Time to look at youth

[robinrover]

Well that's it,a disappointing end to a almost but not quite sort of season.
We have 2 games left to secure mediocrity so it begs the question do we try some of the academy?
The goalkeeper position is badly in need of addressing,so maybe try fisher just to see if he is worth keeping on.
Tosin is going back to city,so let's try carter and see if this boy can cut it.
Davenport needs to play these final 2 games in replacement of travis.
The boy is carrying an injury and I really would look at that rather than aggravate it further.
We have little to lose now but with a big transfer window coming up,we need to try and see if the academy has any more gems to offer.

[seventwo]

Yes we should leave our loanees and clearly inadequate players out for the remaining games.
More chance of Smallwood getting a run.

I'd still like to know how much extra wages/bonus Mulgrew triggered in his last appearance and how Mowbray may have benefited from it

[champs95]

Last night, our experienced manager, took Nyambe out of the side. And came out and said his performances since lockdown have been 'poor'.
And he played Bennett instead. That's one thing I have had more than my fill of. we lost Raya last season down to that incompetence. I bet Nyambe leaves with Armstrong, Travis and Lenihan.
And Bennett is handed another season of captaincy.
While we all sit and wonder, why are we so inconsistent? Why are we so poor one week, and decent the next?
As I say, the fact we needed a goal last night, and he brought Buckley and Davenport on and NOT Brereton is more examples of where we are going wrong.

[seventwo]

Couldn't agree more

[AucklandRover]

But you can't just look at the things that support one side of the discussion.
His changes against Cardiff worked very well.
Millwall and Wigan are the types of team we have struggled against for two seasons.
Their goal is the one-nil win, and we find it very hard to break them down - especially without Dack. (Obviously, the 8-0 was freak).
But look at the recent records of those two clubs.
LOTS of teams have found them difficult to break down!
I still feel that with Dack around we might have sneaked into the top six, which would have made for an exciting end to the season.
But PL? Seriously?
And, in fact, it will be a major surprise if any of the promoted clubs do well next season.
To me, Bournemouth look better than any of them!

[seventwo]

It's all down to luck so the manager and players have little influence.

[champs95]

But you can't just look at the things that support one side of the discussion.
His changes against Cardiff worked very well.
Millwall and Wigan are the types of team we have struggled against for two seasons.
Their goal is the one-nil win, and we find it very hard to break them down - especially without Dack. (Obviously, the 8-0 was freak).
But look at the recent records of those two clubs.
LOTS of teams have found them difficult to break down!
I still feel that with Dack around we might have sneaked into the top six, which would have made for an exciting end to the season.
But PL? Seriously?
And, in fact, it will be a major surprise if any of the promoted clubs do well next season.
To me, Bournemouth look better than any of them!

Do you think Cardiff and Millwall or Swansea who are all going to finish above us, are good enough for the Prem? One of them will make the play offs. We wont. And next season I full expect us top be around the relegation places if Mowbray is still here.
Its all very stale

[AucklandRover]

No - of course they're not good enough.
There is a huge gulf between the two Divisions.
It's almost a matter of course, now, that - on average - only one of the three promoted teams survives for more than two seasons.
In the Championship, two or three teams seem to manage a little more consistency each season than the others and make the grade.
Sometimes it's superior quality; sometimes not. When Fulham went up, they looked to have a very decent squad, but they were one of the failures. Wolves seems to have defied the odds. I watched Bournemouth the other day. They looked far better than any of the Championship teams I've seen this season, with the possible exception of Brentford.
Then you get ten to 15 Championship teams (sometimes more!) with very little between them, and this is where my argument comes in.
Of course, the ability of the individual players is paramount, but pretending that the manager is then the only other factor which counts is ludicrous.
Some teams gel quickly and/or permanently; some don't.
Players come in and out of form.
Injuries are a major factor.
Referees might cost you/gift you the three points that make the difference to your season.
Confidence is the elusive quality that is hardest to manufacture.
In the Championship, the thing that seems to elude most teams is consistency.
Finally, however much Seventwo dislikes the idea, luck does play a part. If a team loses a play-off final when their fifth penalty hits the inside of the post but bounces out, it has NOTHING to do with the manager!

