Not a particularly good performance attacking wise against a woeful Derby whose manager must be living on borrowed time but a very satisfying win built on grit and determination. The team is really well balanced and built on key partnerships at centre back, in central midfield and up top. Walton had precious little to do but came up with a crucial albeit not overly challenging save at the end to confirm the win. Nyambe is a huge upgrade at right back, once he gets so far up the pitch he is rendered useless as he lacks the confidence and/or ability to create chances but defensively, athletically and up to a certain point technically he shows that he should be first choice there. The centre backs were goliaths again, great partnership developing. And Downing was by far the best player on the pitch and should have been man of the match, on the ball he was a class above, some absolutely ridicilious passes, so calm and he reads danger so well to say hes a makeshift left back, never allows himself to be isolated with a wide player running at him. The central midfield may not be the best on the ball but again they were dogged in their work, especially the revitalised Evans. The front 4 is definitely our best bet and provides the most balance but wasnt quite their day today. Dack took a few whacks, there were a few real moments of quality from him. Rothwell I would of course persist with but he was awful today, decision making really poor, kept losing the ball trying to take too much on, end product non existent, bad day at the office. Graham wasnt his sharpest again but still critical in terms of our balance and shape. Armstrong is a strange one, so many runs he made where his team mates let him down with bad passes, often behind him. Missed a sitter but scored a worldie. Mowbray got his subs wrong in my opinion. His obsession with giving Buckley minutes has to stop, hes nowhere near the standard required. Get him in the under 23s until January and get him playing in League 1 or 2. Gallagher looked more confident but it will only sap his confidence to stick him where he is like a fish up a tree, hes so clumsy and ungainly, technically poor and kept stumbling on the ball, but went on a couple of very useful runs which caused trouble and killed time. Downing was absolutely outstanding both going forward and more importantly reading the game defensively, there was no need to mess about with a very effective back 4, just surely put Bennett wide. The subs were ultimately not harmful in terms of result but they brought on additional pressure.

He plays Dack in his favourite position (which is hardly a massive luxury that Dack is given) but his bad games are excused because quite simply he scores goals at a very healthy rate whilst absolutely no one else in our team does, especially with Graham being moved out. Gallagher, Armstrong, Brereton, Rothwell, Holtby, Downing, the highest that any of them has is 2, Dack is on 9 so his goals alone justify being selected for every game. Plus our tactics are not particularly playing to his strengths necessarily, hes just the kind of player who will keep scoring regardless because he can sniff out danger and chances. I think when he goes we will be such a weaker team in his absence, no doubt. Not sure where the goals will come from.

Exactly, with no sign of a resolution. A bit like Hoilett and him signing "within 24 hours." He may well do but ultimately when hes scoring all the goals for a side festering in mid table eventually ambition will take hold like any player and with his contract ticking down he holds the power.

Mowbray has been asked about Dack signing a new contract and has answered with very non committal responses every time, nothing suggests he is about to or there is even a good chancs that he will renew his contract that expires at the end of last season. The chances of us getting promoted seem very minimal, we are at a peak in terms of form and we are still a couple of wins and quite a few places even from the lottery of a top 6 place, id be amazed if we got in there this season. There are no signs that we have the capability to put together a consistent run to compete with the top 6. With 12 months to go next summer I suspect he will go perhaps at a slightly discounted rate.

This myth is still seemingly in play that Gallagher has been stuck on the wing all season. He has played I would suggest over half of his football down the middle and has been in the whole, bar a very good half at Preston and a cameo last weekend, very ineffective. He doesnt hold the ball up well enough, he struggles aerielly against centre backs, (full backs not so much) he technically leaves a lot to be desired and he offers very little goal threat. Im not sure he has the attributes to follow Graham either because his game is all about his brain and intelligence. Gallagher is more mobile but the ball wont stick with him. Dont get me wrong, I was delighted for him to see him get the winner last week but Graham has to start tomorrow and the jury is very much out on Gallagher. Im sure he will get on the pitch tomorrow so hopefully he can get another goal and really improve. Agree on left back and goalkeeper being the 2 priorites but I think we do need a striker still, that said I suspect Mowbray has made his bed spending 12m and he has to find a way to lie in it.

Did you see the 2 games that Magloire played last season? Physicality certainly didnt appear to be his strong suit, dont think he won a header and bullied at Hillsbrough.

I dont think Mahoney is or perhaps even will ever be one "that got away" he seems to be struggling to get into Millwalls team at the moment and have always felt that he is overrated based on where he comes from.

Them 2 games are the exception to the rule, against Premier League teams who perhaps dont always treat the FA Cup as top priority, who (admittedly due to Josh King) both played more than half with 10 men. In the main, there was no way that King, who often flattered to deceive and was forever injured, should replace our prolific goalscorer at the time, it is easy to look at their career trajectory since and suggest that but ultimately no one is arguing that King is not the best of the 3 now, but it is irrelevant. Rhodes' post Rovers struggles have been with teams not playing him regularly, Boro initially rotated him and his confidence seems at an all time low. The managers you mention are hardly the oracle, we dont know if Lambert himself authorised the Rhodes sale but it seemingly was to give him the flexibiility to his own team, packed full of loans, very short term orientated and ultimately with minimal success, before going on to fail in a couple of jobs after. Strachans time as Scotlands manager was a failure as have the managers since, no players even ones far better than Rhodes have flourished. Cairney couldnt get close to the team either. The importance of goalscoring is being totally underestimated. Dacks performances have often been questioned this season, to an extent very fairly and similarly to Rhodes, but hes the only goal threat we have, and he keeps scoring goals, therefore like Rhodes his place is IMO unquestionable.

