New website?

2 hours ago, dingles staying down 4ever said:

Cant believe the Riberio promotion shirt of 91/92 is in the awful. For the start of the great era of the Uncle Jack it has to be higher especially when the Bruised banana 3rd kit that was worn once or even the Umbro Sunday Football stock with a Rovers badge stuck on it higher are in the average.

This was just a quick throwing together of a list, the intention was for people to make their own lists and share, see link above.

Judging the shirt in isolation, I don't like that shade of blue and the black sponsorship would have been nicer in our more traditional red.

Also talking in isolation, the Princes Trust home shirt was beautiful, but will forever be associated with the disastrous last season in the Premier League and him who shan't be named!

4 hours ago, Trinidad Rover said:

Any danger of us seeing a new kit release soon?

AFC Fylde away is the first preseason game on 10th July. They play in white, so would expect the new away shirt to be in action by then at the very latest.

As said above, with the Umbro deal running until 30th June, I wouldn't expect any Macron releases until 1st July at the earliest.

Bit of fun for everyone in the meantime

https://tiermaker.com/create/blackburn-rovers-shirts-1985-2020-247365

What we expected.

Interestingly, Macron will be the kit supplier for our 150th Anniversary, the 2025-26 season.

I was disappointed that Umbro didn't come up with a 25th Year Anniversary kit for the Premier League winning team in 2019/20, but I suppose we did get the pinstripes/red shorts combination for the League One campaign.

Looking forward to seeing what they come up with. Personally think this past season, Macron had some good kits

See Millwall and Armenia Bielefeld to name just a few.

Looking forward to seeing what they come up with. A simple Blue/White halved home, with the same in Red/Black away, and they'll be off to a flying start

Retained list released

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2021/may/rovers-confirm-retain-list/

No surprises I don't think

1 hour ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

Howey claims Arsmtrong wants NUFC return | The Transfer Tavern (footballtransfertavern.com)

Always felt Armstrong back to Newcastle would be a likely option.

A £10m plus Dwight Gayle may do a job for all parties?

That article seems to suggest a 40% sell on fee to Newcastle!

So even a £25m sale would only realistically give us £15m to spend on a new players 

Interested to see how the appointment at Deepdale goes.

My footballing memory bank makes me feel like I've seen the "number two steps forward to lead the team temporarily until the end of the season.....does a decent job......gets the full time gig......then struggles the year afterwards...." before, and it doesn't usually end in much success.

Paul Gallagher in as 1st Team Coach also screams a bit of fan appeasement.

Will be intrigued to see what happens.............................no doubt we'll finish just behind them as per usual!! 😄

20 of the 2021/22 Championship teams are now sorted, looking like it'll be a strong league next season...Perenial yo-yo clubs like West Brom and Fulham back, plus the three who miss out in the playoffs.

Combined with fresh starts for Bristol City, Cardiff City, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United.

It can be put as simply as this

September 2020: Maybe Rovers can push that extra step and gatecrash the top 6.

May 2021: I hope we can avoid relegation next year

The recent videos of Pickering and Carter back at the training ground, getting to know some of the players/coaches is for me the biggest indicator yet, that Mowbray is going nowhere.

At least we can all temper our expectations this summer if that is going to be the case!

Also, giving those who wish to vote with their feet/wallet (re tickets, merchandise etc) all the ammunition they'll need.

For me it has all the ominous feelings of the Reading home game back in 2016 (the year before relegation to League One) where many of that side were gone by the start (and or end) of the disastrous campaign that followed.

