Yes I should shouldn't I, but I won't as I cannot be arsed, as I have a pretty good idea what response this would have...a similar one to mine. It's indicative of the downward spiral we are on I am sad to say and embarrassed as a Rovers supporter.

Just commenting on Rovers matchday corporate hospitality offer, after partaking on Saturday. A few chums, mostly season ticket holders, thought we would indulge and made plans in January to find a date in our diaries, pre death spiral, for a get together in one of the lounges. Jacks Kitchen was full, so we were offered the Legends Lounge in the Darwen End, cost was £96.00 per person, less £19.20 credit for being a season ticket holder. For this you get a ticket in the lounge in the Darwen End behind the goals, a meal consisting of either; a steak and kidney crusted pie with chips and soggy veg; or chicken curry rice and a naan, both options the portion control were not great, nor was the quality, condiments were sparse. If I had spent £10 anywhere else on this meal I would have complained. You receive a free (£6 RRP, do not anybody pay this!) Rovers review glossy nonsense about Rovers, though not a matchday programme as not done anymore. A Team sheet shared on the table just before kick off, though we all knew the line ups from social media at 2pm one hour beforehand. A guess the goal time of first goal competition, that was announced after the match by Kevin Lynch, with two minutes light hearted chat, no legends in the Legends Lounge beside Kevin's typical words. I think that was the entire offer, I cannot recall anything else specifically offered in the price of £96, no starter, desert, coffee, cake, no option to have a bet, the National was on TV directly afterwards. The food queue took a good ten minutes, no cutlery as they'd run out. Only one of the bars was open. apparently struggling for staff, so again massive queues for a drink, the lounge was quite busy with lots of youngsters visiting from the USA, all wanting soft drinks, though we had the chance to queue for an Amstel lager, before this ran out and needed the barrel changing and taking an age, two pints in an hour and a half at £5 a pint was managed. All in all, a far from satisfactory offer from Rovers, very underwhelming and embarrassing, nothing like anything which might be described as anywhere near value for money. Someone above mentioned Stanley and their matchday hospitality, I've had experience of this and it frankly knocks spots off Rovers, for cost and in every other area, they're pleased to welcome you with positive vibes, have a look https://www.accringtonstanley.co.uk/commercial/matchday-hospitality/ . I've even had recent experience of Clitheroe FC, which likewise is far superior, no doubt many other local options make Rovers offer an embarrassment, save to say we shall not be repeating this any time soon. We did share our disappointment with the manager who was apologetic and he did offer a round of drinks at 6pm, I felt for him and those staff doing what they could, yet it was just so poor overall and not clouded by a similar inept performance on the pitch.

JB is showing great form and wondering whether he should still be considered a make weight to fill in anywhere else. Specifically at right back/wing back with the possible injury to RN and a lack of JRC or other suitable replacement. So who plays there, Magloire or Pike or even Gally? Or perhaps play Lenihan there, with Van heck, Ayala and Scott playing in the three?

I would suggest that sorting a new contract for ToMo should be very low down the current order of business. Concentrating on contract extensions for existing 1st team players whose contracts expire soon and we might wish to keep hold of, or protect our investment, should be #1. Then #2 should be identifying signings to fill in gaps; those players not extending new contracts; along with obvious short comings in the current team. Right back cover, winger (assuming Gally is hopefully not considered the answer), plus a midfielder. Then of course being aware of replacements following any mega bids for BBD. If deferring ToMo till at the earliest Feb 2022 (though I'd leave it until the end of the season), means we miss out on a massive compensation from Man Utd when they come calling to replace Rangnick, then so be it.

I have noted a number of comments by these analysts who seem to want to come to ToMo's aid by using their laptops to come up with various statistics that might back him up, they also seem to get quite defensive when challenged. It's as if they might be fearing the gravy train might about to be leaving the station. I heard ToMo speak a couple of years ago, when he was giving his thoughts on having twenty or so of these young lads analysing data to help with identifying potential signings. It all sounded fantastic, although at the time I did consider whether this was to be used as a tool in addition to good old fashioned scouting by football folk who knew or understood the game, rather than some pasty slightly chubby kid who had been in his bedroom too long playing FIFA. It seems that these analytics types might have had even more of a say on using technology in other aspects too, looking at possession stats as a yard stick to performance, rather than footballing folk who have played the game lifting their heads out their laptops to see with their own eyes what is actually going on the grass.

