All Activity

Well, we've turned them up before for little money (Szmodics, Adam Armstrong etc). I think we need to look at League 1 and 2 and take a punt on a couple of forwards with good goal scoring records at that level. I doubt loans are going to help us, or players from abroad. January loans tend to not be motivated, and players from abroad need time to get up to speed.

I'm not a prolific poster on this message board, but I have been a member for 18 years now, and I'm close to signing out too. My dad was my last tangible connection to the club really, I guess my brother too but we haven't really spoken about Rovers in a very long time. Dad passed away a little over a year ago. Dad grew up in London, he supported Rovers because his dad, who died long before I was born, was from the town. Even Grandad had left Blackburn during or around the second world war - though I am told he maintained the accent immaculately - by the time I came around the connection was already getting a bit frayed. I now live on the south coast, I guess Bournemouth are my local 'big' team, I used to go to away games with dad but haven't set foot in Blackburn in years, let alone Ewood. I probably have some relatives in the town - dad certainly had cousins who were still about, but I don't know them and wouldn't know how to find them. I genuinely, sincerely, love this club, but it increasingly feels like that one relative you gradually grow up to realise isn't a very nice person and you actually don't enjoy spending time with. I deeply resent that the rovers of the last years of dad's life was this version. It's gutting. It should be a source of joy, and memories - I want to see results and think 'dad would have enjoyed that', 'dad would have liked this player' etc. and I can't. He wouldn't have. The fanbase feels increasingly fractured, even on here. I have encountered other Rovers fans in the wild and been almost reluctant to admit that this is my team for fear of the reaction if my views on Venkys or recent history don't align with theirs, if I am not sufficiently 'getting behind the boys' or whatever. A prolific poster late of this parish accused me of being a dingle infiltrator a few months back for suggesting I'd like to see the academy players get a run out in the cup. Supporters of other clubs are unsympathetic or ignorant, and I find myself fed up of explaining, or attempting to explain the situation, so I shrug and move on. I used to be proud of this club, and I find myself wondering when I lost that. I guess it's just been worn away gradually over the last fifteen years. At some point it will be gone entirely and I will probably have to make the same decision as Devon Rover. I'm tired lads.

The thing that has frustrated me the most about his management is the way he has handled the strikers, whether by choice or because Rudy and Pasha have told him to. Leonard banished to the U21s, Gueuye not picked in squads, Tyjon not picked in squads. Instead we had Dlamini and Henriksson up front yesterday. The most baffling thing is Tyjon has suddenly been picked in the last two squads but he has zero intention of giving him any minutes. It reminds me a little of when Kean wouldn't play the likes of Salgado, Nelsen and Emerton but wouldn't really be honest about the reasons why

I do not think we will sign anyone permanently ,who will make any difference to the squad !

This thread is so sad! I wish the Rao family understood the human impact of their inaction.

The sad thing is that if we stay up, the owners will see this as a very successful season. Wage bill reduced dramatically; one player we signed last summer (Alebiousu) will go for a sizeable profit in the summer; average age of the squad reduced; and a number of youth team players brought into the first team. They are the objectives of the club and I don't think they even try to pretend otherwise anymore.

