ROVERS’ inactive transfer deadline day in terms of incomings came as no surprise, with Tony Mowbray happy his squad was suitably strengthened before the 11pm deadline was reached on Wednesday.

But the Ewood chief knows that he will get judged on his new recruits over the longer piece as Rovers look win promotion back to the Championship at the first attempt.

Rovers’ January window saw them bring in Jack Payne, Adam Armstrong, Amari’I Bell and Paul Downing on a permanent deal as well as allowing Sam Hart, Elliott Ward and Scott Wharton to leave on loan.

Mowbray felt that the arrival of left-back Bell from Fleetwood was ‘the last piece of the jigsaw’ and was happy with his dealings last month.

He said: “In some positions there’s more than two (per position) because it should always be fluid on how you might want to play.

“It was pretty inactive on that last day because generally I thought that we’d done the work, the business that we wanted.

“Amari’i was the last piece of that jigsaw really, Adam Armstrong gives us some flexibility, Dominic (Samuel) has done that well and (Marcus) Antonsson, so we’ve got some flexibility, Jack Payne can play in a number of positions.

“Elliott Bennett has shown his flexibility in recent weeks so we feel as if we’re okay.

“You should come out of every window hoping that you’re stronger.

“You get judged on your signings as you go along, as well as your results, and that’s football.

“But I’m happy with where we are at this moment, but we have to prove it over the next 17 games that the team is good enough.

“Because if it doesn’t get over the line then it will be talked about as if it wasn’t good enough and a very negative feel around it.

“We have to keep the group positive, keep the supporters believing the team are working hard to achieve our goals this year.”

The three arrivals mean Mowbray has brought in 15 new players since relegation last season, so does he have a strong squad now than the one he inherited almost 12 months ago?

He said: “I have to pay respect to the team that I inherited last year, in the Championship, not League One, we only lost three, games I know we drew too many, but there were some good players.

“That whole frontline of (Lucas) Joao, (Marvin) Emnes and (Sam) Gallagher disappeared, (Jason) Lowe and (Danny) Guthrie disappeared, so there were some good players that left and obviously it was a disappointing period for the football club.

“Maybe those players aren’t held in high regard but they were players and men who cared and wanted this club to stay in this league but we find ourselves now with a different group.

“Twelve left in the summer, we had to try and rebuild it, starting off not as well as we’d like but we’ve grown and pushed and every transfer window that comes along you have a responsibility as a manager to improve the strength of the squad.

“Sometimes you have to do that with free transfers, if you’re fortunate enough to be at a club with some money to spend to be competitive for the better players.

Rovers have spent in the region of £1.5million across the two windows, with Bradley Dack already having proven excellent value for money at £750,000, one of Mowbray’s main priorities from his dealings.

But he certainly isn’t getting carried away, by any early success, adding: “They’re okay – they have lots more to do.

“You judge footballers over the longer term.

“The players we signed in the summer they’re only six months in to their new careers, their new environment and I think they are all doing fine.

“The ambition is to get out of this league and then test them, see if we have any good footballers at the next league up because the challenges and tests will be even greater for them.

“(James) Maddison would be an example, he’s now doing exceptionally well in the next league up (with Norwich), can Bradley, Dominic, do the same? Okay in League One, doing fine, but the challenge is to get up to the next division and can they continue to make a name, score goals and create goals, keep driving the club to where we want it to be.”

Wharton and Hart were allowed to join Lincoln City and Rochdale respectively in a bid to accelerate their development.

Experienced central defender Ward was also on the move, heading to MK Dons for the remainder of the season.

And Mowbray said: “Elliott Ward is out of contract tin the summer, 33 years old, done very for us at the start of the season but the opportunity to get him another contract next year, I’m obviously mindful of the club and putting the club and not the player first, but I thought he would find himself drifting off the 18 and felt it was the right thing to do for the guy, his family, to give him an opportunity.”