I would still hate it and probably egg it, but at least if they were putting on buses from Northern towns like Blackburn to Old Trafford and Anfield you could at least say they are choosing to still watch live football. Instead they just watch an odd game on TV and think they garner some reflective glory, yet it’s them losing so much by not being part of their local club.

Laugh? No. Care? No. Ever since the football community turned its back on us when we were pleading for help against our horrendous owners and their stooge manager, my attitude towards other football clubs has been 'get to fuck'.

I want an new manager but not that badly.

Fair to say they've gotten on our nerves the last few years but that's the six fingered influence stoked it up on their side. Sad to see them in the mire though and it's a strange situation but just shows how finely balanced some smaller clubs finances are. Both them and Bolton were in good ownership for years until not very long ago. You just cannot help but think one day in the not too distant it'll be our turn. That's why we desperately need a trip to the land of milk and honey no matter how brief and painful it may be. And that's why the likes of 'i haven't got the balls to go for it' Mowbray boil my piss.

I must say I do agree with you on this particular point Mercer and made the very same point when I saw Mowbray’s lack of reaction to the Brereton sending off the other night. He sat impassively chewing his gum while his opposite number effectively got the lad sent off. Could you imagine Souness or Hughes allowing that to happen?

With all the talk about Mowbray on other threads, it’s worth noting that before Bielsa came to Leeds they finished 13th, 7th, 13th, 15th, 15th, 13th, 14th, 7th They didn’t once make the playoffs since coming up from L1 until his arrival Then 3rd last season thanks to an all mighty bottle, and looking like they’ll cruise it this season. This is all he spent in the first year too, not too dissimilar to our manager last year . They play great football and I’ve never seen a championship team put in as much of a shift as they do. Everything we’ve not been over the last week.

Haha I love this place. It’s like the rabbit hole in Alice and wonderland at times ?

This summer. Good, looking forward to seeing it. So not a few seasons then, the club sounded incompetent and dysfunctional for a second there...

My last word on this Lenihan discussion, because its clear that folk are fairly entrenched in their views either way on this, though I'm not sure this situation is a 'normal' case of a professional footballer opting not to play in a game. Look at it from his point of view (I am making some assumptions obviously but none of them are as far-fetched as "We would have beaten Barnsley if he had not been a selfish bastard and played"): He's a young married man and him and his wife discuss starting a family. They agree that he wishes to be present at the birth (which, regardless of whether men did that kind of thing 50 years ago, it is the year 2020 and they do that nowadays) and decide upon the best time to have the baby for him to be able to attend the birth without having to miss a match. "It'll need to be off-season love, we have a window of about 6 weeks, from the beginning of June to the middle of July, although the gaffer would probably be okay if I missed a day of pre season training to attend the birth, so even if it stretched to the end of July I should be okay". So that is when they plan their happy event for, with the comfort that it won't interfere with the dad-to-be's professional commitments. They weren't to know that - for the first time ever - circumstances would cause the football league season to be extended into June and July. Presumably the couple discusses things again. Mrs Lenihan asks "I assume you'll still be attending the birth Daz?". "Oh, I'm not sure" he replies, "I really want to and I know we agreed that it is the only chance I'll ever get to be there when my first child is born, but we have a really important couple of games around about your due date, because mathematically we can still get into those play-offs" "Who are they against?" "Oh, Wigan and Barnsley" . "Wigan and Barnsley? They don't sound particularly important to me. And is there nobody else that can play in your place?" "Well not really, Oh, apart from the club captain and Scottish international Charlie Mulgrew." "Can't Elliot Bennett play centre half too if required?" "Yeah, actually, he probably could" A bit tongue in cheek but I don't blame the lad at all.

How many other lower half wage bill teams have spent £12 million on strikers ?

Chaddy dear boy, I was comparing the body language, enthusiasm and mental altertness of Pep with, IMO, a moribund Mowbray. I think it's pretty obvious why our players don't seem fired-up for many of our games. As for wage bill, Sheff U and Chris Wilder did pretty well on very limited resources. Face up to it lad, we have, IMO, a manager taking us nowhere and I hate every minute of being on the road to nowhere.

