As a keen observer of the under 23s, do you have any concern that despite our relative success at that level, there dont seem to be any players coming particularly close to getting into an underperforming first team, even upon injuries? I appreciate the correlation between on field success and off field stability but I still think its incredibly unfair to put together an inability to get promoted under Mowbray as a direct cause of selling the training ground. These are decisions made by and thus are the responsibility of the owners, as you even say. I of course would agree that players should be sold first, obviously, but that isnt the managers doing. If we do sell part of the training ground, then the owners are to blame, 100%.

He compromised on a formation, he realised that the style he wanted to play in League 1 didnt work and was by recent standards, untypically pragmatic. He showed tactical consistently, proactivity and a clear plan that is desperately lacking in recent times where he seems to have run out of ideas and confused himself, based on what I think are flawed principles of how football "should" be played. Regarding the rest, I am aware of how our current way of working like many in this league is not sustainable, but I do not think that Venkys have to be restrained from putting more money in. Nor do I believe that Mowbray is behind the sale of training facilities. I think he is a decent manager who has done a good job up until a point, and is now stagnating up to the point of potential regression. I do not think he is a sinister crook trying to fleece the club for his own personal gain.

Your analysis of the League 1 season couldnt be any more biased, I have been his biggest critic for what I deemed to be not treating a potential title with the respect I felt it merited, I was at Southend in which we were poor, and indeed at all of those 4 losses in which things looked bleak. Overall though, that season was an undeniable success, I expected promotion and he delivered promotion. I also agree that he failed his first, admittedly very difficult task of survival I feel that as we stand here today, we are in a better position than when he came in. I do not feel (and havent for a bit now) that he is the man to take us forward, to progress us on to the next level, or even that he has done a remarkable/brilliant job against the odds, but a good job I would argue is fair, and one in risk of stagnating if it continues for too long. I also think that managers in general are reluctant to train on artificial indoors. Do I think that as you imply, it is a smokescreen for something far more sinister whereby he is playing a key role in the decision to sell off training facilities? Not at all. Do I genuinely think that there is an unlimited pot of transfer money ready and waiting for him to take that he repeatedly declines? No. I have been quite critical of Mowbray over the last year, his team selections, his tactics, his mixed transfer record (mixed, not shocking) and a lack of on field direction. That can be reason enough to want a manager sacked without analysing his demeanour on the touchline, nit picking through his every word after games or indeed suggesting conspiracy theories about him being a protagonist in the downscaling of the club. I think that if you said when he came, would you expect to be in the Premier League within 4 years, I would have almost certainly said no, but I certainly would not have said that should he fail to do so, then he threatens the very existence of our club. Going off on a tangent there. I dont want Mowbray or Waggott to remain in their jobs but I stop short of blaming him for things he isnt responsible for. You are saying that Mowbray is directly, personally responsible for us having no choice but to sell half of the current training facilities for not having achieved promotion in his first 4 years? Probably not, this is Venkys. He should have already been sacked but I wont be holding my breath and I wont be cheering on Watford tomorrow night.

The club haemorrhaging money is not Mowbrays responsibility, even if money he has spent on transfer fees under him may have not helped that, the manager is given funds by the owners to whom are responsible for the financial side of things. It is not reasonable to suggest that Mowbray can be directly blamed for any collateral damage caused even based on an assumption that the club had to achieve promotion within his first 4 years to avoid having to start selling off the training ground to compensate. If that is the case, which is a huge assumption, then that falls on the owners, not Mowbray. I would also question how likely it should have been deemed to necessarily get promoted in that time frame anyway. My problem with the manager is that although I feel that he has done a good job, he cannot further us and his tactics/subs/transfers etc are not pushing us forward any more, and I feel that we are starting to go backwards slightly. I want Mowbray gone because I dont think he can convert us into promotion challengers, not because he has failed to get us into the Premier League by now. That isnt his responsibility though, people including me are understandably frustrated by the on field situation and are just blaming him for everything, but that falls on the owners. Do we think Mowbray spoke to the owners and suggested selling off half of the training facilities to build houses? If it came out prior that if we lose then he goes, then maybe I could sort of understand, even though it would go against my instinct, I would be able to empathise. As it is, it seems certain that he will remain regardless, so we may as well hope for the team to win.

I never said that he is thick, I just am content with criticising him for what I perceive to be an on field stagnation, confusing tactics, poor transfers etc, rather than getting too worked up with how he acts on the touchline, what he says in his interviews or indeed in your case, based on conspiracy theories dreamt up about what set of events may have played out prior to the owners selling part of the training ground.

I want a change of manager and have for a bit. But will hoping to get battered guarantee or even make that likely? No. But as with calling Owen Coyle "Coyley" and suggesting bets on us beating every team by 3 or 4 goals, your comments are done purely to provoke and court controversy. To pin the blame on Mowbray for indirectly prompting the owners to downgrade the training facilities is a stretch even for you.

That may be true, but a couple of losses wont lead to that, so hoping to get "smashed a few times" is pointlessly counter productive. There is no evidence that Mowbray is behind the downgrade of Brockhall.

Nothing can be gained from us losing, it will not accelerate the managers departure and if it means Mowbray saying "how good we are" afterwards then so be it.

No, I have seen more than enough of him prior to being out of the game for over a year well into his 30s with serious injury though and merely being available doesnt mean that he is competent anymore. For a bit of perspective, they have conceded 11 goals in 7. Branthwaite has also started 7 games, we have conceded 7 in them, scoring 4. I dont think he would be a name mentioned if he wasnt Irish.

