That *was* the January Window

[neophox]

Ayari waste of space...loaned in sat the whole match on the bench....pure waste by GB.. shambles 

[rigger]

3 minutes ago, neophox said:

With Carter and Pickering injured we need a centre half or left back in January for sure..

Batty at left-back.

[Ricky]

A couple of million less on the Raya money if we take it now..and someone on here is actually suggesting that taking it now would be a good move. Madness!!

Thats nearly half of it knocked off at a time when we know signings cost more typically. Just wait until January and have the full amount. 

Chaddys maths is a bit out as well (shock). Out of that £5m we may get to spend a couple on a player as there will be wages and fees to cover as the current status with the Indian courts will only cover the existing (and reduced) wage bill.

We’re in a mess but luckily I think we probably have just enough extra points to stay up. 

[neophox]

Danny Wilson centre half released by Colorado Rapids interesting a few Championship clubs...32 years old former Rangers and Liverpool player.

[tomphil]

13 minutes ago, neophox said:

Ayari waste of space...loaned in sat the whole match on the bench....pure waste by GB.. shambles 

Cheapest loan in's on offer just filling squad places.

[tomphil]

17 minutes ago, neophox said:

With Carter and Pickering injured we need a centre half or left back in January for sure..

One over 25 with some championship experience.

[Mercer]

18 minutes ago, neophox said:

With Carter and Pickering injured we need a centre half or left back in January for sure..

Would surprise me if either are fit before March.

[Old Codger]

3 hours ago, bigbrandjohn said:

So i guess we have three scenarios

1 Holy Crap scenario. Sell Wharton to Spurs or Palace for 15 million and actually get the money in time and get a decent amount to spend. Likelihood 10%
2 Now what do we do scenario.  sell our experienced striker to Birmingham for 2 million and dither about which donkey we can persuade to join us Likelihood 30%

3 Oh Well part 3 scenario. Nobody gets sold and we wait in hope until transfer forum page 666 on deadline minute plus five to pray the fax works to sign a rookie striker with plenty of promise from a Division 2 side. Likelihood 60%

None of the above. It's more likely to be scenario 4: Don't bang yer arse with the door on the way out. GB is 'ahem' 'forced' to capitulate to the dark lairds' wishes to cut costs to the bone, and anyone with a pulse and drawing more than minimum wage is allowed to leave the club for whatever a willing bidder will offer. We wake on Feb 1st with a playing staff consisting of five thirteen year old wonderkids from Accy Stanley, the club cat and a picture of Noel Brotherstone. Waggott, conspicuous in his continued presence, appears before the local press bleating on about how the modern game is misunderstood by those on the Blackburn Omnibus, who would be well advised to read the same trade journal from which he has constructed his rise to riches (tea-cup rinsers weekly).

Selling players at this stage of the season would be tantamount to throwing the towel in and opening the seacocks to scuttle the ship by design. Hands off cocks, on socks, I say.

[neophox]

Caulker still a free bee along with Josh Onomah som steel there...or?

[LDRover]

6 minutes ago, Old Codger said:

None of the above. It's more likely to be scenario 4: Don't bang yer arse with the door on the way out. GB is 'ahem' 'forced' to capitulate to the dark lairds' wishes to cut costs to the bone, and anyone with a pulse and drawing more than minimum wage is allowed to leave the club for whatever a willing bidder will offer. We wake on Feb 1st with a playing staff consisting of five thirteen year old wonderkids from Accy Stanley, the club cat and a picture of Noel Brotherstone. Waggott, conspicuous in his continued presence, appears before the local press bleating on about how the modern game is misunderstood by those on the Blackburn Omnibus, who would be well advised to read the same trade journal from which he has constructed his rise to riches (tea-cup rinsers weekly).

Selling players at this stage of the season would be tantamount to throwing the towel in and opening the seacocks to scuttle the ship by design. Hands off cocks, on socks, I say.

You da man Codger!

Love your prose mate, I assume you are under a new moniker, what were you previously known as?

