All Activity

Totally agree. It’s widely known that Eustace almost walked last summer, seemingly before Waggott decided we couldn’t afford that to happen and brought in some players that JE wanted. Ismael has been totally aligned with this summer’s business, helping the process along with his media duties and portraying the departures of key players as inevitabilities, not the clubs fault etc. I can’t be arsed going back through the summer articles, but he threw Trav under the bus, and did that internal interview after the Hyam debacle and defended the clubs decision. He’s culpable, and just like the playing squad, is a downgrade on last season. The difference between him and Eustace/JDT is that he’s probably drinking in the last chance saloon managerially, and will be aware he won’t get another job at this level, certainly won’t walk in to one like the previous pair. So, a bit like Coyle he’ll limp on and try to make a silk purse out of the sows ear he was absolutely complicit in purchasing.

Not sure I understand your post. Are you saying you left both "The Coaltion" because they wouldnt mobilise for the Derby game, and before that you left WATR because the Board members were reluctant to take any action? Tbh, historically different supporters groups have always been a bit "Fuck off - we're the Judean People's Front not The People's Front of Judea" for me. However I've no idea how anyone wouldnt unite behind the aim of removing the owners and their vile henchmen now. Tbf the only bit of positive action I've ever seen from anyone was from "The Coalition" when they requested that the 3 stooges stay away from games, gained significant media attention and panicked them into putting out the car crash interviews. That was excellent work, unfortunately since then it all seems to have gone relatively quiet and the Derby game which would have been an excellent rallying point has been and gone. I couldnt agree more about the comment about the mood fluctuating with results. A couple of bad ones and people on here are climbing the walls. A couple of good ones and people are suddenly happy as Larry and it's "oooo isnt Ismael doing well with such limited resources" type thing. The odd (and it is only the odd) good result doesn't change anything. Underneath the Club is rotten to the core and imo hurtling towards oblivion. League 2 or beyond. The question is, are we as a fanbase prepared to do anything about it or are we happy to just sit back and let the Club die? Doesn't have to be anything illegal but imo we have to step up our opposition and it has to be visible, absolutely constant and incessive. Can't have one excellent initiative then nothing for 6 months. (That's not a criticism of the Coalition more the fanbase as a whole)

To quote the office, ‘there is no good news, just bad news and irrelevant news.’

I like the look of Pointon from Bradford in the limited highlights I've seen. Similar care the O Riordan in that he's a young player who's played loads of games. Can't be on loads of money currently and in good form having stepped up from league two to league one. Added bonus of when we go down, we know he can play in that league too.

For what it's worth I agreed with the majority of the statement, it was really only the last page I had an issue with. It implies that a statement from the owners would have value, when it wouldn't, and the suggestion is that if such a statement was released the coalition / trust would "continue to hold them accountable". Frankly, that is just a retread of the "critical friend" overtures that have failed for well over a decade. It didn't work with the FF, it didn't work with the AG, it didn't work with the Trust and it won't work now. The demand simply has to be for the owners to put the club up for sale. Nothing more, nothing less. Whether such a statement achieves anything is another matter - it probably won't - but my view is that this should be a message repeatedly reinforced no matter what. I'm just one guy from the outside looking in, so I don't expect any weight to be assigned to my thoughts, but nonetheless that's how I feel.

That's not what Rovers fans have been good at doing over the last 15 years. This is starting to be debated here and on other threads. Something needs to be done though as we can all see the decline at Rovers in every area!

Once they realised they were being left behind, this came.

Thought that myself. Wonder if there’d be a few willing to take a punt on him. If his agent has anything about him he’ll be a busy lad at the moment.

I wonder what are the chances that the Riverside will be closed down next season, to allow for "The upgrade of the drainage system" ?

Not in name or branding, but members of the coalition became part of the trust's board, therefore had to be less militant as they were now representing the supporters trust. Trust board members became part of the coalition & they were never going to be as militant because they were a part of the trust that had achieved nothing for years.

Have they fused? Thought WATR stayed separate? If they have then my original point stands even more, it’s one group, it’s them or nowt.

No he hasn't. If anything he's been a hindrance every time he's stepped foot on the pitch. I imagine they were trying as Ismael clearly hasn't fancied him since he came in. Aside from a brief spell last season that peaked with WBA away, Gueye has been a woeful signing who simply hasn't developed any sort of intelligence to play at this level. He's also the type of player who clearly needs an arm round his shoulder and I'm not sure Ismael is the type. Ohashi and Gudjohnsen desperately need decent competition so that when substitutions happen it doesn't completely derail the team in an attacking sense. Shame we flogged Leonard to Peterborough really as he would've been a better option than Gueye IMO.

But they fused, with coalition members going on to the trust's board & trust members getting involved with the coalition

Chaddy….there’s NO BRILLIANT news coming out of Ewood and hasn’t been since “they “ have been in situ ..

Jesus Christ. I missed that off my ‘reasons why we’re going down’ post on this thread. That would have been number 2 behind Venky’s taking us down on our 150th year.

Engagement is a two way thing.

This is subjective, so confirmation is tough, but my tuppence: I left the coalition (it’s not even formally a thing, by the time I left it was two group chats) basically because there was action around the Derby game planned but I and another got stonewalled on it. My suggestion was that the trust had the governance and infrastructure to fundraise for that action - I wasn’t comfortable having a fundraiser done by a lone person or group of independent people. I was told expressly by Trust board members that the didn’t have the mandate to fundraise for action, the rest of the board wasn’t as motivated to take action as the coalition/the trust board members in that coalition were and that some board members didn’t need the heat on them. The plan for action ran out of time, I left the group. In my view - everything slowed at the point where the Trust and The Coalition fused a bit. I expect those still active will say that’s not the case and that’s their opinion to have. But it isn’t my experience.

To be fair you'd have to go some to achieve that. Worst home record in the Club's 150 year history. One win, three draws and six losses. To update a stat I looked up recently, we've STILL only led for about 76 mins of those 900 mins of normal time at Ewood. And people wonder why the atmosphere is bad at Ewood and why attendances are now dropping like a stone! 20 goals in 20 games overall. We've only scored twice in four out of those twenty games. Dire doesn't really do it justice.

Indeed. He’s the opposite of what Danny Batth used to give us. Real authority and presence at the back. Little wonder Hull used to shunt him to left back or not in the team at all.

Gives off the aura odour of Kean

Just looking ahead to the fixtures for the reast of the season, those final 9 games make for very bleak viewing. Millwall away Boro at home Brum away WBA at home Stoke away Coventry at home Sheff United away Southampton away Leicester at home The fact that they've not managed to beat any of the teams around them has me thinking it's inevitable that they go down this season.

And considering he has never scored a single goal at this level, thats say a lot.

His goal record in this country suggests he is equally bad in both boxes

You are correct in that. But we are all a demoralised and exhausted fanbase and, to be blunt with you, you have stated with absolute certainty venkys will leave if certain individuals go. Armed with some intel that many of us clearly arent, then, what might be done by any/all of us to achieve ousting those individuals? I have no idea, as a reasonably informed individual, how to do that. And talk of organised protests goes round and round on here without unanimity whilst I am unconvinced they would achieve that particular initial key outcome. Evidence of the "certainty" of that outcome leading to venkys going would be a huge game changer for many. Do you have it, or were you describing a personal belief, rather than absolute certainty? I realise electronic discussions can be interpreted differently and I dont want the above to come across as confrontational - it isnt intended that way. I think wording is very important and your original post gave me hope. Subsequent ones, less so.

Surely if it is called ‘The Coalition’, it very much is down to them (forget WATR).