Jon Dahl Tomasson - Officially No Longer Our Head Coach

[roverblue]

26 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

The crowd last night tells you nothing. We always, always get turnouts like that for midweeks in winter. We have a paltry 9,000 ST holders plenty of who will give such games a swerve, also you don’t get many walk-ons or kids going in midweek ergo far less folk there than a weekend. Generally our gates are a bit up on recent years, nowt to write home about, obviously, but there’s certainly been no drop off under JDT.

You keep banging on about ‘PR’, ‘hype’. It’s a results business and he consistently gets them with a squad as weak as this, just look at the bench. You think we should be doing better?

If our home form was better we would have got plenty more on last night and you’re kidding yourself if you think otherwise. The performances and results have been dire.

I think JDT is ok, Mowbray got pelters for similar results. I’ve seen words like ‘sensational’ and ‘miracles’ on here to describe JDT.

League wise I think we are about where we should be based on our squad. I am just not enjoying going to Ewood at the moment but hopefully it picks up once we get some of the walking wounded back.

[Mattyblue]

No we would not have had plenty more on if we’d have won a couple more home games. It was a red button midweek just before Christmas. As a comparison the season we were second under Mowbray for long periods the standard Tuesday/Wednesday ‘official’ gate was 9k, with probably 5/6k in the ground.

Just the way it is midweek.

If you honestly think he’s not doing well with this budget, injury list and the resulting bench, then well, not a lot else to say, game of opinions and all that.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Mattyblue

[martonrover]

38 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

The crowd last night tells you nothing. We always, always get turnouts like that for midweeks in winter. We have a paltry 9,000 ST holders plenty of who will give such games a swerve, also you don’t get many walk-ons or kids going in midweek ergo far less folk there than a weekend. Generally our gates are a bit up on recent years, nowt to write home about, obviously, but there’s certainly been no drop off under JDT.

You keep banging on about ‘PR’, ‘hype’. It’s a results business and he consistently gets them with a squad as weak as this, just look at the bench. You think we should be doing better?

Agreed, the attendances are nothing to do with JDT, who is doing a great job under very difficult circumstances.

They are a result of thirteen years of terrible ownership, and a justified lack of faith in the direction of the club until Venkys leave.

 

 

[Sweaty Gussets]

9 minutes ago, roverblue said:

If our home form was better we would have got plenty more on last night and you’re kidding yourself if you think otherwise. The performances and results have been dire.

I think JDT is ok, Mowbray got pelters for similar results. I’ve seen words like ‘sensational’ and ‘miracles’ on here to describe JDT.

League wise I think we are about where we should be based on our squad. I am just not enjoying going to Ewood at the moment but hopefully it picks up once we get some of the walking wounded back.

Mogga fanboy alert! 

Imagine the winless runs we'd be enduring under Mogga if he had this injury crisis to contend and a team without the likes of BBD, a fit Dack and AA. 

Doesn't bear thinking about it. 

JDT is doing a splendid job with far less resource than Mowbray ever had. 

[DanielMB]

Jon is doing a greater job than expected. He is working miracles for our Rovers, a club that has no direction so why would he stay? I think the primary reason he is staying is because of our academy which for now is our clubs saving grace. Our first team squad is decimated. The budgets have been slashed and Venkys are doing just enough to keep the club afloat. There is no ambition from the club to achieve anything and it will be a miracle if we get promoted with this squad. We have a fantastic academy that continues to produce decent players but if we are ever to get promoted Venkys have to show some ambition and let Gregg have the finances to buy better than Telalovic, Ennis etc. Jon is ambitious and sooner or later he will find something more attractive than this shitshow of a club.

Edited December 13, 2023 by DanielMB

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 hours ago, philipl said:

JDT is doing a sensationally good job at Rovers.

Stoke unlikely to have much headroom under FFP.

If a Manager go round starts in the PL I would be worried. Eg if Palace come calling.

There’s more chance of you managing Palace Phillip. They’ll want someone more high profile than JDT.

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, Mercer said:

Yes, there are some!

Though after 40 years or so  as an accountant,  have met countless folk across all walks of life, including sport, leading to both friendships and enduring relationships.

It doesnt seem to lead to accurate predictions regarding who is going where. Still waiting on Alex Neil to show up.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, roversfan99 said:

It doesnt seem to lead to accurate predictions regarding who is going where. Still waiting on Alex Neil to show up.

If JDT does go to Stoke you may get your chance.

[Mercer]

17 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

It doesnt seem to lead to accurate predictions regarding who is going where. Still waiting on Alex Neil to show up.

You only need to look at sports' journalists at large to see how volatile and unpredictable football transactions (managers and players) are!

