HarryFromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday’s opening game of the season at Portman Road by delving into their forums.
"Is it just me but are we starting to do things like a normal football club?”, "The season can't come soon enough now. The bounce from promotion is definitely evident, as well as a team looking the fittest and most organised it has at this stage for about eight years.”
Rovers head down to Suffolk full of familiar optimism for the coming campaign. Promotion from League One was achieved at the first time of asking and there is a strong sense that the club has found stability under manager Tony Mowbray after enduring several seasons of chaos and decline.
"Momentum is everything. If we approach the Championship believing we can and should compete, we have as much right as anyone else to do well and that money isn't the most important thing, we can go far. If we solely aim for survival and feel that we are not worthy of competing, we’ll struggle.”
"Consolidate at a minimum and I would be very happy at anything better”, "To be quite honest, after the last couple of years, I will take not being in a relegation scrap for most of the season. I will take winning more home matches than we lose and I will take the occasional scalp away from home.”
"We’ll stay up.” Most Lancastrians are confident of survival, although few are expecting a run at the play-offs. "We will comfortably consolidate without ever seriously troubling either end of the table”, "Most of our games will be low-scoring tight affairs. We will come somewhere between 10th and 18th.”
"Tony Mowbray is a down to earth football guy. Everyone, flashy footballer or plodder, will listen to a guy who talks football with honesty and a bit of knowledge. I love listening to his voice as it always reminds me of my dad and so many of the men I knew while I was growing up on Teesside.”
The 54-year-old replaced Owen Coyle in February 2017 with the club struggling to avoid relegation from the Championship. Although they dropped down to League One, fans have appreciated how the former Ipswich playing legend and caretaker-manager has built a close-knit squad of players.
"We have a successful, buoyant, tight-knit group of players who have bonded really well on the back of a promotion season. This is largely down to the set up that Mowbray has created”, "He nearly got us out of relegation trouble in his first season. The remaining players had reason to believe in him.”
"He’s a real top bloke”, "Fair play to him, I thought it was an uninspiring choice. He struck me as a dull guy, I couldn't imagine him motivating modern young players. How wrong can you be, what he has got out of this team is remarkable, and every time he speaks I want to get my boots on and play.”
"On the style of play, I felt that he often set up to counter-attack, which might just suit us better in the Championship. There won’t be teams parking the bus on us up there compared to League One. We are a club on the up with some decent players who clearly have a lot of respect for Mowbray.”
"Mowbray is savvy enough that he will see what we lack”, "We need to gradually build a core set of players and then strengthen year on year. I would rather we tried to establish ourselves as a decent Championship team than become a yo-yo team by simply wasting money on the wrong players.”
"We need young and hungry players that can increase in value that we will obviously sell, hopefully with any funds going back into the team”, "We will live or die by our signings. The team as it stands is barely good enough to stay out of the bottom three or four.”
Fans want to see the club build to a long-term plan and many have welcomed what has been a quiet summer window at Ewood Park. Most activity has revolved around nine contract extensions agreed with the existing squad, but there have been three additions and three departures.
Midfielder Joe Rothwell, 23, has been signed from Oxford on a three-year contract along with Jacob Davenport, a 19-year-old Manchester City academy product, who has agreed a four-year deal. The third addition is attacking midfielder Kasey Palmer, 21, on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
Defender Elliott Ward and one-time Town loanee and winger Liam Feeney have been released, while defender Scott Wharton has returned on loan to Lincoln, where he played since January. The loss of three of last year’s loan signings has also left Rovers short of attackers ahead of the new campaign.
"Last season at times we had Bradley Dack, [striker] Adam Armstrong [on loan from Newcastle from January], [attacking midfielder] Jack Payne [on loan from Huddersfield from January] and [winger or second striker] Harry Chapman [a Boro loan signing in August]. Now we just have Dack.”
Rovers began their pre-season campaign in Scotland with a 2-0 win at Hibernian. A 1-1 draw at Port Vale was followed by a 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool. Successive wins at Lincoln (1-0) and notably at home to Everton (3-0) were then followed by a 1-0 loss on Saturday at near-neighbours Accrington.
The starting XI (above) for Rovers’ win over Everton is expected to form the core of Saturday’s team with two exceptions on the left flank. Many expect Derrick Williams, who spent time training at the Town academy as a youngster, to replace Amari’i Bell at left-back, while former Blues loanee Dominic Samuel may start instead of new arrival Kasey Palmer.
