players in their positions. Nothing personal to Graham who has been fantastic but cannot go on forever.

Stay. I think in fairness to Mowbray, he’s stayed loyal to the lads who got us up. I’ve no real issue with that and there’s plenty of examples of teams who’ve drastically changed after promotion and ended up going down having spent a fortune. Fulham being the most recent one. The main thing now is that he accepts that he’s given the lads a chance and that he’s prepared to be ruthless with the likes of Raya, Mulgrew, Bell, Evans and Graham in terms of bringing good players in to replace them. I think he needs to follow this up by letting go of the surplus players who never complain (Conways, Williams, Smallwood etc). Getting rid of his comfort blanket. We need to go up sharpish at the rate we’re burning money. I’m a massive Mowbray fan but I feel this summer will define his reign one way or the other.

Anyway, Sam Vokes anyone?

Ahhh just as I thought. A current boycotter!! What would you know pal, you don’t even go to the game. Prob still hiding behind hating Venkys! Get your hand in your pocket, with a bit of festive cheer and get supporting your team!

Ok, I accept we’ve committed to those fees over the next few years mate but the budget is agreed annually and inclusive of wages and staff I’d say we will be in the bottom 5 teams in the division. Which is pretty normal when you’ve just been promoted.

Whatever mate. You just referred to Mowbray as a limited manager which officially makes you clueless. The end.

Do you think we’ve spent £10m net? You do realise that most transfer fees are spread over the length of a contract. I’d be surprised if £1.5m has gone out in transfer fees since May 2018.

What the actual f**k is this? A limited manager who’s turned the club round and currently has us mid table in a league where we have one of the smallest budgets!!? WOW!

Souness with our current budget!!? ???? That’s dreamland pal. Wow!

Watching the games and Listening to TM , it was fairly easy to work out that we would be prioritising a striker. CF is arguably the most important position in the team the only position we dont have nearly enough cover. Every good team has ample mainline options plus cover. Whichever way you look at it the manager doesn’t trust BB to do that job yet. Armstrong and Dack have been largely ineffective in that role and so as a manager he must be petrified of Graham getting injured. Every other position / player is open to being replaced by better quality additions and some are needed more than others but I couldn’t see past a striker two weeks ago and I still can’t. Prediction of what they’ll do / try to do remains: 1) Striker on loan (experience in Champ) 2) Reed - Perm 3) Chapman - loan to perm or perm As well as BB made perm. Can see Palmer return plus some loans for the likes of Travis and Nuttall. Note - A fully fit Davenport will be like a new signing. Highly rated at City and now at Rovers. Played most of his competitive games in the Champ last season and could easily have a ‘Reed’ like impact. I can see Reed, Travis and Davenport being medium to long term replacements for Smallwood and and Evans in the first Xl

I know what you mean and I have to agree. He was SOOOO poor when he came on. Looked cold and disinterested to me. But I haven’t scouted him for months and I don’t watch him everyday in training. The people who have and do, rate him really highly. It’s a tough one and depends on what investment we have. If we’re serious about going up then you have to be prepared to buy up talent and potential in every position. Either way, we need more strikers who do the job Graham does. If we want to go up then for me the following needs to happen over the next four windows: Be prepared to improve every position in terms of quality. Sell Dack for £25m+ in the summer. Bell, Williams, Smallwood, Conway, Downing, Evans replaced in first eleven and sold or prepared to be on the bench. Mulgrew and Graham maintain their fitness and performance levels or be replaced. Raya, Nyambe, Lenihan, Armstrong, Brereton, Rothwell, Davenport, Reed (hopefully) to be developed to Premiership level. Team built around them.

But that depends on our ambition and how much we have to spend. If the suggestion is that we have only the Brereton money to spend then I would be tempted to send the lad back and buy some quality as oppose to potential. However if we are looking to build a promotion team then over the next four windows I expect to see several millions paid out. Those teams would have three or four options for that mainline striker option and we should be no different.