I do find it astounding how underappreciated a regular, consistent 20+ goal a season striker now is since his departure. He did his side of the bargain consistently throughout his time here, retrospectively painting a picture that we would have been better had he not been there is ridiculous. If you had to prioritise one thing in a striker, goals, pace, hold up, give me goals anytime.

Rhodes and Gestede scored over 40 between them. Rhodes scored more than a goal every other game. If there was one area of the pitch that didnt need rectifying, it was up front.

Even if you play 2 up front, you tend to have one dropping off especially when out of position. He is essentially a second striker though. You may aswell view him as a striker because if you ever think hes a hindrance in terms of not being able to play a more "orthodox" striker alongside the one we play anyway, you have to think, would they be able to match a very healthy goal return of above 1 in 3 during his Championship career? Most strikers wouldnt, his goal to game ratio averages out at 18 goals if he was to play a full 46 games. He is not a midfielder, thats for sure.

I very much doubt Rochina could get close to the consistent goal output Rhodes provided, so ultimately I suspect it may have been easier on the eye at the cost of effectiveness.

Did we play to Rhodes? Managers came and went, players changed, formations changed, styles changed, the only thing that was constant was him scoring goals. That first season our team was a shambles and yet he scored goal after goal, often with partners that flattered to deceive, Kazim Richards, Best, Rochina, an ancient Nuno Gomes, the formation changed to 433 near the end, he had David Goodwillie out wide, no matter what system, he scored. Half way through Bowyers (first?) season he signed Conway and Gestede, them 2 transformed our style in that it was much about wing play and crosses to Gestede, doesnt really suit Rhodes as much, still he continued to score. Then the side was dismantled and he was still scoring until the end, already in double figures when he was sold at the start of January. And likewise, do we play to Dack? We play him (usually) in his favoured position, and quite rightly considering how effective he is. Not sure we play around him in a way that solely suits him.

I believe Preston had their entire back 4 of Fisher, Bauer, Davies and Hughes out injured, also saw that Gallagher wasnt playing and that Alan Browne was playing as an emergency right back. Bet they wished they had VAR too.

Its been mentioned numerous times but nothings been done so I dont think its close.

Fair play for going to the effort but im not sure it is fair to compare players that are all playing in different positions. Bradley Dack is the best player at the club, 100%.

Has to be the same team and anything less than a win will be a great dissapointment.

I think Walton based on hardly glowing recomendations from his Wigan days where he was dropped for some of last season is just not particularly great. That said, its definitely fair to question our goalkeeping coach baring in mind his non existent CV and a lack of development from any of our goalkeepers under him. You look at Raya and he suddenly has seemingly developed under a new coach.

Seen the goal and yet another dreadful error by Walton. Thats 5 directly leading to goals in 7 or 8 games, its unsustainable.

Which he quite often does! But fair play to todays goal and hopefully he goes on a run.

Didnt see the game so cant comment on the performance but delighted with this last week, and have to say well done to Mowbray for 3 wins on the bounce. The Barnsley win Mowbray referred to as one we just needed to win regardless of performance. It just seemed to be a win highlighting all of the flaws in the team, and all of the repeated mistakes of the manager. The Brentford win came from a much improved performance, and today is an away win ground out, cant argue at all. The side we have settled on is essentially the side that finished last season plus Adarabioyo who is an upgrade on Williams and Downing who is very much a makeshift left back but an improvement on Bell for sure. Plus Walton who is a downgrade! Reliance on Dacks goal are a concern, but great to see him in top form.

Proper strikers goal too, delighted!

Rhodes was the master at making his own chances, more by what he did off the ball. Dack can do the same, as to perhaps a slightly lesser extent can Graham. All 3 score plenty of proper strikers goals from close range. Its all about intelligence and anticipation. Rhodes might not be fast, but Armstrong is fast, something that doesnt help him when he spends half the game offside when he plays up front, Rhodes was smaller than Gallagher, and less powerful, but he scored headers by clever movement to get free of defenders. Excuses about supply aside, Rhodes scored nearly 30 goals in the dreadful side we had, full of disinterested or incompetent players after we came down. Gallagher lacks that strikers brain.

Neither should play in the reserves ahead of the younger lads but if either should be given the chance to keep ticking over out of loyalty, or kept somewhat fit in case of a major injury crisis, youd think Smallwood would deserve that as a key player in our promotion, rather than someone who has done absolutely nothing to warrant the token gesture of not only game time in the reserves but more importantly in his case, a contract.

1 goal. As ive said before, whilst service hasnt been great I dont think he will ever be a goalscorer because he doesnt anticipate chances, his movement is non existence and technically he is below par. Look at Rhodes when he played for us, especially at the start in a poor team, no particularly stand out attributes but he knew where the ball would drop. Dack is the same to an extent, so many goals from close range. Im not sure what type of service that would actually supposedly suit him. He needs to learn how to hold the ball up though, you cant always run onto the ball although hes not great at doing that either.