Mike Garlick and Alistair Campbell probably

Exactly.

I truely believe that Venky's have no ambitions for the club in footballing terms. As part of their business they will have to address their losses and decide the right point in time to pull the plug. What then ? At the moment I think they treat ownership of Rovers like I do my gym membership - I renew it every year and persuade myself I will make an effort to exercise more often, but deep down I know I probably won't. There will come a point where I won't renew it. I think the sum total of Venky's ambitions is to not worry too much about Rovers until one day it comes to the crunch. In term of money, yes they are wasting some of their massive wealth but they can afford it. To them it's probably equivalent to the £15 a month for my under utilised gym membership. Remind me to cancel it in January!

Their manager adjusted his team and tactics sensibly throughout the game and they became the better team as the match progressed. Our manager let a very promising position slip away by being out-manoevered by a relative novice. Mowbray just admitted himself in the SKY interview "they wrestled the game away from us". Very downbeat interview

I wish they had, and a pair of slippers and a pipe - "enjoy your retirement Tony"

Maybe a lot of folk who went last season didn't enjoy the humiliation !

This is the problem in a nutshell. The club is soulless at the moment and until some excitement and drive is generated from within, how can they expect a dejected fan base to buy into anything? I can't see any initiatives working while the 'occupation' continues.

Not sure there is anyone at our club who will be doing any homework. Waggott will probably go if Mowbray gets potted. He's not likely to help the process along. If Venky's do act decisively then I think the replacement will be Johnson by default (unless they get 'advice' from persons unknown - God help us!).

That is Waggott's stated reason for putting the away fans up there. To reduce the atmosphere they create - to reduce any advantage their support may give to their team. Probably doesn't want them disturbing his nap.

Job description 1) Say nice things about the owners on a regular basis 2) Be prepared to pop over to India once a year to say nice things to the owners 3) Attend fan consultation meetings and narrate heart warming stories about your youth ( to distract from the fact the owners don't turn up ) 4) Sign expensive young players with potential sell on value ( from a list supplied by owners ) 5) Phone India before making any decisions whatsoever ( leave voice mail message - prepare to be ignored ) 6) Talk regularly about how much money the owners have spent on their extensive European scouting network. 7) Always give the impression you are working for a normal well run club 8 ) Be prepared to work for half the money Neil Warnock asked for. 9) Supply a list of friends who may be suitable replacements for outgoing CEO 10) Stick a broom up your arse and clean the floor at the same time Football knowledge and experience not necessary but may be an advantage.

This is exactly right. We can debate all day long about the manger, the players he picks and the formation. It's all irrelevant when looking at the big picture. I am really worried about the club's future. The longer the Vs are here, the bigger the debt, the worse our prospects, the less chance of turning things around. No point splashing money on players with possible resale value when the foundations of the club are nothing but sand. What happens when they decide to call it a day? Does anyone think they will have any interest in what happens to the club after that ? Bad result and performance at QPR but and it upsets us all but there are far more important things to worry about I'm afraid.

I think we officially sold out last year but there were tickets for sale at the ground on the day. Worst week of last season 1-4 at PNE followed by a nightmare at Wigan a few days later. Totally embarrassing display last year - fingers crossed it's not a repeat.

I think 'character' shows when players are really under pressure. The problem at Rovers is that everything is too comfortable and cosy. Mowbray has a nice long contract and the CEO is his mate and will never suggest changing the manager. There is no pressure from the owners to do anything other than plod on and meet up once a year for a chat. Many of the players are automatic choices and under no real pressure. There is no board / chairman behind the scenes reminding players ( or manager ) how privileged they are to be representing our club / town. Atmosphere during matches at Ewood is dead. Many fans grudgingly accept the current situation - 'we are where we are' The club is 'going through the motions' and has no momentum or impetus. Look at Clubs like Sheff Utd with a local co-owner and manager who really care about the club. Look at Burnley and how they over achieve because they have a proper board and a manager who do all the right things and create a feeling of pride about the club. I am not suggesting Mowbray or the players are not trying or that they don't want to do their best but the set up at Ewood these days is just not character building. We have some decent players but there's no real fight there. Venky's may have put plenty of money into the club but they've taken away all the passion.

I dream of Venky's out day. It will be return to Ewood day too. I'll finally be able to reclaim my seat on the Riverside.

But doesn't fit with Mowbray's talk about spending money in January if the playoffs were achievable. Last January we were in a great position and we didn't attempt to capitalise.

But it is so baffling. I remember at the first fans consultation last season Mowbray stated ' I know the owners will back me if we are around the playoffs in January'. Look what happened in Jan, yet money was spent in the summer. Maybe someone has advised our dear owners that you don't get value for money in January. Simple as that.

It's more than just money it's about the club's relationship with the community. Of course promotion is of the utmost importance and will affect attendances more than any other factor but why not make other gestures to the community in the meantime ? Some fans will come and go depending on results. Others are enamoured with the club at a young age and stay for life.

Not only do they get a shirt but they are given out by the players to each child individually. The kids get to visit the ground and hold the league 2 trophy. At that young age I bet they love it and it may well turn them into future paying fans. Great PR any way you look at it.

"Andy Holt, Owner and Majority Shareholder of Accrington Stanley Football Club said: “So far almost 4,000 local school children have received an official Stanley shirt over the last few years and, as a club, we committed to do this for 5 years in total. It may not be viewed as the best financial move but for me it's a key part of my responsibilities to Accrington, as majority shareholder of the club". Can you imagine someone currently at Rovers saying or doing something like that ?

My personal view is that the owners should 'swallow their pride' and start treating the fans as equals. How about some real communication? how about having a real representative at Ewood who is accessible for press conferences etc? How about giving some indication that they are actually interested in the Club and it's fans other than as a side note at the Venky's AGM ? How about some assurances for the future ? What are their ambitions ? I know they pay the bills and have provided transfer funds but it feels like a token effort. When the club gets it's soul back, with or without Venky's, then enthusiasm and pride ( that word again ) might return and with it some of the missing fans.

Not always a bad thing. Remember Speedie ?

A friend of mine got a phone call from the ticket office asking why he hadn't renewed his ST. He was honest with his answers - lack of atmosphere in the ground, lack of feel good factor generally. Hopefully Rovers will take note of any responses to these phone calls. I heard 1,700 ST holders didn't renew this year and there were about 500/600 new STs sold. So a net decrease of 1,200 / 1,100. They have a lot of phone calls to make!

Could be interesting. Armstrong scored a nice goal against them last year so he may be in confident mood. Asking a lot of Buckley to produce some incisive passing as it's not Johnson's strong point. Crosses from out wide aren't going to be much of an option given Millwall's height advantage. Don't really know what to expect.

Very quiet on here for a match day so I just checked a Millwall message board to see what they think. Seems they are, in the main, confident of at least a draw. Very few predicting a defeat. I also learned that they were originally called Millwall Rovers when they were formed back in 1885

Just out of interest, what persuaded you two guys to return this year? Were you boycotting or just had other commitments ( or lost a bit of interest)? Any other boycotters out there, are you determined to stick it out until Venky's leave or tempted to return because it's really not making any difference ?