"We’re at our best playing 4-2-3-1 and an aggressive press.” Blackburn went ahead against Everton on nine minutes when Darragh Lenihan headed home after a clever corner-kick routine. Samuel struck a second on 39 and Dack made it three on 68 against a poor Toffees team.
"This was probably very close to our starting line-up. You could tell that this was the backbone of the promotion team. It was well organised and surprisingly fluid, given our lack of attacking options”, "It is safe to say this squad will be well up for it this season, whether it will be strong enough or not.”
"I’m really not a fan of three at the back.” Mowbray experimented with a back three for part of their last campaign and again in pre-season, but it is not a popular option. "Very worrying that we're lining up with three at the back. The kind of player you need to play wing-back is out of our price range.”
"This squad is thin on the ground in its Championship experience and thinner on its Championship-standard quality”, "Our first XI has more than enough to be competitive, however there are some extremely average players filling the rest of the squad. That’s what will drag us down this season.”
"We lack pace and that spark of creativity.” Rovers are happiest with their range of options in central midfield, where Richard Smallwood and Corry Evans provide balance and industry behind playmaker Bradley Dack. In contrast, striker Danny Graham is their only recognised and experienced frontman.
"There are some good options in the middle. It is possibly our most well-stocked area with a variety of tenacity and technique in there”, "The biggest problem with our team is the lack of pace. We have huffed and puffed in pre-season games. but the lack of forward-thinking players is worrying.”
There is one obvious talisman. "Bradley Dack could have a great season if he has a couple of good forwards to help him shoulder the burden. Expect him to do it all on his own and you will soon find he's double-marked out of most games”, "His link-up play with Danny Graham is telepathic at times.”
"David Raya is a superb shot stopper. He has a cracking side-volley kick thing that he can do, but he fumbles and is awful with crosses and his kicking still needs a lot of work”, "With experience he will get there, "An opponent last season put a late tackle in on Raya and he was straight up in his face.”
"An absolutely unreal shot-stopper.” The 22-year-old youth product made his Rovers’ debut against Town in our 3-2 final-day defeat in our 2015 play-off season. "Raya could be a seriously good keeper one day if he was able to improve both the way he currently deals with crosses and his distribution.”
"Ryan Nyambe is fantastic defensively and athletic. He’s good on the ball he is still raw.” The 20-year-old youth product "is not a great attacking player and will never be a wing-back in a million years. He is suited to playing as a right-back as he’s far better defensively than he is going forward.”
"Nyambe is a big strong boy”, "He looks a real physical threat and has used it well in pre-season”, "He is very slim looking and confident and I have high hopes for him”, "He did okay in League One but he has a lot to prove at this level”, "He has to work on his fundamental footballing intelligence.”
"I know the natural assumption is that Amari’i Bell comes into the side this year but I can’t see it.” The 24-year-old left-back signed from Fleetwood in January. "One thing we definitely lack is a bit of pace and Bell does give us that”, "He is very effective with his pace and he can easily beat a man.”
"Bell looks handy going forward but he can be very slack”, "When he is solely responsible for wide attacks on the left he struggles. He is more effective as the left back in a four, taking advantage of overlaps and 2-v-1s. He has much more pace than the far safer Derrick Williams going forward.”
"I don't see a player at all in Derrick Williams.” The 25-year-old former Bristol City man "is technically awful and his passing is poor. The Championship will find him out straight away. We can't play him in a three, he doesn't have the pace or technique on the ball”, "He is one of Mowbray's foot soldiers.”
"Williams is shocking at passing but he’s solid enough at the back”, "He lacks any physical threat”, "I have never particularly rated him and he will be a weak link. He isn't much better going forward”, "Is he a left-back or a centre-back? He’s got pros and cons for both”, "He’s an average steady left-back.”
"When the pre-season pictures of the lads in the Austria training camp came out Paul Caddis looked seriously overweight and in terrible shape.” The 30-year-old one-time Birmingham man "has never been the most athletic but I was shocked when I saw the photos. I can't see him featuring at all.”
"Darragh Lenihan is immense.” The 24-year-old youth product "is a tough centre-half”, "If he and Charlie Mulgrew keep up their good partnership they should be able to make up for each other's weaknesses, but if either one of them suffers a long-term injury then I would really fear for us.”