I am not going to watch on Saturday. I am going to the pub instead

Maybe we should spend money in the right places then... How are those £12m strikers going (+ their wages)? I’m not even sure what you’re arguing.

Might be before your time but the first game for two months after the big freeze in the early 1960's was Man Utd at Ewood. Fred Pickering had got married on the morning of the game and both teams formed up on the pitch as a guard of honour to clap him onto the pitch. Half way through the second half when we were 1-2 down Rovers had an attack break down. Fred's boot lace had come loose so he crouched down to re tie it just where the penalty spot is a the Blackburn End. United moved the ball up the pitch but then one of their players decided to pass the ball back to the 'keeper. Just as Fred got back to his feet. Obviously the guy hadn't seen him. The ball went straight to Fred who calmly turned with the ball and belted into the back of the net for a 2-2 draw. Nice wedding present.

Who?

Cunningham has already gone and Tosin will be gone at the end of the season. So come the summer we will be back to square although we will be closer to FFP due to the bulk of last summers budget being spent on a striker to play as a winger. As Tony Mowbray himself previously said you can't build a team on loans. Yet he thought he could build 60% of his back 5 on loans.

‘We see in the next few seasons’ ?! We’ve been working on this new network for 18 months already, and you think it will be a few seasons more until we see some actual fruit with it? Bloody hell, wish I could work for you!

This thread has become fucking ridiculous

How much was Chris Wilder on?

Speaking as a parent who was at the birth of both his kids, i wouldn't have missed the births for anything but each to the their own. I bring my daughter to games now she's been coming for nearly 2 years she is 4 and absolutely loves the day out and when my son is old enough i'll bring him as well. Speaking personally i enjoy my match days more now as when you are with your kid you don't take it so seriously and seeing the enjoyment she gets is amazing. We don't live that locally to Ewood anymore so we travel from Flixton it takes about 30/35 mins, if I didn't take her she'd end up as a red or blue if the atmosphere is rubbish, its not for lack of enthusiasm from younger fans. Its the rest who'd rather sit and whinge or the ones that no bother coming at all. If the crowd was up to 15/16k it would make a huge difference.

I wouldn't have Samuel anywhere near the team. I think people forgot how poor he really is when he had the long injury lay off. He wasn't good enough in L1 and certainly hasn't improved since his injury. Should be the first out of the door this summer.

Blaming it all on Lenihen - aside from the whole can a Dad be present at a birth issue (imo yes for a variety of reasons but it feels done to death) - detracts attention from the other culprit of the situation, who made this an issue - TM. Had we had defensive cover of an adequate standard and not been threadbare in defence, Lenihen missing for injury, parental leave or any other reason would have been far less grievous. The fact we only had Mulgrew available 2+ windows after realising he wasn't good enough (and there's a school of thought there was some prior warning to that too, including his age) is shambolic. The fact the only other centre back is also possibly our first choice left back (Williams) and is good enough for neither position really also shows the mess TM has made. If one didn't have to show horn Bennett in and Williams was fit he should have slotted in at left back as he's not an utter liability there unlike Bennett. So we haven't had cover, proper cover, in terms of numbers or quality all season. If this had been a game under Big Sam say or Hughes, no one would have batted an eye as there was plenty of cover in defence. Likewise under Souness. No one wouldve cared had it been Samuel or Gally It's only an issue at all because we have such a terribly unbalanced squad. That's nothing to do with Lenihen whatsoever.

I’d be more than happy with any player missing any game for the birth of his child

Thought Mowbray always told potential incoming players that nobody is signed to be first choice here?

Blackburn is one of the smallest towns with one of the smallest catchment areas in the top two divisions, those the facts Vinners. The club did so much work to make light of that fact, but alas a decade of neglect has thrown away that hard graft.

Some shockers of posts here. Fair play to the bloke for being there and standing by his word to his Mrs. A real man. I'm sure his child will be over the moon they were worthy of such a "sacrifice" (but I bet Darragh didn't see it as a sacrifice at all). Some of you should give your head a wobble. Usual lot though, nevermind.

I don't think I've seen a quote from Mowbray that sums up his managerial weakness better than the one used for the headline of the LT article today: 'We have to keep believing that what we're doing is right' No Tony, you have to start accepting that certain things you are doing are wrong.

