RevidgeBlue

We can but hope. If true you can't really blame Venky's for being annoyed when TM over-ruled the recommendations in favour of Kipre who we then failed to land and Ayala who to date looks like an overpriced crock on a long term deal. How much must be wasting on him and Mulgrew not to play. £2m p.a.?

Yes, why wouldn't you be? Appalling level of performance. Being in and around the play offs should be the absolute minimum level of expectation. Really the target should be top 2 with the play offs as a fall back option. And it's only six because we sneaked a win yesterday. Would you be posting the same if we'd lost and the gap was 9?

Agree entirely. I wasn't a fan until he was out of work for a while and had an extended spell as Co presenter on the Talk Sport Breakfast show with Alan Brazil. To my surprise I found him a really engaging character who wears his heart on his sleeve and says exactly what he thinks unlike most managers who lapse into ridiculous manager speak to cover their backsides. The only criticism you can lay at his door imo is that he gets carried away in the heat of the moment either during the match or immediately post match and says the sort of things a fan would say. Again I find that rather refreshing. Meanwhile you've got a manager into his seventies bouncing with enthusiasm and passion busting a gut trying to add yet another promotion to his already impressive CV. Whereas we have Mowbray going through the motions counting down the days until retirement pulling the wool over our owners eyes by waffling on vaguely about journeys and challenging for the top 6 sometime never.

Doesn't say much for us then as I still think we'll finish well behind them.

That's not the law as it stands. Can't remember the Evans incident but Raya got accidentally injured diving in at someone's feet. There's a massive difference between that and what happened yesterday, you've a right not to be kicked in the face six feet in the air hence the current regulations requiring you to take care for another player's safety and not requiring deliberate intent.

We have to be alert to the possibility. When's Ayala due back? He really has been a poor signing thus far and we've got another two years of this to come.

Fair enough, but in Killer's day you could get away with a lot. These days you can't (usually) so if he carries on in that sort of vein he'll spend most of his loan spell here suspended and be neither use nor ornament.

Hope it doesn't happen but I think the Club has to be geared up and ready to act on the assumption that it's a distinct possibility. Hope we don't come across as though it's a complete surprise to us and act all hard done to.

How old is Mowbray's son? Might be a decent punt for next manager. Keep the family dynasty going.

Ex referee Dermot Gallagher has a saying that "he saw it but didn't recognise it". I.e. what had actually happened at the time. He might claim that but it would still leave him open to sanctions I'd guess.

I can't imagine he'll say anything else as if he views it back he'll realise that if he claims he didn't think it warranted any action he risks being taken off the Championship lists or demoted down a division for a few weeks.

My understanding as well. A red all day long under the laws as they currently stand, maybe it wouldn't have been years ago if clear intent was required under the regulations. Whether it SHOULD be a red if it's reckless but probably not intentional is a different argument.

As I understand it: Not if the referee says in his report he saw the incident but didn't deem it worthy of any further action. However if he says he missed the incident altogether then retrospective punishment could be imposed.

I actually thought the Morsy/Dack incident was a lot worse than that, the ball was going out anyway and whilst he probably didn't intend to put him out of action for 12 months, I thought he "did" Dack by deliberately stamping on his foot. The one today on Travis I thought was something and nothing, a professional foul/taking one for the team which is often referred to as "a good foul" by ex-pros". Morsy's a horrible barsteward. However if he played for us I'd probably think he was great.

True to an extent but there's a bit of a difference between not having a stonewall penalty awarded against you and not having one awarded against you which would also have reduced you to ten men. We certainly can't complain about not getting the rub of the green from the officials at the moment, Stoke had a man sent off 50 yards from goal with defenders in the vicinity and we couldn't take advantage so like you say, the officials in this League are bad for everyone.

I agree chaddy but it isn't going to happen as we missed the deadline for sending Douglas back. Thought in the main he looked a liability again today, albeit he played a great ball out to Nyambe leading up to the goal.

I know refs like to keep their cards in their pocket early on if at all possible but I don't think a ref can bend the rules and award a yellow in lieu of a clear red simply in the interests of keeping it 11 v 11. They'd get hauled over the coals. Be interesting to see what happens next. If the ref says he saw it and decided to take no action I don't think there's anything that can be done. If in his report he says he missed the incident altogether Branthwaite could face retrospective action from the FA.

Rubbish. It is serious foul play. He's kicked him in the face at head height causing the other lad a nasty injury. Maybe not intentional but recklessly endangering the safety of an opponent at best.

It's a red if you recklessly endanger the safety of an opponent. Intent doesn't come into it nor does it have to prevent a goalscoring opportunity.

No way it was only a yellow but it wasn't deliberate so there's no real need for Warnock to be going on at Branthwaite. However I think Mowbray and all of us would be similarly upset if the same injury had happened to one of our players as a result of such a reckless bit of play, the incident had gone completely unpunished, and the result had ultimately gone against us. So I can understand Warnock's frustration to a degree.

There aren't many to choose from, is that the first win against a team in the top half or the second?

Extremely fortunate three points courtesy of the referee's decision not to award a stonewall penalty and award a red card to Branthwaite which would obviously have changed the game completely. Six points off sixth, might have one or two more decent results then if we get within two or three points away from the play offs no doubt the next death spiral of one or two wins in ten will start again.

Ludicrous substitutions. Elliott does brilliantly to set up Rothwell and both immediately hooked to give Gallagher his obligatory run out. Will we get away with it? We'll see.

I was wondering exactly the same. If you can't use the indoor facilities in exceptional circumstances due to bad weather what's the point in having them? Isn't that the main reason they're there? If you were being cynical you'd say that we noted Ewood was in terrible condition after the last home game and having a few injuries and being in poor form we didnt fancy playing the game and trained on the pitch deliberately to get the game called off.

I'll get a slating no doubt for saying "We can but hope". What I mean is, I'd rather we won, but if we're to lose anyway a thumping might concentrate the owners minds on our actual situation as opposed to a narrow defeat which might enable Mowbray to muddy the waters by spainting yet another hard luck story.