A ‘drastic’ change in the dynamic of the squad has seen Rovers slip to the bottom of the possession table.

That’s the view of Tony Mowbray who has seen his side go from third top to rock bottom and yet to average 50 per cent in any of their five Championship matches.

They host a Luton Town side who, with 42 per cent, are two places and three per cent higher in those particular standings, but both have enjoyed positive starts to the season.

For Rovers, it has been a stark contrast to last season where a focus was on control of the ball and enjoying large swathes of possession, the opening games to this campaign being built on a resilience and fighting spirit.

That has seen them collect eight points from their opening five games, though draws at Millwall and Middlesbrough did come by netting with their sole efforts on target. Where last season they had the third most shots in the division, only two sides have had fewer so far, despite 22 in the opening day win over Swansea City.

With the loss of former Manchester City loanee Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Mowbray says there has been less of a focus on playing out from the back while they have also lost the creative force of Harvey Elliott in attack that has skewed the numbers.

And the manager says it has been a case of finding a style that suits the players at his disposal.

“We are the team with the least possession this season compared to last season when we were third from the top all season,” Mowbray said.

“The dynamic of our team has changed quite drastically from last year with the loss of 12 players.

“A lot of people in Middlesbrough were saying to me that they couldn’t believe they would ever see a Neil Warnock team have more possession than a Tony Mowbray team.

“You have to play the game with the players that you have got and we will be adaptable to play the way we feel is suited to the players we’ve got.”

Rovers are unlikely to stay at the bottom of the table for much longer however, context provided in that they have faced three physical opponents in Millwall, West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough, two of them on their travels, as well as hosting Swansea City on the opening day, the team who have had far more of the ball than any team in the division.

Only champions Norwich City and Huddersfield Town had more of the ball than last season, Mowbray offering using that statistic to point to the improvements within his side.

And despite their 15th placed finish, Mowbray still reflects positively on last season given the performance data that was weighted in their favour.

“We have to take the positives from last season and I think there were a lot of positives,” he added.

“People can take it how they want but it was our best season in the Championship in my opinion, regardless of how many points less we got.

“In my opinion it was our most productive season, we were the better team in a lot of the games, we have to take the positives from that season and be adaptable to other parts of the game and maybe not play so much out from the back.”

Rovers return to Championship action this afternoon against Nathan Jones’ side who have two wins, a draw and two defeats from their opening five matches.

They have kept three clean sheets, something Rovers are yet to chalk up, and have made great strides since their final day survival in 2019/20 following a win over Mowbray’s men.

They did the double over Rovers that season, with a win in September 2019 at Ewood Park, and Mowbray feels they are a club on the up.

The game will also see a reunion with Amari’i Bell who signed a two-year deal with the Hatters following his release by Rovers, and is available after being given permission not to meet up with the Jamaica squad.

“Luton are a growing club, from when they stayed up on that final day when we played them to where they are now, they look a hungry team,” Mowbray said.

“The manager gives them the underdog tag, really fighting really well. Take away Birmingham City and they have drawn 0-0 with Sheffield United, they gave West Brom a real scare in the final 20 minutes and they are a really dangerous team, athletic team, well put together and they seem to play three or four formations every 90 minutes.

“It’s a dangerous game, they have some good players, a hungry team, the narrative for their club is that they are on the way up and they play with a lot of hunger.

“We have to match that.”