You do know that we're owned by Venky's, right? 😝

My story is creeping that way too I'm afraid... I'm from Stockport - and in 1990 I was 8 when my dad sadly passed away. His best friend thought the way to support my mum and his mate's memory was to take her lad to the football - the only caveat being that he was a Rovers supporter.. .who were in Division 2. A week before my 9th birthday we went to Ewood for the first time, losing against Wolves but I was reassured it was an anomaly as they hadn't lost for six games before that! Regardless of the result, it did something to fill a hole in me, my life, my Dad... and I fell in love with the family nature of the club, the booming Lancs accents of the men around us at the games and felt like a big part of me had found my home. I wasn't disappointed with the ride... over the next few years nobody could have envisaged how it grew... Uncle Jack took over, and the stadium was thrown up around me. For every kid giving me stick about the team buying it's way to success, there were days and nights of sheer enjoyment, being devastated that Alan Shearer was effectively replacing Speedie but then being catapulted into dreamland as he fired us to the title. In 1996 I turned 15 and my dad's friend stopped attending.... but Rovers was my life and I had made good friends with the season ticket holders around us. As part of group of like-minded lads I started getting the train on my own from Manchester for every home game, having some hairy moments with a group of PNE fans at Mill Hill on one occasion and often encountering all kinds of scrapes with other fans at Piccadilly. We had no expectations, just loved the club and whatever happened, Rovers would always have a go.. "get into 'em" was the visceral cry of the Blackburn End demanding commitment, passion and heart from every player. Despite relegation, Graeme Souness came to the club and his Rovers side of the early 2000s became my favourite team of all. Jansen, Dunn, Duff - young English (and Irish players) complimented by a smattering of experience from Berg, Short and Flitcroft... Brad Friedel showing what an honest down-to-earth bloke he was. I followed them home and away every game through University for three years, mounting debts but didn't care... By this time I knew that there would be no chance of a Premier League title again - the money gap was too vast - but I was fiercely proud of my family club, still overseen by the Walker Trust and with a creative attacking team (not averse to getting one over on Burnley from time to time!) and the Worthington Cup win was one of the best days of my life, jumping all over Big Ron Atkinson outside the ground in a haze of Euphoria... God I loved that time. The smell of the pitch at Ewood on a Tuesday night for an evening kickoff... amazing. What a childhood. Didn't matter that we had been relegated, ups and downs, in fact it all enhanced the picture and my love for MY club. I took great pride in supporting them through thick and thin - I felt like I was a part of Rovers, and they were a part of me. My first daughter was born in 2006 and my son in 2009... work was a massive commitment and I struggled to get to games... but nobody wanted a free ticket anymore... I persevered, taking the kids to the games whenever possible, decorating their rooms in Rovers merchandise, my son playing in Rovers kit and keeping up to date with the team selections and results... watching every game we could... watching the kids pin their hopes on their 'Speedie' or 'Shearer'.... Jordan Rhodes, Adam Armstrong, Ben Brereton, even Sammie Szmodics... all flickers of hope quickly extinguished as the reality that this football world, climate, landscape had changed. Players like Phil Jones and Adam Wharton, coming through to great hope and promise - a throwback to an academy still capable of producing the highest quality of player... but now they didn't become David Dunn or Damien Duff, now they play a handful of games and are sold to the highest bidder to try and balance the books. The experience of a Travis or a Hyam - no longer cherished and valued like a Short or Flitcroft... now the wages weren't sustainable and away they go. A glut of foreign players - no xenophobia here - but a lack of relatability now... players who come and go overnight. A pitch that was cutting edge, a stadium that was home, slowly being left to crumble as some overseas owners don't even visit, just wait for the next transfer fee incoming to try to balance the books on a failing asset. I came with the kids to the Wrexham game last. They tried their best, oohing and aahing as Baradji - a player lauded as being decent but who is anything but - hit the bar. The Wrexham fans goaded us for our silence... but I couldn't muster a murmur. There was no passion, no heart or determination... no "get into 'em"... I looked at the kids and just felt guilty. Lamented the £110 it cost me to come and watch them and felt bad for subjecting them to this... I never expected anything but being part of a family and community who pulled in the same direction even if it failed. It doesn't feel like the club is pulling in the same direction as the fans any more. It hurts.

Blackburn Rovers is now a club where apathy is endemic I do not think that anyone can blame you. There is a malaise at boardroom level; a club and owners that see no real benefit in ambition. Instead, it is simply a case of moving from one account to the next, ensuring the portfolio of far flown billionaires is ticking over without any unusual activity required from the Chairs. The Venkys have shown no interest in anything Rovers since they embarrassed themselves on an international level. I think back to the visit of the Queen, over 10 years ago now. As far as we know, this is the last time an owner stepped foot in Blackburn. They came for their state visit, rubbed shoulders with royalty and then flew home before the Rovers kicked off only the following day. Can anybody blame fans for disengaging when our owners cannot be bothered to attend or engage? The family feel of Rovers is all but gone. Long-term staff moving on with allegations of less than friendly behaviour behind the scenes; Suhail Pasha, faceless for over a decade, but now front & centre in all manner, has systematically ripped this club from the town. The truth is that under the Venkys nothing will ever change. The fans will continue to disengage and this element of their portfolio will wind down. It feels like such a hopeless task at times, to follow and remain engaged with Rovers, but at the same time it is impossible to shake both the joy or the unbridled sadness that comes with the final whistle and end result I do not like using the word 'hate' but I hate the Venky's for what they have done to this club. A once great source of pride, trodden in to the dirt, and left in a position where an apathetic fan base have succumbed to this suggestion that we have 'found our place', that nobody else better will come along and that we should be grateful for the owners for paying their way. It is the most fantastic piece of business management that Suhail has provided the Venkys - one in which he is greatly recompensed for - to etch away the ambitions of an entire fan base and deliver a most extraordinary example of Stockholm Syndrome. I am 32. I have confidence I will outlive Venkys. What condition the club will be at the end is the part that worries me.

