Ritchie Barrett. - Some Other Guy

I’d like owners/senior management who want to go beyond whatever the statutory minimums are.

We fully understand the legislation, have members who have been part of building the structure for the said legislation. Everything we do, we review the legal side and are extremely thorough and strategic to mitigate against the balls falling on the wrong side of the net. The Coalition is made up of a lot of people, differing opinions/skill sets and does not stifle or prevent the group's involved carrying out their own objectives or remits. Individual group activities have not ceased or paused by being part of a collective panel. Respecting each groups objectives and opinions has been paramount and remains top of the agenda in terms of how the Coalition operates. Selling the club would be one outcome many desire. However from a personal point of view stability, strong competent leadership at Board Level and the removal of those whose do the club harm is at the forefront of my mind. We may get new owners and a continued circus entrusted with running the club. We need to shut the circus down, and seek a hierarchy that functions with integrity , whilst are accountable for their actions. If our current owners cannot implement the positive changes required for the club to rebuild then ultimately they need to go. I'm a firm believer that we should never shut a door completely, but by the same sentiment, never be afraid to open a new one. We need to eat the elephant piece by piece. In terms of new owners one objective of the Coalition (baring in mind resource levels), is to make Rovers a credible purchase, developing what can be achieved, how and utilising data and market research to increase the attractiveness to potential buyers/investors. As I've tried to maintain throughout in my posts, I'm trying to be as transparent as I can without literally handing on a plate to the club what our current activities are. The club continues to ignore individual supporter group/ supporter emails, with them going unanswered regarding SLT engagement. Whilst their generic response to the Coalition, was they'll speak to the Fans Forum in July. The Coalition website is due to go live which has been worked on by a working group within the team and hopefully it can be another vehicle to communicate what's being done by all the volunteers involved. I note your points about the supporter engagement with the club, it's 100% been getting discussed weekly by the panel, at the moment the club has put a brick wall up.

Yeah, he was at Rovers during the League 1 promotion season. It seemed like he played a massive part in changing the narrative around the club during that season. I think he went to Man Utd and then the EFL after us which shows how well his work was viewed. Although Port Vale a much smaller club in comparison, looks like he's stepped up to Head of/Director level there. Imagine getting qualified people in at that level, instead of some lads who did an internship at QPR last summer.

The owners aren't naive.

There is a funding implication to offering players more minutes, this moves you up the EPPP league table in terms of output, resulting in increased funding. There is also an impact on any players that then leave on a tribunal or don't renew with us, the training comp is based on a mix of 'training cost' and the value they are to the team.

Is that the fella who did a brilliant job with Rovers social media, I remember there was an 18 month period where the content was very good, quite funny, original and in touch with the audience

To me, he's a good lad who never causes any bother and is the hardest working player on the pitch. 13 goal involvement including 7 goals would stand up to the majority of attacking players in the division. If that's 10% of the time, then so be it.

Wharton, although injuries are a slight concern, and that could easily change within 12 months. But, they're being sold for similar prices at a similar point in their careers. We're also talking about two players who were sold/being sold at 19 years old, so there are many unknowns and many possibilities for either one to surpass their current potential or never fulfill it. We could run through lists as long as our arms of players at 19/20 who were expected to be world class and never got close. We could also come up with long lists of players at 19/20 who were never expected to be particularly special and who went on to amazing careers. I'd be very happy with either one.

If that is their ultimate strategy, then it’s naieve and is going to get us nowhere. The number one aim and the whole reason to exist is for the first team to be as good as it possibly can be. Focussing everything on the Academy and bringing through young players is totally missing the point. It’s getting harder and harder for lower league clubs to either keep these youngsters or sell them on for anything like their true value. The number one focus has to be, to get together the strongest first team squad we can, in any way we can. Get into the top division and then we have a far better chance of either keeping our academy lads or getting their true worth in the transfer market. This current set of owners are so naive they swallow whatever amateurs like Gestede tell them - and Gestede just tells ‘em what he thinks they want to hear. Totally and completely wrong.

I would like the owners to sell - and have done since they sacked Sam Allardyce.

Okay, let's try this another way.... Do you think the coalition are doing the right thing in getting the owners to sell, because the owners have done an awful job since they bought the club, or do you think the owners are doing a good job, so the coalition shouldn't bother getting the owners to sell?

No whistles blown at all then.

Joe Walsh - Ordinary Average Guy

Speaking to the MPs - yes. Again, I want them to work within the system - it's just worth pointing out that the one outstanding contribution made by a supporters group was when the Trust got an Asset Of Community Value order placed over Ewood Park. That was an example of people making sure they understood the law and working within the system. As for the Coalition they've set themselves a very hard objective - advocating a sale by owners who have never shown an inclination to sell. I'm not personally able to see how they can achieve that - but Glen has made it clear that they will stay the right side of the law and that definitely is "the right thing".

It's just totally ridiculous stuff now. Parody level. I appreciate that a bloke like Gestede has to come out with stuff like this to justify his employment and 'project' but it really is as though the last 4-5 years just haven't happened and we are all supposed to forget about it. They employed Broughton and JDT under this precise remit. It worked. JDT brought through a huge number of academy players and integrated them into the first XI. Broughton got them all under proper contracts. Adam Wharton being the big one but also Carter, Garrett, Vale, Leonard, and others, all elevated from the academy to the first XI whilst many managers wouldn't have even considered doing so. He managed this whilst also sustaining good results and should have got us in the play-offs. If there had been a little less obsession with the academy players and more focus on immediate results we might have recruited differently in January 2023 and perhaps got the extra point needed to secure a play-off position. But despite that they - the owners and board - quickly took a wrecking ball to that project, forcing out the manager and Director of Football due to appalling conduct and then handed the job to Eustace who clearly has a strong preference for experience - and allowed him to top the squad up with senior players - McFadzean, Batth, Weimann, Cantwell. Fair enough, it worked, its a means to an end - it should and probably would have got us a play-off position had the same owners and board then not took a wrecking ball to that process and forced that manager out to Derby County. And now we have Gestede sat there telling us we need to use the academy more. Total and utter clown show, but ultimately they know this stuff is music to the ears of the owners and certain fans, it justifies a total lack of investment and recruitment in ready made quality players and it provides for 'jam tomorrow' as we can float around going nowhere for another couple of years whilst the 'project' progresses, players develop whilst we sacrifice results in return and then to add the icing to the cake we let them run their contracts down so rival clubs can snap them up, once ready, for next to nothing (Dolan). Micky mouse outfit operated by complete chancers.

Do you not think they're doing the right thing at the moment?

I'm happy to show support for them in doing the right thing. I get behind them by making constructive proposals.

It's absolutely fine to want to progress academy players, otherwise, what's the point in having one? However, the whole raison d'etre of Blackburn Rovers Football Club & Athletic PLC is the first team. It's pointless to promote players from the academy to the first team, if they aren't ready, all this will do, is hold the first team back.

Masher has made the effort to read the Parliamentary notes explaining the new legislation and understands that when it is enacted the club will have statutory obligations regarding fan engagement which they will have to fulfil whether they want to or not.

Literally nothing in my post said you were critical, either. What I did say, as it clearly bears repeating: 'you seem determined not to get behind the coalition' and 'it's a shame you can't support these people'. Show them some support and that you're willing to get behind them, then I'll absolutely hold my hands up and acknowledge that.

I for one will admit I am stupid, as shown by continuing to suffer through these morons.

Who would you rather have in your team ?

Mashed brains fundamentally not understanding something? Well I'm shocked to say the least.

So voluntarily relegating the team is not the issue, just the fact they weren’t communicated with earlier that they no longer had a team or job?