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How many senior players have had their contracts renewed this season? Scott Wharton is the only one I can remember but he's a true Rover and spent the majority of his senior career on the treatment table unfortunately. Ismael is blaming injuries but the game last night was dead and gone and the two subs he made were youth players. Why isn't he letting Ohashi rest for 15-20 mins when he's highly ineffective? Toss Pratt up top, who cares... if we're waiting for everyone to come back from injury in order to be able to win games, Ismael should ensure we don't take maximum risk of suffering further injuries

Very strange player, looks like he has a lot of ability, but generally it never seems to quite come off for him and I can't quite decide whether he's putting it all in or not. I'd be surprised if he's still here next season option or no option.

Would love to but we have zero budget. I have already spent my own money on this campaign.

I agree, although I'm still glad he has gone. Him carrying on for another year or two would not have helped the club in the long run. The day of his retirement was always coming and the collapse we are witnessing now was always coming, best off getting it done and see what comes next than delay it.

Two words - Lewis Travis. I always said he was the heartbeat of the team when we were doing better But according to many he has a sub par scuffler.

Having dealt with Waggott several times I did warn when he left that fans celebrating his departure should be careful what they wished for. He was a canny operator.

It's definitely one of the reasons for economic decline of the area, not sure to what extent, the whole thing is extremely complex and lots of different factors demographic and political factors to consider as well. Having said that, if a town of 110,000 people regularly goes from having 25,000 people doing a specific economic activity in that town reducing down to now around 10,000 people (including away fans) doing that same activity, it's bound to have an impact. That economic activity will be pretty varied as well, spending on public transport, pubs, takeaways, supermarkets and the rest all directly impacted by the fact that 10,000 people are walking past on a match day when it used to be 25,000. Another fantastic gift for the people of east Lancashire from the Venkys

That's fair enough. The sentiment and idea is spot on on if not the execution. Get some properly printed ones up in various strategic spots all over town then.

It does feel increasingly that Waggott was the "glue" holding this wreck together, to the point where we could at least remain in the Championship under Venky's. Unlikely we'd ever have gone up with Waggott at the helm, but he had enough nous to be able to keep a manager and team together who could compete in the division. He was also able to keep the remaining fans going to Ewood onside, even if it meant dragging fans groups down to Ewood for a guilt trip from the "senior committee" of players. This isn't me defending Waggott by any stretch, he was still holding us down in line with the owners' ambition, but since he left it's just been amateur hour on repeat and we're probably now on our way down. There's a good chance we'd still be struggling anyway considering the increasing budget cuts, but if Waggott's got his hands on the wheel I think he probably finds a way to renew at least some of our championship experience. I also think if he had full say he'd have kept Eustace or replaced him with somebody equally pragmatic. I doubt he'd choose Ismael. We'd be doomed to being a zombie club regardless, but the lipstick is truly off the pig at this point.

I did see the first releases earlier today, but my first impressions were that it was an attempt to divert heat away from Pasha. 'See, it's all Rudy this mess, nothing at all to do with me...' We'll see, I guess.

Clearly out social media people have done a lousy job briefing players on how not to wind up fans at the wrong time.

What squad building / transfer recruitment should look like: - Pace on the flanks - Experience in both boxes - Good set piece taker - Leadership / organiser at the back What we currently have: - Pace on one flank (Alebiosu) but he often lacks support. We play with wingbacks because there's no pacy wingers in the squad besides Kargbo (whose decision-making is awful anyway). - No experience among the strikers. Gudjohnsen seems to have a poacher's instinct inside the box but he's poor in many other areas including holding off challenges, compete in the air and link play with his teammates. - Poor set piece takers. Feels like Cantwell should do better with his technique but there's either a lack of concentration from his part or they don't work on any set piece routines in training. - No leadership at the back, which often leads to breakdown in communication. Despite his age and Championship experience, McLoughlin is not a leader. What's the end result of poor recruitment? Answer is: we concede silly goals, can't defend our box properly, are too slow in transitions moments / counter-attacks and we can't score from set-pieces unless it's a penalty. I would say we should focus on: - Getting a new (and pacy) left wingback - Getting an experienced centre back with leadership qualities. Someone who has a presence, can organise a defence, shouts instructions to his teammates and motivates them. - Getting an experienced striker who can compete with centre backs. - Work on set pieces in training

VIs excuses make no sense. It’s not like we didn’t know this would happen. In order to compete in the Championship you need a certain squad depth/quality and experience- neither of which Rovers have had all season- so hardly surprising Rovers are where they are. The amount of injuries seems a bit over the top, so they must me doing something wrong in that department as well, but is any department at Rovers performing on par atm? The ownership and admin has simply and finally run out of luck (the result of too many bad decisions - pi*** off too many competent people etc etc- no more Mowbrays, JDTs, JEs, Dolans, Whartons - list goes on - btw - you think those names weren’t exactly your dream candidates…?) and are now reaping what they sowed. I’m curious of what their next parent company financial statements will say about the asset value of the club (which, if I remember correctly, was based on a certain probability of promotion to the premiership). Does mother of all impairments await? Knowing this lot - probably not.

