5 minutes ago, Fraserkirky said:

Right now, I would blame Tony for going public with this nonsense, there was no need.  

To be fair, I agree. If no bids have been accepted then this should have stayed in house. 

O’Rourke broke the news regarding the bid so wide of the mark from him.

2 minutes ago, Fraserkirky said:

Venkys never accepted any bids for Rothwell apparently. Savage! They really don’t mess about.

Interesting to hear how all this will be Waggott/Mowbray/Venky’s fault.

4 minutes ago, BRFC4EVA said:

Little bit frustrating that our rivals are going to spend money (whom that it is isn't completely clear at this point) whereas we are cheaping out again. Why don't we gamble and go for it? In the summer if we don't get promoted I daresay BBD can be sold to balance the books..

FFP vs parachute payments. It’s a two tier league. Bournemouth will be in trouble if they don’t get up this season however.

11 minutes ago, Hasta said:

None of us know for sure if we could have offered more money, although many suspect if Mowbray really wanted to we could. Similarly, none of us have any idea if he will down tools if we refuse to let him leave.

Obviously the money side is all guesswork but it sounds like he asked not to play against Luton so I think we’re already at the stage where his commitment can be called into question. I don’t know how we can have him back now, the bridges are burned. I just can’t see how we’re going to find two decent replacements in 24 hours. 

Just now, 47er said:

We’ve left it too late. Not unusual for us!

Rothwell has chosen this moment to down tools, not us. There is no good outcome here, but this is all on Rothwell.

2 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Yes and they can certainly say you are NOT going to Bournemouth right now son.  It appears the owners are in agreement with that but others down there wan't to let him do as he pleases.

Do you honestly want Rothwell anywhere near this club right now??! Mowbray wants him out because his head isn’t in it. Fair enough by me.

9 minutes ago, 47er said:

I'm basing it on the notion that he's never received a pay rise since he left Oxford to join us.

Do you know any different?

We’ve offered him a pay rise within a new contract and he turned it down.

Rothwell has chosen to force a move to a promotion rival with three days to go in the window by downing tools and refusing to play. Stop trying to absolve him of blame. He is a disgrace.

1 minute ago, JHRover said:

This is the crux of the issue in a couple of sentences.

The shenanigans of the last 48 hours are just the outcome or product of us not having our house in order. Get our house in order = this doesn't happen.

Its another 'told you so' moment from me - I've been banging the drum about contracts and the dangers of allowing them to run down for many many months - this is why - it has put the club in a vulnerable position where we exposed to predators.

A player - whether that is Joe Rothwell or anyone else - wants security. If clubs are offering him good money and a long term contract and are professional in their dealings whilst we have mucked him around with derisory offers then it is obvious which way he is going to go.

The club has had time and opportunity to avoid this situation - and has done nothing.

And if anyone really expects Mowbray/Rovers/Venkys/Waggott to have already lined up a couple of proven quality permanent signings to replace him tomorrow I think you are going to end up disappointed. My expectation is a couple of loans and the usual spiel from Waggott about why things were all lined up but fell through.

I don’t know why I bother to go over this multiple times but if Rothwell refuses to sign a new deal and is determined to leave, there’s not a lot we can do about it. We’ve not ‘done nothing’. We’ve offered him new terms and he’s rejected them. He’s now forced a move to a rival club. Could we have offered more money? None of us have any idea but that doesn’t excuse Rothwell downing tools in the middle of arguably the biggest season in recent memory, to force a move to a promotion rival. 

20 minutes ago, 47er said:

Whether we should sell Rothwell now is one issue.

But no way should we strengthen Bournemouth or another of our promotion rivals.

This is TM's decision. He obviously thinks he can do better with the money. He's always under-rated Rothwell and to keep him on the same rate as when he first arrived from Oxford, if true, is just plain dumb and no way to run a football club.

No wonder we face a crisis at the end of the season with other players. We used to regularly reward players who turned out to be good 'uns in order to protect our investment. Whatever happened to that logical and beneficial policy?

The onus is on TM now to really replace Rothwell, a very difficult job.

You’re oversimplifying it to suit your narrative. It’s not Mowbray simply thinking he can find better players. It’s Rothwell refusing to play for us and forcing a move. It’s clear that Mowbray and Venkys did not want to sell Rothwell but he forced the issue.

The whole saga is regrettable but Rothwell has effectively downed tools and Mowbray clearly thinks that having him around with his head elsewhere is worse than selling, even to a rival. Tomorrow is huge. 

It stings having to see him go to Bournemouth and it may well see them finish above us but Rothwell sticking around the group when his head is clearly elsewhere could equally derail the season. How would he play for us now? The reaction at Ewood would be toxic. 

Tomorrow makes or breaks our season. A couple of suitable replacements and we might be fine. 

Just now, J*B said:

Mowbray wants him nowhere near. He’s told him to get to Bournemouth tonight rather than leaving the training ground tomorrow. @glen9mullansaid that Venkys and Suhail where insisting he stayed, but they’ve listened to Mowbray. 

I really hope Rothwell Odemwingie’s it and ends up standing outside the run down seaside mini golf hut that doubles as their training centre at 11pm in the rain waiting for a medical that never happens.

Just now, RoversClitheroe said:

Shocking short termism, no one can do what Rothwell can in this division.

He’s basically refusing to play for the club. The damage is done. We either take the £3m or let him fester around the club. We’re damned either way.

Clearly Rothwell’s burnt his bridges and Mowbray would rather him gone regardless of which club he ends up at. Shocking.

For all those wanting to skew this to blame Venky’s or Mowbray, Rothwell has downed tools and essentially forced us to sell to our nearest promotion rivals. There’s only one villain in this.