[bluebruce]

1 hour ago, RevidgeBlue said:

I quite like Dolan but he hasnt kicked on as well as I expected.

Do we want to?

Absolutely. Only just turned 22, still time to kick on, wages won't be much, contributes (I'd say we've missed him) and I'm certain he would have a market value. The question is whether he should be given a new contract, and that depends on his wage demands as well as how he performs when he comes back into the team.

[bluebruce]

35 minutes ago, rigger said:

Batty at left-back.

You're like some kind of Batty-obsessed Candyman. If people mention left-back (just one time though) you appear and suggest Batty.

[Oldgregg86]

8 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

You're like some kind of Batty-obsessed Candyman. If people mention left-back (just one time though) you appear and suggest Batty.

Say his name five times in front of the transfer recruitment team and he will appear 😂

[roverandout]

3 minutes ago, Oldgregg86 said:

Say his name five times in front of the transfer recruitment team and he will appear 😂

Don't. Don't want Nora batty appearing 

[Upside Down]

53 minutes ago, Old Codger said:

None of the above. It's more likely to be scenario 4: Don't bang yer arse with the door on the way out. GB is 'ahem' 'forced' to capitulate to the dark lairds' wishes to cut costs to the bone, and anyone with a pulse and drawing more than minimum wage is allowed to leave the club for whatever a willing bidder will offer. We wake on Feb 1st with a playing staff consisting of five thirteen year old wonderkids from Accy Stanley, the club cat and a picture of Noel Brotherstone. Waggott, conspicuous in his continued presence, appears before the local press bleating on about how the modern game is misunderstood by those on the Blackburn Omnibus, who would be well advised to read the same trade journal from which he has constructed his rise to riches (tea-cup rinsers weekly).

Selling players at this stage of the season would be tantamount to throwing the towel in and opening the seacocks to scuttle the ship by design. Hands off cocks, on socks, I say.

You really think we could afford a picture of Brotherston?

[rigger]

50 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

You're like some kind of Batty-obsessed Candyman. If people mention left-back (just one time though) you appear and suggest Batty.

Thats because he plays left-back. What is an obsessed candyman ?

[SuperBrfc]

6 hours ago, tomphil said:

They also manage to sell a player now and then and cope quite fine in the Championship without spending big nor losing 20 mill per season off similar income to us.

Did I mention they get bigger crowds as well due to offering great discount on season tickets to their long suffering fans ?

But Blackburn Rovers can only ever survive going nowhere losing 20 mill plus per season by being under Venkys company umbrella !

That £20m angle might just be one of the biggest PR jobs done on a fanbase in recent times. Almost certainly agent inspired and agent driven. It's true we are losing that amount, but the way it has been framed and continues to be, has all the hallmarks of a PR stitch up. £20m constantly being repeated to condition fans into believing that:

a) These owners have been so generous to us and continue to be so out of the kindness of their hearts. How can you criticise them? (Anybody who does is spoilt, ungrateful, not a real fan, living in the 90s, or worse...remember who planted the latter seed)

b) The club would be finished without their money. Who else is going to come in and cover such losses?

As if there is no alternative to these tossers. Somebody forgot to send the memo to Hull, Birmingham and others who found better owners and who haven't gone to the wall. Put the club up for sale and let's see who comes forward.

Basic logic tells us that half of the Championship would be 'finished' if their owners decided to stop covering their losses. Why is that made into a focus point regarding Rovers and Rovers only? Why aren't other fans in the Championship citing paying the bills as a reason why their owners have to remain in place?

Nowhere else in the top two Divisions are owners being lauded for paying the bills. It comes with the territory. £20m or £200m. It should not buy silence. When Hull fans wanted their previous owner out, were they being told "look at how much he has invested, be grateful", in return?

I often read the PNE forum and have never seen their fans put forward "but they put in x amount every year" as a defence of their ownership, that is despite their losses being not too far off ours.

