Crossroads time

[robinrover]

I believe we are at a crossroads
Win on Wednesday against Wigan and we are pretty much safe
Mowbray keeps his job and will start to plan for next season.
Lose and in my opinion he will be gone
Is this the correct move?probably not however the wheels have flown off and we don't seem bothered enough to pop them back on again.
We played better today but the result is the same and from one eye on the play offs to looking over our shoulders
Not good enough I am afraid.

[champs95]

I believe we are at a crossroads
Win on Wednesday against Wigan and we are pretty much safe
Mowbray keeps his job and will start to plan for next season.
Lose and in my opinion he will be gone
Is this the correct move?probably not however the wheels have flown off and we don't seem bothered enough to pop them back on again.
We played better today but the result is the same and from one eye on the play offs to looking over our shoulders
Not good enough I am afraid.

We surley can't keep losing games. We played well enough to win the game. First half we completely bossed it. But that weakness in our defence was exposed yet again. Rather unlucky in that the one chance they had, they scored. We got punished badly, which does seem to keep happening. Can we be this unlucky this many times? When does it stop being luck, and simply not good enough? Not sure.
We looked a better side than them.
However, aren't we such a soft touch. They, like the vast majority of the better sides do, timreaste. Hurl themselves to the ground. And seem to get the lions share of decisions. We seem to be a bit nice. The ref is never under pressure to give us anything.
Equally, they looked solid defensively. We just don't. So it will really give us less and less chance every week to get any points, because we ship goals.
The Ref was a joke, so many down here are crap. Another tough day to take.
We never seem to turn up as a club, when we take so many fans away, and get such a good day out. And I'm not just talking about the 4-1 away defeat with this lot. I just think there has been too many of those.
Another injury to Mulgrew means we virtually have no fit centre halves left. Another glaring error, leaving is painfully light.
If we lost every game left, I still think we would just about stay up. Which could well happen? There are no signs this will change, no matter if we have an off day, or play well. And no manager, no club in world football can ignore defeat after defeat. Even if we do stay up, I just think things have gone very wrong.

[AucklandRover]

I'm still more inclined to think it only comes down to small margins, Champs.
We looked the better team for about 75% of this game, but the lack of confidence has just taken that essential edge off.
The referee was plain fussy at times. Sometimes, there are lessons to be learned from the way rugby is officiated, in terms of letting the game flow.
Also, when your luck's out, the loose balls just don't seem to fall for you in the box.
This was actually a decent performance, but - you're right - the Wigan game now becomes absolutely v*tal to our morale. We all know what will happen. They will try to bully us. Luckily, their confidence must be right down too.

[champs95]

I'm still more inclined to think it only comes down to small margins, Champs.
We looked the better team for about 75% of this game, but the lack of confidence has just taken that essential edge off.
The referee was plain fussy at times. Sometimes, there are lessons to be learned from the way rugby is officiated, in terms of letting the game flow.
Also, when your luck's out, the loose balls just don't seem to fall for you in the box.
This was actually a decent performance, but - you're right - the Wigan game now becomes absolutely v*tal to our morale. We all know what will happen. They will try to bully us. Luckily, their confidence must be right down too.

Their confidence will be down. But so will ours to be fair? Then again, we played well today in spells. Mulgrew will be out sadly, and Nyambe couldn't even walk off the pitch. I think he did his hamstring. I believe Rodwell had a slight thigh strain, which luckily he wasn't risked today. So hopefully we will have him alongside Williams? This isn't the game (Wigan) though for Maglorie. They really would rough him up. They are a big physical side who will target him.
Either of the 2 young lads we sent out on loan could've stepped in. Or Downing. He's have played the last 4 imo. Why TM thought weakening us in Jan was a good idea, is probably won't be here next month. I'm not doing all this sack him after one defeat in isolation....thing....I'm merely saying if we keep losing games, and we could, then they won't have any choice. If we lost to Wigan, we then have Sheff Wed & Forest away. We seem to have no luck, but equally, people like Dack just aren't doing it. He pulled out of a few challenges (again) today. Same with Reed. Same with Bennett. Who simply isn't good enough.
I just feel we need a spark from somewhere.
When Travis (and Nuttall) first got in the side they performed well above their capabilities. Because they had something to prove. Evans hasnt, nor Bennett, Reed wants to go back and play for Southampton reserves. Dack isn't interested really.
Let's see what Butterworth, Buckley, Chapman (Even Brereton) can do? Maybe not all at once. Mix a few in? We aren't going anywhere with these players anymore. They aren't good enough. I like most of them, but they aren't up to it. I was disappointed Chapman didn't make the bench today. He has to be a better option than Armstrong. Who is just poor atcthe moment. Or Buckley. He is changing the side every week, but doing it in the wrong areas. Dropping Bell, then bringing in Reed, then in the first half, he kept moving Reed & Bennett from one side to another? I'm really watching what he's doing with interest at the moment. As we have absolutely no style of play. No specific system. And nothing is working. Mainly down to the players who in quite a few areas, aren't quite good enough.

