I know Preston have had a few decent years at this level, but theyve not made the play offs for a long while and our resources dwarf theirs. They also had the handicap of a terrible start due to being riddled with injuries.

What did people think of Mowbrays comments suggesting that we are doing well to be on level points with Preston? I thought they were a little strange, we shouldnt be using a team of Prestons stature as one who it is a big achievement to be on par with. Prestons horrendous start to the season has meant they are having a poor season so its nothing to be boasting about in press conferences. Interesting to see the PNE manager and players in the media bigging up a play off push and saying it is achievable, and ours is saying this: “There’s still a long way to go but it looks like we’re going to fall short of what we would like to achieve." https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/rovers/news/17434228.tony-mowbray-on-rovers-aspirations-for-the-final-14-games/

Its not arrogant to have a view contrary to that of the manager, And Graham has played 3 games (the majority of) 3 times in a week this season already, as I said the other day. If thats the case hes a poor journalist! Gets a story and doesnt release it?!

Why do you want to rectify our terrible and neglected defensive record by bringing in someone you deem as a squad player?! Beggars belief.

What you seem unable to do or accept others doing is questioning decisions once Mowbray has said thats what hes doing, regardless of their effectiveness. Even if he explains what he is doing, Brereton wide, Rodwell centre back, Bennett right back, it doesnt mean that it is right, that it has worked or will work or that it is above questioning. If he plays there continiously and he makes more errors or we still concede goal after goal, he will be questioned and you will seemingly continue to be frustrated that we are "going over and over it FFS." You also have a clear policy where you never criticise selection, instead pinning each individual goal on an individual mistake. If we are making so many defensive mistakes and have barely spent a penny on defenders, maybe question the quality back there. If ever there is a decision that you are called out for initially going against but suddenly changing to defend Mowbray, youve got 2 piss poor comebacks, we "dont have inside info" (may explain Graham and Dacks fitness, doesnt explain Brereton wide, Bennett RB, Rodwell CB, Reed, Rothwell and Nyambe subs etc) or that we might not have won anyway! No shit, sherlock! Rodwell has been a mixed bag at centre back. At times he has made key errors in an unfamiliar position, giving away 2 penalties and backing off on Tuesday. He has been excellent against teams like Millwall, Hull and Ipswich against poor strikers, as his ability on the ball and often his reading of the play is superb. Many believe his home is in his natural midfield role and just because Mowbray wants him in defence doesnt mean they are wrong or cannot question it. Being mid table isnt a cloak to defend Mowbray against everything be does. If you are incapable or unwilling to criticise Mowbray regardless of what he does or what our results are, fair enough but dont expect others to.

Theres no way in a million years that he can play over Dack. He impressed most at Forest as a central striker. He should play there if at all. Obviously his main assets are not his strength or aeriel ability.

Calling other fans negative is usually the last resort when no constructive criticism can be made. Mowbray deserves plenty of criticism for these last 3 games, just as he was praised plenty during last month. Weve reverted to giving away plenty of easy goals and many of the common flaws that have haunted us really this season have come back with a vengeance. His team selection on Wednesday opened himself up to plenty of criticism. Chaddy picking a totally different team yet then arguing the toss against those who criticised Mowbray for what he picked has lost him any credibility he may have had. Even if Graham and Dack were deemed unfit, there are plenty of other bizarre calls he made which led to our defeat. Personnel choices with a very uninspiring midfield, and Reed, Rothwell and Nyambe all on the bench, and tactical choices, with Armstrong central and Brereton out wide. Its not the first time hes made a massively changed side this season, and he implied post match that he does target home games and that Sunday is more important. When Allardyce said similar he was rightly crucifed. Mowbrays unwillingness to admit or seemingly be desperate to fix our piss poor defensive record has to be a major concern as we wont progress conceding at the rate we do. Yes a mid table finish would be fairly reasonable and I personally dont want Mowbray sacked. But its the manner of our defeats that has caused concern and our place in the table cannot be used as a cloak to protect him from individual pieces of criticism when it is due.

He has this season too. He played the full game v Villa, an hour v Derby and then all but the last 5 at Stoke in which he was incredible. He then played an hour v Sheff United in between 90 minutes v Forest and Bolton. In 11 days over christmas he played 90 minutes v Norwich, Leeds and West Brom. Even if both him and Dack are deemed unfit to start he got his team wrong regardless.

Bell the first out the door for me. A perfect example of whats wrong with our defence. Cowardly, flimsy, allows wide men a free pass to get a cross in at will. I would drop Lenihan before Mulgrew, far too erratic, rash, over eager and really poor on the ball too. Agreed on no more Bennett at right back. Nyambe should be starting and only a desperate need to fit one of his favourites in somewhere is stopping that. Raya far too error prone, but dont see us getting anything other than back up there sadly. I dont expect a defensive overhaul sadly with our manager seemingly seeing it as unimportant. Maybe a Bauer will come in as "competition." We need starters.

The defence will have to be competent to challenge for promotion.

I said in a previous tweet that even with them 2 presumed injured there was plenty he could have done that would have been more logical. Brereton central, Armstrong wide, Rothwell, Reed, Williams and Nyambe in. You blame individuals and dont appreciate that Mowbray has neglected our defensive areas in the transfer market and thus the individuals left are more prone to mistakes, and also everyone seems to be making mistakes which suggests organisational issues. Mowbray cannot be absolved of blame. @Ewood Ace has given you a perfect example of how you just simply modify your opinion to suit Mowbray having picked a totally different team prior.

