As Rovers geared up for their second game in the space of 3 days, Tony Mowbray spoke to the clubs’ media team about the current injury concerns, in addition to touching upon Brentford and the threat that they’d cause the Blues, especially with them having started well, following 2 wins and 2 draws from their 4 games played.
“I’ve had updates on the injuries and there’s some positives. (Adam) Armstrong, is alright, but won’t be ready to play on Saturday, so we’ll have to wait until next Saturday to use him. Bradley (Dack) is okay, but I’ve held him back in order not to aggravate his knock to the knee, which is what he got against Hull. We need to manage him properly in order to not fall down a hole that we’ve gone down before, where we keep playing him and eventually he wears down. We need to be delicate with him and we’ll make a call on whether he can play, before Saturday’s game against Brentford. Kasey (Palmer) is another that we have to wait on, as it’s ‘touch and go’, whether he’ll make Saturday.
“Dominic (Samuel) has been for a scan on his knee, and I think we need to let the injury settle down before getting a definitive answer on what his situation is. We do know that the main tendon in his knee is still intact, which means it’s not a major injury. We should know what the damage is in a couple of days after it’s settled. With a knee injury, you always think the worst has happened, so fingers crossed that the second scan reveals that it’s not as bad as we believe it might be, which is what the first scan suggested.
“Our plan, always at kick-off, is to come away from the game with a victory and maximum points, no matter who our opposition is. The game against Reading, in the first-half, didn’t go our way, yet the spirit in the second-half was there for everyone to see. Saturday’s clash against Brentford, is a totally different game, as they’re a side who have also started the season well, so it’s going to be a test for us. We shouldn’t fear any team, particularly at home, because we have to go out onto the pitch and play our game, whilst also testing ourselves as we battle for the points. Everybody keeps telling me how good Brentford are, so we need to feel that ourselves by facing them and trying to come away with the win.
“I don’t think the group are even aware of the fact they’ve been unbeaten at home for so long, in the league. I think the lads take each game as it comes, which is important, and I think we need to keep it that way as it keeps concentration levels high. Obviously, most of the games we’ve played at home were in League 1, which is something we shouldn’t look too much into, but bar that, I think there is a confidence about the group playing at Ewood, which is something we can use to our advantage.
“We need to be wary of Brentford’s attacking prowess and their quality in the centre of the pitch, with the technical players they have in midfield, but, it’s a game we should look forward to, as it’s another fantastic opportunity for us to come away with 3 points.”
Mowbray was then asked to compare how the club was, since the last time Rovers faced Brentford, which of course, resulted in the Blues’ relegation to League 1, at the end of the 2016-17 Championship season.
“On that day, we played pretty well, and won the game, 3-1. We could have ended up scoring more than we did, but I think we needed 5 in total in order to avoid the drop. When I look back, we had Sam Gallagher and Lucas João who were both causing problems that day, but now we’ve got to put that all behind us, because we’ve got a different team now. We have to face this game, head on, knowing that our lads are in a good place. Our confidence is high, despite taking a few knocks and losing some key players. It’s a bit unfortunate that, all of the players we have missing, are in that attacking area of the field, but we’ve still got some players that we think can put in a positive performance and get a good result.”
