Mike E

I'm one of the first people to highlight the bad things Venkys have done, and by no means is selling the training ground even close to a good thing. It was also entirely avoidable! HOWEVER. In the circumstances, I think it's actually one of the least bad things they've done. I don't actually believe this is anything to do with gain for themselves, and it is just an accountancy trick. But I'm still pissed off we're in a position where this managed decline may have been necessary, and that is of their own making.

It's hit me that we're all discussing something that SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. FFP compliance would be completely irrelevant if the club was properly run. That is why things like selling the training ground hurts. 'Managed decline' is the right term, and there's no need for it. More canny money management, proper fan engagement, employment of more competent managers (and being more responsive to those managers and their performance), and leaping on to the marketing dreams presented (THE team in halved kits, the Oxford game, Diaz) would ALL have generated more funds and kept FFP a box-tick rather than a sword of demacles. I often wonder how we'd have got on if only they'd just given Big Sam the money spent by Kean. We'd have been rolling in PL riches for at least a few years more 😞

Unrelated, but it always bothered me that 'Take me home, Jordan Rhodes' only got one outing at Leeds away during a NYD match. Never heard it before or since, with fans preferring the 'having a party' chant.

Hopefully a clean slate for a new manager in summer. I'd say 'managed decline to recoup some losses to make the club more sellable' but think I'd be asking for too much. At least the former is within Venky-logic.

I hope beyond hope this is what's happened: Venkys: Why's the training ground being sold, you smug bastard? Waggott: Er we er we need to raise funds for the summer to comply with FFP. I swear it's not like the swindling that happened at Cov! I swear! Venkys: Well we can just sell it to ourselves to generate the funds you daft sod. Are you SO dense? Does light actually bend around you?

I think it's simpler than that. As an independent, and potentially influential, pundit he's reluctant to advocate for anyone losing their job.

3 at the back, if I remember rightly Wilder preferred it? Although it'd probably need to be Dolan and Nyambe as wing backs

Oh the dream: Chris Wilder comes in, gets everyone firing and buys another defender in January. We're on solid footing with a stable defence, Travis and Buckley marshalling the middle. On the wings are Chapman (or loanee) and Dolan, with Diaz and Gallagher forming a partnership up front supported by Dack in the hole! No I won't reveal my supplier 🤣

Bare in mind, though, that is with a heavily neglected commercial side at Ewood. None of the stands have sponsors, many commercial boxes remain unsold, minimal ST sales and no attempt to capitalise on two marketing DREAMS (Oxford promotion game and the BBD story). Only positives are hints of a plan to get walk-ons in, the 17-game ticket (any figures?), and the renewed drive to appeal to BAME fans. All of which have seemingly occurred with the introduction of Paul Fielder (Head of Commercial, formerly of Hull) and Yasir Sufi (Integration and Development Manager). I get the feeling these two will be important.

It was a Corbyn policy if I'm not mistaken?

He probably reckons he deserves it!

It was going to be £21m 'conditional on the entirely separate opposite deal for Obefami', wasn't it? IE: £6m thrown down the pan.

Dougie is why my dad converted from Rangers to Rovers aged 11. His dad was driving them to Blackburn from Cheltenham (lived in Glasgow originally, moved for work). As a side note, my dad cried while driving through Darwen and was assured 'Don't worry lad, we're going Pleckgate, much nicer'. Grandad checked the footy schedule in the paper, to decide whether to take my dad to Rovers or Preston. Rovers were at home that day, and my dad fell in love with Dougie. Thankfully he was able to tell Dougie just that story at the first HOF event. I remarked to Dougie how I felt similar about Duff. Dougie replied 'Good player was Duff, but I'd have put him on the ground standing still.'

I can relate, I was raised on Duff/Dunn/Jansen. Then it became Pedersen and Bentley with Tugay in between. The ballers make a real difference, and Dolan is a baller (as is Buckley imo).

The Facebook Massive are back in full flow 😭

#WaggottOut in other words? Agreed!

Because the win serves no purpose and offers no real hope.

Dolan denied another curler by a terrific save

Honestly tempted to bet on same result as last week

Now THAT was a goal! Dolan curler, 2-0

He's an example of someone thinking so far outside the box that he's out of his fucking tree.

'Do you want to go back 3 years or 30 years?' Get fucked you smug prick. We're talking YOUR time at Rovers. Y'know relegation, promotion, stagnation?

Conor Mahoney

Is his assistant called Boltz?

Symptomatic of the move from paper to online imo, 'because we can always edit it afterwards, but won't anyway'.