I'll give you K**n OJF, but I'm not having any of the others above Coyle, he was absolutely useless and a bullshitter.

He said at the one before that defenders are coming and yet a year on we are in exactly the same position that we were then. Judge on actions not on words. If Thompson cant even make a 20 man squad at this point with Bennett playing left back then he cant be that close.

Even if Mowbray doesn’t meet the points target of 70 (don’t get me wrong, I don’t think he will), do we really think this is something Venky’s judge him on, or set him themselves? I’ve got my doubts....

I feel sorry for the staff if their jobs are inevitably at risk. Couldn't care less about anything else in relation to Wigan. They installed us as rivals years ago and have acted like tossers towards us ever since. I don't just forget about how they acted when they sent us down or the abuse they dished out to Dack after ending his (and effectively our) season.

As well as playing a false 9, we also play a false 1 in the nets, a false 3 at left back, a false 7 on the right wing and any number of other false numbers wherever the square pegs are being pushed into round holes. Even Mr Mowbray could be deemed a false manager..

If that is the case though surely Mowbray has essentially strengthened his own position by spending so much prior and not really strengthening the squad since promotion, leaving a very imbalanced squad. He doesnt have money now mainly because of the pandemic but he has had money and has possibly wasted the chance to get much closer. We have a very competitve wage budget considering a number of those spending more (Stoke, Swansea, Cardiff, Huddersfield) are not necessarily at an advantage, they are recently relegated clubs full of high earners who arent contributing that they cant shift. Theres no way Mowbray could complain at what he has had to work with. At least 10m net spend post promotion, no key players that he wanted to keep have been sold and hes been able to add plenty of frees who wont have come cheap. The likes of Pulis and McCarthy have history for getting the best out of what they have but that wouldnt have to be the only route. Other experienced managers, a younger forward thinking manager from lower down (Ainsworth etc) or a foreign manager.(like Forest, Brentford etc have done) It all doesnt matter as we couldnt afford to sack Mowbray and he is safe with Waggott having his back.

We have spent an average of 6m a season on dismal strikers, whilst they have apparently spent 6m a season at the same time as Bielsa. They will end that 2 seasons in the Premier League, whilst we are saddled with 2 liabilities! Our wage bill must have gone up considerably looking to the 19/20 accounts, with Johnson, Downing, Holtby, Adarabioyo, Gallagher and Walton added.

Not sure where you’ve plucked those numbers from Chaddy, considering it is a 10 year period I am talking about. My point was Bielsa barely changed the team or wage bill. 2 signings (Bamford and Casillas) and 1 loanee (Harrison) who play regularly from that season and took them from mid table to the best team (or 3 teams) in the league in a years time, with 1 pre season. The gulf between the two managers is huge, but Bielsa is the anomaly, you won’t get many of him in the Championship.

Living in Leeds I really need us to win this one. And in some ways it is set up nicely for us. They are desperate for points, they will come at us, we prefer being underdogs. No big Leeds following to cheer them on. And Leeds struggled Vs Luton and with Brentford breathing down their necks - all in all a good time to play them. The problem is no left back whatsoever means captain calamity starts there and that will cause all sorts of issue. I morbidly wonder what he has to do, for TM to play someone else there as a stop gap seeing he has been a nightmare there every time he has played. It really does undo us. The false 9 thing clearky isn't working, which means TM will give it a few more weeks. Again this really does not help our chances. Bereton is out and whilst he has still been totally ineffective Gally has to take the worst of the crap strikers award. (In a perverse way, quite an achievement.) With one less name in the tombola there's more chance he will play and play wide right which also is a big weight dragging us down. I can't see us getting a win from this with our self inflicted handicaps but we may get a draw. Cue TM, the Telegraph and others saying how this shows we are serious promotion candidates. 1-1 more in hope than expectation. Samuel to score putting his 237th chance away calmly.

If we do win, I'm firmly back in the "we can do it" camp I'm a sucker for punishment.

Cant see past a defeat to be honest. Play off hopes over so may aswell freshen things up. No false 9 and wide strikers bollocks. Armstrong with Holtby just off. Give Buckley, Chapman, Davenport a game, get Lenihan back in, dont risk Travis unless hes fit enough but if he is get him alongside Davenport. Under no circumstances should we play Bennett especially not at left back.

