Ahead of Rovers’ second away game of the season, which sees them make the journey to Yorkshire, to play Hull City, Tony Mowbray sat down for his usual pre-match chat with the club’s media team, as he discussed the team selection, the strength of opponents, Hull City, potential incomings into the club, and the importance of Bradley Dack to the side.
“To start with, there are no injury concerns following Tuesday night’s win. To my knowledge, all the players who took part in the win at Carlisle United are ready to go again on Saturday. Bar (Derrick) Williams – who’s still suffering from a short-term foot injury – (Ben) Gladwin and (Jacob) Davenport, the latter pair being our only long-term absentees. Apart from them, everyone else is fit and ready. Both Elliott (Bennett) and Danny (Graham) trained during the week and are okay, meaning they should be available for Saturday.
“Despite the difference in divisions between Carlisle and Hull, there are no easy games over the course of a season. Hull have established themselves as a Championship side, having come down from the Premier League, 2 years ago, which suggests they have better players than us, but one thing’s certain is that Saturday’s game will be a test for us. They’re an experienced side who are well-organised and well-backed by robust fans, inside a state-of-the-art stadium, which only makes the challenge tougher. We’re looking to go to Hull City and impose our style of play on them, whilst also being positive and confident in our ability to unlock their defence. By sticking to that principle, we will be doing our best, to try and come away with maximum points.
“When we played them in the FA Cup last season, they came to Ewood and showed their quality. They controlled the game for long spells, yet, when we brought Bradley (Dack) and Danny (Graham) on, during the latter stages of the tie, we started to show a clearer picture of what they could do as individuals, as well as what we could do as a unit. I think last year’s game needs to be taken lightly, because both sides have gone under a lot of changes since. Hull have had changes to their personnel, as have we, so now we have to look at the game as 2 sides on a level playing field – that being the Championship – so we just have to go there and stick to what we’ve worked on.
“The group at this club are naturally hungry and have a good attitude towards both, training, and the matches. It doesn’t matter to them what competitions they play in, because they’re hungry for victories. They were good in training today (Thursday), as I would have expected them to be, so all that’s left now, is to go over the pre-match preparation, play the match and hopefully put on a good display for the fans.”
The next question saw Mowbray asked about Bradley Dack, and whether he believed that the playmaker’s influence over Rovers’ attacking prowess, was the sole, all-important key to unlocking opposition defences.
“Bradley is a very good footballer who seems to be in a good place at the moment, both on the pitch, and in his personal life. We just have to keep him going, without putting too much pressure on him to be the main man. I always tell him, before a game, to go out on to the pitch and enjoy what he’s doing, whilst also, trying to make things happen for us, which he’s happy to do. I think every footballer should be looking to improve until the day they retire, and that’s no different with Bradley.
“He’s a ‘happy-go-lucky’ guy, he loves football and always tries to show how good he is in training, which then allows him to produce when the games come around. I believe we’ve created an environment at the club, where players can learn what they need to improve on, whilst also producing what they’re good at. Bradley has a lot to learn, but as the challenges get tougher, that allows him to relish the opportunity, which would help him improve his game.
“One example is when people man-mark him. I’ve told him that, that could be more of a help than a hindrance, as he can use the strength in his hips to push the marker back and turn away using his acceleration. He understands that part to his game, which in-turn, allows him to use his natural strength to turn the negative into a positive. He was a key component for us in League 1 and the challenge in-front of him now, is to take that skill and confidence into the Championship, which I believe he’s capable of doing.”
The manager was then questioned about his transfer dealings and whether Rovers were getting any closer to seeing a new face come through the door.
“I don’t know how close we are to adding to the squad. We could be 1 phone call away, or the frustration may carry on for another week or so. What we’re trying to do, is add players who can help our group progress, if we can do that, I’ll be delighted, but if not, we’ll just have to get on with it. I don’t think it’s a case of adding players to the group for the sake of it, the lads are a tight bunch and it’s important that the incoming player’s personality and ability is compatible with that of the lads. Although, as a manager, you want the signings in as soon as possible, the next game allows you to take your mind off it and hand the negotiations over to the powers above you.
“I think the ‘big bids’ that have been reported in the media are bids that are good business for us as a club. The trip to India in the summer was a good one, and the owners were very supportive, especially after last season’s success and they said that they wanted to support the good work that was going on inside the club. Any bids we put it for players will be reflective of their talent, and if it’s a bid for a big sum of money, then the player will more than likely be a young guy with a lot of talent, who we feel we can develop.
“Any potential incomings could have a knock-on effect to some of the young guys here going out on loan. The young lads did a good job during pre-season and their job at the moment, is to supplement the numbers, as seen with (Lewis) Travis, who’s pushing his own case to worm his way into the first-team picture. The u23s aren’t far away from achieving that as they’re working really hard, they listen to the details in training and they know what’s expected of them, which we like about the setup here. What they need to do of course, is get first-team football against men, which would suggest that they go out on loan.
“If we do manage to get new faces in, that would mean that the young players we have here, would have to go out on loan in order to learn their trade and get the experience required to play at this level. If the opportunity for them to go out on loan, doesn’t arise, then they’ll stay here and supplement the first team as they have been doing during pre-season. There’s a dilemma with the younger players because you have to think about what’s best for them. Do you loan them out in order to get experience, and risk a potential injury in your team? Or do you keep them in order to bulk up your squad with the risk of them not gaining the most experience? That’s one of the decisions you have to make as a manager, which makes the job extremely difficult.”
