I think that's why the two crosses he hit, the last almost on the half volley, before going off injured where tired first time attempts, I felt like it was him proving a point, "get it in the fucking box".

Yeah me neither, it was purely functional, like finding a bonus Fray Bentos pie in the cupboard when coming home pissed. Good for your immediate wellbeing and lulling you into a false sense that it will provide you with much needed sustenance, but bad for you in the long run, especially if repeated regularly.

Because fans are looking for answers and some of the shit that went on under his tenure is still happening now, just at a more extreme level. We fucked up January windows back then too. It's like a massive group therapy session with all sorts of old bollocks getting talked about. I feel that Mowbray's "it's not the 90s" attitude has prevailed in the club since (I'm talking from CEO down to certain playing staff). We seem to have forgotten what a proud club we are with certain standards that are expected, other clubs have it and use it to their advantage, we seem to have turned it into a millstone around our necks. I'd love to create new memories and not dwell on the golden years and JDT was someone who offered a glimpse of that, if completely flawed in doing so. I cannot fathom the paradox in my head of my enjoyment of that first season vs how shit the local derby games were and how poor our form was as a whole.

I agree it was a mess, it should have lasted 2-3 years tops. But, the same patterns emerge no matter who's in charge and who plays for us, and that's why it gets dredged up.

Managed to grab a pic of him leaving Ewood

Szmodics knows what's going on, he's just a normal passionate fan like the rest of us, think he feels it and he wears his heart on his sleeve. I wonder what his relationship with JDT was like and whether he agrees with the tactics. When he went off against QPR I was expecting him to snub JDT on the touchline but they seemed to have an amicable if animated discussion.

The fact that over two seasons Mowbray's death spiral began exactly during the January windows should tell us all we need to know, we have form in that area now don't we? Indecision over contracts and incomings, plus remember when our Indian overlords actually came out and promised bonuses for promotion? What a joke that was, didn't Rothwell throw his toys out of the pram after, it had the total opposite effect. Weird, or sinister? Mowbray was steady, and the recruitment was good but incredibly expensive and lacking any normal strategy of building year on year to get somewhere, it was scattergun and reckless. At any normal club he would have left after two years and we would have built on it with a new manager, but it dragged on, and weird things started happening. How does a player like Amari Bell look absolute dogshit for us and now become a captain in the Prem? There was no system or model that's why. Anyway, whatever happened back then seems like dreamland compared to this.

Mowbray's reign was needed at the time but quickly become totally stagnant and a comfortable and easy ride for all involved, coupled with some of the worst contract negotiations we've seen, which we are now bearing the full repercussions of. I would pay good money to find out what was said at half time in that home game against Derby when he started with Johnson up front. Please, if there is a god, I want JDT in charge with Bowyer's squad (with a better defence) and John Williams sat in the expensive seats please.

100%, which is an attitude that only bleeds down from the top, happens everywhere in business. And why teams with small budgets too like Luton, and Brighton etc are in the Prem and we're not.

Absolutely, no one should jump on the reasons for secrecy just yet, it's obvious it's about JDT and the McGuire deal. Did they have to sign an NDA though?

I totally agree, body language is massive, it's why struggling teams start "doing a huddle" before kick-off - it's a two-way street with players and fans. Football is about hope, we've come from behind once to win in 2 seasons under JDT, I can't remember the similar stat during Mowbray's reign off the top of my head, we have little hope in the bank, the fans know what to expect and it's that grinding inevitably that stops us getting off our seats, we know what's going to happen. Yet, the paradox is, this team has real elements that I love, some of the moments we've experienced have been the best in years (and some of the worst), and that's what is messing with everyone's heads.

Of all the downward spirals we've seen at Ewood, the fans reaction to the players has been really kind - like you said no chanting at them at all. The fans have been patient, mainly because as a group we're confused at who we're most pissed off about. If anything, due to the malaise we're in, apathy rules and we don't en-masse sing as many songs about JDT or the players as we probably should, it just hasn't got going like that, it's just flat, and we get the Vincent Kompany song a million times as it's just easier to do...

I know you shouldn't look at internet comments, but one of the worst things about our current predicament is how many are happy to see us in this mess. I wouldn't wish this situation on any club, not ever our dear neighbours down the road. I wish football wasn't a playground for corruption. No football fanbase should have to endure this, and the fact that it's been reported that 2/3 of the EFL could become insolvent in the near future should be something that all fans are wary of.