Force majeure won’t work at all. I’ve had to deal with a few claims for this in contracts over the last two months along with extension of times etc and it’s quite clearly an opaque term. Usually we’d schedule out what would constitute a FM event like terror attack, tornado weather, etc. Very few will have Illness. Technically Covid isn’t an act of god either, The arbitration panels have ruled Covid isn’t FM but it’s down to the way a contract is specifically interpreted. https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/guides/covid-19-force-majeure-clause

When I first got married within 6 months I'd put half a stone on and lost a yard of pace.

Yes, that's the crux of the issue. At Rovers the normal rules don't apply. Appointing Coyle when we could have had Warnock tells you all you need to know. I'll always be a Rovers fan but my interest is diminishing rapidly. I could have watched the Barnsley game at my sons place but I couldn't be bothered going up to his house. I'm glad I didn't bother now. Just give me a group of players I can be proud of, they don't have to be brilliant footballers, they just need to look like they want to be playing for us.

So why do you think he wasn’t given a place on a 9 man subs bench when he is the only fit left back (not counting academy) at the club? Doesn’t seem to me that he’s knocking on the door...

Dave whelan once broke his leg but he doesn’t like to mention it

He will not get close to his target. In the real world the Owners and Board would have started their inquiry and researching replacements. Meanwhile Waggott is shitting his pants about ST sales but reckons he can save his arse but more fleecing of the diminishing fan base. The Owners don't give a flying one. Facebook fans call for a Mowbray statue to commemorate his saving Rovers from longterm L1 plus a Flag the size of the BBE. Mowbray and Waggott like this. Back to the point. He will not get near his target but his job is the safest in the UK.

I notice a lot of people seem to think we will do well in the next six games, well in my opinion I don't. Remember that horror run we went on last year when 1 point outside the playoffs well I think the same thing is happening and honestly I can't see this team winning in the near future. It pains me to say that but thanks to Mowbray they will shuffle sideways, sideways and back into oblivion. I started following Rovers in 1952 (yes I'm an old git) and it hurts to see the abject performances put in regularly week in week out by all the well known culprits in the team. The simple fact is that Mowbray has failed but because of the equally failed owners it is allowed to continue and unfortunately I can't see things changing. We can only hope.

Think there's something in this. Add Stockport into the mix too. It seems to have followed the direction that those towns have followed. Once proud, independent Lancashire towns in many ways consumed and virtually reduced to suburbs of Manchester over the last 20-30 years. With behemoths of United and City hoovering up all the talent and young fans subsidising tickets and a few tram stops away who grows up supporting Oldham or Bury now? 100 years ago it was a no brainer. Support your town team. Now not so. Jump on the bus to the Etihad and watch Champions League football for similar to League Two.

Obviously I hope the club survives, but as a side note I hope Paul Cook loses his job, the mans a complete ****.

I’ve still not forgiven Wigan for taking my second team Southport’s place in Division 4 re-election in 1978.

That's fine Rigger. I enjoyed different footballing opinions. We all have our opinions on Mowbray, the future under him and who we would want take over from him. I know who I would want but some fans wouldn't be happy my opinions and some would. Look at the conversation between me and @roversfan99 where we have different opinions and we debate alot on here but I respect him alot for his opinion and hope he does for me. I enjoyed reading other posters views and opinions like JHRover or artibro or dreams of 1995 or JB even tho I might not always agree with them. That's why I enjoyed discussing Rovers and football on here.

I dont know whether to laugh or cry with Mowbray's comments. Our route to promotion is unlikely to succeed if we are trying to copy the top 4 for style. Leeds and West Brom have appointed world class managers and have spent millions on players to go with it. Fulham have a ridiculous squad and have spent fortunes on the best players around. We can't copy Brentford because their operation is on another level to the rest of the Championship. We are incapable of replicating that, but if Mowbray wants to try then the first job is for him and Venus to resign so the club can appoint a head coach and director of football. We need to be trying to copy Burnley, Cardiff, Brighton and Hull. Limited sides that got promoted through organisational ability, good management, a set way of playing and minimal disruption to it. Mowbray thinks he is better than he is. I'd just like him to put a side out that can defend and is hard to beat.