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Ismael's managerial career to date, starting in 2014: Nuremburg - 5 months and 14 games Wolfsburg - 4 months and 17 games Apollon Smyrnis - 3 months and 1 game LASK - 14 months and 50 games Barnsley - 8 months and 44 games WBA - 8 months and 31 games Besiktas - 7 months and 19 games Watford - 10 months and 41 games Average tenure - 7.3 months Average games - 27 Rovers - 7 months and 19 games (and counting). Within a few weeks he will have eclipsed his average tenure at a club and with another 8 matches will have matched his average games in charge at a club. Most of the above decided to sack him - infact the only one he walked away from voluntarily I think was Barnsley to take up the WBA offer. Gestede and Pasha in their infinite wisdom decided to give him a 3.5 year contract.

It is less than a month to the next FF on the 20th October. Shall we ‘open a book’ on whether it will be postponed and also the reasons / excuses given? I bet it is odds on the FF will be postponed. The reason will either be a flooded pitch, or the Club are working on what to organise for the 150th anniversary.

That was absolutely the reason

Maybe it was Waggott leaving that gave Pasha an opportunity to downgrade?

I could add at least another 5 or 6 names to that list of Pasha, Gestede and Ismael. We are employing some dead weight who would not be tolerated in any other private sector business. However employing yes men and women serves a purpose when the top dog does not like to be challenged…..you can see that with how they treat non employees.

I was told his debut was delayed as he had a holiday booked in Ibiza and he just never showed up again. The last they saw of him was when he was pictured signing on (along with two pints of lager on the table with the signing on forms).

Coventry away has been the worst Rovers away display I have witnessed for each of the last 3 seasons. Portsmouth and Charlton are very close behind. I am keeping away from Coventry away this October in the hope we can turn up and put in a half decent performance for once.

Given that the people who seem to have appointed him, are on record as saying we have a stronger squad this season that last, perhaps they can explain why we are so much worse this year then. Sack them all NOW.

I was at the player of the years awards in April 2024 and it came over loud and clear from Waggott, how much they were praising and focussing on the achievements of the ladies team. They had Elton Ashworth from Watson Ramsbottom, presenting the awards to them, player of the year, young player of the year etc. Also, at that time Watson Ramsbottom, were the front of shirt sponsors for the ladies and as we now know, that led to the current deal, which is in it's second season. Given all this and how it seemed so important at the time, to have a reasonable amount of success, for the ladies, has it ended like this?

He's an abysmal manager. We concede the first goal a lot under him and have conceded a lot of goals, sometimes 2, within the first 10mins of a game. If he loses tomorrow, he needs sacking. And no @chaddyrovers, I'm not joking. He'll have had 20 games in charge, losing over half of them (11) and winning just 6.

Women's team has been turned into a joke. utterly shameful. I wonder if they Wii see the season out? No respect from Rovers, tearing us apart.

He's been in charge now for 18 games - only five short of half a season - and has amassed a grand total of twenty one points. (Plus a home defeat to Bradford in the League Cup we aren't allowed to mention.) I dont expect that ratio to improve.

https://www.kirkstile.com/ I was in The Kirkstile Inn over the weekend, a Lake District institution. The main reason I went was for the Steak n Ale pie, a better one you’ll struggle to find anywhere. So much so I’m sharing a picture, my mouths watering……Give it a go if you’re in the area, but book, even at lunchtime.

Cant find anything about his play time there, but he has now left Darwin and is scoring a few for Eccleshall

It’s quite clear to me that Rovers need a complete clear out. I’d get rid of Pasha, Gestede and Ismael. The only way things can improve is by getting rid of those people who are appointing them - the owners. The lot need to go and be replaced with people who actually know how to run a club with real ambition. This lot have no idea.

Did Ben Marshall ever play for Darwen in the end?

What an awful away strip that was. I can’t ever remember seeing them play in that. That snatch of film of the corner was interesting , only the forwards involved and no holding on to an opponent. Interesting the number of blokes wearing a collar and tie and a flat cap. The game was played in April 1960 incidentally.

I am the Music Man - Black Lace

I think the behaviour of Rovers through Pasha and Gestede is totally indefensible. How any supporter can even remotely try to defend Rovers, Pasha and Gestede is, IMO, staggeringly beyond the pale. IMO, as a club, we are now morally bankrupt. I think Uncle Jack's legacy is in tatters.

The Music Explosion - Little Bit O Soul

As with many things in life, two things are true at once here: 1. VI is a terrible coach, one of my friends who covers the large European leagues for a podcast, shared his heart-felt condolences when he was hired. 2. The squad is rubbish - I'd argue very few, if any, coaches could succeed when you replace experienced Championship-level players with complete unknowns from smaller leagues. Could a better coach get better results? Probably. The season as a whole would still be struggle.

score prediction: 1-1 if i could pick out of an available 11: assuming alebiosu is injured: Toth Miller Wharton McLoughin Ribeiro hickman tron miroshita Cantwell hedges Andri

This should evoke some pleasant memories for a few of us.

I wonder if we have now basically reverted back to the original plan whereby Venkys are the legal owners of the club and top up the running cost shortfall every year but aside from that the practical day to day management of the club is 'handled' by a third party - it appears that back at the start the intention was that certain 'consultancy groups' were given that job, nowadays it is the shadow man doing it. I thought it was interesting / strange when the shadow man mentioned that when it comes to a new CEO it would be India deciding on this and he would simply find out about it when it happened. That stacks with the above - perhaps employing a CEO is a job reserved to the India side of the equation and such an individual is 'their man' on the ground at Ewood, beyond the responsibilities of the management. Would explain the numerous power struggles and different approaches over the years. One being implemented by the management group and the other being implemented, albeit at some distance and slow pace, by the legal owners in India.

Modern day football can be so over complicated. Thats gone down as one of the worst matches ive watched. So frustrating when somethings clearly not working they continue to carry on doing it. How many times did we create our own problems, trying to play out from the back and turning over possession. It was so predictable, every time we passed the ball the to our fullbacks it was so easily read you can see the charlton wingers already running to our fullbacks before toths passed them the ball. I do think when bringing on Andri he should of left Morishita on for a bit to give him a chance to link up with him, Morishita was having a poor game but sometimes when a player has ability they can produce it at any moment, and with Andri coming on you'd of thought a clever striker near him might of helped Morishitas game a bit. Bringin on kargbo to cross balls whos not the best technically just seemed a bit brain dead, chasing a goal probably should of left morishita and kargbo on rather than hedges, but because our teams so small thats probably why hedges stayed on over morishita at the time. Also I think we need to give up with these long throws, we literally only have wharton that may win a header, smallest team ever, and the 2 players any good at winning headers is the one taking it or the other Cb, who then have to sprint the length of the pitch back to defend. Very bad day all round, and its always going to happen. Massive week ahead, really need to get 3 points tuesday. Charlton put balls into the box when they could, and pressed us well because we were so predictable in how we did things. An easy basic game plan, unmarked first goal set the tone. Set pieces at both ends a real worry for us. Ruined a good drinking day that.