roversfan99

I personally thought that Poveda had a poor game at Boro, similar story really, never facing his man up, questionable willingness to work hard, wanting to take too long on the ball. Of course, it is very early but yesterday was not Totally agree on Brereton not being a central striker, but I actually think that the fact that he is our best attacking player says a lot. There is a lot of nothingness that at this moment we can't be confident what it will amount to. Dolan for me doesn't offer too much of substance with any regularity at this level at his age, Khadra seems a talent but one destined in the near future for small cameos, same with Butterworth, Poveda again someone with no record of impacting first team games, and Gallagher is a bit of a donkey. I think when Lambert signed those first three, the latter had gone out on loan, never to be seen again. Those last 2 in particular were horrendous, but we did also have Graham at that time, as well as Conway and Marshall as wingers. Earlier in that season, we had Delfouneso and also other dross including Koita and Barrow, but we had those same wingers and of course we had Rhodes. I would like to think that Poveda, Khadra, Dolan etc are above the pitiful benchmark of some of the aforementioned dross, but we don't have a prolific striker or the quality of attacker that we also had at those times, so you could argue either way.

Managed to catch just over an hour of another bore fest yesterday, watching us at the moment is really difficult but football is about results and to be 6th with this current squad is a minor miracle so fair play to Mowbray for that. Barnsley were equally poor and it made for a horrendous watch. Defensively we seem to be really tightened up, Ayala is a big reason for that. Lenihan was beaten too easily in the first half for the chance that Kaminski/a poor finish bailed him out with, and the full backs were fine, with Pickering settling in nicely. I would suggest that the current set of attacking players is as poor as I can remember us having however, they all allow the majority of games to pass them by without stamping their authority on them. Leeds look like that they have sent us a dud in Poveda, he was shocking not only when he had the ball but his attitude when he didn't. Dolan aside from one turn in the first half was poor again, not much of a football brain. Brereton is not a central striker as long as he has a hole in his arse, so clumsy and ungainly. And Buckley off the ball was tenacious as he tends to be but he doesn't do enough on it in the majority of games, repeatedly over hitting passes. Rothwell was anonymous too.

With 2 of those into the last year of their contracts, and one of those in particular seemingly unlikely to renew, isnt it essentially the same as having loanees?

Surely until he starts regularly impacting games, which as a more attacking midfielder includes scoring and assisting with more regularity, then the question marks will continue to remain. Kaminski, Ayala, Lenihan, Nyambe, Travis, Brereton and at a push Pickering are the 7 guarantees at the moment.

How did Johnson look?

I don't get why you repeatedly get your hopes up over very little. If he didn't get sacked after a season of obvious regression, he isn't going to 7 games later when we have had a good start.

To be honest, I wouldn't have personally wanted his contract extended myself. That being said, I actually think now that he is an important player for us. The midfield balance so far has not been right, Rothwell does not suit playing so deep whereby his strength of running at players can leave us with little protection for the defence, especially as Travis is not the most disciplined and Buckley offers little protection too. Johnson can give us some much needed protection, physicality, discipline and experience in the middle. His tendency to get caught in possession near his own box may also be reduced without the passing style that we tried and failed to play last season.

Because we have had this debate, I didn't personally agree and also I thought he looked absolutely shattered towards the end. Because as a central striker, he was fundamentally found lacking. He offers that goal threat anyway coming in from the left, he isn't cut out to be a central striker. I do find the fact that we don't have any natural strikers capable of effectively playing that role at least until January to be a giant concern. This is what I would do, not what Mowbray will do. If as expected Khadra starts to flag after an hour, only 20 minutes (plus with half time) added to Tuesday night, then bring Poveda on. Edun apparently has been a midfielder for all bar the last year of his career and is equally comfortable in either position. Buckley I would take out, had this debate, I think he has been quiet since the opening day. I would like someone next to Travis to allow Rothwell to push further on, Edun or Davenport for me.

Wharton will presumably be at least after the international break with kids games and friendlies in between, but what was the point in signing Van Hecke?! Would like Edun (or if he cant, Davenport) to come into midfield with Travis and Rothwell, assuming that Johnson isn't fit, and Khadra to start knowing that Poveda will be there on the assumption that he cant do a full 90. Clarkson and Buckley out. Kaminski Nyambe Lenihan Ayala Pickering Travis Edun Khadra Rothwell Brereton Butterworth Subs: Pears, Carter, Buckley, Davenport, Poveda, Dolan, McBride

I think he looked very good against Luton but other than that, I still remain unconvinced at this moment in time and I would personally suggest that "really good this season" is somewhat hyperbolic. Of course he is very raw at this stage so hopefully it will come in time.

Did Waggott ignore the question about matchday pricing? The answer following that about where the away fans were is irrelevant. Same with the Blues Bar question really. On a more minor note, pre-pouring of pints and new bars opened are positives if they come to fruition.