As for that manager's role? Despite the words that some of you try to put in my mouth, I have NEVER said the manager is unimportant.
I just have three supportable convictions on this point.
1) I cannot understand this claim that some of them are "good" and some of them are "bad". Apart from a small elite (which we can't afford!), the vast majority of them have dramatically mixed career records. The same man can be regarded as a hero at one club, and an absolute duffer at another.
2) The average fan's belief that changing the manager is the only answer and guaranteed to bring about improvements is - to put it as politely as I can - "naive". It shows the same ability to re-write history as Trump's daily offerings.
3) The idea that we can do no worse than Mowbray is refuted by a simple look back over the last ten years.

As for this thread's title, I agree that it's time to turn more towards youth, and in fact, Mowbray has already started that process.

[seventwo]

If a player misses a penalty it's because they haven't practised their technique enough.
That is 100% down to the manager.

[champs95]

I couldn't care less if he stays or goes. The club will not be getting any more money from me and I have lost complete interest, until a new voice comes in, and I will be interested to see the players who are not progressing now, start to progress.
Its not just Mowbray, its the coaching staff as a whole. They are poor. Nobody is progressing.
Armstrongs first touch is abysmal. He was fast when he arrived, and is still fast now. His movement is poor, he isn't improving as a player.
Travis was decent anyway, but isn't improving as a player. Rothwell is staying the same, not improving.
Holbty arrived looking half decent. He is heading backwards.
Brereton, not improving.
Gallagher, not improving.
Bell not improving.
Nyambe, not improving.
Buckley, not improving.
Chapman, not improving.
Davenport, never plays, not improving.
Samuel - massive donkey, is heading backwards at a sharp pace.

Instead of improving young players, or even playing the, Instead he picks Bennett, and Downing & Johnson. Rovers are going absolutely nowhere with players like this. People like Downing. He has not improved us one bit as a team. Not one single bit. We have the same points as last season. We are not playing good football on a regular basis. One decent performance every 4 or 4. The rest is ****e. When Bennett is ****e. He doesnt come out and say that. Same with the older players who he massively favours. When Nyambe is dropped, he publicly hangs him out to dry. Saying he hasnt been fit since lockdown. Johnson hasn't looked fit all season!!! But not a word about him. He has publicly slated Brereton, and punishes him. He is clearly punishing Chapman. He clearly fell out with Raya before he left to a club heading places. He has destroyed Gallagher. He favours playing Downing and Johnson over a kid like Davenport, opting to not even give him one single start. It is painful.

I can go on and on and on. Nobody is improving.
Young players won't improve while things are like they are. It is clearly time for a change. Someone young, with new ideas.
Mowbray is one of the reasons we get so low crowds.


You can ignore that Aucks, you are sat in NZ. Try sitting in Ewood park around 11k fans, and see how ****e it is.
He is like Allardyce, a dour sod who soon passes past the honey moon period. Half the fans think he's ok, the other half don't go anymore.
Nobody will forget the good he did when he arrived. And thats fine. Now its time for a change. Things can go stale in football very quickly. It has here at our club. If you are trailing long distances to see this crap, believe me, you eventually run out of interest. Many others have, hence our low crowds, and nobody is coming back.

Venky's haven't got a clue about appointing a good up and coming manager like Ainsworth, so we would like end up with some idiot like Owen Coyle again. So I am not holding my breath.
I do think if he doesn't leave, next season will be a relegation battle. He is looking a little lost, yet again. Keeps happening this.

One player in the entire squad looks comfortable on the ball. The young lad who was coached properly at Man City. And he is heading back. Personally, I would have been playing Carter to see what he can do. But nope.
Same with Davenport, but nope. we need to give Downing 3 games a week at 34.
And the wonderful Danny Graham, who hasn't looked like a footballer for well over 12 months. But keep playing him, leave that £7m signing who's confidence is shot on that bench. And punish him.

If Venkys had a clue what they were doing, TM would have gone back in Sept time.