Not just since January. It’s no coincidence that 3 of our 4 January wins were at home and the fourth was a very fortuitous late win at Millwall. Today will be our tenth away defeat including Wigan and Rotherham. Plus a draw against Championship whipping boys, Ipswich.

“ “ All I can say is thank goodness for Rotherham. Because at this rate we will finish below Wigan.

Dead rubber... Dead rubber... Dead rubber... ?

This just sums him up. It’s gobbledygook. If they were better than the four we have (btw, really??) then they wouldn’t be fifth choice! Although saying that, he managed to get a fifth choice midfielder who was better than any of the existing ones but happy to be on the bench.

I’ve lost track of the debate here. You are crediting Mowbray with developing all those U23 players most of whom are completely unproven? Rankin-Costello is currently being converted to a full back! These aren’t the foundations of a rebuild. These are potential for the future. We can’t keep looking down the road without showing up the current team - and with a foundation built on experience. Who is the next Graham or Mulgrew because we need a couple of 28-30 year olds to complement the potential. We are also like to lose Reed and Rodwell who have PL pedigree/experience whilst hoping that Travis continues his barnstorming start.

So... Nyambe —- Maguyver —- Williams Reed —- Smallwood —- Travis —- Bennett Dack —- Rothwell Graham ...?

Despite a plethora of ‘number 10s’ being shuffled around the wings I don’t see any foundations being put in to our centre midfield, defence or goalkeeper - despite four windows.

Pretty much how I’m reading it.

4 at the back, surely? Our shortage of defenders is a real concern. Smallwood our only cover. I think I’m going to have to keep reminding myself that these are now dead rubbers, but still. Hope Buckley gets a look in.

Rothwell and Dack starting! Stuck out wide or where he can orchestrate the game? ?

It’s not cherry picking at all. Those are his Championship stats at Rovers. That’s what’s relevant to us. How he has performed for us. The interesting bit of that small but if research was to highlight just how mediocre he has been for us at this level. The overall trajectory hasn’t been upwards it has been a U-shape which is currently on it’s way towards a double-dip. Although we all hope not. The comparison was simply an ironic one, and factual. However... while Mowbray is eminently more likeable than Coyle, their records aren’t that dissimilar. Just for the record, my vote was not to immediately replace Mowbray but to review in the Summer. I stand by that. What he does ability our defence in the Summer will be vital. If he doesn’t address it properly then I won’t just forget about it, I’ll add it to the negative column. Right now there are still more in that one than the positive one. IMHO.

Disingenuous to provide statistics to back up my argument? He has had four windows, two in the Championship. Pointing back, at this stage, to what he inherited is the disingenuous point. Moreover, many of those inherited (not replaced/upgraded) players continue to feature in Mowbray’s preferred XI after those windows by the way: Raya, Bennett, Graham, Mulgrew, Lenihan, being ever presents when fit! Interesting to draw a comparison between the two men in line with your first point: both have a single Championship success to their name - ironically within 12 months of each other - that they both still seem to get currency for, 10 years after the event.

True enough. Sadly he isn’t setting the bar high at the minute. The bigger picture is of Mowbray’s approach and whether he is the right man to take us forward. Apart from when he had the biggest budget in the division one has to say no. His Championship record is extraordinary average: P57 W19 D19 L19 F81 A82 GD-1 Very succinctly sums him up - and why fans are split without anyone calling for his head. He’s as good as he is bad. Almost to the goal! https://www.transfermarkt.com/tony-mowbray/leistungsdatenDetail/trainer/1584/plus/0?saison_id=2018&verein_id=164&liga=&wettbewerb_id=&trainer_id=

I agree with you but will Mowbray play them? And would you be critical of Mowbray if he didn’t? We are now playing dead rubber games until the end of the season. Will he play many... any... of our youngsters, planning for the future? Or will he carry on picking his favourites because he trusts them? You are ignoring context. If we were 7th and didn’t recruit...? If we were second and picked a dud team...? If we were 3rd and could have gone for the automatic spot... I didn’t criticise ‘the team’, I criticised - and continue to criticise - Mowbray for a lack of ambition, and for his inabilities in recruitment, tactics and organisation. Instead falling back on loyalty and tub-thumping, while making more and more bizarre comments in the local rag. He gets away with all this though because fans are delighted with being safe this season when we could have easily been where Preston are: 9th and two points off the play-offs.