I don't need youtube compilations to know that so far, I still personally have huge question marks over his attacking play, he is categorised as an elegant passing midfielder but as has been touched on, too much of his passing is safe passes, and he isn't doing enough for me in the final third or with his final ball in general to guarantee himself as a regular part of the starting 11. He can pass so perhaps he just needs to be a bit braver, and he also does need to start offering a goal threat which is unfortunately not part of his game at the moment and never really has been. The videos focus on his pressing which for me is possibly the best part of his game, of course particularly evident against a team like Swansea who played into our hands. There seems to be debate over his best position but for me having him in front of the back 4 would somewhat nullify his main strength. One area that I do feel he needs to work on is his fitness, perhaps it is just his style that causes this but he often seems to tire noticeably in the second half. I don't think that it necessarily suits either him or Rothwell in fact to be in front of the back 4 with the latter at his best driving at defences, and I am not quite sure that a midfield of Travis, Rothwell and Buckley as it has been played has that correct balance, too often teams find space in front of our back 4 and whilst that three has energy, I am not sure that it has the discipline and control. Perhaps Johnson should come back in when fit and if so, it would perhaps leave that one advanced spot to be between Rothwell and Buckley, both of whom need to do more in terms of scoring and assisting to stand out.

Any reason for the delay?

I think it will be over the course of the season. Otherwise we wouldn't be interested in a striker and you wouldn't have been fuming with the inability to bring one in.

He did get the initial team wrong, but the timing of the subs and how they were used won us the game really. I share your desire for a managerial change but you aren't doing yourself many favours looking at everything with such bias, he wasn't lucky with his subs and it wasn't a masterplan to make anyone look shit.

I am saying if he could be sacked tonight, interviews to follow for a replacement, would you consider that to be good or bad news?

I don't want him to be a target man, in fact I don't think that he is a central striker. We so often have no one in the box, if there was, it doesnt mean that we need to just aimlessly lob crosses in the air, but it is much easier to defend when no one is in the box.

Would you now not consider a managerial change until the season ends? Or would you still welcome one tonight if it was possible?

Amazing how 2 people watching the same game can see such different things. I thought he was appalling aside from one moment, a brilliant finish. The ball didn't stick with him, he didn't bring others into play, didn't offer a threat in behind, poor first touch, came wide too often leaving no one central to aim for, just generally very poor. Who I was with, those around me and even hearing people as I went down into the concourses or indeed everyone else on here have all said the same. Do you not think Rothwell is neutralised playing so deep, and when he does get further forward, he leaves too many gaps? Poveda is a wide player too by trade, not sure it makes sense to leave Butterworth out for fitness reasons (how will he ever be ready to start if he never does, surely that is a never ending cycle?) yet put Poveda and Gallagher back in from the start despite current muscular injuries?

@chaddyrovers Wouldn't it be better to swap Butterworth and Brereton around? As a central striker, Brereton proved why he is not suited to do that yesterday, similar to Gallagher on Saturday, his general game was very, very poor. Brereton has been better wide left, and whilst I appreciate that he would probably prefer to play off someone, Butterworth comes on in central positions and Mowbray said post match yesterday that Butterworth wouldn't ideally want to play out wide.

What is bizarre is that you would prefer to continue with a manager who you don't want to continue over a manager who you think is actively doing a "very good job" at another Championship club.

Barnsley seem to be struggling somewhat to adjust following the loss of their manager and captain but as with every game at the moment, it will be a challenge with our squad on Saturday. A lot may depend on the potential availability of the likes of Edun, Rankin Costello, Johnson, Poveda and Gallagher because if they are all out, our squad last night was so thin. I think we could do with a bit of freshening up for sure, the starting 11 last night didn't work. I would personally like to see Butterworth and Khadra start instead of Dolan and Buckley who were quiet last night. I would also like to see Rothwell play a bit further forward as he is limited by playing so deep. Ideally Johnson could return and give us some experience and physicality besides Travis, with Clarkson looking well off the standard required, failing that, perhaps Edun could make a debut in a central midfield role that he is very familiar with, failing that, I would go with Davenport who doesn't convince but gives us more stability. The back 4 and keeper should of course remain the same.

He was definitely hindered by his position last night, make no mistake. But in general, he has played central this season and aside from the first half of the first game, he has been anonymous. For me, his major issue is not even his physicality, its his lack of ability to impact upon games most of the times. He needs to do more to justify staying in the team. Even when a couple of chances came his way at Forest, his shots were timid and straight at the keeper. I even find Rothwell playing so deep to be puzzling, he is not one to protect the defence or control the game, but running at teams, that is where his strengths lie. I do get this idea about keeping an eye on the long term but Buckley or indeed anyone cannot be selected solely because he is contracted to the club beyond this season. 6 games into a season in which we have started fairly well, the aim has to be to win each individual game as it comes, not planning for next season. Buckley has to do more to warrant being a regular starter within that.

Absolutely not, but such a run will naturally then impact on the final league position, which was much further away both in points and 4 league places from the season before which itself was underwhelming, so that 15th place finish would be justification as proof that his job had become untenable and he had become stagnant, without needing to highlight specific runs of form.

I find the "2 in 17" focus to be bizarre really. A manager would never be praised on a focused run of wins, the only thing to judge on is the final league finish, which was 15th, and itself poor. Using soundbites of specific runs of form just discredits the genuine argument to get rid of him in my opinion. As much as the start to the season with a skeletal, under funded squad has been very encouraging.