Yep, him too. Maybe deluded, but I think Sam might have come. The wink in the podcast, a point to prove, short term (months) contract so no longterm upheaval to lifestyle at his age. One last roll of the dice, and the dangle of a big fat bonus to buy himself another villa. I know it's the nostalgia sucking me in, but I would have been confident of him getting us in the playoffs. And from there, the chance to win the lottery.

The players have lost the will for it imo. The Eustace shambles, and the rest of the circus, has knocked the stuffing out of them. And VI was never the person to lift them back up. An Allardyce/Dyche type might have. That moment's been and gone, and after the last few seasons of setting up camp regularly in the Top 6, I genuinely fear we may never be there again for a long time. Top 6 League 1 maybe the next target. I'm a heavy mix of anger and apathy. Feels justified and warranted, rather than the usual emotional and reactionary.

Think we've won 4 of the last 15 league matches. It's a miracle we stayed in there so long.

Not in the official rulebook, but we all know it happens. But I agree with you, ref has been abysmal. But then, they are most weeks.

The World where he nearly snapped his ankle 20 mins ago. We're not in a position to moan today.

Always nice when someone gets a parking charge win. Gutsy, doing it yourself too. Courts are very intimidating places to be. Heart pumping, hand shaking when passing over documents. Everyone's full of bravado till they get in there. Seen a few crumble.

What's your Gallagher mid season report? Still chuffed with the purchase after his beasty debut back in October.

I can envisage similar scenes to this:

Oofff. 0.05 getting beasted by the 0.16 Bet the fans are cold in that stadium.

It's been a tough week, and we're all suffering a bit. I'll put this one down to severe mental and emotional fatigue.

Same lads that have lost 5 of the last 6 in all competitions.

Bottle job of a team that. Not wanting to rock the boat and keep the 'senior' players on the starting sheet. Uninspiring and weak.

I'm not an expert in the betting market, but from 10/1 24hrs ago (below link) into even money favourite now is a hell of a jump for Lee Carsley. Can't see how that can be just a few big bets. Surely, someone's heard something for that to shift/the people to put the bets on: https://www.oddschecker.com/insight/football/20250211-next-blackburn-manager-odds-two-premier-league-outcasts-bid-to-replace-eustace

Genuinely, if I was (I assume?) a multi-millionaire, at a young managerial age, where I needed to choose carefully to build my career, yeah I probably would have run a mile from Rovers. Waited for the right job, with stability, that I could sink my teeth into for a good couple of years, really build something. (I agree with you, it's not about him though, it's our clubs bigger longstanding issues!!)

But would you have taken the job in the first place? Would you have gone to the basket case club originally when it was so obvious the regime you'd be working under? Would you have continued after last summer if the promises were already broken and writing was on the wall? Not sure you answer yes to all those questions, and if not, you're not a John Eustace. So, just agreeing with his final decision, (which came about as a result of a series of historic decisions to end up on this path), doesn't necessarily absolve him no.

Maybe, but I don't see what purpose my sympathy for them achieves. I've only got so much emotional energy in a day. Jon Dahl probably doesn't give us a 2nd thought. Eustace won't give a crap about Rovers and the players come Friday night when he's in a Derby dugout. Despite all the 'he's a team player, just wants the lads to get a new contract, he always has their back...' stuff. We'll be an instant, distant memory. Don't blame him, thanks for the year John, saved us from relegation, and did some good stuff. But I'm a bit over the pity party.....for him. Quite happy to wallow in one for us.

Whilst I don't disagree with all in your post, I am getting sick of the Eustace sob story now. He was here 12 months, earned a nice wedge, enhanced his reputation, and is off to a decent new gig. Whereas there's another group that has also been repeatedly lied to and had the piss taken out of them for a decade and a half now. Way more angry about that than poor John's tiny fleeting bump in his professional football career.

What a winker.

So, the manager has dumped me on Valentine's week. The club is deluded enough to publicly state a couple of loans and Kargbo are 'significant investment' 12 months on from the Wharton sale. All the players have rapidly expiring contracts. And the real kicker, I now have to label @jim mk2 as an ITKer and give him a badge or something. 2025 is hitting peak misery early doors.

This made me chuckle other day:

And his career has been in a downward spiral ever since. Till he took over last week at the very bottom club of all 4 leagues.

Tbf, Dolan following JE to a League 1 relegated Derby would be his dream move. He may even stand a shot of outpacing the odd defender at that level.

Woodrow somehow escaped 2 nailed on bookings now. He's like a cat with 9 lives.

Solid stuff from the sweeper keeper there. Commanding. 🙄

Nowhere near him is a stretch. He's about half a foot away. And that's a still whilst he's running at pace. I'm not arguing he milked it. Clearly did. But we could probably find half a dozen of them given every weekend across all the 4 leagues. Yellow cards for diving (I thought) were those times when a player doesn't even get touched and flings himself to ground. TV pundits do full 5 mins segments on how 'Harry Kane bought that penalty by cleverly initiating contact'. Just feels like yet another 50/50 call against us. And yet some say- not in a million years. 🤷🏻‍♂️