I feel exactly the same way. I no longer actively look out for rovers games. If I happen upon a rovers match on tv or in the final score I'll have a look. Otherwise I just don't feel any inclination to seek it out. I watch other matches on TV. I haven't felt any great connection to rovers for about 15 years. Since 'they' arrived. I used to love taking my mum to matches but I no longer felt I could in all honesty justify going. Now my mum has since passed and that's been robbed from me. I will show my love for this great club once they have departed.

He was under contract till 2027 anyway, so there was no need to sell and leave us with no strikers. Also read this from the Lancashire Telegraph, and then ask yourself if it sounds like we were desperate to keep him and offering him a new contract.

I'd be taking them to the cinema or Arcade Club or something. Or doing something else I rarely do with them whilst I have a "free" afternoon. Not spending on the ground, as a tactic, would only really work if it was implemented across a period of time / games rather than a one off which won't be either felt by the club or noticeable.

aligned

It was a good effort from the 'kids'. Ultimately we were not strong enough. I do not buy this narrative that VI is doing a good job with the squad he has at his disposal. Why? - 1 win in 11 games - Where is the accountability for the woeful squad we have? He has played along with Gestede and Pasha throughout. Rotten

I think this sums up the feelings of a large number of Rovers fans these days, myself included. It’s just not fun anymore. I don’t hate the team, if anything I feel sorry for them. They’re trying their best but due to being in positions above their ability and the complete lack of support from those in positions of power they’re hung out to dry. I hate what the club has become and no longer recognise it as ‘my’ Rovers. People may say they can never take Rovers away from us, they have. This is a sad version of a once proud and successful club. That bears no resemblance to anything that has gone before

It's just not fun any more, is it? I legit only go for the social aspect and that's adversely affected by poor rail connections and otherwise expensive taxis, so I've pretty much got to do those at half time and during the match.

I will be attending the game as It is something i do with my 2 kids and dont know how much longer i will have to do this with them, they have been told though that we wont be spending any money at the ground like we usually do

That well written piece sums up my feelings, and I dare say quite a lot of us on here. It’s the feeling of hopelessness. The feeling that there is nothing we can do to effect a change. I’ve been a Rovers fan since 1960. I’ve seen some truly great teams and quite a few not so great. In all that time and all those ups and downs I’ve never given up hope that we would rise again. Even in the dark days of the 1970’s when we were skint. There always seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel. The Chicken Chokers have almost extinguished that light. At 76 I fear they may outlast me and I may never see a Blackburn Rovers run by people who love Blackburn Rovers. We live in sad times.

WBA have appointed Eric Ramsey as their new manager. (I have no idea either)

I'm sure at one stage he was the most expensive goalkeeper in the premier league when he moved to Sunderland I think it was around £9M at the time.

Our budget wouldn’t buy the big toe of any of those

Given Peterborough presumably offered more with theirs, no.

I didn't really want to 'like' this post, but it's probably the only appropriate reaction. What a beautifully written piece & i'm not too proud to admit, had me welling up. Probably because it's certainly how I, and no doubt many others are feeling right now. My daughter said to me yesterday, "i'm fed up of this dad. It's not fun anymore. I hate this team". I'm pretty sure she meant 'club' rather than team, but her point stands & for once, I had no reply. I'm praying for the day that we're rid of this cancer that is Venkys. I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet, but I can certainly sympathise with those that have. Take care my friend & I hope to see u back posting on here in the not too distant future.

