40 minutes ago, Hasta said:

Waffle, waffle waffle. Tin pot deflection . You make a comment and then are unable to explain what you mean. 

Gone are the days of 11 regular starters and two regular subs playing all season. With 5 or 6 that rarely get a look in. In fact it's remarkable looking back that you could confidantly pick the same team week in, week out.

They are all squad players now. Some are better and play more than others. The ones that play less are back ups to the ones that play more.

Our best run of form last year came with a very settled side. Even though our keeper, Hedges, Dolan and the strikers were getting a lot of flak.

5 defeats, then 4 wins on the bounce! This has to be the craziest division in world football.

Can we beat Sheff United away? They looked good at Ewood and deserved the win.

Unfortunately it's completely out of our hands so I'm not overly excited. We've shown a lot of courage and determination at times this season. And badly collapsed at others. It's anyone's guess.

I can't remember ever scoring four goals from defence / defensive midfield before! Can anyone else? I don't remember Rathbone and Branagan bagging many!

Well done to all involved. Frustrating that's its come so late when the pressure is off, but losing every week wasn't healthy.

Along with Batth, Brittain and Travis, Tronstad must be a contender for player of the season. He was superb before his injury and I am pleased for him today.

To feel non-plussed about the Rovers is a weird emotion after a lifetimes investment.

41 minutes ago, ElTwis said:

I've been forced to have a little look at this in comparison to previous years. The trend is basically for the pack contending for 5th/6th to slip up a bit over the last 4/5 games which is why you sometimes see a team come from nowhere. 

If Rovers actually won the next 4 tthen think we would end up very close to 6th as Coventry, West brom and boro all have to play each other and we play millwall and Watford. Coventry losing tonight would be a really good start and goal difference doubtlessly would come into play.

A lot of ifs, buts and maybes though and not really worth thinking about unless we win the next 2.

It's done and dusted. Shame really, but other than the odd game we have been very poor from mid-December onwards.

Too many players overworked, too many injuries, too many individual errors, culminating in too many below par performances and too many dropped points.

Easily our best chance for success as the league has been so poor this season. Our biggest problem being the lack of goals we have scored.

I can't see it, but i wouldn't mind both Millwall and Bristol City getting in the play offs at the expense of Boro, Coventry, West Brom etc.

Well done. Never easy winning away. Great to get a clean sheet.

There are no words.

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

what is reasonably amount of backing? how many millions? 

Do you not think that Ismael has agreed before he appointed head coach role to play this style he and Gestede has said they want to play? 

I take you aren't renewing/buying ST next season, is this correct? 

I'm seriously thinking about not renewing. My mate and my son also. I enjoyed our organisation and fight under Eustace, but it was turgid stuff at times. Forget Duff and Tugay, it wasn't a patch on watching Scotty Sellars, Garner and Gayle.

2 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

So you think the 3 stooges and the way they run the Club are/we're completely irrelevant?

I'm astounded if so.

The three stooges didn't stop him getting us in the top six all season. They just couldn't give him an extra 10k a week. He's currently doing well at Derby, but that can change. He's gone, you've just got to deal with it.

The three stooges did however recruit this total plank and what is astounding is that no one seems to give a toss about how our season has totally disintegrated. Apart from us lot.

1 minute ago, JHRover said:

If what has been claimed about Lowe is true, that he is unmovable due to being the owners inside man, and I believe it is true, then I'd rather be was nowhere near running the first team.

I think JDT and Eustace felt the same which is why he was shifted out of the way and possibly one reason why neither of them lasted too long.

I've not seen those comments regarding Lowe. But internal politics, empire building, self protection and straight forward bitchiness are rife in football. More than any other industry I have worked in.

7 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

We agreed on the need for a short term. motivator but your disdain and disregard for Eustace leaving looks more and more misjudged with every passing week.

Not really in favour of Lowe being re-appointed for any length of time tbh.

I explained Eustace left for money. Rumoured to be 12k a week more. That was it. I'm not sure why that is confusing you. If he keeps Derby up and a Premier League team comes in for him he will be off like a shot.

But that is completely irrelevant to us recruiting Ismael. We still had a brilliant opportunity to attack the rest of the season. 

We were in the play offs and had just recruited a striker, two wingers, a midfielder, left back and centre half.  

