Kelvin Wilkins

I THINK the best players are currently occupying the starting slots and with everyone on form, the team generally picks itself, which suggests that we need to bring more players in to provide greater challenge for places.

I’d like to see John O’Sullivan given more consideration as he reminds me very much of Alan Judge and Damien Johnson, two players we allowed to express their talents at other clubs.

Ryan Nyambe could also put pressure on Adam Henley given the opportunity as that’s one position which is still up for grabs. 

 

Paul Yates

I’VE spoken to a few people who believe that Adam Henley has not always been treated fairly in the past and should have played more. But on the whole most of the Rovers players have little room for complaint. It’s the lack of consistency that has led to a talented Rovers squad often looking second best.

Lee Williamson and Chris Taylor probably feel hard done to at times but they have never won over the supporters.

With a small squad, the opportunity is there for any player who is hungry enough to succeed, particularly under a new manager.


Sam Jones

CHRIS Taylor was largely a peripheral figure under Gary Bowyer and had been given just a handful of starts over the last two seasons. With the likes of Tom Cairney and Josh King ahead of him in the pecking order, Taylor struggled to hold down a starting role.

But he soon had the chance to impress the new boss against Preston. The midfielder won the penalty that led to the winning goal and put in an all-round strong performance which may have caught the manager’s eye.

A slightly more defensive solution to fill the void left by Tom Lawrence would be to play Tommy Spurr. The left-back was a consistent performer for Rovers during Bowyer’s first full season in charge, but a serious thigh injury limited him to just a few games last season.

But with the extent of the Lawrence’s injury still unknown, Spurr could find himself with an extended period back in the team. This would mean some reshuffling in midfield to accommodate him, however. Markus Olsson would push to left-midfield, Craig Conway onto the right and Ben Marshall in behind the striker.

Matt Kilgallon formed a good centre-half partnership with Alex Baptiste at the end of last season, but hasn’t been given a chance since the return of Grant Hanley and Shane Duffy. After some excellent defensive performances and six clean sheets so far this season, it looks unlikely that Kilgallon will get a game any time soon.

The re-signing of Doneil Henry on loan, after an impressive initial spell was cut short by injury, could spell the end of Kilgallon’s career at Ewood. This would be a real shame as he has always been a consistent performer in blue and white.

For me the signing of Henry was a strange one. Although Hanley and Duffy are just one booking away from a suspension, surely Kilgallon and Spurr can provide adequate cover in defence? This suggests it was a club acquisition, rather than Lambert’s own signing, who is unlikely to have seen him play.

The addition of Henry leaves just one place left in the squad, which will hopefully be filled by an on-loan striker. As expected, Fode Koita and Nathan Delfouneso simply aren’t good enough.

It is a fairly small squad and with a settled line-up there is little reason for Lambert to make major changes to the starting 11, as demonstrated by his team selection on Saturday.