Before Tuesday evening’s game at home to Rotherham United, Rovers manager Tony Mowbray sat down with the clubs’ media team to talk about what he expected from a clinical Rotherham team who have scored 15 goals in their last 5 games. In addition, the manager once again disclosed his thoughts regarding Saturday’s performance away at Shrewsbury Town where the Blues managed a late draw.
“Before every game, there is a real energy in our dressing room about being ready to go and getting the job done, everybody’s aware of their responsibility but we just didn’t perform on Saturday which sometimes happens in football. Will they react and find a performance? I hope so and yet, bar the MK Dons game at home, it’s been difficult to find some fluency in our play at Ewood and get the results that we would have wanted. We’re going to have to do that at some stage, so let’s hope that starts against Rotherham.
“I don’t see any negativity within the group at all; I think they’re very responsive. If you could get players to perform by just getting your words to them, it wouldn’t be about the football on the pitch, or the opposition in front of you. I think we can get the players to a heightened level of intensity; it then becomes about putting it all together. If anything, it seems like they’ve almost forgotten to play in a few games because we’ve tried to hype the game up so much for them adrenaline-wise, I think just getting that balance right is key. They know that they have to compete all over the pitch but they must never forget to play football. If you’ve got good players and you’re better than the opposition then you should be playing with the ball.”
Mowbray was asked whether the point Rovers gained late on at Shrewsbury would eventually be classed as a ‘good point’ providing Rovers are able to win their next two home games.
“I think it’s alright as a point, I think if we’d have played really well, been disappointed if they scored a late equaliser, we’d have a different mentality; we didn’t play well, yet we still got a point. I think there are going to be times this season where that’s going to happen and this was against a team that have won 7 out of 8 games, so you have to accept that you can’t win every game. We went away to one of three teams in the country who are yet to lose a game and got a point, we’re allowed to be disappointed with the performance, but let’s put the point in the bag and move on.
“I think there are some legacy issues with wanting to make Ewood a fortress. We have a mix of new players and old players and some of the old players will remember the bad days that they’ve had from years gone by where it has been hard to win at home on a regular basis. It’ll need hard work because at times there will be moans and groans when passes are misplaced and this is where the team will have to stick together, be mentally tough and try and grind out the wins, move forwards and put all the negativity behind them. I think the problem is more of a mentality one. A lot of League One teams can be inspired by coming to Ewood, particularly those who haven’t been in the higher echelons of football and they’ll make sure that they’re giving everything in every game. There are no games where the opposition are not at full pelt which we understand and have to match. This also is why we need to find the balance; getting the players ready for those ‘full pelt’ games but then also reminding them to play football.”
The manager was also quizzed on what type of challenge the visitors, Rotherham United, would pose to Rovers.
“They are, bar Manchester City, the highest scorers in the 4 divisions, I believe they’ve scored 20 goals this year already, so there’s an instant indication of what threat they possess. They score goals, they’ve got a big centre-forward, they’ve got real speed on both wings and they’ve got a fantastic work ethic. Let’s wait and see we have to go and play the game, try and deal with their threats and give them problems.
“In terms of injuries, nothing much has changed. Ryan (Nyambe) is just about there, he’s on his way back, Scott Wharton’s out there, he is a little bit behind Ryan, but not far away. It’s been frustrating for Ben Gladwin really, he’s been doing really well in training, I’ve had a few chats with him, he’s found it difficult to break into the first eleven, he’s been on the bench but with the changes we’ve made young (Harry) Chapman has been coming on and doing alright, hence why Ben’s found it difficult to get on the pitch, but Ben is a great talent with a big physical presence and he’ll have to stay mentally strong and keep going. Saying that, he did pick up a thigh injury in training last week, which will cause him to miss a week or so, meaning Tuesday’s game will be a bit too early for him.”