If he isn’t capable at this level the Mowbray shouldn’t have bought him. There are players in the U23s ranks who we need to find out if they have it in them to step up. Buckley, Butterworth, I’d even love to see Mols given a test on the wing in a dead rubber. If we were looking at 6th place as a potential aim to the end of the season then Chapman would definitely be worth the risk. As it is there is more to lose than gain by playing him right now.

How long has it taken Davenport?? Play Chapman, don’t play him. It doesn’t make a blind bit of difference this season. But the Championship isn’t like League One and we will be facing teams who do have something to play for. He isn’t the most robust of players (a reason not to sign him at all - and why Boro let him go after being there since he was 8!) although I suppose he has the Summer to recover if he breaks down again. He must not come back until he is absolutely ready.

Not sure backing is the word you meant. I believe that he shouldn’t have been be beyond our reach (had we not signed Brereton) and that he was better than what he had. The thing is if Graham scores a couple of goals suddenly folk think we don’t have a problem. Signing Brereton was a poor use of money but Mowbray told us all there’s more where that came from, for the right players, and he would decide who they were. If you are going to start looking back at my thoughts though, try the ones where I believed (and still believe) we are short at the back. We have it all to do next season and where a few additions - including a striker to help score 4 while we concede 3 - might have got us from 7th/8th into 5th/6th, we now need a complete rethink - especially with Graham and Mulgrew another year older.

That’s a really strange phrase to use. Do you not trust Bowyer to spend it wisely either? Bringing in the right one or two players in January to try to cement a play-off place with over half the season gone and very much in the mix? Or masterminding a play-off season from scratch when losing a key player like Reed at the end of it, and needing to bring in those same missing players, and more, in the Summer? Unless a play-off position isn’t the aim for a settled Mowbray - who doesn’t like raising expectations for fear of failure. If we had struggled this season and we stayed up by working damned hard in every game, with a clear gulf in quality then I could understand this acceptance of a “consolation season”. As it is, that hasn’t been the case. We have competed up to the end of January and that’s when we needed to capitalise. Instead, “we kept our powder dry” - something we haven’t been all that good at it recent times. You really think Venkys weren’t willing to back him? Do you really need me to dig out all of Mowbray’s quotes saying the opposite?

We know what he can do and we have nothing to play for. C’mon Dave, did you really need that explaining to you?

Crimes. I can’t believe I did that. Bowyer and Mowbray don’t spoil a pair though! They are virtually anagrams of each other!!

There is absolutely no point in playing Chapman in this first team this season. There would be more value in blooding some of the youngsters. A few years ago, Bowyer had the opportunity to do so and didn’t take it. What will Bowyer do...?

Well we may as well hand back our league share now and draw up stumps because it’s going to be a heck of a lot more difficult next season with three more rich clubs in the mix. Three points off. January window open. Venkys wanting to back the manager. Mowbray in charge. A guy who when we were crying out for a defender was talking about an attacker “that we couldn’t afford”. He’s capable of a Dack or a Brereton, depending on which way the wind blows. But you’re right getting more square pegs for round holes at half the January price is what’s most important. It’s not fans who need to change their expectations and targets, it’s the current manager.

There is very little to be interested about between now and the end of the season. Absolutely nothing to play for and no real footballing style about us.

That deserved two ‘like’ emojis!!

They should be looking at both. But to grow the fanbase with newbies, you need to offer incentives. Instead, the current strategy is about attempting to increase the ‘value’ of the product by making it cost more. We need someone with more vision and imagination than Waggott in charge of increasing revenue.