Pretty well how I feel about it especially as Coventry seem to be down to the bare bones. The big squads at Rovers and Forest could well be decisive in this season of Covid quarantines and two games a week. I have no doubt there are managers who would get this Rovers squad up in first or second place. Not sure Mowbray is one of them.

FT 0-0 after 5 more minutes of injury time taking the total for the match to 17 minutes added. Rovers up to 2nd in Division 1

Brennan now injured and we have already used our three subs. Carrying on.

Paton on for the injured Pike. McBride has had three great chances including missing a sitter just now.

Saadi on for Burns now for Rovers. Rovers started second half on top but West Ham just had two great chances. Rovers defenders blocking everything so Stargiarkos has had nothing to do until making a great save from a third West Ham chance- Hammers well on top now apparently.

HT 0-0

West Ham had two lengthy injury breaks as well. 12 minutes of added time. Rovers having the better chances but still 0-0

Joe Grayson stretchered off. Sam Barnes on as his replacement.

Text coverage of the game on the West Ham game only on the West Ham web site https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2020/october/23-october/live-blog-west-ham-united-u23s-vs-blackburn-rovers-u23s

Any news on Ayala's injury?

I am not counting any of our dropped points directly down to Mowbray and am hoping that zero stays throughout the season because if it does, play-offs are pretty certain at a minimum. Mowbray misjudgements undoubtedly cost us a play-off slot last season and arguably might have done the season before.

Rothwell still quarantining. One of the reasons we need this outsized squad is we have already lost two players to 14 day quarantines and inevitably will lose more no matter how careful everybody is.

Stanley deep in the doodoo there. In these circumstances emergency loans can be made- wonder if it is a chance for Rovers to get League 1 experience for some youngsters? Stanley have three more games before they come out of 14 day quarantine and that is assuming none of them develop more severe symptoms.

We play with 26? We had 13 players unavailable v Forest.

Coventry have beaten QPR, drawn with Barnsley and Swansea and lost to Brentford, Bournemouth and Bristol City. So based on that, if we are contenders we have to beat them. Williams almost certainly in for Ayala. I would like to see Douglas for Bell and Trybull for Evans. Brereton's and Elliott's performances v Watford should retain their places and Arma is undroppable but when Dolan strengthens up (not that he is a wallflower now) I wonder if he could challenge for leading the line? He'd win a few penalties at the very least with those quick feet of his.

Rovers away at West Ham under 23s this afternoon.. Not getting iFollow coverage and West Ham don't have a TV station so I guess there will be no live coverage. West Ham are bottom of the table and Rovers could go top with a win.

Gallagher had a knock to a knee in training so was omitted. I don't see how he even gets on the bench when we have something like a full squad fit and available.

Nyambe furthest out on the right picks up the Watford player furthest out on their left even if its the GK up for a 95th minute corner. For that goal, Cleverley was the player Nyambe should have seen and not allowed an unchallenged header. I am a fan of Ryan's. That goal went horribly wrong for Rovers by what was not happening on the left side of our defence but Nyambe could and should have been more alert to Cleverley stealing in.

Harrison Reed and who else? None of the others have left Ewood and shone if you're being honest.

Lost in all the pain of losing a game we should have won, Harvey Elliott had an unremarked but impressive League game debut. This Kid is one class footballer. Midfield needs to adjust its eyelines to spot the runs he makes because apart from Holtby they were missing them last night. I know that Dack is a player you build a side around but I think Harvey will come into that category before too long. Certainly Watford were treating him with the greatest respect if you looked at the lack of space he was given to work in. Even so, look at this:

But we will lose more entertainingly

Elliott looked class yesterday. Too often he was making runs which were beyond the ken of Evans and Johnson to pick up. You could see Watford were scared of him in the way he was never left alone.

How close to his current reality...

I will take the positives. We have more than competed with Bournemouth and Watford away despite the results. Forest and Cardiff were two very poor performances. I know people are trying to say we were poor again last night but really.. In previous seasons we would see our best side play and lose like that occasionally and hope for a better window This season, when fit, we have Dack, Travis, Rothwell, Trybull and Douglas already on the books who are an improvement on what we saw last night and Williams and JRC at least as good. The (probably forlorn) hope is Mowbray can pick the best team and knit them together. Sorry but Johnson gives the ball away too much and failed to spot Elliott runs, Evans excellent performances are too rare and all the goals against came down Bell's side. A word for Dolan. He didn't go past anybody because all opponents know to keep a pace back from him but he kept us in possession every touch. His passing is rock solid and I am now more confident of his development than I am in Buckley's who didn't even make the bench. Our players are not moving into positions to take advantage of the short passing opportunities opponents standing off Dolan are creating. Equally Mowbray asking Dolan to hug the touchline is missing the strength of Dolan to be able to go either way. Wycombe won't be challenging, I don't think the much fancied Derby will be but would anybody be surprised if Bournemouth, Cardiff, Forest and Watford take 4 of the top 6 places this season? That said our record of D 1 L 3 against them is abysmal for a club with designs on promotion this season. Coventry and Reading games now looking ridiculously important

Man of the match without any argument Ben Foster. Ref was woeful. Evans, Johnson and Bell simply don't have the raw ability needed at this level. Fortunately, Trybull, Rothwell, Travis and Douglas do so we have the necessary quality in the squad if Tony picks them. Lenihan and Williams will be the central defenders for the next four or five games as Ayala's glass ankle extends to his groin. Possession 66-34 Shots 19-10 on target 7-4 corners 8-1 fouls 13-22 Yes, we totally thrashed Watford 1-3!