Exiled_Rover

He sent him out on loan twice and at the beginning of last season there were rumblings that he was looking to move him on. He had to play him due to an early injury crisis at the back and he looked like our best CB (pre-Achilles tear). He's kicked on from there this season. This season he's gone against type and picked the same XI week in, week out.

Can they? They've never played senior professional football. It's a big step up from the Academy.

I defy any bugger to convince me Mowbray was ever operating with any sort of plan. He's stumbled onto a system that works - with the CB he sent out on loan twice 'cos he didn't think he was up to snuff being pivotal. I'd try to sign an experienced CM who can pass the ball - Davenport / Johnson can do the spoiling job if Travis gets injured (although nowhere near as well as him). Giles will make a big difference because Van Hecke, Ayala and Wharton win A LOT of headers in the opposition box and by all accounts he has very good dead ball delivery. To not try and bring in reinforcements upfront or midfield is baffling though. A sign that we're content to maybe scrape into the Top 6.

I know they're untried, untested Academy players that you're asking to step into the middle of a promotion race.

Lansbury really did do him then. Looked a nasty tackle at the time.

We were light in CM even if Rothwell changes his attitude. Mowbray evidently doesn't fancy Davenport and Johnson isn't good enough. Unless ANOTHER Academy project makes the step up to save him (like Wharton) then we're going to really struggle in the long run.

He's a Southern softie, he wouldn't come north to prove himself.

So they've unsettled a player and moved on. Absolute bullshit from that tin pot club.

See Ched Evans.

As has been covered ad nauseam, what's the alternative? He's indicated he doesn't want to play for us - you have to shift him out. We're not in a position to sit on an asset for 5 months out of spite.

What's your plan when Rothwell, Dack, Dolan, Brereton, Markanday, Poveda and Pickering are injured? You can't just go signing players because you have a wage budget to adhere to and those players will come back at some point. Giles is a massive upgrade for us - if we can start nicking some goals from his set pieces with Wharton / Ayala / Van Hecke and continue to keep clean sheets we'll be there or there abouts with how well this defence is playing.

If a rival council comes in and offers said road sweeper double his wages, do you think he's going to turn it down? See out his shift with the lads? Absolutely not - he'd be off like a shot. It's a job to these players, nothing more.

He's a WB I think. Edun looks out of place at WB, so maybe it's a replacement for him - shifting Edun inside to CM.

Agree to disagree. He's not deliberately getting sent off and scoring own goals. It's unsavory, but it's football - they're all commodities at the end of the day. He has no loyalty to the club and we have no loyalty to him - he's securing himself a pay rise. Obviously I hope he has a miserable time in Bournemouth, but it is what it is.

I'm amazed by that - he looked like he was limping when he walked around the pitch before the Boro game.

Johnson has been pretty anonymous in his two starts - Davenport is a better player at this stage of their careers. As for the players - the further we've slipped down the football pyramid the more forgettable they've become for me. I became very attached to a lot of our Prem teams - this lot I'd sell at the right price (and replace 90% of them if we got promoted).

Another game where we should have been playing against 10. What do you have to do to get sent off against Rovers?!

We're missing our three strike players in Brereton, Khedra and Rothwell. We don't have anything like the same player behind them - in Rothwell's case we don't have a midfielder that can carry the ball like he does. That ability to run with the ball through the middle terrifies teams. It wouldn't be too bad if we weren't missing Dack, Poveda, Dolan and that Spurs lad too.

Looked v assured at LWB.

If Chapman isn't better than him then he has no professional future.

Agree to disagree. They were comfortably handling our lack of pace, height and guile upfront. Mowbray rolled the dice and put some height / physicality on. I'd have taken Butterworth off before Buckley, but I don't mind the sub.

That won't do him any good. He needs to play against men. Loan him out - but either way he won't make it here imo.

I wish someone would go through the back of Lockyer, he's a disgusting player.

Ayala has done more to upset their back line in two minutes with his physicality than Gallagher did in 60.

Bringing some height on upfront.