From what I have seen, there hasn't been one mention of Bury from the PNE fans who are pro Hemmings family. No mention of doing a Bury, no mention of slashing budgets or facing catastrophe, no mention of their owners putting in £12m-15m a year. I wonder why that is?

Similar with Norwich fans. I've been watching a fan channel of theirs for years. A lot of their fans want new owners, but nobody has come out with "but look at how much Delia puts in" as a counter.

Nah, we're being played. It's almost as though it suits some people to have these owners remain in place here. I don't mean any of our fans when I say that.

[tomphil]

Yes '£20 million a season' picture frames a suitable fear factor narrative.

There have been numerous times they put the bare minimum in leaving the club to flounder. 

[bluebruce]

16 minutes ago, rigger said:

Thats because he plays left-back. What is an obsessed candyman ?

It's a reference to the film Candyman. He does play left back, but it's abundantly clear the staff (and quite a few who watch the U21s apart from yourself) don't think he's ready for the first team yet. We're sinking into a relegation fight. Think we need an LB who is ready. Batty isn't that, we don't know if Chrisene is yet, and Pickering is out for a while.

[windymiller7]

Sorry guys & gals, was a bit pissed last night! 😅:

[roversfan99]

30 minutes ago, SuperBrfc said:

That £20m angle might just be one of the biggest PR jobs done on a fanbase in recent times. Almost certainly agent inspired and agent driven. It's true we are losing that amount, but the way it has been framed and continues to be, has all the hallmarks of a PR stitch up. £20m constantly being repeated to condition fans into believing that:

a) These owners have been so generous to us and continue to be so out of the kindness of their hearts. How can you criticise them? (Anybody who does is spoilt, ungrateful, not a real fan, living in the 90s, or worse...remember who planted the latter seed)

b) The club would be finished without their money. Who else is going to come in and cover such losses?

As if there is no alternative to these tossers. Somebody forgot to send the memo to Hull, Birmingham and others who found better owners and who haven't gone to the wall. Put the club up for sale and let's see who comes forward.

Basic logic tells us that half of the Championship would be 'finished' if their owners decided to stop covering their losses. Why is that made into a focus point regarding Rovers and Rovers only? Why aren't other fans in the Championship citing paying the bills as a reason why their owners have to remain in place?

Nowhere else in the top two Divisions are owners being lauded for paying the bills. It comes with the territory. £20m or £200m. It should not buy silence. When Hull fans wanted their previous owner out, were they being told "look at how much he has invested, be grateful", in return?

I often read the PNE forum and have never seen their fans put forward "but they put in x amount every year" as a defence of their ownership, that is despite their losses being not too far off ours.

From what I have seen, there hasn't been one mention of Bury from the PNE fans who are pro Hemmings family. No mention of doing a Bury, no mention of slashing budgets or facing catastrophe, no mention of their owners putting in £12m-15m a year. I wonder why that is?

Similar with Norwich fans. I've been watching a fan channel of theirs for years. A lot of their fans want new owners, but nobody has come out with "but look at how much Delia puts in" as a counter.

Nah, we're being played. It's almost as though it suits some people to have these owners remain in place here. I don't mean any of our fans when I say that.

Excellent post.

The now legendary £20m a year investment is almost mentioned as if its a sign of ambition to push the club on. Im sure @RevidgeBlue once suggested that Mowbray had blown £100m of the owners over 5 years in not getting promoted during that time as if it was splashed out on a team of Championship all stars.

Many Championship clubs not supported by parachute payments make 8 figure losses every season because the revenue is dwarved by expenditure. A company that pays out more than it receives has to offset that personally (often by loans or raising share capital) because of a lack of retained earnings, merely to continue as a going concern. Its bizarre how that can be levelled as praise. 

Since we bought Gallagher in 2019, a summer in which we actually spent a net amount of between 1 and 1.5 million, I dont think we have spent over the 2m on one player that Szmodics cost since then.

