With Rovers starting off 2019 with a brilliant 2-1 win over free-scoring West Bromwich Albion at Ewood Park, Blues boss Tony Mowbray spoke of his delight regarding the performance of both, the team and of Lewis Travis, following the full-time whistle, to the club’s media team.
“I’m delighted for everybody because that was a really tough game against a tough side. Even though we started really well, you could feel their quality during the opening 10 minutes of the game, because their ability to break away and pick the right pass was very evident early on. The lads deserved the victory today because of the unbelievable work that they put in over the past 4 games and yet to lose the first 3, was frustrating for them, even though you can’t hide from the results due to the business we’re in, being fixated on results. Despite the trio of losses, the effort and desire of the lads throughout all 4 games was amazing and I’m delighted that they were able to pick up the win today. As long as the group keep working hard, sticking together and believing, then we’ll be okay come May, I’m sure.
“It was important psychologically, to get over the line in such a demanding game. Had we ended up level at 2-2, I think we would have all been really depressed and thinking, ‘What’s the answer to stop the conceding of late goals?’, but thankfully, the lads put in some amazing blocks that kept West Brom out. We’ve talked a lot this week about our reaction to conceding goals and how we can have a stronger mentality when we do concede goals, whether that being early on or at the death. We’ve spoken how we can’t become cavalier and throw everyone forwards, leaving ourselves exposed in order to try and get one back, we need to build-up slowly with solid minutes of hard work in order to get back into the game again before we try and go for a goal. I thought the lads showed those characteristics today and I’m delighted for them all.
“I’m delighted for Trav, (Lewis Travis), after his Man of the Match performance today. He’s a really intense guy who has a winning personality and I think that if he continues to do what he’s currently doing for the next however many years, then he’ll turn into a right fans’ favourite, I’ve got no doubt about that. I don’t say this necessarily because of his talent, but because of his core beliefs and his urge to want both game time and the victory. If he doesn’t get the game time here, he’s determined to go and get it on loan and that’s the type of character he is, he just wants to play football. He’s a lad with a great personality who has grabbed his opportunity with both hands and it’s going to be difficult moving forwards now, to leave him out of the team because him, alongside (Corry) Evans, (Richie) Smallwood and the prospect of a potential incoming, if one becomes available, will leave me with a selection headache.
“I can’t sit and hope that Trav plays poorly because I want to get Richie back into the side as soon as possible. I’ve told all the lads anyway, that it’ll be impossible for them to play all of the games this season, which is why we’ve had some rotation in recent weeks, such as against Sheffield United, when Corry missed out and was replaced by Trav and against Leeds United when Richie was replaced by Jack (Rodwell). It’s important to have numbers and competition for places throughout the squad in order to protect the players, because if we’re going to continue playing at the intensity we’re currently at, we need freshness on the pitch, especially when we play 2 games a week.
“Ever since I walked through the door, Trav has been the mainstay of the under 23’s and Damien (Johnson) really loves him because of his personality and how he goes about his business on the pitch. I’m not going to stand here and eulogise about him because he’ll only get big headed about it(!) But in all seriousness, he wouldn’t get big headed about it, because that’s the type of guy he is. He’s just a down to earth kid who wants to get on with his football, whether that being in the park with his mates, or out at Ewood. I’m just delighted for him and he’s got every chance now, after a performance like that, to go on and play against Newcastle United at St James’ Park, in-front of 50,000 people in the FA Cup.
“At half-time, we talked about the concentration required behind the ball when we were attacking, because they left 3 strikers on the halfway line, ready for the counter-attack, so there was a real danger of us ‘over attacking’ and leaving our defence exposed on the break. We did some work on the solitary day we were together for training, on how to stop West Brom’s counter attack, and thankfully it worked. The quality of our goals were amazing. On Monday, we practised (Charlie) Mulgrew’s corner technique which allowed him to shoot and thankfully it paid off today. I’ve seen all of his free-kick and thought to myself, ‘why can’t he try this at corners?’ and as long as we get people on the goalkeeper and on the posts, then we’re always in with a chance of scoring. I’m delighted for Charlie because his goal tally keeps increasing. We shouldn’t be surprised at Bradley’s (Dack) goal, because he does it every day in training and almost week in, week out for us on the pitch. When he chopped it back onto his left-foot, I had every faith in him to find the back of the net, because he’s lethal in those situations no matter what foot he’s using. That’s what he’s here to do and that’s why he earns the salary he does, to score the goals that can help this team win football matches. Brad is a ‘happy-go-lucky’ kid who just smiles and laughs his way through life. He has a wonderful love of football and his main goal every week, is to be on the teamsheet. He now has to stay fit, robust and hungry for goals in order to help our team win.
“Our targets for 2019 are mainly to try and build the club, starting with this current window as we look to see whether we can add some more quality to what is already here. The summer window is going to be huge for us because I would like to start next year – without writing this season off – with a belief that we should be aiming to finish next season in and around the playoff spots, which will help slowly grow the club. The current strength of the Championship, which has come due to the Premier League money, has made this league stronger than it’s ever been before, however we found a way today, to beat a team that is loaded full of Premier League quality. This is a tough league to get out of, and the only way to do that is to ally some new quality with the current crop’s camaraderie, togetherness, hunger and desire and hopefully with the backing of the fans, we can achieve something good together over the next couple of years.
“The transfer discussions have started long before the window opens. We’ve got some important decisions to make, however it’s been difficult to deal with all the calls due to the intensity of the fixtures. Things will now settle down until February, which will allow business to unfold over the course of the month. I like the players we have, so it’s not a case of bringing in a load of new faces, we just need a couple of fresh additions that can help this group and add to the quality we already possess.”
