2 hours ago, Claytons Left Boot said:

What train you on Nick? Ours is the 9.00 from Preston, gets in at 11.30 ish, so it’ll be a taxi to the ground but we can grab a pint or two after the game. You too, Andy, if you’re reading this.

I’ve PMd you Mark, 8.03 out of Preston.

1 hour ago, Claytons Left Boot said:

Celtic have had their six pre season friendlies (including the Rovers) arranged for some time and, If I remember correctly, have had some sort of bundle out to watch these on Celtic tv.

I’ll be fecking pissed off, if the Rovers game is to be cancelled, because we’ve had our train tickets sorted for a couple of weeks now.

I’ll be fecking pissed off, if the Rovers game is to be cancelled, because we’ve had our train tickets sorted for a couple of weeks now.
Ditto!

5 hours ago, broadsword said:

Where the table tennis tables gone? 

 

And where is David lowe? 

Absolutely correct!….Warm down ‘competitively’ after training with a doubles match of head and foot volley ‘football table tennis’.

Dack and BBD v Ayala and Trav….muscle strain, ligament damage and back issues, what could possibly go wrong?!!

May be good fun but absolutely crackers for professional athletes to be allowed and actively encouraged to play in such a way following a hard training session.

56 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Rothwell will do nothing in the PL. Those mazy dribbles he goes on only happen because he has a decent turn of pace. Everyone in the PL has a decent turn 

34 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

if he tries those mazy dribbles in the wrong area then he won`t last long in the top flight,parker won`t know where his best position is either,i hope joe likes sitting on the bench cos he`ll be there a lot

It’s all about Rothwell’s missus and the attraction of living in Sandbanks!

3 minutes ago, J*B said:

I thought HMRC banned clubs from giving free STs to staff as its considered a benefit in kind? Certainly Rovers have now had to stop, so I see no reason why PNE or other would be allowed.

It is a contractual benefit in kind, correct and always has been. Nothing new here Josh, ask Duncan!

14 minutes ago, J*B said:

This is really sad - but i'm looking over the training ground as we speak and theres no way thats today - its a complete blue sky.

Does the day and time of said photo really matter?

JDT’s work permit has been signed off and approved, surely that’s the story?

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

You mentioned in an earlier post about not comparing apples with apples but that's exactly what you are not doing. A fairer comparison would be to ask your PNE contact how many they sold at the early bird price.

Come on Tony, I really couldn’t care less about splitting hairs, could you?

I shared the general context regarding football from  numerous conversations between David and I about all sorts of matters, most none related to football.

I just shared on here what I felt relevant to the discussion from a different perspective.

21 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

We’ll also have a load of complementaries and staff tickets, as does every club.

Correct!

Compare at your leisure:

PNE 2022/23 Season Card Prices

Family Zone: prices only applicable when purchasing with a junior or under 11 in the same transaction. Otherwise Sir Tom Finney stand prices will apply.
All under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
A maximum of four under 14s can be purchased per adult ticket.

18 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

So naive! His mum ain’t going to tell all and sundry in the away end the ins and outs! 😁

Aye ok, it’s a bit deeper than that Matt but you know that!

Regarding BBD, I was fortunate enough to meet Ben and his parents a few times at the back end of last season….super folk too I have to say. In fact I spent all of the second half at Peterborough sat next to Ben’s mother Andrea.

They clearly dote on their son as they should, aren’t motivated by money and only want Ben to be happy in what he does. Importantly, he’s extremely happy at Rovers, as are they that he’s here. It would not be down to any influence from them should he be ‘moved on’.

Given the opportunity to progress his future and benefit Rovers too under the tutorage of JDT, I don’t think Brereton will be looking to go anywhere soon. 
 

It’s pro football though, they’re all ‘pieces of meat’!……

19 hours ago, Blue blood said:

Just checking I'm not misreading this. 

Are you saying these clubs are lying on their website about how many tickets they have sold? If so I struggle to see why they would or even if they could do so. 

And if this is your stance, I'm a bit confused as to how you can be sceptical of the veracity of the ticket sales yet are accepting as to how the owners/CEO have the best intentions for our club. 

Just to clarify, various points that you and others have raised:

I tend not to take much notice of what is publicised on websites or social media in general but much prefer to solicit my own information and actual facts from the contacts that I and other colleagues have made over the years both inside and outside football.

