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All of these are so sad to read but inevitable. This is a great forum and I respect all views but I never post. This feed has inspired me to do so however. Many people have rightly talked about a heart and soul being lost. My Rovers journey began on 24 March 1979 aged six against North End. My grandad had been desperate to take me to Rovers and eventually my mum relented. It was Duncan McKenzie’s debut but Rovers lost 1–0 in the middle of a truly shocking campaign that ended in relegation without a whimper. But there was heart and soul. The early 80s meant growing up in the Nuttall Street stand with my grandad. Garner’s five against Derby, countless near misses in the promotion race, gates barely above five thousand, unpaid bills everywhere. Still there was heart and soul. My grandad passed away in 1986 and I stood alone on the Riverside. I tried to persuade friends to come with me until a glorious day in March 1987 changed everything. Once again there was heart and soul. Then came Archibald and Ossie choosing Rovers as their temporary home in 1988. We were so proud. Heart and soul. The Blackburn End, the class of 89, Gayle, Garner, Sellars, a house music soundtrack to the season, joy belief and most importantly fun, until a June day brought heartbreak. Even then there was a heart and soul. University life began with a disastrous 90–91 season and sit down protests outside Nuttall Street against Bill Fox and company. We did not realise how good we had it with locals who cared. Heart and soul. Jack Walker changed everything. Kenny Dalglish as our manager. Kenny Dalglish! We could hardly believe it. 4 incredible years. Heart and soul. Success could not last. Some who had only known glory drifted away. Many stayed. Relegation hurt but following a football club isn't all about winning titles. There was still heart and soul. The new millennium brought Souness, Tugay and the kids. By then I had moved South. The 9.30 from Euston on a Saturday morning was worth it. Win lose or draw the togetherness remained. Heart and soul. Hughes followed a similar path. European nights. Planes, trains, automobiles and boats to Feyenoord and back in fourteen hours. A MGP header away from becoming the first side to play at the new Wembley. Heart and soul. Big Sam came and went and something shifted. Children arrived in my own life. I tried to pass the club on and succeeded at first but the magic was fading. The Rattler from Euston every fortnight felt heavier. We had a brief nostalgic season in League One when it seemed lessons had been learned and unity was returning. It did not last. Now we reach the present. A generation lost. A club detached from its town and the very people who are its' biggest cheerleaders in good and bad times. Supporting a team is not only about success. It is also about failure, shared together. There can still be heart and soul in hard times. Sadly those two no longer seem to live at Blackburn Rovers.

Genuine question: Is Gudjohnsen any better? Im not sure he is. Id definitely prefer it if we had both at the Club.

Thanks for this comment. I will pass on the information regarding the Tannoy system.

Another very good post. Hope you can stick it out until better times return.

The fact members have taken the time to write on a Rovers forum shows we still care enough to keep going through these muddy waters. We've got to believe that our time will come again and personally I think it will, when that may be who knows? Hopefully sooner, rather than later! You only get 'one team' and ours is Rovers. In the meantime, keep checking in here, keep seeing what the scores are, cope with the current malaise in whatever way you see fit. No one can tell you personally the right or wrong thing to do when it comes to Blackburn Rovers Football Club. Keep everything in perspective, life, health (physical and mental), friends, family are all far more important.

Sorry to hear you're struggling with it all as well. I dont think there can be "an expectation of winning" unless you support four or so Clubs in England or Rangers or Celtic or Real Madrid or Barcelona etc. However even though I've voted with my feet some time ago the thing I still struggle with more than anything else about the Club currently is not simply the lack of actual success but the fact that there doesnt even seem to be any desire whatsoever within the Club win football matches or even try and be successful. We're simply a vehicle to exist so a few people who work at the Club and associated hangers on can hopefully make a very good living off it while it lasts. If I felt there was a genuine desire within the Club to be successful, I could forgive a lot. Everyone makes mistakes. But that desire and good faith (with the exception of Eustace and JDT) has been absent for a good number of years already now. If I felt at any point that the feeling of ambition and wanting to do well had genuinely returned Id like to think so would I.

It was widely reported as the fee being €1.8 million. This is reported on several sites and the Telegraph reported it to be "in excess" of 7 figures. Of course this will be including lots of adds on's and stuff, but I imagine the selling fee will also include this. edit - "Blackburn target striker Gueye, 2.5mill could seal the deal" said Alan Nixon back in July 2024 before he signed.

Nixon believes we only paid £1 million for Gueye initially

That's how it is for many now.

Should have been loaned out and he could be back playing for us now. The club is run by total amateurs who shouldn't be a charge of a car wash.

