Don't disagree tbf. But do you think he has it in him to sort it out? He's been here 2 1/2 years now and i'm not convinced. His set up, tactics and subs last year were borderline ridiculous. I'd say Travis and Rothwell were 2 successes last year overall and yet it was almost by accident they got on the park. He'll be one of the longer serving championship managers now and it looks no clearer to me what he's trying to do. Hence my reference earlier (probably harshly in some respects) to maybe not being the brightest of guys.

Yep I get that up to a point. But the scouting network hasn't got much more to do than watch and assess players on a full time basis. This is not some low cost , part time hobby we are talking about . They are well paid and you'd like to think they have done this before and have some level of experience in the role. This shouldn't be new to anyone nor should this be a complete standing start as some are trying to make out. The task in front of the Management team has been known to them for at least 6 months even ignoring the fact he talked about 4 or 5 windows , 4 or 5 windows ago …...bloody hell we all knew in January what was needed as the goals kept flying into our net through ridiculous defending /keeping. TM was critical of our defending back then and specifically so of Raya after Rotherham to the point of eventually leaving him out. So to have got to this point in the window is crazy with so little having been identified beyond the Hanleys, Danns of this world. The keeper is even more acute -he knew he needed a keeper well before the season ended. So for me , the scouting network doesn't look like its delivered anything beyond names that we all know, have regularly watched and have our own opinions on. I know deals need doing and can be very difficult at the negotiation stage when working to a budget but on the face of things we don't appear to have identified anything from our specialists in the recruitment dept. The next line from TM will be about taking time to gel, get to know each other (on the effing grass as he likes to say time and again) and learning our system etc etc. Put it this way , we cant be on Target A any more and more likely we'll be at G or H though it will be put out as 'persistence' in order to get our man, no doubt. I just think its poor tbh though desperately hoping it all comes right by 8th Aug. As fans , the Summer window is a time of anticipation, getting yourself in better shape for the new season and hoping you can push on from the last one. Ours just looks a mess at the minute and then they wonder why ST sales aren't flying out the door. I'm trying not to be 'half empty' but somebody down at Ewood has to be accountable for sorting this crucial aspect out. Lots of drivel in the press about what we aim to do and aim to be and who's model we are following blah blah but not an awful lot in the way of substance from where I sit. Go on TM , prove me wrong and I will be delighted.

I did say ''personally'' -just my view sorry if that offends. Suspect i'm not alone in that view but if others see him differently then fine. Much vaunted …. possibly wrong choice of word but TM has talked up the Norwich/Brentford model basically since we played Norwich. They have ploughed significant cost into it so the lack of imagination in our transfer dealings to date is at best disappointing. Bar one guy in Holland there is nothing to suggest they have made any headway at all in Europe. If this was your full time job you'd be watching hundreds of games via the systems the Clubs have these days and coming up with something worth looking at. Like i said why come out with crap about Norwich/Brentford models which is what TM did ? Keep it under wraps man rather than spout for spoutings sake. It all adds to the concern when bugger all happens and we have a queue of trialists form Stoke and Derby and get continually linked with players who have played at his previous clubs or who happened to have a decent game against us . Delve back into the past and he has said the Brereton had a really good game against Coventry once when he was manager there. Look where that got us . Reference to his lack of intelligence is in no small part down to his own comments not anybody elses.

I said a few weeks ago on here that the only time we can really judge is once the window actually closes and we know what we've got. And that still should be the case . The problem is that TM was the one talking about not conceding 68 goals so defenders are coming , we want to get our business done early and get the new ones integrated early, we might still spend as much in this window as we spent on Brereton etc etc. Its those kind of comments which fuel the expectation on here . The reality is we have been safe in the Championship for many many weeks and yet less than 2 weeks before the season starts we have no GK and alarming gaps in the area of most need even by TM's own admission. There has been a lot of back tracking whether that's based on budget not being what he thought we will probably never know but if budget is constrained then god alone knows why we are acquiring midfielders left right and centre. Its all massively confusing and inconsistent and the much vaunted Euro Scouting network doesn't appear to have got further than the midlands and north east . Our transfer strategy is based on who used to play for TM or who had one good game against us. There appears no plan and there seldom has been at any point in Venkys tenure. I am starting to think that TM , nice guy that he might be , is actually as thick as 2 short planks. He forgets what he has said or meanders around his past statements which kind of insults the intelligence of a lot of people on here who do tend to hold on to what he says ...as you would do. Personally I think he's a half decent man but is a total dullard lacking intelligence and nous & this reflects in his tactics and team selection for me . To be less than 2 weeks away from the season with no keeper or defenders in sight is beyond the point of half empty , its downright worrying and less than 3 weeks from being completely negligent if the window closes without . Even if we do conjure something at this late stage there is minimal chance to integrate the players into a plan. Considering how long we have had to sort this out its little wonder people have gone past 'Trust in Tony''. Being blunt, Wharton, Grayson or Magloire at CB level either aren't good enough or not ready so trotting that line out simply wont wash. I don't think people are worried necessarily about the players we have signed per se, its the ones we haven't yet got and which were the priorities as far back as January which is causing the real concern.

