4 hours ago, BankEnd Rover said:

Patrick Bauer been told he can leave PNE - Worth a shot.

No

But given the desperate two signings in Jan 'they wouldn't be anywhere near Blackburn Rovers in January if they were any good' type statement from GB anything is possible.

Rhodes - Graham - Dack - Armstrong - Brereton - Szmodics 

Common denominator ?

Every one of them cost money including DG who was on Prem wages.

The line has run dry now if we do not INVEST in one or two forwards you can stick your entire savings on relegation next year. A new contract for big Sam isn't the answer and hanging the hat on Telalovic type punts or Leonard or Siggy to come up with enough is like a turkey looking forward to Christmas.

It's not happening and neither is 'oh well if more players chip in we'll be fine'

Massive summer for spin doctor Broughton and the affiable Mr Eustace.

6 hours ago, WacoRover said:

Our marketing people stink.
The below is only an example:

if Rovers sold 20,000 tix at £10/each, they would make more money than selling 10,000 tix at £20/each. 

How?

20,000 would buy more kits, pies & pints. it would also be more likely to encourage fans in Rovers’ catchment area. Young, old, & families alike. 

Winning improves attendance. IMO, the club can’t reduce ticket prices to every single game. But they can drop prices to insure fans still want to attend to see “their team”, even if that team is not chasing promotion.
The club flubbed on this a long time ago, when they didn’t drop ticket prices on the final 2 or 3 home games, when it was obvious our fans were not going to see a promotion-chasing Rovers team this year. 

Waggot is a lazy bastard and just uses examples like PNE who did an ST deal that boosted their ST base overnight from about 8k to 12k yet despite higher gates overall their ticket income was a bit less than ours.

He failed to address the extra added income from everything else to balance it out plus the fact he was able to fleece a few larger away followings here than Preston were able to accommodate.  I've often said the guy should be a politician because he has spin prepared for everything or 'we'll look into it' which means it's now in the bin.

The whole point is fan re-engagement and boosting the gates and there is no other way of doing it in these areas without being a top challenging side or being in the Prem.  It's the same for every club in the Lancashire area so at some point you might have to take a slight hit in income and try and make it up elsewhere in order to get a quick boost in numbers.

Games like this one though are what Waggots policy thrives on, guaranteed full end from big city club, same regulars and 10k empty seats in home sections.

Lazy bastard.

2 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Like the sound of this, on the record:

We have a commitment that we can operate normally in the summer. We have had conversations on what that might look like in terms of shaping the budget and transfer funds.

"My recommendations to the board are that we will have a significant influx of money. It does not all hit in one transaction with Adam Wharton and the David Raya sell-on, but transfers do not go out in one hit either.

"My recommendation is to invest in four areas - transfer fees, wages to be competitive, the Academy and infrastructure and then money put aside for the season in case we need that for whatever reason. Do not spend it all in one hit, you never know how you might go into January.

"The indication is that yes, we will have money to spend”.

 

But then the politician comes out with the qualifying statement…

“But I have been on record before and said last summer we had clarity on the budget and that had to change for reasons out of our hands.”

 

So basically the only confirmation they have they can operate normally is because Steve tells Gregg he assumes that is the case because there's an influx of transfer money coming.

Nothing at all about owners sending a normal budget PLUS transfer income topping it up ?

Because that is the only way we can operate normally AND put money into the four areas GB is recommending.

It's time we started making the team and fans suffer again in order to help our billionaire owners who've fecked up their own finances.

Oh and whilst we are at it helping a fat pig snout go deeper in the bonus trough.

Meanwhile back in the championship twelve thousand cheap season ticket bubbles were heard popping over Preston way the other night, lovely stuff.

Although it's good to hear him speak and he should do regularly he goes through the same stuff now. Clearly says all the right things but also absolving himself of everything and putting spin on the funding problems whilst trying to stir pity for the owners over it.

He 'recommends' everything to the board that's his job and their job is to take his advice or not.

So as iv'e pointed out before he is just another hired consultant giving his opinion he isn't really directing anything.

1 hour ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Oh I don't know. They brought some pretty big followings in the 80s (which bucked the trend back then). I distinctly remember their fans being on all 4 sides of the ground one night (a la Man City and Bolton) when they were possibly going for promotion? I think that might have been from the third division as well?

Clearly i'm on about the current DE which is considerably bigger than what was allowed on back then and like i said late 90's they didn't many at all..... in the Prem.

First Sheff Weds game i remember they had a lot in the old DE and Megson scored a 30 yard screamer then they were all fighting with the old bill for some reason 🤣

The one and only club iv'e never seen have even one single low following at Ewood no matter what their form or division is Leeds Utd.

Man U as well but that was always the Prem and they don't count seeing as the coach park is always full of vehicles from Oxford, Wales and Ireland !

Sheffield is a two club city but it's massive compared to places like Blackburn and iv'e never known them come close to filling the DE before.

Always good support here but usually in the 3 to 4k region like their inner city rivals so they've no need to be spouting bloody Wrexham brough 7k and Boro have had bigger followings here than Sheff Weds.  In the late 90s they had a couple of really small followings because they weren't very good.

Seems we are in an era of clueless social media kids who haven't much clue but we've seen and heard it all before, doesn't matter how many there is they often go home in silence.

We've got two teams who've struggled this season and are where we are for a reason - clown ownerships and lack of investment.  Also those fans of ours who constantly spout along the lines of 'if only we had 20k every week' need to look at Wednesday to see it means nothing if you are still run by fools.

Anyway on our day and them on their day we are the stronger better side so we should take that mentality into the game but seeing as this is the championship and anything can happen from one day to the next.....

Rovers   1     Owls   1

20,239

Even if there is something to spend thy won't pay the wages to lure anyone worthy.

