This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...
Blackburn Rovers have now lost five Championship games in a row.
It's a stark contrast to their encouraging early season in form and naturally Rovers boss Tony Mowbray is coming under increased scrutiny.
There are sections of the Rovers fanbase that have seemingly seen enough from Mowbray and would like to see him moved on, whilst some are calling for patience.
So, after five defeats in a row, is it time for Blackburn to move Mowbray on?
The team here at FLW discuss....
Toby Wilding
I think that sadly, it probably should be.
This story of getting to within touching distance of the play-offs before a collapse in form to plummet out of contention is one that Blackburn fans have seen all too many times before, and you wonder how many more times it can happen.
Admittedly, Mowbray can point to the defensive injury problems as an unavoidable issue that is holding them back, but it is only these last two games they have actually had to cope with playing their two young on-loan centre backs, while that is not an excuse for the fact that an attack that looked so dangerous at the start of the season, now looks relatively blunt by comparison, at the perhaps the worst possible time at the opposite end of the pitch.
Mowbray has often spoke about this side being on a journey, which he says has only just entered the phase that will see it push for promotion this season, but with so many players set to see their contracts expire this summer or next, you have to question whether they can keep them around for that, and you wonder whether moving the club in a new direction in terms of manager could tempt some of those to put pen to paper on new deals, given the opportunities it could open up for them at Ewood Park.
It is also worth noting that with the frustration results and performances are generating amongst the Rovers fanbase at the minute, Mowbray's legacy at Ewood Park is starting to come under a fair amount of threat, something he does not really deserve given the work he has done during his four years at the club up until now.
As a result, there is perhaps an argument here that it could be best for all parties if there was to be a parting of the ways sooner rather than later, certainly if things do not change quickly.
George Harbey
It’s certainly a question that needs to be asked.
You look at Blackburn’s squad and it’s a very talented one. They have Adam Armstrong who seems to score in every game he plays, and the likes of Harvey Elliott and Bradley Dack are top players for this level.
For some reason, it just isn’t working for Blackburn at the moment and they are now beginning to look over their shoulder rather than look towards finishing in the play-offs.
Does that justify sacking Mowbray? I’m not too sure. A couple of wins on the bounce and they are right back in the mix, but they do not finish in the top-six this season, then I’d certainly consider a new manager.
Has he taken them as far as he can take them if they do miss out? It would suggest that.
Phil Spencer
I think that it would be very harsh to sack Tony Mowbray right now.
Five defeats in a row is clearly concerning but things must be kept in context.
Mowbray has done an excellent job of consolidating Blackburn's position in the Championship and while they're now looking upwards, things must be kept in context.
Mowbray has a particularly young squad who have a long way to go in terms of their development and that means that they'll have inconsistent patches.
Blackburn are too good to continue on this poor run and I expect Mowbray to be the man to get them back on track before too long.