PNE: I know David Robinson (a Director of PNE) extremely well and speak with him regularly. He states that they are pleased with how season ticket sales have gone but that the publicised ‘sales’ include all corporates, proposed ‘freebies’ and those issued to members of staff. Whilst reasonably pleased, they are conscious that Revenue derived is less than they’d have wished.

Whilst that’s but one local comparison, I thought that I’d share it to highlight the views held by some that what Rovers are doing is poor and our neighbours are doing much better. It simply isn’t true….compare apples with apples because the only info regarding Rovers sales by comparison has been done by utilisation of a flawed platform of seat availability.

Whilst there is much to be improved on at Ewood behind the scenes (not least of which the ticketing platform and portal), I want to stress that there is a genuine desire to do so and that ‘they’ are listening.

Be constructively critical everyone by all means, that’s healthy feedback and a good source of ideas. Please stop beating ourselves up though, at times it appears just for the sake of it!

COYB! RTID! 💙🤍

3 minutes ago, Butty said:

I think he’ll be pushing for a first team spot at Brighton this season, they play with 3 centre halves. Slim chance of us getting him back I feel. 

Never say never, perhaps I/we live in hope but what a fabulous signing if we were to pull it off!

55 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

‘Led to believe’, it’s literally on their club website (12,000, by the way, not 13, but perhaps they’ll hit that by KO). If you don’t bother looking at what other clubs have sold, fair enough, but you can’t then come on here making comparisons!

Its not a ‘miracle’, they were just offering tickets £120 to £150 cheaper in the ‘normal stands’ than us.

I do but I don’t believe the moon is made of Blacksticks Blue or Gorgonzola either!

12 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

He has the worst first touch I've seen in professional football.

Agreed, he’s 6’4” but 5’6” challenging for a header.

He scored at Ewood at the back end of last season with a fluke: his first touch was dreadful and reached to regain control and as he lunged, scabbily flicked it over the keeper and in at the far post.

Hopefully JDT influence and some self belief could pay dividends.

Darragh out, Van Hecke in on a permanent!

As a starter for 10, that would do me!

Last season the average PNE home attendance was 11,564 including away followings.

It’s about par with recent history over the years.

All of a sudden, we’re led to believe that North End have miraculously sold 13k season tickets for next season because they’re skint and now are selling season tickets for pennies!

Burnley have been terracing Pendle Hill for 20 years because of demand and clamour for tickets. Fact is despite a capacity of just shy of 21k at Turf Moor and 7/8 years in The PL, the tickets sold out sign has NEVER gone up!

Please stop beating ourselves up at every juncture, for me there’s only kudos due to Accy Stanley amongst our local clubs (Bolton perhaps too), as shit as we may have been at times, please don’t compare us with the others because there is no comparison (IMO…disclaimer!)

2 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

I’m talking non ST holders and post early bird, I.e trying to grow the actual base. 

I’m presuming you read my post fully then? (Clearly didn’t)

2 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Point scoring? With who? I’m giving my view. It’s a forum.

Nowt wrong with pricing? Second most expensive early bird in the league says wrong, £530 a ticket in the JWU says wrong, c7k sales when they had to extend early bird for a second time says wrong.

It is what it is at this stage, but to say it isn’t expensive in a town like this is a ridiculous statement when we are £100s pounds more than our local peers and thousands of sales down despite a universally positively heralded managerial appointment and buzz around the fanbase.

Matty, why do you focus on JWU pricing and not Riverside Outer Wings or Similar in the BBE?

You know full well why, it you’re comparing JWU, premium seats, what’s the equivalent at Deepdale, Turf Moor, Bloomfield Road, Reebok or JD Stadium (Wigan) ?

21 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Burnley are a red herring, they are keeping hold of residual PL support as most relegated teams do for a while. So I’m not really paying much attention to them.

However, in what way are PNE ‘close to the highest they’ve been in years’? They just had their standard mid table second division finish, they’ve been generally where they are now give or take a spell in L1 for twenty years. They’ve sold significantly more because their tickets were reduced significantly, simple as that.

For us, a bit of excitement over appointments, plus cheaper (not cheap) STs, I.e tickets that aren’t some of the most expensive in the league at early bird gives you a chance of a big spike. We’ve had half a spike on the back of JDT alone - now in my opinion, if that was coupled with an entry point of say £300/£350 up to £400-ish instead of £429 up to £529 we would be north of 10k already with five weeks to push for more. 