I think the problem with our view of this signing is that its the first one after lots of ''gonna do this , gonna do that'' rhetoric form the management at Ewood. If he was the last signing rather than the first and we could see that he was a final piece in the jigsaw then fair enough. The worry is that this is the start of more haphazard transfer dealings without any real plan or structure .Undeniably our primary requirement is for a couple of stalwart defenders but the first thing that happens is an ageing player in apposition where we are quite well covered and that makes us all wonder what budget we have and where he might fit into FFP concerns which have also been put forward by the Club. I doubt he's here for £2k a week. Like I said in another post, hardly singing from the rooftops but we should really wait until the window closes and see where we end up then. The major concern is that history is not on the side of Venkys or Mowbray on that particular score.

Totally with you JH. Not that long he talked of ''maybe matching the sum we paid for Brereton''. and having similar budget to last year whether that includes amounts left over from January or not, who knows?? Frankly, i'm bored of the bullsh1t that comes out of this Club which is only going to change by actions rather than words. We spend £3m on our academy, we pile money and resource into our scouting dept and so far we have got as far as mentions for Downing (old pals act?) and Hanley -not exactly ripping up the scouting manual or finding Europe's hidden gems there are we?? But effectively the window hasn't opened yet and whilst not holding my breath, I suppose we shouldn't judge until it closes again and we know what we 've ended up with even though the soundbites right now are far from encouraging. It looks like we aren't in a minority of disenchanted fans judging by ST sales ……..and on that particular subject, Waggott shows little sign of understanding fan sentiment with some of the crap he comes out with. He's only got 2 years to look back on whereas we are all dulled and infected by a decade of misery in the main. None of us can begin to comprehend how absent owners simply throw £20m a year at a basket case just to keep it ticking over with seemingly no ambition for anything beyond that. Not exactly a story that's easy for fans to buy into and rush to part with their hard earned. I find myself getting more and more wound up by the contradictions and back tracking that have gone on notably in last couple of months .It would be far better if they said nothing at all and on that score Rich Sharpe /LT don't help by keeping running the same stuff under slightly different headings each night. It took them about 3 weeks to finally get us all past Conway moving on there was that much being written. No news is really that !! Wake me up when there's something to tell , Rovers!

Yes Philip but we all know what he means . Waggot needs outing over this. The bloke was very forward in telling everybody about his plans when things were going well until the end of Jan and funnily enough hasn't been heard of since doling out a load of freebies against Stoke and trying to celebrate the demand for free tickets !! Another myth in the hallowed halls of Ewood having delivered precisely what ? His main crusade was about increasing ST sales and some bollox about ''Stretch'' . That worked a treat and his opinions on A games and derbies hasn't exactly ripped up any scripts either.

Good point JHR but i'm a bit unconvinced about this European thing that's developed. Its only about 6 weeks since TM was quoted in the LT about needing to think about looking in Europe .Admittedly , there is probably a lot better value there in some cases . But my concern is that 6 weeks ago it sounded like something they were thinking of instigating as a club and now on the back of Norwich's astute dealings him and staff are flying out to Europe. What exactly have they uncovered specifically in that short space of time ? There are many ,many leagues so would be really interesting to say what work the scouting ''team'' have unearthed or is it another 'be seen to be trying routine??'' TM has always struck me as somebody who is big on the team bond /senior player influence yada yada .He hasn't been to India yet so no idea what budget he has got so slightly unconvinced if i'm honest that this is anything more than a cosmetic exercise . Back to the not seen anything better than what we have in our U23's so we will try and develop them situation whilst trying to convince us that signing Bauer on a free is an outstanding piece of business and that we were right all along to wait until the Summer to sign him. For the first time I have decided not to renew until I know what this all looks like. I can see goals being a real problem next season without a quality signing. Not buying Brereton guys.....sorry!! Pity , TM didn't say those words!!

Yes ...the close but no cigar brigade sadly.

Problem is you spend £12million on lets say 4 decent recruits. Up a level they want 3 or 4 year deals and we are back to £20 grand a week if the players are any good. So you then end up with 4 players costing you £4million a year for 4 years = £16mill of wages plus £12mill transfer costs. that's where it gets silly again with our gates and income. I get the feeling the accountants who came in last Summer wouldn't let them do that so it is a concern I have had personally for a while .I think its more likely to be a go up and see what you can do with a couple of quid rather than an assault on the PL.

Interesting though I guess 15 years ago we had no inkling of what was going to become of us especially in the hands of venkys.. Probably not worth reading too much into any of this . Having said all that I would be ill if they ended up at Blackpool because I still think these 2 are our best hope now of turning us around and running the Club as it should be run.