Bell is just as bad to be fair. Rankin Costello is back from injury, and although he himself isnt a convincing full back, if fit I would probably play him. Failing that, I have asked a few times why considering our under 23s win so often, why none of the team is near the first time. We know Bennett isnt capable, so as you mention, id give Pike a go there.

You are right on Ayala but Keogh certainly wasnt the answer. 7 starts for Huddersfield, only 1 win and no clean sheets.

We could lost 16-0 and I bet Mowbray wouldnt go anywhere sadly. I think Davenport has impressed lately, Rothwell has done very little in 2 and a half years, Davenport alongside Travis has the makings of a good duo.

Urgh, Bennett at right back.

Maybe the indoor facilities will fall by the wayside. Mowbray recently said they dont train in them even when it leaves our pitch in ruins, so it fits the narrative to get rid to save the Venkys some rupees.

17 and 22 starts in the Championship.

Because I dont think you appreciate the benefits of having a consistent style of play, as the current top 3 have as well as many examples of teams that have been promoted in the past. 4-2-3-1, 3-4-1-2, 4-3-3, that isnt Mowbrays phone number but an example of 3 different formations that we have played. We need consistency but Mowbray worries too much to stick to one formation. Our promotion was built on consistency. Would Nyambe get in Norwich, Swansea, Watford, Bournemouths etc teams? Not for me. Him and Kaminski are 2 of our better players and 2 guaranteed starters but not sure either is in the top 6 in their position. Rothwell has contributed very little in his Rovers career, he has ability but no signs that he can bring it together to contribute with any regularity. Holtby has never really contributed here, and the 3 with promotion experience we can see why they were available. Ayala went up 4 or 5 years ago in a defensive side, now his body has packed in. Douglas played a bit part role for Leeds, he was good for Wolves but in a position we dont play and prior to a series of injuries, and Trybull was a bit part who wasnt wanted by a team fighting for the same goal. I think the first sentence is correct but I would disagree with the second. A good manager could make it more than the sum of its parts, and the current manager is underachieving in being as close to the relegation zone, but for me it isnt top 6.

Tarkowski has proved how good a defender he is over a number of seasons, Burnley have conceded less than Everton and Man United this season. I suspect that playing for an unfashionable club and as he isnt a ball playing centre back (although he is comfortable on the ball) that he will be dismissed as you are doing. Does Maguire get in without the 80m price tag? I would say not, but as a big money signing at United, he will be deemed first pick even though I would be more wary of a mistake from him.

May I ask why you feel that Venkys warrant the benefit of the doubt?

*be a massively upgraded and streamlined 21st century revamp...

Godfrey has impressed but year on year, Tarkowski shows how good a defender he is. Burnley are less dominant than Everton but have actually conceded 3 less goals. Centre back is a position where we have lots of ok players, but none are stand out, bar Stones and even he has only come back into the picture this season.

I dont think Venkys care enough to plan with such detail. I suspect that when Mowbray does go, it will be off his own back and lead to a spell of confusion. This should be the end of Bournemouths promotion hopes, so the likes of Brooks, Lerma and Kelly amongst others will probably be off in the summer. A shame we are not competitive under Mowbray as there could be a top 6 vacancy this season.

Pope, Pickford, Johnstone Alexander Arnold, Shaw, Chilwell, Tarkowski, Stones, Maguire, Mings, James Henderson, Rice, Phillips, Foden, Grealish, Mount, Maddison Kane, Calvert Lewin, Rashford, Sterling, Sancho Pope Alexander Arnold Stones Tarkowski Shaw Henderson Rice Sancho Foden Sterling Kane Any of the centre backs next to Stones would be ok, ive assumed Gomez is out. Not Rice's biggest fan but he would give a bit more defensive solidity and allow the front 4 to attack. Grealish v Sancho is 50/50.

I find it bizarre that anyone's natural instinct based on what has happened to date is to give Venkys the benefit of the doubt.

To clarify, it is not a defence of the manager, this is a squad that Mowbray has himself assembled armed with plenty of time and money. I also do think that whilst it isnt a top 6 squad, a good manager could have us in with a shout by making it add up to more than the sum of its parts, it is still underachieving, the manager has no consistency with his tactics, his subs are often confusing and illogical, he admits that he doesnt work on set pieces which is an area of weakness at both ends, and of course we have 12m worth of shit. The incompetent cover is in the shape of the managers friends son, Aynsley Pears. I did suggest Ayala but that does not remove any semblance of blame, I am not armed with a supposed revolutionary European scouting network, I am not the one qualified to give a clearly unfit player a thorough medical, I wouldnt have given him such a long deal and he is just one symptom of the negligence around improving the defence that you have mentioned. Dack will never return to form unless he plays in a team that is not a shit show of constantly confusing formations, or if he is played either as a false 9 or deep enough to be holding hands with Kaminski. Brereton was doing ok, 3 goals in half a season, compared to really, really low standards. And Gallagher is a donkey. Neither are close to top 6 players on what we have seen.

Why does Woodgate until the end of the season make sense? As touched on, they have already sacked a rookie, entrusting the remainder of a key promotion push which could be a precursor to a fire sale should it fail to materialise to another rookie who did such a dreadful job at Boro makes no sense at all.