Good win v a terrible team whose fans derided McCarthys style and love Lambert despite naively trying to get Collins and Chambers to play the ball out, with horrendous results, but hey he did pay for away travel! First half performance was shocking by us, constantly lumping it and playing it into their hands (or heads) with a total lack of energy after Tuesday, Second half we played it on the ground more and were far better and deserved to win. Our obvious weakness is at full back, Bell did improve second half to be fair and Bennett did fire a wonderful pass in the build up to the second goal, but his indecision nearly cost us one in a mix up with Raya, and I feel like Nyambes exclusion is unfair solely to shoehorn Bennett in somewhere. Centre backs were very impressive. Lenihans distribution at times was poor but he is a warrior, and Rodwell was superb. Big conundrum when Mulgrew returns, I'd personally consider Rodwell and Travis in central midfield which would have a good blend of tenacity and composure. Deserves a longer deal. Moving on to Travis, he again was outstanding, his energy, composure and desire to look forward make him an automatic pick for me. Evans was pretty tidy alongside him, Reed wasnt that good and looks fatigued to me. Armstrong was pretty quiet first half but in the second half he was unplayable. His pace and directness are now being coupled with more of an end product. Glad to see him coming to the table after a poor start to the season. Dack had a quiet game, should have done better with his chance in the first half, but a couple of bits of quality in the second almost leading to goals. Graham nullified by counter-productive tactics but ice cool from the spot. Subs had a big impact too. Rothwell was much improved, he was a constant threat and deserved that goal when his shot hit the post. Nuttall has to be ahead of Brereton now, his game is far from complete but he has a knack of being in the right place at the right time. Still think we need 2 or 3 additions, something else going forward (a wide man) and a left back are definites, and the play offs will be beyond us IMO but green shoots showing in the last couple of weeks, the form of the likes of Travis and Armstrong being very promising looking forward.

Certainly needs to be more drive in terms of continiously signing players to improve. Dishing out contracts to the likes of Williams and Smallwood as "rewards" for promotion is totally sending out the wrong message. I agree on Bennett and Smallwood too. Mowbray overstates Bennetts versatility as he has shown really that he cannot play as a right back, and I'm even more sure that he cannot play left wing back. He is a midfielder, and one who should be chosen on merit dependant on form etc rather than at the moment where he is one of the first names on the team sheet, with the form and availability of the others chosen to pick the team determining where he actually plays! Both Bennett and Smallwood have parts to play going forward and are very good to have around due to their characters, their experience and the trust Mowbray has in them but if they remain automatic picks regardless then we will struggle to progress much further in the near future.

Whilst obviously mentality plays a key role and shocks can happen, there is no reason not to be frustrated, annoyed and dissappointed at anything other than 3 points tomorrow. You need to be targetting no less than maximum points when playing bottom of the league at home in any league. You mention the unpredictability of the league and you are right but there is plenty of crap near the bottom, of which Ipswich are bottom of.

The thing is, there isnt quantitative data as to how much the scheme of offering surcharges makes or loses the club because we dont know how many other people have decided against attending due to the raised price on the day. Saying x people still pay the surcharge therefore it isnt putting people off is factually incorrect, it doesnt prove anything as no one has argued that the surcharge has or will cause a total absence of matchday sales. The whole "we like to know in advance how many people are going" argument goes in the face of any sort of desire to get as many people in the ground as possible, and makes it seem like loads of people deciding last minute (which in many occasions will be the case) is an inconvenience rather than a bonus. I dont really get the argument that it is "fleecing" fans as obviously if people are willing to pay extra theyd be stupid not to charge it in a way. The whole crux of the argument centralises around those people who are offput on the day by the increase, not around those who do still go in spite of it. It also doesnt justify it that other clubs also charge it. I find their policy equally as puzzling, except I dont really care as it doesnt affect us.

Whilst I do agree that he can perhaps consider himself unfortunate not to have played more minutes, especially considering the alternatives. And I do agree that we are sadly short of flair and creativity. I remain unconcinced that Rothwell is the answer at the moment. You compare him to Brereton and you can at least see raw ability, hes quick and he can beat people, theres definitely something there. But hes yet to be sculpted into a particular position, ive read that he sees himself as a central midfielder but id never trust him there, he needs to be in the final third where his risks are more likely to be rewarded rather than cost us going the other way. But the more hes played, the less convinced I become. Im not too sure hes had a particularly positive impact in admittedly mainly cameos, hes yet to score or assist (unlike Palmer who was derided in comparison) and hes just continiously run into blind alleys, often in dangerous areas. The Sheff United game was a prime example of why I can understand Mowbrays distrust.

Not necessarily true. We have conceded 18 goals in the last 15 minutes of games according to Sky and are right up there in the points thrown away table.

Good, constructive argument.

Both are shite but Bell is the worst of the 2.

