Absolutely perfect examples of what the wider thought process will be - I personally fall into the first persons mindset but would add that a large portion of my rationale for regular support is what I get out of it without even considering the actual match.

The skepticism is palpable 😆 End of the day - it’s a silver lining amongst clouds. I just can’t see reason to moan about it - but perhaps that’s my perennial issue with the “pixels” on this . Com.

No I genuinely feel I understand why they’d want a 22 year old with different attributes involved - as opposed to “milking” it as if we’ve nowt better to do.

Dear me - what do you want us to do, all shake our heads and say “it’s only because they’re desperate”… Honestly - the way any amount of enjoyment is jumped on these days by the mainstay of posters. It’s as if we’re not allowed to be interested in the first rovers player involved in copa.

Only ever hear that phrase here…! Which reminds me of a certain poster suggesting “the fans” working against the “know summats” are somewhat culpable for the scenario we face. In my opinion - pure cathartic “rubbish”

If only - I think sometimes that’s the issue with BRFCS, expectations are a little bit out of align with reality. We’re miles behind with wages - so it’s never going to be first choice every time

I accept that notion - possibly the biggest issue TM and his team have caused, for the Kaminski, Dack and the AA bargains, we could’ve bought 10 players for both Gally and Breregol and made more impact on our whole team immediately. Easy in hindsight however, and I don’t think the tactics always being 1 central player has helped. If he’s sold for 10m though, it’s money going back into the club at least. If he’s walking for free next year, it would be a scandal.

Very good post - I’d add the lack of creative communications from the current setup above the manager, and I can’t see that changing without a complete change of direction from those at the very top (the Rao’s). In terms of “propping up a regime” I wouldn’t call renewal an example of this personally. To me it’s not a thumbs up, or a pledge of support to that specific aspect of the current club. Id argue it’s more difficult to make your feelings known about the current state of play without being in the stadium - this potentially the reason why TM has survived last season. Along with that, a myriad of reasons why I’d want to go regularly when possible again - and the thought of a home game to open the season up on the 7th of August, Sunny day, pint in the WMC, and a live match in the stadium - can’t wait whatever happens.

Based on last season he should’ve been sacked. At a well run club he would’ve been disposed of in March/April.

I personally wouldn’t attribute all current issues and all future expectations being met by changing the manager. I also wouldn’t use that as a reason not to renew or contribute to the club by attendance or spending. Its really that simple.

I read his point as merely sacking them both would be a good enough reason to return to Ewood. I would prefer to know who by and in what format they’re being replaced, before i’d be 100% certain it would be any better. Merely sacking them both with no plan and the same ownership mentality would probably see a downgrade in my opinion, and no amount of pessimism here is going to change that.

Can @Mercersuggest a respectable chianti if he does sign?

The first half of that post, I would share your level of pessimism in the idea we’ll go forward and improve with SW and TM, but I wouldn’t be comparing this to the point under Coyle (and I think it was shadow CEO Paul Senior) during ticket renewal, the despair, the writing on the wall - a lot more stark in my eyes then. My post centred around a solution - you mention a new CEO and ownership style of running the club, including a new manager. Whilst an advantageous proposition, just how realistic is the success of this? If that is the only way you’ll feel likely to renew - I can respect that position. My view, the replacements for the previous version (Coyle / Senior) is our current setup - something absolutely in need of immediate replacement according to most here. Early Rao management teams incarnations included the Cumbernauld C*** and Shebby. Hence why my personal approach and opinion is, this sort of change is likely to make little to no difference. Hence why I’d probably stick to supporting the team on the pitch in the stadium, and focus all questions on expectations in future towards those above the manager and the CEO at Ewood. Through FF, and other means. The part about finance though will always seem like “cutting off the nose to spite your own face” to me - particularly in the championship under owners who simply write a cheque and add it to debt. I wouldn’t call it a position of “responsibility” as you refer, but I would think of it as another few hundred pounds of revenue that goes towards helping us compete, even if it’s largely misspent in many peoples eyes.