A good effort by those getting this information out there and putting a slightly different spin on events surrounding Waggott's Brockhall plans. Sadly it will not be enough for some who have an inability to see past the narrative being peddled, perhaps if they message a few Coventry fans and ask them what they think about those involved in these plans, they may have a differing view? I would also add that if enough people could support the challenge about what is planned, then there would be more chance of successfully repealing it. Say for example if 20,000 or more, local people made a pledge to never buy a house from the development and also any future subsequent sales of the same houses, this would taint the value and prove problematic or less financially viable as a venture.

Sounds like Julia Roberts in the film Notting Hill, I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy. “I’m only trying to build a football team, build a club, with an identity,..." Where are all these missing defenders going to play when they are fit, all those who who would stop us conceding goals from set pieces, where are these stats? Ideally we all need to avoid getting personal or vindictive, we're better than that, yet it's not easy. Perhaps a Steve Waggott Discussion topic might be more relevant? He seems to be avoiding what might be considered his share of any flack. I would have hoped that a comment from him as CEO might be fitting. He might comment perhaps, that the Board/owners have always supported TM whenever he has asked? Few managers in the Championship have received the same level of support.

I don't think that most right minded Rovers supporters take any delight in stating the blindingly obvious, that Tony's game is up. I agree that he sounds like a decent bloke, straight talking and did bring about the much needed stability, yet in football management there is in reality only a certain shelf life, before one becomes stale. Reconstructing teams is possibly one of the greatest challenges to any manager seeking longevity. Even he realises that there is no loyalty in football, those involved it's all about the money first and foremost, it's only us supporters who apply other criteria, like passion. He was able to see that the time was up for, Richie Smallwood, Charlie Mulgrew, Danny Graham, Craig Conway, Dom Samuel, so with a heavy heart he wished them well. So now it's his turn for someone to thank him and wish him well, to leave on the best possible terms, without further tarnishing his accomplishments at Rovers. Loyalty has it's place in engineering a successful team, yet can become cumbersome. I previously questioned whether his coaching team were up to it, yet he must consider that they are, despite the chaotic defending we have witnessed, especially on set pieces, so proposed he might be best to look for help. He is the man at the top, so his actions, or lack of, rest on his shoulders. Sadly he has never got to grips with our defence, he needed a big ugly experienced dominant centre half, yet failed, which I find surprising as that was exactly what he was as a player. Plus in my opinion, it's the easiest thing to accomplish, get it tight at the back and work forwards. We have a multitude of exciting and attacking options, save for the largest and strangest signing in SG. Added to this his various formations which only seem to confuse our players, remember footballers are young lads and not possibly the brightest, so perhaps err on trying to make your instructions fairly easy to follow? Now if Waggott, or whomever, do not act and soon, then regrettably they are culpable and need to be addressed.

Nyambe is our best right back and would not be out of place in any other Championship team. Playing in other Championship teams who are coached to defend properly and in all likelihood would improve Ryan into a PL full back. At times he has been treated poorly by Mowbray, being called out in public by him when possibly he might have been at fault, without similar such treatment to other players, which has been bizarre. None more so than last Friday, when if our manager wishes to call out publicly his players, he should have been questioning how their left back/left wing back was given the freedom of our right hand side to advance from the half way line, unchecked by the player that might reasonably be expected to have been tracking him back. Likewise he might have looked at their second goal (scored yet again from another set piece we conceded from) and questioned the same player who failed to attack the ball allowing their player a relatively unchallenged header at the near post. Yet I fear not as it might be questioned as to what exactly he saw in the player who he signed for £5m and made him our top earning, non scoring, non trapping, non aerial threat, centre forward, whom he continually plays out of position. So I have no hard feelings towards Ryan for not extending his contract, like Raya, who for four years can see that his career might be best served elsewhere. Tiresome and pathetic enduring the ramblings on here of a specific poster who is unwilling to see TM's halo slip.