There will be Bournemouth fans reading this thread pissing themselves and frankly so would I in their position. All I’d say is that it took us three years to get a worthwhile season out of him and he will screw you over at the first opportunity. Glad to see the back of him.

Sharpe is saying that Rothwell wants the Bournemouth move.

That seals it for me. Keep him and let him rot. 

The longer this goes on without updates, the less likely he goes I’d suggest. To get in 2/3 established replacements by tomorrow night is a tall order. I’ve made my peace with him going so I’m not fussed either way now - provided we get the replacements in.

Intrigued to see what other business we might do. Sounds like there were a couple lined up other than Hedges before the Rothwell nonsense. One thing does seem to be clear is that there are very few leaks from the club these days. Tend not to hear about a move until it’s more or less tied up.

3 hours ago, riverholmes said:

Apologies, to repeat myself but the club and management have only themselves to blame. I see Rothwell's possible departure as potentially damaging promotion prospects - barring a great, late signing. We're struggling for goals and rely heavily on Rothwell to create.

There was always the risk Rothwell would leave or get injured. Back in the summer, we let go Holtby, Trybull, Evans and lost Elliot. (Holtby went on paid leave at the end of last season as a favour from Mowbray, to avoid injury to help with his next move, apparently. I could see Rothwell and other potential departees citing that favour in his right  safeguard his future - though Holtby was reaching the end of his career).

We needed a new CM or, for Mowbray to nurture Garrett or another from the U23s to add competition. Instead, we signed Clarkson on loan and mainly played him AM, relied on Johnson as back-up and didn't promote internally.

Now, we face losing Rothwell and a possible panic buy, or relying on Johnson for the rest of the season. I suppose there may be a remote chance that Hedges will be moulded as a CM.

Letting Rothwell's contract run down to the last year was potentially poor planning. Having Johnson as his deputy  definitely was, given his age and mobility, albeit, he is good in the air and experienced.

I wouldn't panic about a potential loss of Rothwell, though. We have a lot of attackers when fit. However, he adds that dimension that can relieve pressure and also break down a team defending deep. The emphasis really shifts to Buckley and, possibly, playing him deeper - and Mowbray re-jigging the team.

I disagree with the notion that we’re ‘letting’ the players contracts run down as if we’re not attempting to do something about it. Clearly Rothwell, Lenihan, BBD, Nyambe all think they can attract PL interest and have refused to sign improved contracts. Apparently we offered Armstrong the best deal we could possibly afford and he turned it down, understandably because he wanted a prem move.

We don’t know the numbers involved but if the players mentioned above are determined to hold out for a big move (Rothwell’s antics this week seem to confirm that..), there’s next to nothing we can do about it.

If you were in Brereton’s position, would you sign a new deal with us on any terms?? No, obviously not, he’d just be making it harder to get out in the summer. Is that our fault too? Or should we have tied him down 18 months ago when he still had 3 years left on his deal and could barely get in the team? Fans would have been furious.

It’s easy to blame the club but if the players are refusing to sign new contracts, what more can we do??

I had been frustrated about the situation but then in a moment of clarity thought, it’s Joe Rothwell ffs. I doubt most fans have even heard of him outside Rovers. Bring in two or three replacements by Monday and we’ll be better off without him. Bad timing but he’s shown his true colours. Get it over with and move on.

1 minute ago, imy9 said:

He would have been offered life changing sums of money and he has to look after his family first. 
 

Awful for us but I get it from Rothwells perspective.

Getting us into the PL would provide a life changing amount of money!

If this is for a move to a PL team then to an extent I get it but to down tools is inexcusable. If this is for Bournemouth then I’d let him rot. 

Pathetic. Demanding a move when the squad is on its knees. Get him out of the club. 

11 minutes ago, lraC said:

https://www.dorset.live/sport/football/football-news/joe-rothwell-left-out-blackburn-6569438.amp

I’m ignoring anything that comes out of Dorset. We won’t let him to go Bournemouth.

39 minutes ago, rigger said:

Because if there is a way to upset supporters, the present decission makers at the Rovers will find it.

That’s a cheap shot. 

Ive missed out like most but have no issue with the club selling to ST holders first. Whatever the system, when there are only 1000 away tickets, someone is going to lose out. 

22 minutes ago, 47er said:

You'd have to think that particular source has a vested interest in stirring the wasp's nest though.

Getting desperate as Monday approaches. If we were to sell him to Bournemouth at this point and they were promoted ahead of us, then what use would the fee we got for him be, even if it was £4M?

We would be a laughing stock.

I don’t think this has anything to do with Bournemouth. If he’s engineering a move it will be for a PL team not another championship side. We’d refuse to sell to Bournemouth either way. 

One of the more interesting things for me is Mowbray’s quote the other day that Rothwell wasn’t going anywhere. Mowbray is usually very coy on transfers and rarely speaks definitively so it would be surprising if he leaves now.

Whatever happens, I can’t see him ending up at Bournemouth this window. If the rumours are true, it must be a PL side who are interested.

2 minutes ago, Cherry Blue said:

Too late if his head's been turned by the big guns. Who would have thought that Brentford - if its true of cource - could tempt another player from us.

Forget the name of the club, it’s the league. I can understand pushing for a PL move to an extent but this is really poor.

If it is Bournemouth he’s after then he eclipses Bradley Orr in my book.

21 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

It dies if they’re doubling his wages! 

Committing to another Championship club now makes no sense regardless of the wages. I could understand it if we were midtable but not when we’re above Bournemouth in the league. He’ll get far better financial offers in the summer when he’s a free agent.