We are never seeing big sales again outside the PL, but four figure sales? Of course we can do better than that

 

For me, there’s nothing wrong with the season ticket annual pricing for now. 
 

The early bird extension is great but there should be an incentive NOW for next year in terms of renewals, appreciation of the economic climate and an easy scheme to pay in instalments. FFS encourage, don’t discourage new potential season ticket holders but at the same time make fans renewing feel a bit special.

I really hope that we’re all as one again as Rovers, it’s what I’ve grown up with. All this back biting, knocking socks off one another, really fucks me off.

I know a few folk but as I’ve always said, I have no interest whatsoever in any kudos. I’m a private person and value that but I can quietly pull some positives together!

We Are The Rovers!! It’s always been my mantra and I firmly believe it, more importantly now, so do the board and our owners!

Please stop the point scoring and knocking points off one another, individuals mean fuck all! We should be as one!

Best, ‘Darren’ (and for total transparency, Nick)

COYB!!!

1 hour ago, Claytons Left Boot said:

I reckon we could get to 13k+ despite the owners.

There are still 27k home fans out there as evidenced by the Oxford game in 2018.

Get the price right and folk will come. The 27k was a one off but shows that under certain circumstances, big crowds will happen. 

Some of the ‘lapsed former regulars’ and ‘now and again’ fans have to be enticed into being season ticket holders by two things. Success on the pitch and a sensible, affordable price, commensurate with the current economic climate, especially in an area like East Lancs.

 

That’s my aim Mark as a minimum!💙🤍

6 minutes ago, glen9mullan said:

We did have derek shaw hide two permits in his draw, so not totally obsurb

Jesus, haven’t we moved on a tad since the days of Shebby (RIP) and ‘Degsy Knob End’ (who I’ve had the displeasure of doing business with going back twenty odd years….how much in reddies and how much invoice?)

41 minutes ago, Gav said:

Do you believe they got the best man possible for the job? 

Arguably having listened to him yes.

His persona and rhetoric has certainly left me feeling both excited and optimistic Gav…something stirring in the loins that I’ve not felt since Sparky was appointed!

it’s only rhetoric for now but at least he talks the language that we can all believe and relate to. I live in hope mate!

11 minutes ago, J*B said:

Yes I employee the highest quality people in their respective fields weekly and work with elite talent. 

I’ve no idea what the strategy is - that’s part of the issue, it isn’t clear to the fans. Although GB seems to at least have one now. 

I think you’re confusing my questioning of the the process with the end result. I think GB has appointed a very credible and inspiring manager that gives us something to look toward. I question why Waggott was involved in any capacity if the ultimate decision was going to fall to GB. It feels as if we may have wasted a lot of time. 

It’s could have, I believe. 

I agree totally that club communication to fans leaves much to be desired.

If it is hoped, as JDT has eluded to, that every stakeholder has a role to play in achieving the clubs hopes and aspirations, then the vision should be transparent and open to all.

We’ll have to agree to disagree regarding the past 4/5 weeks selection process: I think at last, the club did a great job and in the right way, you think differently which is your prerogative.

COYB!!

24 minutes ago, J*B said:

Happy to take this at face value - but I must say, if I employed someone who spent 4 weeks screening and interviewing managers that KNEW ultimately someone else would be making the decision I’d sack them for misuse of their own time! Four weeks of interviews and meetings, I assume expenses alongside it, only to say “here’s what we’ve done but you do whatever you want”?! Incredible!

Do you employ high end professionals Josh or have you ever had the responsibility for doing so?

Do you know what the strategy at Rovers was in terms of replacing Mowbray and Venus with the  desired structure that’s now in place prior to all players reporting back for pre-season training and what the business structure and plan for the next 3 years is? 

The DOF was ALWAYS going to be instrumental as part of the process  of drawing up the short list of candidates for First Team Coach and back room staff. The fact that the time taken to properly see that process through didn’t meet with your approval, is frankly irrelevant as I’m sure you’d agree. 
 

Job well done by Rovers IMO, shame you won’t agree but divergent opinions are healthy and what makes the world go round.

A slight grammatical aside, not aimed at you per sé, however, is it ‘could of’ or ‘could have’? (Rhetorical)