Raya Nyambe Lenihan Mulgrew Williams Travis Evans Reed Dack Armstrong Graham Subs: Leutweiler, Downing, Bennett, Rodwell, Conway, Rothwell, Nuttall Don't want Bell near the squad, Bennett anywhere near the right back position and I don't think Brereton warrants a place in the squad either. Bench shows how we DO need reinforcements no matter how much its played down.

It was patched up but made far more unconvential by Mowbrays spontaneous decision to change to a formation that left more square pegs in round holes than round ones! So yes sympathy with the injuries and illnesses but equally he deserves criticism for playing the system he did. The gap between Bennett (who couldnt overlap being on the wrong side) and Bell was very troublesome. You mention Brereron, you say you think he will look good, I ask the same of @DaveyB is that literally just blind hope? As age alone is not enough to suggest potential. What does he offer? Very fair post otherwise.

Your obsession with demeaning Graham is affecting your view. He certainly doesnt warrant us giving him a run in his favourite position. You look at Graham, he is strong, he is a good finisher with a record of scoring goals, he is intelligent especialy in terms of his hold up, hes good in the air. You seem quick to discard his contribution even last night but even if he hadnt have done anything else (he did, with plenty of direct balls lobbed up to him again) his contribution was key solely with his excellent hold up and pass for Armstrongs goal, and he almost replicated the feat (via Conway) if only Dack had put away that chance in extra time. Armstrong and Nuttall (never a wide man though!) have also shown far more to suggest that even if Graham is unavailable, they should be ahead of Brereton in the pecking order. And Brereton went off to a solely positive reaction which no one has mentioned, clapped off, no one was hurling rotten tomatoes at him as you may expect reading how people think hes been treated. I heard Mowbray say about Nuttall that he might need to go out and play first team football where the fans "will be cheering him or booing him" which I thought was right but also applies to Brereton, albeit not that extreme. When any player hits a good chance out for a throw in, puts a 5 yard pass in to touch or steps over the ball when a shot was on, the crowd will naturally groan regardless of the player and you need to have thick enough skin to get through that, but its certainly not abuse. And @Bigdoggsteel you mention social media, hes not going to see the official club tweets but I agree that a mindless minority of idiots abusing him on Instagram (dont have it myself so havent witnessed it) is out of order and he may be better off removing his account. But believe me, at the ground everyone is willing him on and clapped him off yesterday.

Dont see what the last 18 months has to do with judging the Newcastle game last night in isolation. Small steps indeed, but some of the steps Mowbray has taken with recruitment are not forward steps. Promotion and signing Dack are more than small steps. The injury/illness list is a valid point but likewise the criticism of the formation is just as valid. There was no need to add further chaos, imbalance and confusion to a patched up defence. There is also a lot of valid debate and criticism over 2 of Mowbrays signings in Brereton and Bell who again were really poor IMO and I seemingly am not on my own with that opinion. Obviously the team spirit Mowbray has fostered was again there for all to see yesterday and something we are all grateful for.

Thought Mowbray got it totally wrong today with his bizarre tactics. He said they were a last minute, untrained choice based on Rodwells late pull out which makes it even worse, to overcomplicate it as he did. We were 2 down before we knew it and showed good character to come back before the game hit a lull, Raya made the mistake he did and before we knew it we were lucky to only concede 4 as extra time progressed. Raya has obviously essentially cost us the game, pitiful for the third and should have done better for the 4th. It made no sense to play 3 centre backs last minute. Bell was shocking there which was understandable, when he went to full back his horrendous shocking came to the fore. Nyambe is also never a centre back in a million years. Lenihan did his best to organise a makeshift defence, good goal and should have scored another, not the best on the ball but he was far better than anyone else back there. Bennett had another shocker, was handicapped on the left but hes really poor as a right back as we know. Reed wasnt his self either in that role. Thought Smallwood was his limited self and Travis was much sloppier than he has been, still a breath of fresh air in there. Graham was outstanding once again, delighted to see Armstrong hit some form too, lovely goal from the pair of them. Brereton started brightly with a lovely cross, then went back to shite, couldnt control the ball, make a pass and missed 2 sitters, a header and a woeful finish. Subs wise, Dack wasnt his usual self and should have scored, Rothwell was as per usual a dog chasing his tail without anything substantial in his brief cameo, Conway was poor and Nuttall is far better than Brereton but never a winger. I would say as individuals there was more bad than good but there is at least a great spirit within the squad which can make us proud.

Surely if we are being pedantic, Downing has yet to leave ("next day or two") and the team was slightly off on Saturday. (IIRC correctly Armstrong was in, albeit so was Nuttall) ?

I think 14th place is ok, I certainly dont think we are underachieving, nor overachieving for that matter. I would have been content had that been offered in the summer with the resources at our disposal, no more. I am happy with the job Mowbray is doing, I have said many times that I worry about his recruitment and dont feel hes progressed the team much with a very healthy summer budget (which has to surely cause a change in expectations), and I also would like him to show far less loyalty to players along the way who come up short to allow us to progress. That being said, theres certainly a pride in the shirt again and hes done a good job overall culminating in promotion last season.