This is the problem, and it is why the situation in which we find ourselves is so dangerous. I can see how the model can be sold to the owners. I can even see how it leaves them confused as to why the supporters are so unhappy. Reduce the wage bill. Invest in young players. Make a profit off of those players. Reinvest. Build a good squad. We've done the first bit. We've kind of done the second bit. We've definitely done the third bit. We've never done the fourth bit. And we've never been further from the 5th bit. What worries me is that our current senior management will spin our current predicament and leave our owners feeling as if they are on the right path. They'll call the fans ungrateful. They'll say the players who have wanted out are ungrateful. But they're here to steady the ship and guide us on our path. If you didn't follow football much, knew nothing about the sports, and had minimal to no interest in a relatively small investment within your portfolio...well...you might just buy it.

This is difficult to write. But something I have found sad on here over the years has been seeing so many posters I've enjoyed reading just disappearing. So I thought I'd say farewell, for now. Back in 1992, an elderly couple moved down from Blackburn into a semi-detached house across the road on our Somerset council estate. Being a horrible little teenager, I harassed them early on, with casual games of knock-knock-ginger. Once, they caught me at the door and “invited” me in for a chat. I suspected this might involve a blow to the head and a call to the police but, intrigued by their ‘strange’ accents, remembering my mum had the only landline in the street, and being a bit bored, anyway, I sheepishly went in. Anne made us all a cup of tea, while Doug and I sat in silence in big old armchairs in their cold living room. Out of the blue, Doug asked me if I liked football. Within 30 minutes we were onto our second cuppa and Doug was regaling me with stories of a club I knew nothing about – Blackburn Rovers – and his watching them through the 1960s and 70s. He showed me black and white collection cards of Bryan Douglas and Ronnie Clayton and he assured me, with a white-moustached smile, "the Rovers are on their way back; just you wait and see”. Doug and I met up most Saturdays, to read the sports pages of the papers and to consider the Rovers’ chances in the afternoon’s game. Before I even knew it, Blackburn Rovers was my team, my club. A million miles away from me and my home, yet just across the road. In the next few years, supporting the Rovers gave me some of my happiest life memories, whilst dealing with the stresses of school, gangs, and adolescence. I clung to the Rovers, as a representation of hope and aspiration. When Doug died in the late 1990s, I was already a big Rovers fan in my own right, despite never having been anywhere near Ewood Park. At nights, I dreamt of having the chance to be there, and during the day I knew I had to stick with the club, come what may, for Doug, as well as for myself. Well, I have tried, Doug. I’ve given it a really good go, and I hope you wouldn’t be too saddened that I can’t keep it up, now. I suspect it would be nothing next to your sadness for what has become of your Rovers. The truth is, for me the excitement of Rovers has gone, the enjoyment of our games has gone. But most of all, the 'hope' is gone. This club is no longer one Doug would recognise, and nor do I. It brings me only sadness rather than any fun, pleasure, or aspiration. Rainy drives to games at Ewood Park have left me with a deflated feeling – amplified by the stress of wondering if that game will even start/finish. My wife asked me yesterday, after I had attended a different club’s match, successfully seeking something a bit more fun, why am I still following Rovers? What do I get out of it in return for my time, energy, money? What is the point if there is no expectation of things getting any better? Why would I travel 500-mile round trips in the hope of maybe seeing a couple of shots on target? She seemed genuinely sad and frustrated for me and at how this all makes me feel and behave. For the first time (we’ve had similar conversations before), I just responded with “I don’t know. I don’t really want to, anymore.” So, with that, I now, sadly, withdraw my support for this previously great club – one that I have loved for 33 years, and always will, deep down, but which is now just the cause of unhappiness for me. I don’t know how many future seasons of football I will get to see, but I do know I don’t want them to be spent with bleakness and anger towards something that should, on some level/s make me happy. I will remain registered on BRFCS, a place that is brilliantly run and has represented a rare place of ‘safety’ for me to share views about what has been the absolute destruction of what many of us, and those before us, were able to enjoy and love. But I’ll only really be looking out for Venkys leaving, and consequent hope that the great Blackburn Rovers can be reborn. Until then, being a Rovers fan, for me, is no longer a place for happiness. The club has become a symbol of decline and disappointment, and I choose, painfully, not to have that in my life. Thank you all for being interesting to interact with. Of course, each one of us behind a username is a person, with a story of our own. So, keep being kind. Take care.