I heard the same from a member of the scouting staff. Mentioned it on this thread weeks ago.

This is exactly what I thought after his post match interview - "I guess that shows just about where we are" when talking about losing a two goal lead. He should have been absolutely fuming but he seemed very calm about it all. Oh dear never mind! At the supporters consultation he was saying we could compete with every other team in the division and was talking about getting significant backing from the owners if we are in with a shout of the playoff places in January. Now he seems reasonably content with mid table. He hasn't just had a long contract extension by any chance?

I fit the description exactly. I'll keep an eye on my email. Thanks

I really want to do the survey but they haven't sent me one. Is there an email address supplied to reply the survey to ? I might return one anyway

I have been grappling with this question for a day or two now. What does this Venky visit mean to us? Apart from the 1875 protest against Wolves, I have not attended a home game since the act of sabotage that resulted in I have been stopped from posting this by moderators. Coyle being appointed manager. My preferred option would be that Venky’s leave tomorrow even if it means Rovers starting again in the Conference - I’d be back at Ewood immediately. While those responsible for appointing Coyle and committing many previous misdemeanors are still in charge I don’t want to pay any money into the coffers . My main gripe these days is the apparent aloofness and total lack of respect shown by Venky’s towards us fans. They have made no attempt to engage or explain their actions. Even the official ‘messages from the owners’ issued after promotion and Mowbray’s new contract were obviously written by staff at Ewood. It seems to me that they run Rovers as a footnote at their AGMs and supply enough money to keep the club running without really caring too much because they can afford it. Any chance of making money via player sales they will take as a bonus. Despite the upturn in good feeling recently, I think the club is stuck in limbo. Without a board of any substance ( Waggott and Cheston are money men not football men) and owners who take an interest every blue moon, I can’t see us progressing significantly. The board needs to consist of people who understand football, understand Blackburn Rovers and understand the fans and the local community. Without that soul, Rovers is becoming a faceless corporation with no real empathy with the local community (Mowbray aside). There is more to our club than results on the pitch – History, pride, nostalgia, tradition etc. All these aspects will be lost if Venky’s remain in charge and the situation remains as it is. The club is a shadow of it’s former self. So, what does the visit of Jagdish Rao signify? Do we dismiss him out of hand because he is related to the three stooges? It’s a tough call and, as usual, with no communication from the owners, we are completely in the dark as to whether it could be the start of a new era or a one-off jolly. Assuming Venky’s will be here for the foreseeable future, what is the best to hope for? I can’t forget the past and I will be more than happy if Madam and the brothers never appear again ( maybe the protests and boycotts and snowballs have been useful after all). But is there any hope of some sort of uneasy truce that will allow Rovers to move forwards and get out of the current limbo? How would people feel if Jagdish becomes a regular visitor, gets involved at a board level, starts a clean slate, engages with the supporters and proves by his actions that he understands the situation and is willing to be totally honest ? Would that be enough to start a peace process? -As long as the others stay away - maybe. Some people may prefer no visits from Venky’s and just leave everything to Waggott and Mowbray but I think we need more infrastructure to have any chance of progression. Change will need to take place at some point or I think Rovers will stagnate. As much as we hate the fact, the only people in a position to make changes are the owners. They need to (preferably) leave or step up to the plate. We need people who care to run our club.

It is a hell of a long contract. I like Mowbray and am willing him to succeed so I a am pleased he has been given an extension. However, the thought of his conservative style of football for the next 4 years doesn't really excite me too much.

3 -1 flattered us last night. Fragility at the back and lack of goal threat is not a good combination. The much lauded fighting spirit was conspicuous by its absence. Dack is either not fit or not interested. Body language and lack of talking among the players suggested low confidence all round. Team selection totally bemusing. There is always one team that plummets into a relegation battle in the second half of the season. I hope it's not going to be us!

Sorry if this has been asked before. Does anyone know if we can pay on the day for the away end tonight ?

This statement is a direct quote from his talk at the fans consultation meeting on Thursday night -word for word ( as recorded for Radio Lancs so probably taken from that). Not a reaction to Saturday's match at all.

He was quite clear about his opinion on Brereton's abilities at the moment. Also said he was a great lad and well liked by everyone. But it sounds like he's not getting a game up front any time soon. Have a listen on radio Lancs on Wednesday night. Hopefully it won't be edited.

Well that was embarrassing. I work in Preston so not looking forward to Monday morning. I came away from the fans consultation meeting on Thursday full of admiration for Mowbray and convinced he was the best man for the job - and then he comes up with that brain-fart of a team selection. Total blame is on him for complete nonsense idea that nobody else would have come up with. Unbelievable. Even after the fillip of the goal at the start of the second half we continued to give a Coylesque performance. It was the team selection that had set the scene and reduced confidence. On Thursday Mowbray said quite categorically, on and off the record, that Brereton is not ready to play down the middle due to his lack of upper body strength, inability to hold the ball up or turn defenders. I am convinced he was not Mowbray's choice when he was signed ( See Ben Brereton thread for full discussion). Venky's playing some sort of Moneyball game in my opinion. Very, very disappointed with that performance- players to some extent but mainly by Mowbray.