Used to play Thursday evenings down at Witton astro pitches with Pelle, in the summer he would invite various footballers down for a kick around. Specifically recall, Scott Sellars, Simon Barker and Simon Garner joining in, all three found time to play and rarely gave the ball away, Garner specifically stood out, with how quickly he could turn and get his shots away, a short back lift that generally found the corner of the net.

The focus and probing questions need diverting away from the playing staff and directly onto the coaches. They have failed to address the basics for defending properly, not just defenders but the entire players. Venus and Lowe, what are they doing in training to address our consistently poor defending? Start with defending set pieces, corners, free kicks and balls played into our penalty area, tighten up and be aware of the dangers, who knows we might benefit by occasionally scoring from set pieces too? Though too late in my opinion, they’ve had enough time and failed. It’s such an easy part of the game, to get yourselves organised, any half decent coach can achieve this.

"When we've got everyone available..." Wow just watch us go! Although perhaps in reality those game changers might end up on the bench with two holding midfielders players instead at home, two centre forwards out on the wing and a little striker through the middle. Quite possibly I might now be that dinosaur, that I thought my dad was, when he went on about inside and outside forwards, two wingers whose job was to get to bye-line and knock it back, with three at the back. I recall Harry Chapman standing one up for SG to nod in, seemed a fairly reasonable way to break down your opponents and score. Though also I genuinely do not believe he knows his best starting line up, get's too engrossed in systems and opponents. In my opinion we get better results and performances when he gets forced into a corner and has no alternatives. Sigh.

Enterprise Inns!!

I'd say that most supporters and people in the game, would agree that he is a decent manager, indeed I'd go further and say he is a loyal and decent man too. He can see and talk with passion about the game, emphasize loyalty that is otherwise lacking in football, he is able to sell this viewpoint which can bring on board players and supporters, almost all those who depart have nothing to say other than compliments about the man. I would say that "I think" (as I have no actual evidence to support this claim), that perhaps he is let down by his support staff, coaches, backroom team. If I was Waggott I would be undertaking an impartial review of these rather than ToMo, to asses the entire coaching team's performance and consider what if any additional or replacement help might be needed. Resilience, mental toughness, winning ethos, conversion to succeed, worryingly we keep flirting with building on momentum, only to then see it stutter.

He played a few games for Clitheroe last season, apparently had a fantastic match away at Droylsden.

£10m Arma and Watford, was the rumour I heard.

Hi Josh J*B might there be room in here for your Granddad? A keen and regular supporter of Rovers over the years, standing on the Riverside, passing the baton to me and then onto you & Mat. His favourite player was Dougie, a wizzard on the ball he'd say. Sadly passed away last Thursday and will be much missed by his loved family.

I just hope our team show a bit more passion and desire for a derby match, it just feels in recent years this has been lacking, with our local rivals being far more 'up' for the game than us.

Just a brief comment on the pie sellers. My mate used to do this, either walking round the perimeter or even in one of the pie outlets. On one such occasion, late 70s, Rovers were playing Chelsea in a cup match I think, now Chelsea back then had quite a following with a rough element looking to cause trouble. My mate and another vendor were in the Darwen End food shack, when the Chelsea lot decided to cause trouble and storm the hut, said pal fearing for his life had to make a sharp exit, via the emergency hatch onto the roof!

Agree with the Plymouth game, I too have a similar memory. I used to take a collapseable canvas stool which I would place at the front of the Riverside stand which I would stand on, so I could see over the wall, at around the same time whereby previously we'd sit on the wall, as a bobby would saunter along pitchside and tell you to get off the wall. So there I am stood on this canvas stool when our third goal went in, the ground erupted, I jumped up and down on my stool, with the canvass giving way resulting in me ending up in a heap at base of the Riverside wall!

