kickoff time ?

I think that might be what it is. The rumour was that somebody removed him way back, maybe 10 years ago, to trim down the coaching staff. Only for him to be reinstated by Pasha, with both of them going to Pune to get it sealed. He has since been promoted and has become the eyes and ears of Pasha around the place and also appears to be part of a coaching package that new managers have to accept. He has connections to the old agency crew, but I think that might just be coincidence. The logical explanation has to be that Pasha and Co rate him as a coach and want to keep him around for as long as possible. We know how loyal they are to those they like. Take Kean for example. The issue here for me is, if he has been sacked/released, as mentioned a few weeks back in the LT...who has made this decision and why does Pasha not know about it? He's the head honcho here and a trusted Venky employee. Why is the news a surprise to him? (as suggested in the latest minutes). If he wasn't pretending to be surprised before the forum and he genuinely didn't know, it could add weight to the theory that he is just a face here and that the real string pullers are elsewhere. Another poster shared an opinion that there might be two opposing camps in the building and that this is why there are often tales of 'power struggles'. I'm of the same view. In my opinion, it feels as if we have a 'normal' camp and a 'numbers' camp. The 'normal' camp is the one the public sees and hears from. This camp consists of 'normal' footballing people operating under 'normal' football principles i.e ambition, trying to win, strategy, having plans in place, a desire for promotion etc. I think the likes of JDT, Broughton, Eustace, Ismael and Rudy are in this camp. The people in this camp come here thinking we are a 'normal club' and expect to find normality, but they are always left disappointed in the end. Then there's the 'numbers' camp which remains largely in the background and are seemingly headed by one individual. The same individual with the old agency links that never seem to go away, hence why, even if it's just theory and there's nothing to it, the coincidences appear to keep on leading back towards this direction. It's been a theme for many years...that things run 'normally' for a short while, everybody's aligned, fans, manager and players, optimism is in the air, then boom. Camp two strikes, whether that be because the 'numbers' can't be met for new signings, can't increase wages, can't push for promotion due to funds, can't meet what the manager is demanding or expecting etc and we always end up going back to square one. Cue the infighting between the "positive v negative" divide in the fanbase. A new 'project', a new 'journey'. More ins and outs. Who wins here? It has been like this for a very long time. So who exactly is winning out of the constant churns and resets?

Is he fully fit though? Played ten minutes last Saturday after recovering from injury. Wouldn't start him but rather have him play final half hour or something. Same goes for Miller.

There is a potential criminal case about tax fraud lurking if they don't fight in the Civil Courts. What they have apparently been tripped up on- mischaracterising a domestic property purchase and a lavish party to get more favourable tax treatment is incredibly petty for such a wealthy family. I am certain their tax advisors in India would never have sanctioned this.

It's been that long since I bought a physical ticket, I genuinely forgot that they exist - it's just more convenient (for me) to buy online and have the electronic ticket on my phone. Anyway, I'm hopeful of an entertaining game tonight, seeing players like Kargbo and Gueye. Would be nice to see Michalski and Tyjon in particular, being probably the 2 highest rated kids from the Academy (in the first team squad). Looking at the online ticket thing earlier, the JW looked fairly decent in terms of sales, as of about 4pm tonight.

Surely Tavares starts in the middle?

I really can’t accept it’s a pride thing. Going to the trouble of a court hearing, having all the negative press and alerting the authorities, must be a worry. If it was a pride thing, surely they would turn up at Ewood too and show the people how proud they are of the ownership, but nothing in all these years.

Guess some of the youngsters will start tonight. Predicted XI: Michalski Montgomery Hyam Wharton Pickering Travis Tronstad Hedges Tyjon Kargbo Gueye Of course, they might decide not to play Travis if there's a pending transfer going on.

No but on Exiled's and Andy's obviously! 🙂

And every one of those events will have earned agents a nice fee. So it might not have been multiple ownership but more a case of absent careless owners and agent Pasha haymaking. If Lowe has the owners' ear then it would appear Pasha has tried to further increase his grip on the club by removing a mole as he would see him and has at least half-failed. This would suggest Pasha is not entirely trusted to run Rovers by whichever member(s) of the quartet still takes any notice of their Blackburn subsidiary.

Richard Anthony - Too Late To worry

5-0 Rovers, big Mak to open the scoring with his left arse cheek I may have had a cocktail or 2 in the sun this afternoon

I don't think that'll be up on KentExile's wall somehow 😂😉

I always get a bit anxious playing lower league sides in the cups. We've had plenty of embarrassing scalpings before.

Probably part of it, and you would like to think that was the main reason But I would also imagine that since Pears signed his last contract before the indian court case (and also after taking over from Kaminski as number 1) etc, that he would be on a higher wage than Toth (who signed a year after the court case started, and came in as number 2) which probably has more to do with it I would also hazard a guess that Michalski's new contract, even if extended until 2030 with the option will be considerably less in total pay, than the remaining 2 years on Pears contract For "court case" please read "summer oi 2023 round of budget cuts"

It’s this or simply ridiculous pride. Pretty confident it’s nothing else.

Ah fair enough Lol. I hadn't seen the official Club photo. I stopped sticking pictures of the players on the wall when I was about 11. I also assumed that as VI had picked Toth at the end of last season he'd simply decided he preferred him to Pears. Quite amusing if it is him, but obviously I hope he's all right.

Agreed, but then we have to ask ourselves why the owners need two pairs of eyes and ears despite already having 'their' trusted man Suhail running the show. Do they not trust him? Or is he not really 'their man'? It is all very odd. I was surprised when rumours emerged that he had left the club given his immovability over the last 10 years or so surviving multiple regime changes and managers, and then once again as it always is at Rovers there is more to the story than first appears. It is certainly not normal for a 'lowly' first team coach to have such a muddled and drawn out departure, even less normal for the top ranking officer at the club to think he is still here when he clearly isn't, and then even less normal for the manager to go telling people he's gone despite no statement from the club and him still being named on the website as first team coach. Something smells with this one alright and it is more than just incompetence.

Eustace probably knows what financial outgoings we need to pay by the end of August. He will start off with an offer that covers wages or HMRC demands knowing Rovers will eventually accept that plus two months electricity bills and the agent's fees.

I think that might be hairsay.

A confidence booster let's call it that 😀 (watch us get railed 3 nil😕🙄🤣)

Course matey 👍

Glen is convinced king rat Suhail is the last of the lot from ‘that’ agency. He must go.

I'm going 5-0 Rovers with Kargbo on the scoresheet.

Reckon you've pretty much nailed it here And if true I don't see how it ever ends