Think I can certainly put myself in the category of almost giving up. I can absolutely relate to a lot of what has been said in the posts above. My son, age 9, is not into football at all. He has his own special interests, so the love for Rovers in my family will end with me. I do find myself questioning 'what's the point' now, when all supporting Rovers seems to bring me is misery.

My feeling at the time was his going allowed us to bring Gudjohnsen in.

I think this is the best post I've ever seen on here. So sad and so poignant. I hope you keep in touch on here from time to time and take care.

Do you really think they will notice? After all they have been boycotting Ewood Park for the past 10 years. Are they still alive even?

Anyone who doesnt see the need for a boycott or any other form of action should read Devon Rover's beautifully written post on the "Painful Acceptance" thread and take a moment to reflect.

U21 preview for todays game https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2026/january/12/preview--rovers-under-21s-v-nottingham-forest-under-21s/ Joseph is apparently injured, which maybe explains why he has not been included on the first team bench yet

Definitely echo everything that's been said so far. I'm 35 and grew up in Cumbria, which isn't famously known for it's football. The biggest team (Carlisle) weren't at all local and played in non League, so coverage was really poor. School had a mix of all of your traditional big teams, but you could count on one hand the number of kids that went to any games. My Dad wasn't a massive football fan and didn't have a club, so I essentially had a free choice on who to support. NW, play in blue, massive history, I can watch them on MOTD and maybe I'll be able to get to a few games... Went to well over a hundred games with my Dad and brother growing up, driving a 240 mile round trip to watch our heroes in Blue and White. The connection we grew with the club was special and it's given me some of the best moments of my life. I don't believe any other club in the English football leagues could rival us in terms of the family feel you'd experience on match days and we were pound for pound one of the best run clubs around. I've always been so proud to say that I'm a Rovers fan, even when others would laugh. I've experienced the highs (post Premier League win). The competitive league finishes, the European and Domestic cup runs, winning the Worthington Cup in Cardiff, promotion from the second division twice, playing at Ewood Park as an adult twice. I've also experienced the real lows. I was sat in the stands for my 3rd ever game as we were relegated against Forest. I was at Brentford when we slipped into L1. There was however always hope. For me, there has never been an expectation of winning. I bought into a club that honoured tradition and fought by skill and hard work. Peaks and dips are part and parcel of football but what we're currently seeing isn't that. It is managed decline. It has nothing to do with trying to run a successful football club. Everything that the club once was and stood for has been completely ripped away. Until that changes - and I think that means everyone gone from behind the scenes even remotely linked to Venky's, as well as the clowns themselves - I'm struggling to see what there is for me anymore. There is no ambition, no attempt to be better and the club now just feels soulless. I would love to take my 2 year old daughter to more games and be able to share my football passion and memories with her, but it's really got to the stage where I can't line their pockets anymore. They need to go before they cause even more damage. It's not just the football side they are destroying, it's the club and the will of the supporters that follow it.

And for all those that may not share same opinions going forward, we all have one thing in common at the end of the day. No one wants to pick holes in opposite opinions really but it's just got to, as Ian said, a tipping point. We don't want to see people throwing the towel in now because they might not come back if/when they leave. But look how it resonates with everyone. We've all got our own stories. But it's affecting people more than we think.

"Little money" is relative. Armstrong and Szmodics turned out to be absolute bargains but still cost £3m and £1.9m respectively. Our ceiling for transfer fees recently seems to be generally around the £1m mark with the wages being even more of a problem so that would put even a top League 1 or League 2 striker out of our budget probably unless someone else is sold to cover it.

How is Nixon working out we are selling Gueye for an 800k profit at 1.8 million, when the reported fee when we bought him was 1.8 million? Am I misremembering or are they just lying about the add-ons as usual...

I don't think anyone is labelling him the second coming but to many he had enough about him to be kept around. By rights he should've been loaned to Posh and he'd be recalled now fit and ready to have another go. However it seems Gestede was actively trying to sell him and even offered him to Peterbrough for less than they were prepared to go to to get him.

Technically has some first team experience which is more than could be said for Mason, but it's in the MLS, so who knows how relevant that is. If he has anything about him he should be able to stabilise the team at the very least.

And in summer they'll reduce it further by Trons, Cantwell leaving and selling Toth for a few quid. They'll then assume the advancement of last summers signings being another year experienced and more youth in the squad will be enough to stay up next season. Before they start selling that lot off to pay the bills.

This thread resonates so much for me, as anyone who has listened to our latest 4000 Holes episode will already know. The club is reaching a tipping point. Season ticket renewals will be interesting. So many fans are simply exhausted. Thanks to everyone who has shared on here…🙏

And the fact that they will need them on monday night for the u21s with most of the u21 playing in the fac cup on sunday