If Waggott chose to spin any potential crowd tonight to be proof that lowering prices has little to no impact then that would be naive and foolish. The main deterrent I would suspect is the fact that it is a night game, even some season ticket holders cannot attend, especially those with kids. Add to that the fact that its on TV and paint it how you want, those two are major factors in limiting the potential crowd. Im looking forward to going down as per usual but I also appreciate that a freezing cold night against a second string Newcastle side isnt going to cause a sudden rise in sales.

Its not a fact, its very subjective. Mixing both opinions on here with those of people I know who are supporters and the general consensus that I get is that we are not too far from where people thought we would be. Mid table mediocrity, some thinking of a faint play off push, some fearing being dragged the other way, but middle of the road. You cant say we are over achieving as a fact.

Not on IMO for anyone not attending to have a go at attendances, regardless of circumstance.

I fear that like many others you underappreciate how impressive his goal and assist returns are. And how difficult it would be even if we got every penny to reinvest, to replace him. Look at the other attacking players for various fees that we have on our books that Mowbray has signed. Armstrong, Rothwell, Samuel, Brereton, Gladwin. None have come close to suggest they could make up the surplus of goals needed. And theres over 10m of attackers there.

And in the 2 summers prior to this (in the Championship) we were under a transfer embargo ahead of the first (signed Akpan, Guthrie, Delfouenso etc and sold Cairney, Rhodes mid season, Gestede etc) and the following season we sold our remaining stars (Hanley and Duffy) and spent 250k. Correct on the loyalty issue. Token contracts to Smallwood and Williams are examples of a lack of ruthlessness.

The thing that I always question when people refer to Mowbrays apparent over cautiousness and defensive nature is genuine confusion as to whether this is actually the problem. If that is his reasoning behind his general tactics and team selections then based on our defensive record, its not working! Weve conceded more tha Bolton!

The thing is, there is a key variable within your analysis. You say we have more or less the same team that got promoted. Would you not agree that, considering the money we had in the summer, that is a slight on our summer recruitment? Which 5 teams do you perceive to be worse than us, and which teams are we above that has surprised you? We have a 10th to 16th level wage budget and had 10m to spend. For all the grandeur about the league, which admittedly is entertaining, it is also littered with crap. I also think you are underestimating the ease to which we got promoted last season. Both us and Wigan finished on incredibly high points tallies, and for us that factored in a really poor start in which we initially struggled to accumulate the consistency that after a dozen games saw us overcome a 12 point gap with ease. The level of consistency in terms of results always takes precedent over the performances. This is something to which I feel is commonly underestimated when people use "for a promoted team." We are a Championship side who even in a season of even for Venkys extreme negligence only went down on goal difference.

Are we really overachieving? You seem desperate to suggest we are but I think we are about on par in terms of league position compared to where we should be, in terms of wages as much as everything else. There are teams above us (Bristol City, Hull, QPR and Birmingham) all of whom I would suggest are "overachieving" more than we are. Whereas below us, only Stoke (mismamaged this season and under considerable reconstruction) and Preston (riddled with injuries and have fat less resources) surprise me in terms of being below us. I also think you are overestimating our competitiveness by mentioning just Preston and Wigan. We have been beaten by more than one goal on quite a few occasions. Mowbray is doing a good job but his ability to build the squad with new players is questionable and hit and miss and his loyalty to some is also a big concern.

I would suspect that even if his contract is highly incentive based, there is little to no chance that a player would accept a pay as you play without a guaranteed wage of some description.

Was a horrendous game, them 2 late goals perhaps mask what was a terribly flawed gameplan, that played right into Millwalls hands with the ball forever in the air, Millwall werent very effective at what they do best although to be fair results are what matters but as Mowbray said we will need to massively improve going forward. Lenihan and Rodwell were outstanding at centre back, Lenihan in particular was a man mountain and Rodwell added some composure. Bell was absolutely rotten again, think we need to move him on, has to be high on our transfer agenda to bring in a left back. Nyambe was much better when he came on and has been very unlucky that Mowbrays insistence that Bennett must be shoehorned in somewhere even if there is no space in midfield has left him at full back where he cannot. That said, I have long since called for a vast improvement from Bennett in terms of goals and assists and he has come up with 2 superb assists in the last week so I would move him forward for the Newcastle. Travis was more subdued that he has been for most of yesterday but still better than those around him and was superb for both goals. Has to be one of the first names on the team sheet at the moment. Evans, Reed and Conway I thought were all poor, and Dack was also probably wondering why he was even in the team with the tactics we adopted. One man who is beyond question for the occasional poor performance considering his statistics. I thought Nuttall was ineffective but scored his second goal for us that was a total fluke, maybe its not a mere coincidence. Armstrong was superb when he came on and the difference.