[rigger]

22 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

It's a reference to the film Candyman. He does play left back, but it's abundantly clear the staff (and quite a few who watch the U21s apart from yourself) don't think he's ready for the first team yet. We're sinking into a relegation fight. Think we need an LB who is ready. Batty isn't that, we don't know if Chrisene is yet, and Pickering is out for a while.

We havn't got any money, so I doubt if we will sign a left-back when we already have one. It won't matter if he is ready or not, if needs must he will be chucked in at the deep-end.

Edited January 21, 2024 by rigger

[bluebruce]

1 hour ago, rigger said:

We havn't got any money, so I doubt if we will sign a left-back when we already have one. It won't matter if he is ready or not, if needs must he will be chucked in at the deep-end.

That much is true and fair enough. Although when needs have musted before, we have played RBs, CMs and AMLs there instead of him.

Though with him and Carter out, I still expect they'll be replaced by one CB who can play LB, or vice versa, almost certainly on loan. And one CB that we were already seeking. I can't see JDT putting up with any less than two CBs. He already wanted two, let alone now (Pickering being one of our CB options in emergencies, you could argue we're now up to 4 short of where JDT wanted us to be, but I'm expecting just 2). If money has to come from another area (like any attacking options we were targeting) to make it happen, then I expect it will. We don't have literally zero money by the sounds of it, just very little.

Edited January 22, 2024 by bluebruce

[joey_big_nose]

10 hours ago, SuperBrfc said:

That £20m angle might just be one of the biggest PR jobs done on a fanbase in recent times. Almost certainly agent inspired and agent driven. It's true we are losing that amount, but the way it has been framed and continues to be, has all the hallmarks of a PR stitch up. £20m constantly being repeated to condition fans into believing that:

a) These owners have been so generous to us and continue to be so out of the kindness of their hearts. How can you criticise them? (Anybody who does is spoilt, ungrateful, not a real fan, living in the 90s, or worse...remember who planted the latter seed)

b) The club would be finished without their money. Who else is going to come in and cover such losses?

As if there is no alternative to these tossers. Somebody forgot to send the memo to Hull, Birmingham and others who found better owners and who haven't gone to the wall. Put the club up for sale and let's see who comes forward.

Basic logic tells us that half of the Championship would be 'finished' if their owners decided to stop covering their losses. Why is that made into a focus point regarding Rovers and Rovers only? Why aren't other fans in the Championship citing paying the bills as a reason why their owners have to remain in place?

Nowhere else in the top two Divisions are owners being lauded for paying the bills. It comes with the territory. £20m or £200m. It should not buy silence. When Hull fans wanted their previous owner out, were they being told "look at how much he has invested, be grateful", in return?

I often read the PNE forum and have never seen their fans put forward "but they put in x amount every year" as a defence of their ownership, that is despite their losses being not too far off ours.

From what I have seen, there hasn't been one mention of Bury from the PNE fans who are pro Hemmings family. No mention of doing a Bury, no mention of slashing budgets or facing catastrophe, no mention of their owners putting in £12m-15m a year. I wonder why that is?

Similar with Norwich fans. I've been watching a fan channel of theirs for years. A lot of their fans want new owners, but nobody has come out with "but look at how much Delia puts in" as a counter.

Nah, we're being played. It's almost as though it suits some people to have these owners remain in place here. I don't mean any of our fans when I say that.

I would definitely be interested in seeing a side by side comparison of PNEs vs Rovers accounts over last 5 years. Similar size fanbase, similar yo yoing around mid table.

Would be fascinating to see how they have managed the cost vs revenue gap compared to us? 

-Did they pay players less

-Did they get more revenue

-Did they have other vehicles to manage the losses

-etc

Is that something @canadaroveror @wilsdenrover could do?

Huddersfield might be another similar club worth comparing to? 

Basically we all want to get rid if Venkys so understanding how it could work is very important.

Edited January 22, 2024 by joey_big_nose

[Exiled_Rover]

12 hours ago, neophox said:

Ayari waste of space...loaned in sat the whole match on the bench....pure waste by GB.. shambles 

Good lord.