Agree we won't find out until he has a run of games and I also throw Dolan in with Vale and Hirst being not good enough but Dack Ive seen lacks pace.

Stop living in the past. On what evidence is there that Dack is anywhere close to the player he was?

I still maintain you cant play Szmodics as the third member of a midfield 3 and the other 2 players suffer. If he plays further forward he is fine. Both Morton and Travis struggle as they get overrun as Szmodics does not contribute in this formation. Either play him as a third forward player or not at all. Also still think Ayala plays too deep due to his lack of pace which also stretches our midfield too much.

Am I alone in thinking our team suffers when Ayala plays? Granted he is a good defender but he stiffles the play when we build from the back. Like against Brum use him as a sub later on the game when we under attack. Is it coincidence we win four on the bounce without him and then put in a lethargic performance with him back in?

I think we are just short of numbers in there when we play as a two in there. Most teams now play with a three and we just get outnumbered. Travis in there helps as he is a different type of player so you maybe right but when we play with Travis in a two our midfield is very limited.

Dont get the Gallagher is an average striker at best comment. Play him down the middle we won 4 games on the bounce and the game we are missing him we lose. Granted playing him wide is a waste of a player but down the middle he is a handful for most at this level when his confidence high.

There will be a pile of sawdust on its way

He will be, just once JDT names his team tonight and Hirst is in it.

Mowbray took top two positions. Not only Johnson as a false 9 but Sam Gallagher at right wing back, Thrys Dolan at right wing back or Stephen Pears in goal can all be put in there as managerial master strokes

Struck me as a player with ability but at times tended mentally to switch off and that is why he didnt play at the top level.

Heard from someone during the run in of the premiership winning season that Dalglish wanted out but at the time didn't believe it. He wanted to go back to Liverpool as he felt he had unfinished business there and once the premiership was won the mission at Rovers was accomplished. Same person told me about Shearer wanting out during Euro 96 and we all know what happened after he returned from England duty.

Whatever happened to the World Class Right back that Mowbray feared so much he changed his team and tactics for. He must be a Galactico by now surely?

The division is still too close for us to tell if we are in a false position at present plus we've played a game more than most. Improvements have been made since the start of the season but lets see where we after Christmas and see if Tony has taken his death spiral with him.

JRC got forced to play RB even though he wasn't one. Oddly at the expense of onother youngster, Nyambe.

You can use the two successes but lets not forget others like Raheem Harper or the centre half from Everton. Harper came from West Brom and was younger than our youth players with no experience. With the exception of Buckley, Mowbray had to be forced to pick our youngsters like others have said. He also like to use them as scapegoats withe prime example being Raya.

or they came from another club on loan. If Mowbray had been here this season Garrett would have been at Curzon Ashton not in the first team

I wouldnt be surprised if Roberts gone in Jan, or playing right back. It is the Tony way.

The linesman was on the Riverside and should have seen Wharton offside. Even if he thought Wharton hadn't touched it, he is interfering......but who cares? The ref was spot on for the penalty that was never was. Hedges clearly plays the ball first then there is contact. One correct decision, one incorrect we would still have won one-nil. Bye Bye Mowbray, please never darken our doors again. By the way, Corry Evans lasted longer than his occasional 70 minutes he used to put in with a Rovers shirt on.

Confidence comes and go but it can be influenced by not playing in your best position.

Thats the point in question Jan. It will compare directly with Rothwell last season. Will we cash in?

He does not get time on the ball playing deep especially when teams employ a high press. Up until yesterday Rovers have deployed a midfield two against a three which usually allows two to hunt him down and maybe the three may help him although he is low on confidence

Personally worried that Buckley struggles with the deep lying midfield. He is prone to lazy tackling hence his booking at Cardiff where he just stuck out a foot. A team playing a high press down not give him time on the ball. His best football is when he plays in the gap just behind the forwards. We have seveeral players who can play in that position including Dack but if are to employ a deep lying midfielder Im struggling to think of one in the squad, although Ive not seen Garrett.

Buckley;s best form was playing with the high press alongside Dolan. Playing on the front front in the final third. I don;t think playing further back suits him.

Be interesting to see how Broughton deals with Brereton who seems to me like he is running down his contract

To be honest I have to disagree in the fact one of my main complaints in the past was that he used to back track too far looking for the ball and would be in midfield or defence when midfield or defence were looking for an out ball Simple reason is that neither Gallagher or Hirst can hold the ball like Danny Graham. Im presuming that Hirst would be the extra body in midfield because as others have said we are already over run in midfield with two in there.