"Lenihan is not a ball-playing defender by any means”, "His passing isn’t particularly good and at times it can be all over the place. He must improve on his technical ability as it is the weakness in his game. He keeps impressing in his partnership with Mulgrew and his reputation is trending upwards”
"Whenever reading opinions of games and who played well, it is rare that people pick out Mulgrew.”
The 32-year-old ex-Celtic man "is a bloody good player who is really adept at passing out from the back”, "He strikes an excellent dead ball and is useful for any freekicks from the 20-30 yards mark.”
"What a leader”, "Mulgrew a class act on the ball one of our most underrated players”, "He lacks pace these days to be a good full-back but he’s the organiser back there”, "Our worst-case scenario, without a proven and confident goalscorer, we may well have to rely on his set pieces to score.”
"Richard Smallwood is neat and tidy in possession.” The 28-year-old ex-Rotherham man "does a lot of things well. His passing and composure are good”, "He was our most consistent midfielder last season, but I’m not convinced he has shown enough quality to keep his place regularly at this level.”
"Smallwood jogging back when Nyambe and Bennett are sprinting past him full pelt is really starting to grate on me”, "All you need to do is watch him when the opposition are counter-attacking. It's appalling how slow he has become. He puts no effort to get back as it could cost him a yellow card.”
"Peter Whittingham has shown in 10-minute periods that, with time on the ball and players making intelligent runs, he could be an important player for us, but then he fades out of the games.” The 33-year-old former Cardiff man is expected to be a bench option for Mowbray in the coming season.
"Whittingham is a non-productive passenger”, "I don’t see him playing much. For a player with so much experience I would be looking for him to lead from the front”, "He has been a joy to watch at times in pre-season, he looked interested and was pinging the ball to his team-mates for fun.”
"Jack Davenport looks a class act.” The 19-year-old July signing from Manchester City "looks a really tidy player. He has two good feet and looks dangerous”, "He looks very mobile in a deeper role even if he is a bit sloppy in possession”, "He will oust Smallwood from the team sooner rather than later.”
"Joe Rothwell looks slow and afraid to run at his man.” The 23-year-old June acquisition from Oxford "looked quick to me and seemed to have good stamina has that bit about him. He can carry the ball forward as an attacking midfielder but he doesn’t look the type of player to get fans off their seats.”
"Rothwell is inconsistent but technically gifted and very good on his day. It seems that the general consensus among Oxford fans was that he’s neat and tidy with the ball and put his foot in although he goes missing if the game is taken to his team”, "He’s a good pacy player with an eye for a pass.”
"Corry Evans is a midfielder who never gave the ball away.” The 28-year-old former Hull man "wins a lot of second balls with high pressing”, "He does his bit for the cause in defence, blocking shots and chasing down”, "An experienced operator who was our best player in the last month of the season.”
"Evans is a decent quality midfielder that could read the game. I'm not a fan but if he can finally have a consistent season then he'd be first-choice centre midfield for me”, "He is poor until international weeks come around”, "He’s knows this level or higher and certainly in the central midfield position.”
"What a difference Dack makes.” The 24-year-old former Gillingham playmaker "will relish playing in the Championship. He’s a big game player”, "He will go down as the best value for money signing in our history and he will be the difference in the tougher games that we will now need to get used to.”
"A cross between Paul Gascoigne and Carlos Tevez”, "He has looked fit and hungry for the ball, using nice touch to steal it and using his strength to shrug off defenders”, "I'm convinced he can be a very good player in the Premier League one day. He’s so strong and his finishing is so calm and collected.”
"We have got to enjoy watching Dack while we have him, because if he carries on improving like he has we won’t keep him for long”, "Christ he’s special, he’s a niggly little git as well”, "He is destined for really big things and will absolutely look at home at this level. He will impress many onlookers.”
"What is with this Craig Conway lovefest? He can barely run for God’s sake.” The 33-year-old former Cardiff winger "is a last 30-minute player at best and if we start games with him I will be appalled”, "If we play last year’s 4-2-3-1, we need a left winger who is quick on the break and can beat a man.”
"I love Conway. He has been a great servant but if we're going to start him we need someone pacy on the opposite flank. "I fully expect Conway to be a regular starter, but more as a defensive winger type”, "He’s an experienced steady Eddie and he’s one of our safer but far less productive players.”
