roversfan99

I am very keen on getting a consistent way of playing that doesnt involve silly and non working gimmicks such as false 9's and inside forwards. That being said, I wouldnt go down the 442 route. We need to build around a number 10, be it Dack ideally or Holtby, you need to build around your better players, or in Dacks case, best player.

I think hes always had a weakness in terms of attacking. Its like there is a brick wall before the final third. Even pre lockdown he rarely put in a dangerous final ball but he was more forceful breaking through and providing an overlap. I think hes always been a more defensive full back.

We need natural width, there might be isolated examples where playing wide forwards has got us a goal, for example Samuel midweek, but it doesnt work. I also think the time has come for Graham to be let go. Samuel certainly should be let go no questions asked. A ruthless approach needed with the out of contracters, even Downing has been less effective post lockdown but he is worth another year. I dont see how we will be able to do anything but add a few frees and loans to plug major positions and we of course will always allow our rivals to steal a march. The main thing we need to do with a consistent way of working. Mowbray suggested that he likes to chop and change dependant on opposition, for me that isnt condusive to consistency. Look at Leeds and West Brom, you know what you are getting from those sides, they are perfecting their styles, and it means that every time a player comes out, one comes in and it doesnt derail them, they slot in seamlessly.

He seems to have temporarily regressed post lockdown back to the over-cautious full back he has been in the past, so reluctant to run forward at the moment and not offering a threat on the overlap. Even on top form he was powering forward but not really doing much once he got so far up the pitch. I cant see Premier League teams having any interest in him. That being said, Nyambe at his worst is always a better option there than Bennett.

Lets cut the angry mob with pitchforks wanting their own team that they pay money to watch narrative as well please. I dont doubt that a select few on one side struggle to see past their argument/opinion that Mowbray should go and that isnt necessarily healthy for debate, but in the same way there are a few on the other side of the fence who defend the manager regardless or dismiss any doubts about the manager based on attitudes towards the overall running of the club or the fact that we arent massively underachieving. Mowbrays future is understandably a topic of great debate at the moment. We are amidst a run of 10 points in 10 games, below average form and we are at a juncture whereby the manager no longer has clear objectives (survival, promotion, stability) and where he has outlasted all other Championship managers, is trying to with mixed success transform us tactically and has a very mixed transfer record.

I think thats a huge call based on a few cameos. Seems full of energy and enthusiasm but no evidence from a very small number of minutes that he has either the calculated precision, intelligence and positional discipline. Definitely a player id like to see more of but not one ive jumped to any conclusions about just yet.

We will see quite how much (if any, although the chance of 0 points id like to think is minimal) progress has been made at the end of the next 3 games. You mentioned that in your opinion that weve been better in every department. We have reached the points total of 60 that we achieved last season with 3 games to go. Last season you think back to Mulgrew creaking at CB, Smallwood a regular. And we will beat it by 0-9 points. Of course in addition to this, some of those improvements have been built on quick sand. Adarabioyo goes back, we have no senior keepers, Downings future is in the balance etc. The lack of our best player for half a season is an unquestionable blow. But how much sympathy is lost when the manager has had 12 million to spend on 2 strikers who have not even covered part of the deficit of goals that we have lost? Im really in between at the moment, swaying in my opinion. I acknowledge that a small progression will have been made this season in terms of a points haul. Weve never broken that top 6 barrier even for a few hours, and the idea of a slow build as others have pointed out is flawed. There are a number of tactical issues and curiosities that worry me, strikers on the wing, false 9s, and im just unsure about how we are going to set up going forward.

He isnt rapid and he doesnt have the subtlety or the technical ability to play wide. He was much improved today but even his assist was scuffed a little bit although it was excellent work especially in the build up. He ran down the wing soon after and played a really poor cross, the role doesnt suit him at all. The touch for Davenport was also very clever after a superb Holtby pass and he definitely made a different in his cameo but a full back wouldnt be too worried facing up to him as weve seen on many an occasion.

Has anyone said to put him into the starting 11? Genuine question as if so I have missed it and of course would disagree. Or just to consider having him within the squad following successful loan spells and in tbe absence of any other competent back up.

But ultimately the point is almost worthless as it isnt enough to prolong any realistic play off hopes. Thus not a great result.

Its not a great result in the circumstances sadly.

The 4-3-3 formation is not the route IMO that we should go down. I am not a fan of the false 9 formation, Graham isnt a false 9, and before that, v Wigan, Barnsley and even Bristol City Holtby looked really unfamiliar with that position. We have Dack to return and Holtby now, natural number 10s, we should build around them. You look at West Brom, they take off a good player, on comes another one but the system remains the same. Leeds are the same. Today I felt that we were dominated up until the last 20 minutes when it was more a case that the game was stretched and of course we had momentum from the goal, and Holtby and Rothwell changed the game. I feel like false 9s, inside forwards and box midfields is just needless over-complication. I would go back to 4231 midweek, with Armstrong as a 9, Holtby 10, Rothwell left, Rankin Costello right, Downing left back.