Rovers 3-1 Reading - 8/5/16 (Bennett, Graham and Jackson with the goals for Rovers)

Lambert (gone by start)

GK - Steele (dropped/never returned from mid season 16/17)

RB - Marshall (gone mid season)

CB - Hanley (gone by start)

CB - Duffy (gone soon after start)

LB - Kilgallon (gone by start)

MID - Lenihan (defender by middle/end of next campaign)

MID - Lowe (remained)

MID - Jordi Gomez (gone by start)

ATT - Bennett (remained)

ATT - Graham (remained, in fact signed permanent after this game)

ATT - Grimes (gone by start)

Subs used

Jackson (gone by start)

Conway (remained)

Evans (remained)

Meaning of that squad of 14 players, 6 players were gone by the transfer deadline that followed, with 2 more gone by mid season and one out of favour, meaning 64% of the team that played that day and the manager were changed/replaced by the fateful day at Brentford a year later.

Fast forward to Saturday

Last Rovers games for: Harwood-Bellis? Bell? Johnson? Armstrong? Elliott? Douglas? Bennett? Evans? Downing?

Mowbray?

Plus Trybull, Holtby, Branthwaite - all likely to miss out completely

To be fair to Mowbray, I think he's doing the right thing not playing a full team of youngsters against Rotherham, in regards to the integrity of the league.

Ironic isn't it though, that Huddersfield are ones who should benefit, after many Rovers fans felt let down by their weakened team against Birmingham back in 2017.

The home game against Blues should be a chance to say farewell to some long servants (Bennett, Evans, Johnson, Downing etc) whilst also maybe blooding a couple of deserving youngsters (Pike, McBride, Butterworth etc)

12 hours ago, JoeH said:

My attempts at a concept kit idea. 

 

 

 

 

Haven't you already seen the kits @JoeH? 👀

Cracking efforts if they're anything close to that...

I think Umbro have been very mixed since they returned in 16/17

16/17 - Solid home, nice navy away kit, teamwear Red shirt showed no imagination. 7/10

17/18 - Unmemorable home, classic away kit - the best in this era of Umbro (IMO) 8/10

18/19 - Not a huge fan of the pale home blue, standard yellow/navy combination in the away, not helped by the sponsors. 5/10

19/20 - Weakest year for kits with that Grey effort, home shirt better, but still not the correct shade of blue, teamwear navy third shouldn't really have been necessary, particularly when mixed and matched with the home shorts and white socks. 4/10

20/21 - Obviously not seen too many in the flesh, probably the best home shirt in the recent Umbro era, away shirt has nice detailing, neither going to go down as all time greats. 7/10

If it is true, I think they can make some nice kits.

Miles better with the logo they use these days, rather than using the ''macron'' text

150 Championship games up for Mowbray

P150

W51

D42

L57

Pts 195

10 minutes ago, Tom said:

We were never going up and never going down so it doesn’t matter apparently 

 

Why bother?

Is this him saying..... either spend £100m and we'll get promoted, if not, then leave me alone to ''develop a culture'' and along the way we might finish 16th, we might finish 9th.

Its probably both brutally honest in what the Championship has and is becoming, yet at the same time, so self defeating and uninspiring.

Mowbray seems to be challenging the last vestiges of enthusiasm from a beleaguered fanbase. 

Just giving my spreadsheet an update! 🤓

Interesting that now Tony Mowbray's win percentage is below that of Gary Bowyer, even if you include the League One campaign, which usually skews the data when comparing Rovers managers in recent times.

Mowbray 37.5% win rate

Bowyer 37.9% win rate

Another interesting stat is that Mowbray will be stranded on 199 league games in charge of the Rovers if he leaves at the end of the season.

Looking closer at the recent collapses

Comparison

Rovers (20/21) vs Hull City (19/20)

After 26 games, both teams were 8th with 39 points

After 30 games, both teams still had 39 points, Rovers were 12th, Hull 14th

After 32 games, both teams had 40 points, Rovers and Hull both 15th position

After 33 games, Rovers still have 40 points and are 15th, Hull had 41 points and were 15th

What happened next

Hull lost games 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38 to remain on 41 points, by which point they slipped into the drop zone 

Rovers have Millwall away (34), Swansea home (35), Brentford home (36), Bristol City home (37) and Norwich away (38)

Hull drew game 39 and won game 40, leaving them on 45 points and 19th place. 

Rovers have Wycombe away (39) and Bournemouth home (40).