That’s easy…my friend of some 35+ years inviting me to stay with him in the lovely town of Mumbles for three days…😉

I have said this from the very start. A town/city progresses if the local football club does well. the local economy grows with the growth of a football club. Blackburn itself has had a terrible decline within the last 15years, not a coincidence is it?

The squad we have is crap, so any manager would somewhat have their work cut out. Towards the end, all of the last 3 managers made it clear that they werent getting what they wish in the transfer market. Players signed against their will, the players they wanted not being signed, an unwillingness to spend and an unwillingness to trade, whatever that is. However Ismael seems to regularly double down on his involvement in our shoddy recruitment, and actively seems to want these crap players.

Yeah, this was one of my takeaways from recent matches, especially last night. Games are won/lost in midfield and we can't rely on players ilke Cantwell and Baradji to be that type of player in the middle of the pitch. Tronstad as the deep/holding player works well, but we need at least one Travis-style player in there - high energy, box-to-box.

I think the club will give him a stay of execution. I don't think that will be anything to do with what is happening on the pitch, how the players are feeling, alignment, projects or injuries. It will simply be because they don't want to make a decision of such significance, don't want to cough up the cash to pay him and Whitehead off, don't want to recruit a new manager and his staff or give assurances on funding, plans or transfers. As we've seen under this lot with various managers - Kean, Coyle, Mowbray, Ismael - they won't take action and respond to results. Managers are appointed and removed based on their willingness to put up with the situation and the flak that comes with it. Those that aren't - Allardyce, JDT, Lambert, Eustace - quickly head out the exit door.

But doesn't it just symbolise the state of the club? No one from top to bottom cares a jot about the club, aside from the fans. Our own players would rather watch another team (and their FORMER teammate) rather than being interested in how their current teammates are getting on. That is appalling behaviour from Carter.

@ruggles1995 you say that Baradji tried but I dont think he did at all, again. He was signed after a very strange career, being relegated from the Swiss league having been in the lower leagues in Italy before that. A Championship move should be an absolutely massive opportunity for him. He clearly has more ability than most of our signings but he just strolls around, doesnt bother running back, regularly gives the ball away dawdling and just is symptomatic of how we have been run down. Hes is one of our more talented players, we have plucked him from obscurity and he cant even be arsed. Another symptom would be that McLoughlin has regularly worn the armband and often (not last night) played in the middle of a back 3. Absolute crap.

We do but his absence is a symptom of the overall problem/culture at the club from boardroom to seemingly players now Which is lack of respect or care for the club that’s an academy player been at the club from 14/15 years of age. We’re in a dogfight and he’s at some other game on the same night we’re playing it’s a terrible look

I've seen plenty of despair from Ismael on the touchline when the camera focuses on him; shaking of the head at his players, visible frustration, etc. Yes, he's not animated, but he does subtly show those things. So I think you're right; he knows that these players cannot do whatever on Earth it is he wants them to do for him. I don't think Ismael is looking for the sack. From his point of view, if that happened here - at a club with low expectations from his superiors and with little pressure - then his days of managing semi-decent clubs is over. He will be aware of that, I'm sure. So in that regard, I don't think this is anything like the JDT situation. In fact, quite the opposite. He's not publicly complaining about the club. He's not having a go at recruitment. And it wasn't that long ago that he claimed everyone at the club was aligned. I think by that he only meant himself and Gestede, if I'm being cynical. The real question is whether the club deems a change necessary. I'm sympathetic with Ismael regarding the chaotic transfer window in summer, and the horrific number of injuries we seem to get every winter. However, that doesn't mean that I'm impressed with much of what I've seen on the pitch. It's whether the club is going to give him a stay of leave for the aforementioned reasons, or if he really has lost the players (if he ever had them in the first place).

And let's be honest if he was actually fit (big if I know but still) we'd be begging to have him back in the first 11.

Ive no idea why you keep focusing on his time at Barnsley as if he did anything other than an excellent job there. He finished 5th with Barnsley! A good job that has very much proved the exception in the career of a crap manager.

Maybe they’ve hoping to off load Pickering and they don’t want him getting injured ?