@Tyrone Shoelacescomment about Neil is interesting.  Personally, I think his Rovers' boat has sailed now though it once was very close to docking in the Blakewater!  You never know, if JDT leaves, a desperate and 'cheap' Rovers might go knocking on Neil's door again.

 

[roversfan99]

Theres no way that anything other than maybe the odd (IMO misguided) individual is not coming to night games because of the manager. Midweek, winter, red button football. Was ever thus.

Miracles is a bit much but Tomasson is certainly doing a good job all things considered.

We have been ill prepared to compete for 2 and a half seasons in particular now.(well, for the whole of Venkys reign in reality) If you dont consider how drastic the dip was, and people will struggle to admit this, Mowbray did very well to finish on 69 points in his final season here, the squad had been massively cut in the summer and we could only bring in loans. It was obviously right to change and Tomasson IMO is an upgrade for sure but that last season saw an impressive points tally considering what he had to work with.

Ever since, the stance seems to be try to replace who leaves, never addressing that lack of a deep and competitive squad because the owners wont allow it. Tomasson had the luxury of being able to bring in 3 buys, all players who have done well but all replacing the 3 that left, not adding to it. He also did very well to merely match that 69 points total with a similarly thin squad, and again the season saw a massive decline in the last few months with a long run without a win. We had assumed it was just a Mowbray dip, obviously it was as well, but that may just be par for the course nowadays when we are expected to compete with too thin and young a squad regardless of the manager.

This season, again we have a small squad, even less experience, we are winning and losing in equal measure, very competitive in the top half, and again its hard to not forsee a similar pattern as the season wears on with signs of fatigue already plain to see.

The question is what sort of job will Tomasson go to next. Many assume it will be a big club in a big league, but assuming we dont get top 6 this season, from on outsider perspective, would his job attract such a club?

[roversfan99]

3 minutes ago, Mercer said:

You only need to look at sports' journalists at large to see how volatile and unpredictable football transactions (managers and players) are!

@Tyrone Shoelacescomment about Neil is interesting.  Personally, I think his Rovers' boat has sailed now though it once was very close to docking in the Blakewater!  You never know, if JDT leaves, a desperate and 'cheap' Rovers might go knocking on Neil's door again.

 

Your predictions are particularly wide of the mark to be fair.

[chaddyrovers]

Please guys, don't feed wood to the fire with Mercer. Not worth guys. 

On JDT, I think he is performing excellent for Rovers and we are playing good football and we have had good 18 months under. Don't get how people aren't enjoying his style of play or his performances as Rovers head coach. Struggled to name many who would be doing better here as head coach

 

[tomphil]

We only have about 9.5k ST holders but it has struck me increasing amounts of them now swerve evening games as well as the daft o'clock kick off times.

I think its just become way too easy to stick it on the box now especially for the older fans and family groups. It's a concern because a lot of them then get to next season and think well i missed a load last year so i'll not bother this time.

Only thing that swings that is incentive of attractive pricing otherwise we continue to lose fans with the type of small town family orientated and ageing demographic we have.

Edited December 13, 2023 by tomphil

[Mattyblue]

Yep my father in law (who has Sky) comes over from Lytham and for the first time since the 1960s he nearly didn’t renew his ST this time due to the ridiculous amount of non 3pm Ewood games we had post the World Cup.

Once this new TV deal kicks in what happened with Sky last season will become the norm and our STs at £400-£500+ will look even more expensive than they do already.

[Mercer]

10 minutes ago, tomphil said:

We only have about 9.5k ST holders but it has struck me increasing amounts of them now swerve evening games as well as the daft o'clock kick off times.

I think its just become way too easy to stick it on the box now especially for the older fans and family groups. It's a concern because a lot of them then get to next season and think well i missed a load last year so i'll not bother this time.

Only thing that swings that is incentive of attractive pricing otherwise we continue to lose fans with the type of small town family orientated and ageing demographic we have.

Very pertinent post.

Doesn't matter what you are selling, your price points have to be right!

I don't see any imagination around what Waggott and co do to sell our club both commercially and on the field of play.  I would love to see the bonused objectives of our executive management - I pretty much doubt there are any.  Waggott has been in post for 6 years now and must have cost the club close on £2MILLION in employment costs and for what?  Nice work if you can get it.

[booth]

Some shocking comments on here, all things considered.

I'd hate you to be my boss if you think JDT isn't doing well. He's forced to work with kids, bargain basement buys, strikers who haven't scored 10 championship goals between them, injuries and bonkers owners. Your expectations are stuck in the early 90's.

[frosty]

This stretched, underfunded, strikerless, nothing-on-the-bench squad has won 7 out of its last 11 Championship games. Hats off JDT.

[rigger]

2 minutes ago, frosty said:

This stretched, underfunded, strikerless, nothing-on-the-bench squad has won 7 out of its last 11 Championship games. Hats off JDT.