No I agree Vinjay , I was just mean if they ran it well and the place was buzzing whilst we still have these nut jobs as our owners- that would proper pee me off

Yep I know. I suppose we are all assuming that it’s their money but I don’t think it ever has been. They put an investor group together to try to buy Rovers and got sh4t on by Cheston lying about it. So this maybe also acting on behalf of another party. having hear Ian B on many radio interviews I am convinced he is Rovers , Rovers , Rovers. I couldn’t envisage him being born and bred in our town turning up at Blackpool. but you never bloody know in football but I would be shocked I think and if truth be told I think I would be heartbroken and hate Venkys even more if that’s possible. i suppose that Amanda woman at Newcastle would be a similar example. Wasn’t she involved advising in the Man City deal before.? Maybe it is just what businesses like Seneca get asked to do by investors.

You would hate to think the group they were advising on Rovers have given up and turned their attention to The Lashers.Probably will be free of debt and with Oyston out the way could run it how they think it should be run. unlike these morons running our gaff- Cheston , Pasha ffs. i don’t think I could stand it if they did buy it and it became everything we dreamed of in terms of running it successfully and we are still stuck with Barry Bling and the Pluckers

Club is so badly diseased now that anybody going near the place gets instantly infected.This now way beyond mistakes, bad advice, naievity. Venkys, Pasha , Cheston , Coar- gtf out of our Club. by 10pm on Weds 23rd August this Club could be all but done and dusted .If the worst ( but the expected) happens between now and then , morale will be so low that it will be virtually impossible to come back from. The Club needs to be back in local ownership with people who care to give it a heartbeat again and get proper rovers blood running back through the veins of the Club. i have no idea whether the proposal still stands but in the name of god , get on the phone to the 2 Ian's and see what can be done .Your time is up Venkys , it can't ever be mended whilst you lot are here. Please , please give these people a chance to put some faint hope back into the Town . It needs a radical , radical change or this Club could slither away this season in an empty ground and where there is nothing left to save. Enough is enough now. It's over. You cannot possibly think there is any hope left whilst any of you are around the place.

No doubt it will be another night to thank Venkys for driving another nail in the coffin.

We are playing a league 2 side. Would have been more impressed if he'd done it against a team in a league we have to play 46 games in ! that guy from the LT must have happy pills three times a day. Not once has he come out with hard words about anything . maybe it will come in handy for when Venkys take us down there. i

We havnt fallen on hard times Parson, we have been chauffer driven by crooks and thieves

decent player, great set piece merchant better than we could expect in fairness. On the downside, he's 32 hardly going to set it alight with pace which we desperately lack Thoughts::: we sign a 32 year old who is presumably on decent wages /long contract to persuade him to step down a division whilst we let Mahoney's contract run down to zilch when he could have serious value and probably lower wages. And since the 9cost cutting began after relegation(!!!!??????) all we have done is bring in Venus & Whittingham and add to the costs. Ithink we need to prepare for the exodus of Mulgrew, Graham etc etc . It is going to have to happen somewhere along the line of dumbing down. lets see what KPMG have to say about it all .

cant be any problem SS, you are overreacting. They have backed his plans during positive talks in India. If there was a problem we would have read about it in the LT in the momentous news column marked '' first manager since Bowyer to go to India''. All is well, the flipchart will be doing somersaults and they will be having intense meetings now trying to learn names and job titles of their colleagues and writing next months statement from the owners who are continuing to support the manager and hope we can get back to the Premier league next season and why the early bird season ticket prices have been held until 1st December. ......hic hic

This is obviously a very extensive piece of work or it will be by the time we get up to the current day. This is based on fact not opinion and will chronicle everything that has happened very very accurately through a 7 year timeline . This ought when finished to end up in a hard copy book which every fan should buy and own and pass on to their generations as THE unadulterated version of how our Club was brought to its knees. i just hope that the final chapters are able to detail the transition into local ownership such that at least it can be passed down as where the rebuilding by local people began. jesus, if they put this into a film or a TV mini series it would be compelling watching for the entire football world. well done guys it's a monumental effort . This Club doesn't deserve you.

Good point LR. I also remember this was a big concern of ian battersby in the Radio Lancs interview a couple of weeks back.Something to the effect that this will be our lifeblood now more than ever before as we are no longer likely to be buying our players.

What's the view as to what happens??

Brave new dawn then Chadster? All our problems gone away???

And here's a question Stu..... will he be managing the last 15 games with Protests going on around him and Venkys out chants ringing in his ears? seems grossly unfair to subject him to that yet if it doesn't happen then Venkys have pulled off quite a stroke. It would also indicate that the last 7 months has been a complete managerial problem if it all goes quiet now whereas we all know it's far far more than that so what happens guys ? I really couldn't call it though I am clear what it should be!!