What do you think of our tactics at the moment? All seems a little confused to me. The false 9 and wide strikers tactics I am not convinced by, then when the subs came on it was hard to really make out a shape. That Cardiff game is the exception rather than the rule. Graham looked back to being his past his best today, Samuel out wide totally ineffective as he normally is. How do we line up on Tuesday night? We need to find a consistent way of playing tactically, that suits our team. It is not getting results either, our recent form is 10 points from 10 games I think which is not good enough.

A point more than we deserved over the course of the game against a far superior West Brom but one that not for a dreadful finish by Davenport and a needless trick by Holtby could have kept open a slim play off hope. 4 points behind and 6 teams ahead of us, its done now. Still none the wiser as to the tactical direction, so confusing to see what we are trying to do. West Brom constantly bar the last 15 minutes had total control. False 9s, wide strikers, then a strange inverted 442, any of it working? Not really. The initial front 3 were all really ineffective. Nyambe was constantly threatened by Grosicki with mixed results. Rankin Costello you can tell hasnt played much senior football, stands out somewhat. Adarabioyo quite sloppy today. Lenihan holding it together. Rothwell much, much better when he came on. Got a goal, needs more of that. Also his pass for Holtby was superb and in general was very bright. Holtby should have done better twice in the build up to his back heel cleared off the line but was so much more inventive, his ball in the build up to the Davenport was sublime. Gallagher himself was much better but again not a winger, his ball to Rothwell was not cleanly hit but effective but hit a few more straight to the defenders. His lay off again for the Davenport was excellent. Travis lost his head too. Our form since the Brentford game has been really poor and we arent good enough for the play offs.

Im not even sure about that. Not necessarily today but ive questioned his application and effort a few times in the past.

Been really poor that first half, totally outclassed. Full backs and the front 3 particularly poor.

I certainly dont blame Mowbray for the relegation. He didnt save us from it and thus failed his difficult task but hes at the back of the queue in terms of blame overall. I also think promotion and stability were the expectations in the next 2 seasons. Achieved by Mowbray both times and meeting but not particularly exceeding expectations is not a negative at all. Many managers have lost jobs for not doing so. The fact that he met those expectations means I am very fond of him and hold a positive opinion of his time in charge.

I expect us to borrow someone again.

Be very difficult to discard crap especially in this economic climate.

Absolutely. Designated/preferred seats will surely become an illogical luxury short term due to the spacing.

I dont see how there is any solution around the desire to keep your seat in the short term, assuming limited capacties. It is a strange one in terms of season tickets for this eventuality. Maybe allow people to select seats as normal but whilst capacity is limited, I dont see how people can select seats, surely it would be just go in the order that you enter the ground.

Same team youd have to say. Obviously we need 4 wins and results elsewhere so our chance is 1 in a million to sneak 6th and I dont think anyone realistically thinks it will happen. Tough game though and I cant see past an away win sadly. West Brom are a quality side. I think Rankin Costello could have a long afternoon against one of a series of quality wingers.

I must say that I find your attitude towards players who have spent time on loans to be a strange one, loan spells are a very valid development route and it doesnt suggest that the player is unwanted or not rated, often quite the opposite. Also 23 years old for a centre back is not old, hes not ready for the scrapheap. For him to have been successful playing in Leagues when he has been growing into his body against experienced pros knocking him about is good for his development. You mention Buckley, he hasnt really transitioned fully into the first team and could do with a loan. Would a loan mean that is it for him here and he is not rated? Not at all. The argument about him starting on the opening day is a strawman argument too as no one has said that. The common consensus has been, can Wharton come back and be part of the squad. Even you acknowledged that by comparing him to Derrick Williams which was a bizarre comparison. We have one contracted very competent centre back, and one injury prone and below average one who also covers left back. We have little money, of course we need to sign a main centre back to replace Adarabioyo externally, but Wharton is at least worth considering as a squad player with plenty of football now under his belt.

He did play up front quite a lot in the first half of the season and was still poor to be fair. But he definitely has played wide much of the time especially lately.

Behave. My issue is not saying that Mowbray was to blame for relegation. Venkys and Coyle are the main 2 to blame. I just think its a load of bollocks to say that a task he had, a very difficult task, which he failed to do, just, should be viewed as anything other than that, a difficult job failed, rather than praising him based on flawed and irrelevant points per game extrapolations. You cannot stretch his points tally over the season, its not accurate and it never happened. The fact of the matter is that if he got one more point, he would have succeeded at a difficult task. As he didnt, he failed. That didnt mean I wanted him out at that point, I was happy that he remained, I had seen enough to suggest that he was the man to continue and he was, but he did fail that task. He then succeeded at promotion and then stability the following season. I am not even 100% convinced that I want Mowbray to go and even if he did, I would say that hes done a good job and I would look back fondly at his time. So to suggest I dont like him is not true at all.