Did Mowbray self Sabotage to make a point?


I was under the impression, and probably wrongly, that speakman was making mowbray play one of the 4 strikers the club had invested in. As soon as we stopped playing dack and or jobe up front to accommodate a striker the shape and conversion rate for goals disappeared and the bad run began.
Then there were other odd selections like Defenders in midfield. So I was pleasantly surprised to see the team and shape yesterday with jobe up front. Suprise suprise we played well and looked better.


So why did tony keep rotating strikers if he didn't have to - was he prepared to sacrifice points and his job to make a point that the strikers weren't good enough?
No

I think he had a hard time getting over the speculation in the summer and was possibly just all on edge that we would make the change in the short term.

Sad it didn't work out ...but this couldn't remain as they were
 
I was under the impression, and probably wrongly, that speakman was making mowbray play one of the 4 strikers the club had invested in. As soon as we stopped playing dack and or jobe up front to accommodate a striker the shape and conversion rate for goals disappeared and the bad run began.
Then there were other odd selections like Defenders in midfield. So I was pleasantly surprised to see the team and shape yesterday with jobe up front. Suprise suprise we played well and looked better.


So why did tony keep rotating strikers if he didn't have to - was he prepared to sacrifice points and his job to make a point that the strikers weren't good enough?
We were just going through a sticky patch, people forget the very good football we played under him for the most part.

He got us into the play offs against all the odds last season, and we were 3 points off the play offs this season when he was sacked.
Given the squad is weaker (up front) than last term it was a great effort from our ex manager.
 
We were just going through a sticky patch, people forget the very good football we played under him for the most part.

He got us into the play offs against all the odds last season, and we were 3 points off the play offs this season when he was sacked.
Given the squad is weaker (up front) than last term it was a great effort from our ex manager.
He hasn't finished as high as last season for nearly 20 years.

Maybe the squad is just better than people like to admit and players like amad and Clarke would have carried any manager.
 
He hasn't finished as high as last season for nearly 20 years.

Maybe the squad is just better than people like to admit and players like amad and Clarke would have carried any manager.
I think we have an excellent squad that is only going to improve, an experienced centre forward (Which Tony was desperate for) is what we need(ed)
 
TM was only ever a short term appointment to keep us up last season.

He and the team massively over-achieved with the run to the play offs.

With that finish, there was then more expectation - and Speakman fuelled that by stating we were aiming for promotion.

For me, with the ins and outs of the players, we were only ever going to be top half this season - especially when we're 'competing' with teams throwing £10m at players like Harry Winks and Stewart.
 
I think if he plays strikers people say he was making a point about them not being ready and if he played Dack or Jobe people would say he was making a point about the strikers not being ready

Dammed if he didn’t dammed if he did.
If Speakman wants to put this all to bed, he just tells Dodds to play his best team and best formation and forget the strikers to buy them time to recruit new manager and disprove the theory TM was being forced to play the strikers. It’s not that far or a leap.
There is no doubt in my mind they were deliberately putting out a weakened team to accommodate strikers previously
 
Dammed if he didn’t dammed if he did.
If Speakman wants to put this all to bed, he just tells Dodds to play his best team and best formation and forget the strikers to buy them time to recruit new manager and disprove the theory TM was being forced to play the strikers. It’s not that far or a leap.
There is no doubt in my mind they were deliberately putting out a weakened team to accommodate strikers previously
:lol: Teflon Tony klaxon
 
It's not easy to compare the games against Huddersfield/Millwall, with WBA yesterday. The former two sat back, parked the bus and asked us to break them down. It is very difficult for even the best teams to do but we certainly didn't have many ideas.

West Brom set up to get more from the game, but just weren't very good on the day. If all of the players were on their A-game (which let's be honest, they weren't versus Huddersfield or Millwall), then we'd have probably seen the same result with Mowbray in charge.
 
Mowbray was desperate for a decent striker to play up front, he also wanted an experienced head in midfield. If it wasn't for Mowbray we wouldn't have Pritchard now as the club wanted to sell him and had a few deals lined up but Mowbray stepped in to tell them how important he is not just on the pitch but also on the training ground for the young kids we've got
Don’t see what any of this has to do with my post.

The decent striker point is another conversation all together. It comes down to not been many of them about and those that are cost a lot of money which then challenges the model as splashing large sums isn't the remit.
 
He'd just run out of ideas.

Or a dip on form combined with a couple of poor ref decisions against us?

Yesterday, we could have had Ballard sent off ( he went on to score the first goal), 09 could have given a pen.
Also the goal that was given offside but wasn't.

We never know what goes on behind the scenes... this lot do not leak much.
That being said TM has insisted for a while we need some big strong experienced players....as well as young inexperienced players ( with talent?)
I begin to suspect KLD wanted TM gone... the players from what they have said didn't
 
Or a dip on form combined with a couple of poor ref decisions against us?

Yesterday, we could have had Ballard sent off ( he went on to score the first goal), 09 could have given a pen.
Also the goal that was given offside but wasn't.

We never know what goes on behind the scenes... this lot do not leak much.
That being said TM has insisted for a while we need some big strong experienced players....as well as young inexperienced players ( with talent?)
I begin to suspect KLD wanted TM gone... the players from what they have said didn't
Players are never going to come.out and say glad he's gone man :lol: I dont believe the players did want him gone mind, but he'd lost ideas and his career records proved he's not the man for the next step.
 
Don’t see what any of this has to do with my post.

The decent striker point is another conversation all together. It comes down to not been many of them about and those that are cost a lot of money which then challenges the model as splashing large sums isn't the remit.

Or KLD is silly and just being foolish, a mixture of youth and experience is needed...TM was standing up to him...
 
Or KLD is silly and just being foolish, a mixture of youth and experience is needed...TM was standing up to him...
Yeah and that went well didn’t it?

Maybe KLD stood up to him in his sacking and was proactive in getting a new manager who wants to work with the model.

We can all say and probably agree that the squad needs experience at times but again that changes the model.
 
I was under the impression, and probably wrongly, that speakman was making mowbray play one of the 4 strikers the club had invested in. As soon as we stopped playing dack and or jobe up front to accommodate a striker the shape and conversion rate for goals disappeared and the bad run began.
Then there were other odd selections like Defenders in midfield. So I was pleasantly surprised to see the team and shape yesterday with jobe up front. Suprise suprise we played well and looked better.


So why did tony keep rotating strikers if he didn't have to - was he prepared to sacrifice points and his job to make a point that the strikers weren't good enough?
I think you might be correct. At times in the last few games it just didn't make sense.
Or KLD is silly and just being foolish, a mixture of youth and experience is needed...TM was standing up to him...
TMs signing of Dack as one of the biggest earners, first nail in his coffin.
 
Last edited:
Aye. He had used both his ideas.

2? I read on here that he no Plan B?
We were just going through a sticky patch, people forget the very good football we played under him for the most part.

People forget how bad our home form was and how teams of cloggers bullied us into submission.
It was a minor miracle we got into the play-offs.
 
Last edited:

Back
Top