Where you entertained at last nights game, I know I wasn't ? If it wasn't in my blood, and the product doesn't improve, I doubt if I would bother with future games.

[Wheelton Blue]

Hats off indeed.

The game is all about winning. End of.

I enjoy us winning games of football; the style of play, not so much. That matters not so much though, when I walk back up LBR after a win.

[rigger]

9 minutes ago, Wheelton Blue said:

Hats off indeed.

The game is all about winning. End of.

I enjoy us winning games of football; the style of play, not so much. That matters not so much though, when I walk back up LBR after a win.

The trouble is, fewer people are walking up LBR, win or lose.

[frosty]

19 minutes ago, rigger said:

Where you entertained at last nights game, I know I wasn't ? If it wasn't in my blood, and the product doesn't improve, I doubt if I would bother with future games.

It wasn't our best performance of the season but, in between two tough games, I was just desperate for us to get any kind of win last night regardless of performance (I was a big fan of Big Sam, as you can imagine - when attendances were very high, it's worth noting). 

We've unfortunately been in this league for over a decade now and the football JDT has us playing is the easiest on the eye. In fact the 15/20 mins or so at the start of the second half against Birmingham was the best football - one touch passing, quick movement etc - we've played for a long time. But a Championship squad isn't going to play well every game.

[booth]

26 minutes ago, rigger said:

Where you entertained at last nights game, I know I wasn't ? If it wasn't in my blood, and the product doesn't improve, I doubt if I would bother with future games.

I lowered my expectations accordingly and was pleasantly surprised by the 3 points. It was a frustrating watch though, I agree.

[tomphil]

2 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Theres no way that anything other than maybe the odd (IMO misguided) individual is not coming to night games because of the manager. Midweek, winter, red button football. Was ever thus.

Miracles is a bit much but Tomasson is certainly doing a good job all things considered.

We have been ill prepared to compete for 2 and a half seasons in particular now.(well, for the whole of Venkys reign in reality) If you dont consider how drastic the dip was, and people will struggle to admit this, Mowbray did very well to finish on 69 points in his final season here, the squad had been massively cut in the summer and we could only bring in loans. It was obviously right to change and Tomasson IMO is an upgrade for sure but that last season saw an impressive points tally considering what he had to work with.

Ever since, the stance seems to be try to replace who leaves, never addressing that lack of a deep and competitive squad because the owners wont allow it. Tomasson had the luxury of being able to bring in 3 buys, all players who have done well but all replacing the 3 that left, not adding to it. He also did very well to merely match that 69 points total with a similarly thin squad, and again the season saw a massive decline in the last few months with a long run without a win. We had assumed it was just a Mowbray dip, obviously it was as well, but that may just be par for the course nowadays when we are expected to compete with too thin and young a squad regardless of the manager.

This season, again we have a small squad, even less experience, we are winning and losing in equal measure, very competitive in the top half, and again its hard to not forsee a similar pattern as the season wears on with signs of fatigue already plain to see.

The question is what sort of job will Tomasson go to next. Many assume it will be a big club in a big league, but assuming we dont get top 6 this season, from on outsider perspective, would his job attract such a club?

Agree with a lot of that but can't let it pass without mentioning Mowbray had his best championship season here after his budget was cut and a lot of his previous options were gone.  He was forced to use what he had and the freshness told in the first 5 months before a combination of factors meant it went tits up.

No coincidence either that he goes into Sunderland and with someone else's squad gets them in the top 6 before reverting to type this season.

For several years he had relative luxury to do his own thing compared to what JDT has had, he also didn't have a DoF giving him players and instructions.  He did at Sunderland and last more than a season and a bit, so all things considered JDT is streets ahead of old Tone.

[martonrover]

7 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Agree with a lot of that but can't let it pass without mentioning Mowbray had his best championship season here after his budget was cut and a lot of his previous options were gone.  He was forced to use what he had and the freshness told in the first 5 months before a combination of factors meant it went tits up.

No coincidence either that he goes into Sunderland and with someone else's squad gets them in the top 6 before reverting to type this season.

For several years he had relative luxury to do his own thing compared to what JDT has had, he also didn't have a DoF giving him players and instructions.  He did at Sunderland and last more than a season and a bit, so all things considered JDT is streets ahead of old Tone.

Sunderland are ambitious and want to go up, so didn't let Mowbray outstay his welcome.

For us, it's the exact opposite of the above.

[Mattyblue]

38 minutes ago, rigger said:

The trouble is, fewer people are walking up LBR, win or lose.

Compared to when? Crowds are no lower with JDT than any other time this past 5/6 years. Indeed they are actually slightly up on where they were when he took over.

We know why gates are low and it’s nowt to do with this manager.