For this guy to take what we had, plus the new signings, gain 1 point from 18 (and that was due to a 96th minute goal), take us from 5th to 12th, rarely look like scoring, always look like conceeding, never look like winning, is desperately bad.

An appalling appointment. More so, as all of us knew exactly what was needed. A short term motivator, who would instill renewed belief in our jilted, snowflake players.

Lowe was in the top ten short term options after Eustace left. Maybe even top five. Get shut and let him see the season out.

5 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

along with the rest of his team mates!!!!!!!!! tbh it`s clear he`s on the way out  and will be sold this summer,ditto tronstadt and brittain,all part of val`s big rebuild😱

I'm hugely disappointed in the players. Even if they dislike this manager conceeding within 5 minutes most weeks is totally unacceptable.

I'm lost for words. Players, management, executives and owners stinking the place out. We are plumbing new depths.

4 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Then serious questions need to be asked. 

If Rovers appoint him with a free pass this season and they will back him in the summer to overhaul the squad to his tactics and style of play then Gestede should be communicating this to the fan base. Gestede should have being interviews the day Eustace left and the day we appointed Ismael. Rovers yet again very poor with the media and lack of communication with the supporters is shocking. 

What your opinion and would you want a change of head coach if we only won 1 or 2 of the remain games and what the plan for replacement? 

How can current results be acceptable? How can he be given a free pass until the summer? How can we allow him to recruit his own players if he continues to lose every week? How many games does he need to lose before we accept it is not working?

We were in 5th position when he took over. We are now 11th. No one has seen anything to think he can put this right. There is no chance the players will start believing in him, or his methods. No chance at all.

We are one heavy defeat away from the entire fanbase giving up on him. Most have already.

First we blamed Travis missing.

And Hedges and Dolan and Pears plus Gueye upfront.

Then Tronstad Missing.

And Hedges and Dolan and Pears. 

Then the  recruitment team in the January window.

But Gueye improved.

And Hedges and Dolan and Pears.

Then Ohashi missing.

And Hedges and Dolan and Pears.

And Eustace leaving.

Then Adam Forshaw.

And Beck and Batth missing.

And Hedges and Dolan and Pears.

Forshaw still with a little bit of Sanderson.

Brittain losing form.

Then Hyam collapsing.

Then Carter miles off.

And Dolan and Pears.

Then why don't you fuck off home Valerie.

And now Travis and Tronstad, Hyam and Carter, little bit of Hedges, lots of Pears, Woodrow new to proceedings, Dolan whatever he does and the donkey turned racehorse is now a pony who can't get a start.

And it all began just before Xmas. Whilst in the top six. With the chance to re-inforce in January. We were two judicious player signings away from enjoying the end of the season. We were one, stop gap, managerial signing away from being competitive all year. And despite everything, we are still only five points off the play offs.

We spent some money in January but on what? Forshaw was on 12k a week at Plymouth, rumours of 20k a week for the lame duck from Forest. How much are Woodrow and Sanderson costing? In fact, thinking it through, maybe only Ribeiro can hold his head up high.

This is up there with the most chronic mis-management of all our assets in all my time watching the Rovers. Typically when there was a little light at the end of our very dark tunnel.

3.5 years of Ismael? Holy fuck. We were always one bad appointment away from disaster. No wonder the Venkys have spunked millions on the club. They are absolutely thick as pig shit.

I'm not renewing next season. Its not just the ticket, its the travel, parking, refreshments, loss of earnings, loss of time and mental energy all adding up to significant personal investment. 

I was so much happier with 6k or 7k attending playing Shrewsbury in the late 70's and early 80's. This Venkys induced mind fuck isnt healthy for me.

2 minutes ago, Silas said:

The players have lost the will for it imo.

The Eustace shambles, and the rest of the circus, has knocked the stuffing out of them.

And VI was never the person to lift them back up. An Allardyce/Dyche type might have. 

That moment's been and gone, and after the last few seasons of setting up camp regularly in the Top 6, I genuinely fear we may never be there again for a long time. 

Top 6 League 1 maybe the next target.

I'm a heavy mix of anger and apathy. Feels justified and warranted, rather than the usual emotional and reactionary. 

Allardyce and Dyche were always unlikely. Warnock was a decent option.

A mate at the match has just said it was a completely spineless performance with zero structure, he won't be travelling away again and cannot wait to get home. 