It'll be big earners out and half their wages reinvested as usual, plus prem loan kids and the odd 500k signing.

That's the present model at Ewood i'm afraid.

27 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Of course, yes, most on here know why this club gives generally bigger away allocations than any other club.

However, to be fair to tomphil et al, they are talking about a restricted following for this specific game, I.e a relegation six pointer where a good result has us safe, a poor one drags us back into it, so why give any further boost to the rival? (Yes, it’s a debate as to whether a full Darwen End does boost the opposition, but that is their rationale). A few extra grand on Sunday or lose millions with a L1 relegation?

 

Exactly.

If it was a dead rubber or earlier in the season no problem but offering any kind of incentive or advantage to the opposition in such a game is plain stupid.  Although the game isn't as knife edge for us as it was looking a week or so ago that wouldn't make any difference these idiots would do it if we were second bottom.

Waggot = exceed income target = bonus.

#### the team.

Of course i'm reading plenty of 'oh if our fans turned up' etc and as usual that's a clueless load of horse dung as well.

1 hour ago, neophox said:

Hopefully we can have 20.000 plus Rovers fans at Ewood on saturday making good voice against 7000 Sheffield fans.

It's on Sunday, early kick off, live tv so no them days are long gone.

1 hour ago, Exiled_Rover said:

He's been a very good purchase - he's a damn sight better than the player he replaced (Lenihan). 

That said, he's not a captain and shouldn't be asked to take on a leadership role. 

He certainly looked that way at first but the bigger picture over the longer term says he probably isn't, he should be but just isn't consistent enough.

You need basic fundamentals and consistent from your centre halves and captain over anything else and i'm not saying Lenihen was that but i think we've missed his no nonsense attitude at times.

Slightly different in style but not much between the two of them overall imo.

I'm pretty certain restricting Bumley to just 2k last season went a fair way to helping us not get hammered. Yes we lost to a worldie strike but for the most part we matched them and they weren't kicking into thousands of fans roaring them on.

It was like there were no away fans there.

Anyway it's done now but as far as i'm concerned it sends out the wrong message and absolutely hands extra motivation to the visiting side which is plain stupid when stakes are so high.

1 hour ago, philipl said:

I have been on Ewood with 4.5k and 7k fans in the away end.

The noise difference between the two isn't that much.

Phil that's nonsense pal i sit in the JW upper nearest BBE and i can assure you it isn't like the 80's.

It's not really about a trade off with the singing as away fans particularly big city clubs always make a din when turning up in huge numbers.  My issue is this team both this season and last has shown the nerves and conceded poor goals down that end with certain players visibly affected by it.  Even last season Coventry to name another one, at times in the past its acted to spur on our players having a wall of contrasting noise at each end but the squad we run now i feel it can have the opposite effect.

Forget the Newcastle game it was a nothing to lose cup tie but when the pressure is on at home we tend to buckle too often these days.

Hopefully our lads are getting more used to it so know what to expect and all the nerves are in the Sheffield end as that can transmit to their team as well.

They knew this was always going to be an important game weeks ago so weeks ago they could have said Sheff Wed 4.5k max and that's your lot.

Home fans from database only, then everyone knew what's what.

As said above giving them the whole end creates a massive 'got to be there' vibe and so more and more start trying to get tickets in the home sections or say they are turning up in town anyway regardless of no tickets.

Roll out the away fan red carpet again and create a more encouraging atmosphere for them in a vital game, rank stupidity.

More money straight through the football sieve into the pockets of parasites and average journeymen players.

Wouldn't it be nice if some gave a bit back to fans in the way of subsidised season tickets to boost crowds and keep them away from being remote control supporters.

On 10/06/2023 at 13:27, tomphil said:

I think there are more goals in this lad if we can get him running in on goal a bit more but trouble is in our system he does a lot of graft deep instead.

Could very well be a Paul Dickov type if he keeps up the desire, clearly loves being here so that's a plus.

I'll blow my own trumpet on this one 😉

I fully expect this season will be yet another step backwards and that is part of the reason a guy like Eustace was brought in to prep for weakening the team further and another season of fire fighting.

Can't believe our midfield was built around Evans and Lowe for years it's no wonder we went nowhere then we finally get a good one and he's gone in no time.

Meanwhile thank god for Tronstad !

1 hour ago, Michael123458 said:

Beat these tossers and we’re there

one thing I will say is the kick off time/day might hinder crowd. I know they’ve sold 7k odd but if it wasn’t changed by sky after yesterdays results which I’m still buzzing off btw 30k at Ewood I reacon 

No chance at cat B prices but over 23k would be a fair shout if Sky hadn't ruined it again.

We really better not switch off again in this one lets try and win it eh lads !

1 hour ago, Gav said:

Made up for you and the rest of the Rovers hordes, you deserved that after the debacle in midweek.

I must admit, watching yesterday reminded me so much of Rovers games late 80’s when we were pushing for promotion. The pressure does funny things to teams, you can’t do anything about it as Leeds and Leicester found out this weekend and we found out to our cost many times late 80’s. 

Going to Stoke and winning 1 nil with a David Mail penalty after missing about 5 of the last 6 pens, in front of 3500 Rovers fans in a crowd of about 9500 !

Then off to Sett End...🙂

The youth of today are so stale.

20 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

What it really needs is some wings and a couple of engines.

Why would a relegation fighting team owned by billionaires fly anywhere in midweek when they can spend 4hrs each way on a bus ?

Not like they risk getting battered 5 nil or anything.....

1 hour ago, Herbie6590 said:

I think that the role of the coach can be overplayed in the modern game but for this club, this season we have proved time & again that having the best coach we possibly can at our disposal is absolutely crucial…

They need to put some beds in it for midweek away games.