I was never a forward tbh mate but absolutely agree. Though I do think had Gally been better positionally and more aggressive he would’ve easily got 15 goals this season. Let’s hope he’s turned the corner and we can fully transition to thIs possession based game ASAP

It’s a great point. I have been frustrated a few times with Gally where we’ve hung crosses up to the back post and he hasn’t been aggressive enough. Downing played a few in early in the season as did Johnson from a deeper role in those first 10 games when he was playing out of his skin. I also remember Cunningham putting some great crosses in. Maybe Rothwell played on the left of a three in midfield Cutting back or Arma as a left forward could put more in to the back stick? A new LB with a wand would work? Gallagher hasn’t been getting into those positions in general. When he has he’s often been a bit airy fairy instead of literally steam rolling defenders at 6ft 4/5in tall.

Good point. There have been a lot of brilliant, small players but Ardiles was one of the best ever! The key here is that in spite of his size, they are trying to play him. He just literally needs to grow into his body. Pretty much like BB seems to have done. Buck isn’t never gonna be a big strapping lad but once he meets his potential physically I think he’ll have as big, if not bigger impact than Trav. He’s certainly a much better footballer than Trav anyway. Can’t wait to see them playing together.

Agreed. But the full cost of the deal is the real focus here. Brereton and Gally were seven figure fees but their wages are in our structure and therefore FAR less than what the top players in the Champ are being paid. I saw someone mention Bamford the other day at £7m. Aside from the problems he’s had there. The total cost, I’d say is prob around double. £2.5-3m a year on wages? Im not defending Brereton and Gally btw who’ve both been poor. I just hope Sat is a sign of things to come. BB looked a really exciting prospect. Playing like that he’d play every week and scare the life out of teams. Gally wasn’t great but I was delighted to see him come from wide, rise high and steam into that header. He just needs to find a way to do it every week like Rudy did. It’s pretty impossible to stop once you get that right.

I honestly don’t know what JRC’s best position is. TM seems to talk about him as a left side forward a lot? Coming in off the touch line and getting into the box? Whats his goal scoring record like at youth level?

By coaches. Buckley is an 8 (Up and downer) all day. They think he’ll control games. He’s only playing as a 10 because of his size and a loan won’t make him grow any. I think he’ll play a lot next year and his ability to deal with the physicality of the league and / or budget will decide if that’s him starting or coming on in games. Medium to long term, two of Rothwell, Davenport and Buckley off Trav in a three would mean we have the footballers to play a possession based game. They seem to like this 3 up top with Dack as a false 9 and two of Brereton, Armstrong, Gallagher and maybe Vale?

Ready made players aged 28/29 are every promotion / success chasing managers dream. There’s a reason that we don’t sign them and that’s because they’re very expensive. I agree, I wouldn’t expect us to challenge for promotion if the likes of Buckley, Carter and Vale feature heavily. That’s kinda what the managers eluded to in his interview. The club either, A - spend more money and increase the chances of going up or B - fill the holes in the squad with young lads: Carter for Tosin, Fisher and Hilton for Walton and Leutwiler, Buckley for Downing, Vale for Samuel etc.. If I’m honest, I don’t know which option I prefer. Obv I want us to go up but we can’t go on forever in this insolvent way.

He is rated best of the lot. Brilliant mentality too. Needs to keep filling out. Will compliment Trav brilliantly in CM.

There has been progress this season. I’m looking forward to seeing the development of JRC, Carter, Buckley, Vale, Butterworth etc. But I do think the terrible form of Brereton and Gally are HUGE blots on Mowbrays copy book and if he can’t get a tune out of them I think it will be the manager undoing. On a related note, today was the first time I’ve ever seen a real player in BB. Just hope this a sign of things to come. Fingers crossed.

I think you’ve missed my point.

I don’t think Hilton could play much worse than Walton since the restart. I think he’s done pretty well over the season and his stats back that up but his heads gone since they came back. Been hopeless.

TM has given more debuts to young players than any other Rovers manager for as far back as records go. Same same....just ruin their arguments by blaming Mowbray for everything bad that’s gone on and then claim that anything good is in spite of him. Makes no sense. Fair enough. We can’t have it both ways though.

But stats don’t matter do they? We’ve beaten our previous clean sheet record (Including the seasons Raya starred in) and yet...our ever present keeper is crap, right? ??‍♂️

Carter absolute class today. Looked very assured, good on the ball, mobile, big and strong!

I’d give Hilton a run out.

Brentford lost today, because of a Raya howler.

Ah, no worries, I was completely baffled by that comment bearing in mind no other manager in our history has given youth players more debuts than Mowbray. I completely understand your frustration. Me too, absolutely. But he couldn’t have begun to blood them in until today in any case because we were still in the hunt (mathematically capable) of getting into the playoffs until the Millwall game. I would’ve started Davenport today, definitely.

This a joke?

Also, IF they are reducing the budget then who in their right mind will even want to manage us. We currently have the 13th/14th highest budget in the league. Whoever takes that job would be on a hiding to nothing. All hypothetical of course. But I wait with baited breath for this budget announcement ?

I honestly would not even go near a decision on the manager until the owners make their intentions clear. If they pull the funding and authorise a fire sale then the last thing we need is them rolling the dice on a new manager with a disgruntled squad! If we had to sell Dack and / or Lenihan or Travis I’d much prefer Mowbray to stay and integrate the young lads purely based on the fact that the lads do love him and he wouldn’t lose the dressing room.

Mowbray said at the fans forum to me and another poster on here that we had deals agreed (In principle) for ‘a couple’ of overseas players to come in this summer.

He wasn’t. Genuinely ??‍♂️

I agree and I know that you have often echoed these sentiments but I have to say that I feel like there’s something different about this situation. I think the manager is giving huge hints as to his predicament in not understanding what finances he has at his disposal. It will be playing hell with his feng shui In terms of keeping the group happy. There’s a lot of players in that group who literally have no idea what will be happening next season. Sure, Venkys have been slow to the party on many occasions but they usually make sure contracts and they balance’ is kept. I really hope they just announce that the budget is set, keep the ones they want and let the rest go ASAP. I don’t want to go back to us being a basket case club.

Excellent posts by Rolo and Matty. I would agree with most of what was said and much of Mowbrays tenure has been filled with inconsistencies. I think there are lots of reasons for and against him carrying on and they have been discussed until the cows come home but I really can’t see past two glaring points. 1) TM will live and die by the success of the two strikers whom he paid £11m and don’t appear to have a goal in them. If they don’t improve dramatically, VERY soon, I don’t see how he survives. 2) Assuming he stays on, we have to be in the playoff positions all season next year for him to have a chance of remaining in charge. Im worried about Venkys position and continued support. By all accounts the pandemic has hit them hard.

Like I said. Opinions...Only Gally has failed for me. Downing, Ada, Cunningham class. Johnson has been exactly what I thought and been useful in some games, not in others and I refuse to say that Walton has been a failure, if nothing because he’s been central to our best defensive showing since we dropped out of the PL.