[champs95]

As I say, we could lose every gsme from now to the end if the season. Still 10 games left. Realistically, we need 2 wins to be absolutely sure. Even then, Rotherham simply aren't going to win every game. Bolton & Ipswich are almost gone. And it will be so unlikely either will suddenly go on a winning run. If all 3 did, then they would be beating sides between us and the relegation spots, so even then we'd still survive. But none of this will stop the rot. If we keeping losing, then TM will go. Today was plain unfortunate. Bad ref, they had one shot. Last week it was pathetic, and we lost. It has to change, and right now I think we are completely reliant on luck. It's that, which will change before we get anything.
Looking at the 10 final games, Bolton at home, and possibly Derby (who's wheels have fallen off like ours) where I realistically see us getting anything.

[robinrover]

It's roll your sleeves up time
Wigan will be the last chance saloon for tony Mowbray
Will we win?
Yes I believe we will.

[seventwo]

Win promotion to the Championship then stay up in the first season and build for the future.

Job done thanks Mr Mowbray.

[AucklandRover]

Nobody likes a run such as this, but I have to say, the bottom line is that we will still be in the Championship - which, as Seventwo says, was the key thing for this season.
Champs, calling for the mass importation of the youngsters is just guesswork. There is a huge gap between the Under-23 game and senior football. Of course, it might work - anything is possible. It just seems a bit of a desperate gamble to me. I imagine Mowbray has targeted 50 points. Once we are there, we probably will see more experimentation.
I didn't think there was any lack of effort on Saturday, but when players lack confidence, they tend to resort to hit and hope. I thought Reed, Bennett and Armstrong should have got into the box more, as Dack doesn't seem to be spotting the lay-offs from Graham in the way he did earlier in the season.

[champs95]

Nobody likes a run such as this, but I have to say, the bottom line is that we will still be in the Championship - which, as Seventwo says, was the key thing for this season.
Champs, calling for the mass importation of the youngsters is just guesswork. There is a huge gap between the Under-23 game and senior football. Of course, it might work - anything is possible. It just seems a bit of a desperate gamble to me. I imagine Mowbray has targeted 50 points. Once we are there, we probably will see more experimentation.
I didn't think there was any lack of effort on Saturday, but when players lack confidence, they tend to resort to hit and hope. I thought Reed, Bennett and Armstrong should have got into the box more, as Dack doesn't seem to be spotting the lay-offs from Graham in the way he did earlier in the season.

I'm almost out of ideas that's all. Playing a set of youngsters all at once, when the chips are down, is a bad idea. Would playing a few hurt?
Manchester United on Wed vrs PSG (away) played two, 17 year old kids. It was a massive game for the club. And they had the faith to play two children. These lads of ours are massively inform.
Bennett, Dack, Armstrong, Reed are all woefully out of form. In a few cases just simply aren't good enough. We know what Bennett can do. Run about, puff his cheeks, and look down at the ground as he knocks another cross out of play. I just feel we need a spark. Chapman? He has to be better than Armstrong who just isn't a winger. We need to do something.

[AucklandRover]

I do accept that something needs to be tried, but they clearly feel Chapman isn't up to full speed yet. Unfortunately, Davenport has a knock, so he isn't an option either.
With Rodwell, Mulgrew and Lenihan all missing, I assume Nyambe and Williams will have to play in the middle with Bennett and Bell as full-backs (unless we try three at the back again).
It's weird that virtually all our injuries have come in defensive areas. That has certainly meant we have felt Downing's departure more strongly.
TM may still feel the need to protect such a makeshift defence, so it come down to which two do you pick for the holding positions from Travis, Reed, Smallwood and Evans. (I favour Travis and Smallwood myself).
Assuming Mowbray will still rely on the Graham-Dack partnership returning to form, it then becomes a question of the other two places. Presumably, that will lie between Reed, Rothwell and Armstrong.
I'd be inclined to give Rothwell a go wide-left (although that is not his preferred position), with Reed on the right flank.
There's nothing much new there, but it would be high-risk to bring in more youngsters with such a depleted defence.
The other option is to play Rothwell on the right with Craig Conway in his standard spot.
If Mowbray can bring himself to drop Dack, of course, Armstrong could finally get a game as the No. 10 - which is where he has wanted to play all along.