I agree with this, but he has a duty to protect the playing staff from all this shit, how many managers down the years have done this? It's more unusual for a manager to be so candid, and it never ends well. You can hint, but you have to present a united front in the dressing room to try and drag the team up the table. He's obviously fallen out with some of the bigger characters in the squad, and recently has just plain given up on the job and started spouting whatever he wants. I feel aggrieved for him, his family, but as one of the lads on the latest Roverschat podcast said; what was he trying to achieve with his post match presser? - Edit: seeing other posts on the Jan Transfer Thread, if he's been sacked by one brother, and reinstated by someone else moments later, told McGuire was here then not, then it does go some way to explaining it 😂 Madness.

Couldn't agree more actually, I think you may have a point, like I said in my post, we've seen evidence of this before, it makes total sense. We're basically at the mercy of a family feud.

I just don't think they will, they'll rightly stick to procedure - in a post Tevez world no one can be seen to providing any club with preferential treatment. As many have said, if McGuire scores the goal that keeps us up and sends Wednesday down, can you imagine? I do feel likes there's something else, I bet errors with transfers are more common than we think across the board they just get sorted out of the public eye through proper process, that's why there's got to be more to it than this story "they clicked save instead of send". The fact that we've had 3 in a year, lightning doesn't strike thrice. For me, there's obvious infighting at the top in the Venky's hierachy and Sunhail is either stuck in the middle of it as the rep over here, or more aligned with one Venky than the other, so will scupper decisions to side with his chosen one. I bet one Venky signed it off, wanted a marquee US signing, and another Venky pulled the plug overall, causing the indecision and chaos. Coupled with disgruntled staff who are either a) amateur or more likely b) pissed off and worried about their own jobs; do the math. It's Occam's Razor, there's previous evidence of infighting and disagreement causing bungled decisions.

Any other club with foreign owners, they buy a player from the US and see it as a way of expanding their brand globally, using it to their advantage. Wasn't that the Venky's initial plan? Not this lot, we do the complete actual opposite 😂 It just proves there's something completely messed up at the core of their ownership, "no shit Sherlock" I hear you say. I see Sheff Utd are now offering free shipping to SA/Chile, can you imagine our lot doing anything like this? If you want to win an argument with a pro-Venkyite, it's a flippant and throwaway place to start, but something you can't really deny. It's real indicator of the lack of care and imagination from those in power at Ewood.

According to Nixon on Radio Lancs the figures are inflated, it's nowhere near that. I thought the same too, but it appears the fees are unknown.

Live footage of the poor admin posting that statement

i think you've nailed it 👏

I'm sorry I do not get the stick for GB, there's loads of comments online about him - it's all about those above him. He came out in the press last year as he's the only person who could do it, and it's his job, I think SW could have done it, but he's just a shitehawk. I think both deals have been scuppered by others, not GB. It's just plain sad. There's two things I'm confused about: 1) Why has JDT gone from "ask gregg" to suddenly "ask steve and sunhail"? 2) Our recruitment was better under Mowbray, and some say that Hyam, Brittain and Szmodics weren't GB signings. So are GB and his team actually worse at finding and sourcing players, have they less real-world football connections, using just pure pass-completion data bollocks from excel spreadsheets, or has his "project" changed as well, and he's now working with his hands tied behind his back too, forced to scrape the bargain basement just to get bodies through the door? If that's the case I have sympathy for him, he has to front up and take it on the chin. He's got every right to be frustrated as we do but is trying to present a positive front, possibly just to save his job. Maybe that's the issue. If Gregg walked, I'd have a lot of respect for him.

Blimey. If Ennis scores... I can't even begin to imagine that happening or how it would feel if it did. "Shite" I can imagine. Can you imagine? I don't want to.

I hope McGuire's mum gives them hell. Hell hath no fury an' all that. I'm imagining her giving Waggott and co a right ticking off, proper handbag to the face job, while young Duncan is stood there in full kit clutching his happy meal from Clitheroe maccy d's.

I agree, but to go off-tangent a bit the one thing Ben did for almost all of his Rovers career was track back and defend like an animal at times, he did this when he was out of form as a bare minimum to get himself back into form, the mark of a good pro - work your arse off, get the crowd on your side, get confidence back and build from there. We've got players casually jogging back to their own penalty area. I get your point though, JDT saying he hasn't got the players, I agree with him in principle, we've sold and not replaced to the same standard, but they're showing all the hallmarks of every Rovers team down the ages who has lost the respect for the manager and the desire to grind results out. Getting serious Coyle and Ince flashbacks. We all know this squad is better than this, not as good as it should be and not good enough for JDT, but better.

Yes I totally mean this part, it felt like suicide as Siggy was caught in no-man's land more than once and we could have easily conceded two or three in that last 30 mins. He's not a covering full back.