Sorry, PNE are a better team? Ok they're getting better results than us presently, yet have they spent more on transfers and on players since Neil and Mowbray have been in office? One has used funds on more of the same potential unproven youngsters up front, whilst forgetting that 'defenders are coming' for a team that leaked goals in abundance last season. Neil targeted an experienced highly regarded lower league defender and nicked him from under Mowbray's nose! ToMo is not helping himself at present, especially so with such ridiculous comments. I can see the new style of play this season, you can see it and view the possession statistics, which this may well be the way forward, yet somewhere along the line someone (ultimately him as the buck stops with him) has been negligent on setting this team up to defend. Perhaps he has a residual blind spot on small non aggressive nippy attackers, coming in from the wings or midfield and running around him when he was a big lump of a centre half?

Yes I agree that the correct decision was reached. However it was the inordinate length of time for them to discuss the incident and then make the decision. I was posing the question as to whether there might have been any outside (from the on-field officials) input? Especially so given the apparent movement to their earpieces, as if listening. "Certain there was no other dialogue between the other officials", really how do we know this? We know that the officials are mic'd up, though who is involved in the conversations? If neither the AR nor the referee were certain and actually saw Dack's touch, then surely the goal should have stood, the officials can only give something they've actually seen. Might the discussion have been....AR to ref "I couldn't tell if Dack touched the ball, if he did he was offside?", ref in reply either "yes he did" = offside", or "no he didn't" = goal, or "I couldn't or didn't see" = goal. How long does that take, seconds? Certainly not the length of time it took, perhaps I am just a suspicious sod, I too like things being done by the book, yet also are we all sure/aware of what the book is? VAR by the back door?

Putting aside my allegiance, might I ask a question which I genuinely am confused and am unsure about, concerning the disallowed goal on Saturday? I might have missed something as these days I don't follow every law change and/or different interpretation of the laws by referees/authorities. VAR is only applicable in England to the EPL and doesn't apply to the EFL and championship? The referee's decision is final. The referee is aided by 'assistant referees'. Yet who are these assistants? Two assistants referees running the line, plus a fourth official by the dugout. Then in the EPL there is the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), but does not apply to the Championship. Then finally a fifth assistant, who I think has only the limited task of being available in case of injuries to any of the above, they used to have access to the TV footage of the match, but have never been permitted to advise the on field officials, despite famously the 2006 World Cup final and Zidane being sent off. So Saturday's incident... the ball went out of play when it went into Luton's net, the assistant referee did not raise his flag, nor did the referee blow his whistle and point for a goal or for an offside. The fourth official was busy on the sidelines with both sets of dugouts, he was certainly not reviewing any footage. The ball was retrieved from the net and placed on the centre spot to restart the game, so what followed was a minimum of two minutes before the awarding by the referee of offside. This was after the referee was speaking to his assistant, yet also in addition they both were obviously receiving instructions in their earpieces, which ultimately no doubt led to the decision. As a supporter on the ground I could only in retrospect view the footage and can see that it was indeed offside. It is seemingly widely thought that the use of technology to assist with the correct decisions being made are desirable, despite teething problems with VAR and the argued impact on such delays these VAR decisions might take, besides also the impact on the spectacle. My confusion is...if indeed the officials within the EFL Championship are not in receipt of external support, either via VAR or perhaps even a 5th official, then what was occurring between the referee. his assistants and whomever else they were both obviously receiving information into their earpieces?

Immensely frustrating afternoon at Ewood. I’ve seen Rovers now facing two promoted teams at home who I doubt will not finish in the top half of the table, with it feeling as though in total they’ve had four attempts on target and scored them all, with them being fairly soft conceded. Frustrated at big Sam Gallagher, I know it’s unfair to compare a young Alan Shearer (he’d do worse than watch a few videos), yet he needs to attack the ball when it enters the box, seems content to look to pick up the second ball. Frustrated at managers lack of imagination chasing the game, yes great get Samuel on, yet he ends up at right back/wing back. Two up top, downing on wing, Dack with Travis in midfield? Armstrong’s finishing could be better, blazing high and wide to the near post, not good.