"Kasey Palmer is a good signing but hasn't played yet has been deemed not fit enough to play for 90 minutes by Mowbray. At least we will have him as a bench option from the bench”, "I like the look of him.” The 21-year-old Chelsea loanee featured in Huddersfield’s 2017 promotion-winning season.
Terriers were full of praise for him at the time. "Kasey Palmer looks like he’s having the time of his life.” "He looks to have the ability to play anywhere in the forward four positions”, "His touch is sensational, he gets me off my seat and you get the feeling he can make things happen.”
"Palmer is young and with little first-team experience but plays like a seasoned professional. He can score, he has a range of passes that seem exceptional and an ability to read the game”, "No one has mentioned his strength. He can receive a ball with his back to goal, hold off a marker and turn him.”
"When you think about it, Bennett really is a great lad to have around. I wouldn't mind if I saw his name on the teamsheet at right-back, central midfield or right wing”, "I like him in the centre too, but I think he will be back on the right this season. He adds pace to our sedate central midfield.”
"Bennett plays his heart out.” The 29-year-old ex-Norwich man is praised for his versatility. "He can play anywhere, although it’s not ideal he can at least come inside and unleash that sweet right foot”, "He’s physically quicker, stronger and more of a goal threat than Smallwood in central midfield.”
"Dominic Samuel is a bit of enigma who on one occasion powered through three defenders and in the next moment failed to control a simple ball”, "Our most active player who causes problems but always struggles with his decision-making”, "He looks okay wide right but does nothing defensively.”
The 24-year-old striker or winger was signed from Reading in July 2017, having played on loan for Ipswich in the six-month period beforehand although he only featured six times in this spell, largely due to injury. "He has a good touch at times and has pace he does flatter to deceive and he gives the ball away too often.”
"We are literally going into this season with one 33-year-old centre-forward who can't play for 90 minutes. Mowbray needs to get someone in as soon as possible”, "If Graham is injured, or can’t cope with the rigours of the second tier, then we will be relying on Dack for any threat in the final third.”
"Our only proven forward with ability and experience.” Rovers rate the former Sunderland striker but worry about him lasting the whole campaign. "The fact that few of us would question him being first choice shows he has rebuilt his reputation. He was pivotal to our upturn in results last season.”
"Graham is very good at what he does. He’s the only player in our squad capable of playing the lone frontman role and holding up play at the moment”, "If you don't score goals you go down. We can't rely on Dack getting 15 goals in this division. Danny’s fitness is waning for all his undoubted quality.”
"We never do well at Ipswich and we have been slow starters for years. I fully expect to finish above them come May, but a point here is acceptable”, "This is a game we shouldn’t lose, hopefully we will win and start off a winnable run of opening games intending to keep the momentum from last year.”
"If I were Ipswich, I wouldn't want to open the campaign against a team promoted as impressively as Rovers were. Betting odds are marginally making an Ipswich win favourites which is fair but all three outcomes are pretty evenly backed”, "Head says draw, heart says we will do them on the counter.”
"I think we will hit the ground running here”, "The bookies have Ipswich as relegation material so what better way to start the campaign than three points here providing we have our own house in order. A draw at minimum and I am confident that last season's guys can win against these.”
"You can only fill the club up with so much lower league talent before you end up there.” Travelling Rovers fans are confident of victory against an Ipswich team who many believe to be among the favourites to be relegated. "We can definitely win here, though, if we're set up to do so.”
"We have quite a few winnable games at the start so must hit the ground running”, "Going for a win here. Teams will not park the bus against us in this division and I feel we have the ability to strike on the counter against this lot”, "Sounds like Ipswich are having an unstable summer player-wise.”
"It is a horrible game to call. Ipswich have a new manager bounce and home advantage but they have lost a lot of players and are probably playing a new system. Hurst knows how we will play and our danger men but we have a promotion bounce and an organised team who know each other.”
"I fear a rude awakening on Saturday.” They are fully aware of our new manager. "Paul Hurst will be desperate to get off to a good start, especially given what happened last season, but he will struggle there”, "Whatever skill they lack, Hurst will have them make up for in effort and organisation.”
The busiest Rovers’ message-board is the friendly and knowledgeable BRFCS.com.