Hull then lost their last six to finish bottom

17 hours ago, LeftWinger said:

Surely that was the best bit of his Rovers career?

Me trying to be clever..... mean't zenith! 😁

An alarming stat I saw on twitter

Millwall (a) on Saturday

Since we beat Millwall (h) on 2nd December

P18 W4 D4 L10 F17 A22 Pts16 GD-5

My entire memories of Lucas Joao's Rovers career are his run and shot against Preston, in the ill fated ''Sam Gallagher'' game.

A mazy run that left four PNE players on their backsides, if memory serves correct, the nadir of his Rovers career.

3 goals in 3 starts and 10 substitute appearances, all away from Ewood (Norwich away x2, Fulham away)

Consistently inconsistent, but on his day, one of the best in the division. Lets hope its a quiet evening in Berkshire.

Talking of Joao's time at Rovers and the current debate/discussion on how far we've come in the last four years under Tony Mowbray.

Reading 3-1 Rovers - 4th April 2017, so nearly 4 years on.

Rovers that day, four years ago.

Rovers 4-4-1-1

Steele - Nyambe, Lenihan (Emnes), Mulgrew (Hoban), Williams - Feeney, Lowe, Akpan, Conway (Lucas Joao) - Bennett - Gallagher 

Goal: Bennett

Assist: Lucas Joao

Next 10 games look daunting

Home - Coventry (20th)

Away - Reading (5th)

Away - Millwall (11th)

Home - Swansea (4th)

Home - Brentford (2nd)

Home - Bristol City (12th)

Away - Norwich (1st)

Away - Wycombe (24th)

Home - Bournemouth (7th)

Away - Cardiff (6th)

Average league position of those 10 teams - 9th (9.2)

Dare I say it may come down to a nervy last 5 games?

Home - Derby (18th)

Away - Sheffield Wed (23rd)

Home - Huddersfield (19th)

Away - Rotherham (22nd)

Home - Birmingham (21st)

Average league position of the last 5 teams - 21st (20.6)

This match will be Tony Mowbray's 138th Championship game in charge of the Rovers. Which effectively means 3 full seasons as Blackburn Rovers manager. (46 games per season, 46 x 3 = 138)

Going into this game, his record stands at

P137 W47 D36 L50 Pts183 

League win percentage of 34.3%

An average of 1.34 points per game

-----------------------------------------------------------

For comparison, Gary Bowyer was in charge of Rovers for 120 Championship games

P120 W43 D44 L33 Pts173

League win percentage of 35.8%

An average of 1.44 points per game

1 hour ago, rigger said:

So it's your fault.

Probably 😂

24th February 2002 wasn't too bad though, a nice 15th Birthday for sure!!

March for comparison

16/17 - P5 W1 D4 L0 F8 A7 Pts7 GD+1

18/19 - P5 W1 D0 L4 F6 A10 Pts3 GD-4

19/20 - P1 W0 D0 L1 F0 A3 Pts0 GD-3

Overall - P11 W2 D4 L5 F14 A20 Pts10 GD-6

**And if you include the matches that should have been in March 2020 (Postponed due to the pandemic)

19/20 - P4 W1 D0 L3 F3 A8 Pts3 GD-5

Overall - P14 W3 D4 L8 F17 A28 Pts13 GD-11

My birthday is later this week, and like most I'm sure, have a particularly good memory when it comes to games on or around my birthday, therefore I decided to do a bit of research on TM's record in February throughout his tenure at Blackburn Rovers, the results as follows.....

Championship February's under Mowbray

16/17 - P2 W1 D1 L0 F2 A1 Pts4 GD+1

18/19 - P5 W0 D1 L4 F5 A11 Pts1 GD-6 

19/20 - P7 W2 D4 L1 F10 A6 Pts10 GD+4

20/21 - P4 W0 D0 L4 F2 A6 Pts0 GD-4

Overall

P18 W3 D6 L9 F19 A24 Pts15 GD-5