Yes, I can see why PNE is an appealing match but it seems strange that so many people don't find ANY home matches appealing enough to attend.

Interesting fact that was quoted by Steve Waggott last night about the 5,500 tickets sold for the PNE game this weekend: Nearly 2500 of those fans have not bought a single ticket for a home match this season ( and are not ST holders). Is it that many folk just prefer the away-day experience or are big numbers still deliberately boycotting Ewood matches? Didn't cause much discussion last night but I thought it was an amazing stat.

I think you have just made a good point against the surcharge which you seem to have been defending in your previous posts - nobody likes paying them. Everybody has a limit to the amount they are willing to pay and increased costs are a reason some people won't attend - not an excuse. Nobody needs an excuse not to attend - it's a free world. Maybe £30 is a barrier too far for some people. You say yourself you wouldn't pay it. Buying any tickets on the internet seem to incur surcharges these days and EVERYBODY moans about them. People are not just picking on Rovers for doing it. It would be great PR if Rovers dropped the surcharge to encourage attendances - simple as that.

OK, so I don't have a credit card and like to pay cash. An advance trip to Ewood to buy a ticket would cost me more than £3.00 and take up valuable time. Why should I pay more than anyone else ?

Firstly, you don't need any excuse - it's a free world. However, if a ticket is normally £27 but £30 on the day it is a consideration to some people. If the surcharge puts one person off then Rovers lose out by by £30 so it takes 10 other 'walk ons' paying an extra £3.00 to make up the difference. It would be far preferable to get all 11 fans paying £27 in the ground and get (very nearly) the same income. If it never puts anyone off and everyone is happy to pay the surcharge then Rovers income is up slightly but not great for PR

I completely agree with you on Mowbray's record and suitability as Rovers manager - there is no question that he is the right man and doing a great job. I also agree that nobody can judge Brereton yet as he hasn't had the chance to prove himself. This thread exists purely because he cost a vast amount of money. I am just not sure that any manager would have chosen to spend 80% of his transfer budget on a player that is unlikely to get a starting place in the first team. That's why I think Mowbary was perhaps not the instigator of Brereton's signing. Having said that, it is not necessarily a bad signing - it could turn out really well - who knows?

Maybe this is a Venky signing and Mowbray didn't have much say in it?

I think you are right with this assessment. Maybe it wasn't his decision.

I was talking to a Rovers' scout a couple of weeks ago. His remit is to report only on young (23 or below) British players who are proven at their particular age levels ( ideally international appearances), will accept a reasonable wage ( he didn't know what this figure was ) and will increase in value over a 2 year period. That's it - Rovers will not permanently sign anyone who does not fit this description. That is what he understands ( not sure if Rothwell or Bell fit completely !) He was not aware of any Rovers scout watching Brereton or any reports sent directly to Mowbray - but he admits he wouldn't necessarily know this anyway but sometimes he hears things on the scouting grapevine. He thinks the fact that Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea definitely had scouts watching Brereton last season made it a bit of a coup for Rovers to get him but he was not necessarily Mowbray's choice. He just ticked all the boxes and was seen as an investment. Loans and free signings are entirely in Mowbray's hands but permanent signings, so he has been told, could be more of a club decision based on the above.

That's the way polls work Chads. You ask a number of people and extrapolate to give an idea of how a larger number of people might vote. 14 out of 70 IS significant. Especially on a message board for dedicated fans. I'm not one of the 14 by the way. I don't have Sky and a red button would never keep me from a Rovers game if I could possibly attend. On the other hand, Venky's ARE keeping me away from Ewood and it's still away matches only for me.

It's only a small sample but the poll tells us that over 12% of fans are already influenced by the red button and 6% are undecided. Assuming the undecided are obviously wavering because they feel they may be influenced at some point, that's a large percentage of dedicated fans who may not go to a game at some point due to the availability of the red button. Over 18% in total. When you consider that the people who spend time on this site are probably Rovers 'addicts', that says a lot. The figure is probably higher than 18% among fans who have an interest in Rovers but only attend now and again. So it looks to me like the red button may have a big influence on attendances at all clubs given those figures.

Wow, £120. Be interested to know how many takers there are at that price.

Managers should never be rewarded for selling players at a profit. How would anyone trust that their transfer activity was for the good of the club and not self motivated?

A 6 year deal is of benefit only to the manager not the club. If the manager is sacked he will receive a massive pay off. If he fancies a different job he simply resigns from his current post. He doesn't have to commit to staying the full 6 years. 3 years is enough to give security for the manager and continuity for the club. If that then leads to another 3 years then thing must be going really well and everyone is happy