Appleton, Berg, Ince, Hodgson, Kean, Coyle, Ismael.

This has been a bad three months even by Rovers standards.

7 hours ago, norwichblue said:

I admire the optimism. I’m normally an optimist too. But those last 3 performances have really taken the wind out of my sails for this season. Couple that with the bullshit we’re having to endure off the pitch, and it really is bleak.

Me too. Normally.

This has been a particularly bad run of results and performances however at a critical time of the season. 

Even the likes of Hyam, Travis and Btittain have looked very average. We have missed Beck and Batth enormously. And still not scored enough to cover defensive frailties.

If I was the manager I'd be desperate for a result, but he appears remarkably chilled out on the touchline and in interviews.

5 hours ago, WacoRover said:

I’m generally sunshine pumping, and I will continue that today; I’m going for an anxiety-filled, 1-1 encounter. 

I have more confidence in the players we have, than in the manager. Even with so many players back, nothing will be easy the rest of the way this season.

We are five points off 6th. We either start winning or we will end up simply.going through the motions for the remainder of the season.

The players have largely struggled since December. Other than two games under Lowe. Too many individual errors. Too many below par performances.

4 minutes ago, lraC said:

This has been a huge own goal and a missed opportunity.

How about this, which I know is now too late and will have fallen on deaf ears.

Operation fill Ewood

Given the special year in the history of Blackburn Rovers football club, we have a new and exciting offer, that, we hope the fans will get behind.

The aim is to sell 12,000 adult season tickets at £150 per person, but in order to ensure the funds are still available for the clubs plans, we have a plan to ensure that we meet a minimum target, hence the 12,000 adult tickets.

Our proposal is an initial pledge to buy and we request that a payment of £50 is made and this will be deducted form the £150 if the numbers are met. The deadline for this, will be 01/05/2025. 

Once pledged, no refund will be made if the target is met, as we will expect the £100 remaining payment is then made and  the season ticket will be allocated. 

In the event of the numbers not being met, then the option is to claim a full refund, or the payment can be used to buy at the normal prices.

For each adult ticket purchased, so long as the target of 12,000 is met, an option to purchase up to  2 children's tickets for £30 each will be offered. 

 

12,000 x £ 150.00 = £ 1.8 million.

5000 x £ 400.00 = £ 2 million.

Less police, concourse, safety, cleaning and general infrastructure costs with only 5000 attending.

Whilst I like your train of thought, the owners want maximum income and minimum expense.

2 hours ago, Michael123458 said:

All doom and gloom lately Cardiff was complete dogshit but backs against the wall is that when rovers will do it….. Pompey 0 2 rovers RTID

Admirable optimism. Fingers crossed.

Portsmouth 3 Rovers 1.

A momentously stupid appointment. You have to wonder if anyone has a clue what they are doing. Months of hard work undone in five games. And only the fanbase seems to care.

So depressing as a fan when we invest so much energy into the club.

Not good at all for my mental health and wellbeing. 

We would still be in the play offs standing ten foot tall if we'd got Allardyce in for three months. In fact we'd still be in the fucking PL if we'd not sacked him.

11 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I don't mind that he's got a style of playing - looks like some variation of 3-4-3 - but you simply can't appoint him mid-season with our squad and with the position we were in.

We needed a motivator that could keep the team going for 3 more months and not tweak anything tactically. 

Yes it was so.obvious to all of us. An arrangement to maintain spirit was all that was needed.

Pity we lost at Swansea. We could have hopefully plodded on for a little while longer.

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

I certainly never thought that ACD was great. At a time when he was barely playing if at all, and having grown long since sick of seeing Hedges and Dolan trudge up and down doing nothing, I wanted him to be given a chance. He didnt get a sustained one but I think hes just as ineffective.

Both those lads have contributed fully to our team success all season. They have worked tirelessly all year helping our defence, but you can't see any of that.

Because they play on the wings you class them as attackers and judge them accordingly.

Ask yourself, why did Eustace keep selecting them in a top six side? Because he made clean sheets an absolute priority at all times, all season and they were integral to that cause.

Sensibly. he sacrificed our attacking intent to safeguard our defence. And that included those lads trudging up and down relentlessly to protect the full backs.

Youve seen ACD, Kargbo, JRC and Dennis on the wings. I'd still rather have Hedges and Dolan anyday over those. Our next best two wingers are arguably Beck and Brittain.