Just specifically on this point- how could anyone suggest he wasn’t a good investment if he’s eventually worth more than we paid? Surely that’s just being stubborn about the original issue you had with his transfer fee? Whilst id agree, there’s still a long way to go to justify or reach value for that cash - wouldn’t all of us accept we got it completely wrong if he plays centre forward, bags a hatful of goals and moves for a bigger fee? I also note that he’s played more minutes as a central striker for Chile in a 10 Minute cameo than he has in 3 seasons for us.

I was laughing my head off at Blackpool fans on Twitter suggesting Rovers would be a sideway step… didn’t think I’d see rovers fans agreeing! This place is really a microcosm of rovers despair these days! I also haven’t stopped laughing at West Ham fans thinking they’ll sign AA for 8m. Surely there aren’t rovers fans who think that’s all we’ll get if he goes this summer?

Each to their own, but a simple “I will go when the CEO and manager leave” with no explanation, examples of potential solution - just a clean sweep of management (with the same coaches, players and owners I assume) seems like more likely to put us into league 1 than Armstrong moving on. The irony for me compounded by the notion we’re “selling Armstrong to balance the books”… so I won’t give the club I support some money? My own take on this thread - the none-renewers seem to take up 90% of posts with continued reasoning built in pessimism (some I share, much I do not). I personally wouldn’t be talking or thinking about something I’d already decided against, or got out of the habit of.

10 years in they still pay the bills their mediocracy has incurred. Minute we change hands - “Pandora’s box” is open. Im all for a change but I want guarantees, and I’m sure I speak for a majority when I say that I’d rather plod on with the ignorant billionaires than throw our near and far future to the wolves! Each to their own.

Stockholm syndrome, zeitgeist? Sounds like you’re the one blaming other supporters to me. I personally wished the so called “know summats” would be a little more open minded to the idea that not everyone (including myself) wants the “nuclear” solution that just basically means; Goodbye Venky’s, sold players, academy, training facility, ground to lease back and any division… just to get shut! Aka the Wigan, the Bolton, the Bury. Whilst that may be the favoured route on this particular forum - I’d expect the majority of rovers fans would regard it completely out of the question. Myself included. Why burn the last advantage Jack Left? Without an academy, or having to rent our ground, or having to attract players in 4th tier or worse? I know the answers people will have for those questions here, but I also know those posters will be the first to point out “poor football” or players who look “alien” on the pitch. If you think our squad, performances and football is bad now but advocate that route- I’ve got some bad news for you.

Got a box to box klingon through the academy so should be reet.

He’s overlapping with La Forge

Seems beyond some posters that choosing a manager is done at these clubs, through analysis and interview, with actual “scouting” for coaches / backroom staff. That’s how you get the best organising, training, recruitment and then results. Do we think our CEO has a potential list of managers lined up? I wish.

How do you think they find the specific staff, the sporting director, the managers, the head of recruitment etc? Stats and analysis. If only we had a CEO with such modern thinking.

I personally find the results in that sheet perplexing but I would add that Brentford rise has been down to using an analytical model, ergo “mathematics”.

Yea he was 21 - but predominantly played upfront. A lot of the discussion I’d have here is what you’d view or consist as “low standards” or “looked totally alien” on a football pitch; as we’ve discussed plenty of times before, semantics. I would describe BBs early days as underwhelming but also very much restricted / limited to a few appearances, some fleeting. For that, as this thread probably backs up, I wouldn’t call him “alien” to football specifically - id regard that stance as extremely harsh. Same with describing Arma in league 1 and his first full season as “low standards”. I obviously agree with you that he’s hugely improved, but he had a level then and a different job in the team. The way he’s improved with increased time in the team and in a preferred role, would it be a complete shock if Big Ben, the daft git, did the same? Not to me, at least.

Actually one thing nxt and then wwe did well (which you mention) that I remember specifically being interested in the matches - the women’s division after getting rid of the “diva’s” name. Thing about wrestling the layman wouldn’t understand- there’s different reasons for being interested, from the soap opera part, the fighting, the technical/physical element or even just the sheer “show value” - the stuff that grabbed me as a child was a nice mixture of all but decent characters to lean on- AEW seems to have this. Only wrestling content I’ve watched regularly in the previous few years other than this is OSW(youtube / patr won) btw, which I’m sure I’ve recommended in this thread a few times.