Yeah but leaving the full back exposed. Offered nothing to cover the full back bar a clumsy foul. He wont though, hes a striker. If thats your argument then that could go for anything. Nyambe and Reed were also in your team. They didnt put the chance away, one good chance for Armstrong and a couple of half chances. No firepower on the pitch. I am negative because a bizarre team selection and continious defensive and organisational woes led to a third straight loss, an 8th loss in 15 and v a shit team at that. Best manager since Allardyce. Albeit the alternatives are all shit. Im not saying hes not done a good job but theres a massive red flag surrounding his defensive negligence and you seem as relaxed about it as him despite it costing us game in game out.

Dont let vinjay see such a welcome.

That is the argument of someone with little to nothing constructive to say. The team you suggested had 3 or 4 different players, in a different formation and with a few of those players in different positions. So you quite blatantly didnt agree with the team selected. Many of these changes were things highlighted by those critical of last night which saw us slip to a third successive defeat and concede 2 more goals against a very poor side. You suggested Brereton central and Armstrong wide prior to the game. They played in the opposite positions yet youve still defended the manager on it. You didnt have Smallwood and Conway in your team yet have defended Mowbray for it. Smacks of hypocricsy. If when that happens, you just resort back to full defence mode of the manager even though you would have selected a different team and formation, instead putting any differences down to Mowbray having "inside info." Its nonsense. Just admit he got it wrong last night, or admit that there are flaws in the team that he has struggled to fix thus far. Doesnt mean you want him sacked or that he hasnt brought plenty of good things to the club.

Most arent saying Mowbray out but that he needs to address our woeful defensive record. His recent comments suggest he doesnt see it as a concern but it bloody well is. If they are fit to come on they are fit to start but Ive suggested a far more balanced team above even if they were out rather than the shite he put out yesterday. Brereton clearly wanted to come central, but he left a midfielder playing right back exposed by coming inside. He is not a wide man. End of. Defending the indefensible.

The thing is as well, just say Dack and Graham werent fit enough to start. That doesnt excuse the selection. Would have made more sense to start Williams and Nyambe full back, Reed instead of Smallwood to add some dynamism to the middle 3, Brereton central and Rothwell and Armstrong either side. That would have been far more balanced even assuming Dack and Graham couldnt play.

Moved enough to score 11 goals which is a decent tally. And thats before his hold up play etc which is subjective but for me top drawer.

Not at all. With at times very limited service, his leading of the line added by a healthy goal contribution tally has been very impressive. You are seemingly on your own in thinking he isnt up to it.

Hes played 3 games a week a few times this season. Giving our player of the season so far an extra year was the easiest decision all year.

Seems the common line at the moment. Look at the defence first Tony!

Even if they were both deemed unfit to start, which I dont really buy but anyway. Why is Rothwell not given a start, not 15 minutes? Why is Brereton out wide? Even assuming selection limitations, he didnt do the best from what he had. Side note, why was Brereton standing waiting for a short corner at one point? 6 foot odd striker so little threat that he doesnt bother getting in the box.

It hasnt really. Its not blind loyalty continiously picking 2 players who have scored double figures. Especially when we have been so poor and toothless when they have missed games. It is blind loyalty continiously playing Bell despite being incompetent. Constantly shoehorning Bennett in, too often finding a place for Smallwood and Conway. Your attitude towards our inconsistency is seemingly as relaxed as Mowbray, possibly part of your refusal to ever criticise him. Our defensive record is shocking because he hs neglected it, and a minority of his money and signings have been on defensive reinforcements. We have the luxury of a 7m striker to make only 2 starts yet have to make do with a wide man at right back, a central midfielder at centre back, and of the 2 signings he paid nominal fees for to improve the defence, one has left and one is the worst player in the team. Judging by his comments in the media our defensive vulnerability doesnt seem to concern Mowbray. Conceding late goals and throwing away leads isnt a case of oh well, we are inconsistent. It wont go away by itself. Is Mowbray capable of fixing it? We will see.

Can i ask: Does our defensive record worry you at all? Does our continued throwing away points, often from winning positions worry you? Does the fact that Mowbray is fiercely loyal to a number of players of limited ability worry you? Does our inability to pick points up away from home worry you? Does our total reliance on 2 players for goals worry you?

His point was clearly that we had the 2 players most likely to put away chances on the bench, due to the manager. Our 7m striker had one of our best chances and put it into orbit sadly. People will continue to question the manager for as long as we continue to lose games and for as long as we continue to neglect any attempts to stop conceding so many goals. People are "over reacting" because we lost to a shite team in really poor fashion. Natural reaction is to be pissed off when we throw points away all the time due to a weak underbelly that the manager seems fairly relaxed about.

We've lost 8 in 15. We've conceded the most goals in the league away from home. Only 3 teams have conceded more than us this season. We have thrown away one of if not the most points in the league from winning positions. Our manager has said he is not worried about our defensive record this week. We have signed a 7 million striker who is yet to score for the club. We lost to 3rd bottom after our manager chose to make wholesale changes that were almost universally disagreed with pre-match. What did you expect?