Belief is growing at Ewood Park

[BBC] If proof was needed that a good old fashioned dressing down from the manager can have the desired effect, Saturday's win over Wrexham was it. Rovers were far too vulnerable at West Brom, throwing away a two-goal lead and leaving Tony Mowbray with plenty to say afterwards. His criticism of the centre-backs was pointed and public. Their response against the Red Dragons was emphatic. Rovers were outstanding defensively. Organised, disciplined, uncompromising and determined to keep a first home clean sheet of the season. Yes, Wrexham had opportunities but failed to take them. The protection of Balazs Toth was so effective that the goalkeeper did not have a single save to make. What's most impressive is this squad is largely the same group of players that endured such a difficult campaign last season. Yet the difference is striking. Confidence is growing, standards are rising and there is an identity to this team that simply wasn't there 12 months ago. Rovers managed just four home wins in the whole of last season. By the end of October, they have already matched that. That statistic alone tells a story of significant progress. I've written before about the calming influence Mowbray brings to the club, but his impact is becoming increasingly obvious with every passing week. This is a manager who has overcome enormous personal challenges in recent years and is now relishing being back where he belongs. His fingerprints are all over this side. His team selection ended the ever-present records of Ryoya Morishita and Kristi Montgomery through injury, opening the door for Jayden Fevrier and Moussa Baradji. Both seized their opportunity. Fevrier offers exactly the kind of attacking threat defenders hate facing. Direct and always looking to cut inside, he went close to opening the scoring with a trademark effort. Baradji, meanwhile, produced his most convincing display in a Rovers shirt. The talent has never been in doubt. The challenge now is to build on it and deliver the same level at Swansea next weekend. Mowbray certainly believes in him. As he told me: "We've spent a bit of time with him in the analysis suite talking about discipline because he's got every attribute to be a top, top player. He can leap like a salmon, he's fast, he's as strong as an ox, he's got twinkling feet... what can't he do?" Todd Cantwell and Andri Gudjohnsen will rightly attract plenty of attention after another hugely influential afternoon. Cantwell is flourishing. Not only is he producing moments of quality, he's also delivering the numbers to match. It was always going to be fascinating to see how the relationship between player and manager developed. Mowbray has a long history of getting the best from gifted footballers and Cantwell looks to be the latest beneficiary. Gudjohnsen, meanwhile, continues to enhance his reputation. In commentary, I'm genuinely running out of superlatives. His first-half finish was the mark of a natural goalscorer, instinctively finding the right space at exactly the right moment. His second was ruthless, putting the game beyond Wrexham after excellent work from Cantwell. The mood around Rovers is changing. No one is getting carried away and there is still a long way to go, but there is growing belief both inside and outside the club. The team is improving, the results are following and Ewood Park is becoming a place of optimism once again. Not so long ago, home matchdays felt like something to endure. Right now, they feel like something to enjoy. Latest Blackburn Rovers news, analysis and fan views