JHRover

Waggott and Tony had a great little set up going here. It seems the owners did too, leaving them to run the show whilst they sit in India doing whatever they do. For reasons unknown a decision was made to end that cushy number. Perhaps Venky stooge now running the show fancied more power, or represents interests that weren't getting enough out of the old operation and wanted more. Last time we got relegated it was after chief Venky stooge was allowed to run things and sideline all others, history is now repeating itself.

I'm still struggling to understand how we are now effectively operating on a League One budget - which we clearly are with the players and contracts we are offering - yet we are still losing between £10 and 20 million a year, a figure that has remained remarkably steady over the years despite clear cost cutting. For a loss of £20 million a year - which Chief Venky stooge claims is the owners' input - we should have a competitive Championship budget - yet we clearly don't, and combined with incompetence upstairs is going to lead to our demise if not this year then next.

I think someone like Rowett would want to do a proper job - not just come in for 15 games and then leave again - that's not really a good reputation for someone his age to get. That's the sort of role Warnock carved out for himself in his late 60s and 70s - fine if you are coming out of retirement for a bit then stepping back again but if you are peak of your career you need to be more than just a few games here and there. Birmingham was an exception due to the Mowbray health situation. More important than that will be the two stooges and their plans. They were incompatible with Eustace and I remain convinced that transfer failings in January played a significant part in Ismael's departure, so absolute minimum I expect he will seek some proper assurances about the summer transfer window, and the only way he's getting those is if there's been a recalibration / rethink at the top of the tree and Gestede is being sidelined, which certainly would be deserved and positive if it was, but I think unlikely given the cushy little gig the stooges have got going for themselves and their agent friends. They don't want outsiders upsetting that little arrangement.

It would be typical Rovers to have last year given Ismael a 3.5 year deal despite big question marks over his competence and ability to last more than 40 games anywhere, and then fail to get Rowett done due to only wanting to offer him a short term deal, this a guy who has proven himself to be a highly competent Championship manager. I would be totally offended if I were Rowett and these clowns offered me a deal until May. Presumably they now know the mess we are in and the urgent serious need to get some know-how in the dugout but don't want Rowett longer term (because he will seek assurances, resources and influence, none of which the Venky stooges are willing to provide). No, come the summer they will want more of the same - Gestede selecting friendly agents' clients and offloading the precious little quality we have left. Someone like Rowett wouldn't stand for that so they will need someone else to oversee that 'phase' of the project. I expect failure here - they aren't good at getting anything done let alone quickly and I think he will run a mile when he realises what they are planning. A shame because on paper he'd probably love the chance to sort Rovers out and build us up but the Regime doesn't want that as John Eustace will confirm. So it will be embarrassing if/when we fail to get a deal done for an unemployed coach who was last sacked by Oxford. I dread to think who they have as Plan B but suspect Coleman or a foreign coach willing to take a 3-4 month deal.

The way the commentators were talking was as though they had been told that the club was working its' way through a long list of options and they even said now is the time to shorten that list down and make a decision. Suspect they are probably in the dark as much as anyone but yeah the best we have is Nixon saying Rowett is 'top choice' and 'could' be 'offered' the job this weekend. Given he was sat in London on Sky duty I doubt he was in any sort of talks today so maybe tomorrow.

We're probably now at the 'confused' stage after today's result having hoped a draw or win today would have allowed the can to be kicked down the road for another week. Back into the bottom 3 with a damaging defeat to a side down there with us might now need to focus minds. The Sky buffoons commentating, aside from being heavily biased in Norwich's favour throughout, mentioned that time was becoming more pressing and that Rovers needed to reduce their 'long list' to a 'short list'. It seems they don't understand the urgency and gravity of our situation and are still mucking around with lists and projects. Probably waiting for Leicester or WBA to hit the panic button and get Rowett in, and he WILL choose either of them over us if he gets the choice.

Good news: Leicester and Portsmouth lost Bad news: Oxford got an excellent draw at Coventry with 10 men West Brom got a point and clean sheet Charlton got a point and clean sheet Exciting times these.

Getting to the point where I think we only attract a competent manager now with either a big financial package or bonus for keeping us up. I'm not sure the Venky chumps will be offering either.

He seems like an intelligent bloke and I noted in that interview that he expressed some concern about going into clubs as a firefighter and the demands and draining nature of constantly battling against the odds. Not sure that would fit with the Venky stooges' plans of cut, cut, cut, sell, sell, sell whilst trying to keep heads above water. Think he lives Derbyshire way and probably still has mates involved at Derby so will do his homework via Eustace on what he can expect here. Don't think he will like what he hears. So suspect it will go one of two ways if he's offered the job. Either it's a short term arrangement with him jumping ship once he's mucked around in the transfer market or its a 'no thanks' now especially when they try to force him to work with all the existing staff or for a pittance. Never a good sign if you aren't even prepared to give the new guy free reign on his coaching staff.

Birmingham - took over when they were bottom 3, no money to spend and by the time he was sacked by their new owners they were in the top 6 Derby - play-offs in his only season Stoke - sacked after 6 months - but nobody has done well there Millwall - kept them up and had them top half / play-off chasing for 2-3 years Birmingham - took over with 8 games remaining, won 3 but they went down Oxford - took over with them struggling near the bottom, kept them up with a weak side, sacked this season with them struggling Personally I think he's ideal for us both in our current situation and as someone who could build us up again on a limited budget. But under Rudy and Suhail I suspect it won't work out because he won't be given the opportunity to do the job, just like Eustace wasn't.

Indeed, but probably our best chance as a club is to get someone like him in and back him / let him run the show, as it was with Eustace. Because people like Eustace and Rowett will have forgotten more about Championship football than the likes of Suhail and Rudy will ever know.

If Rowett is top of our list then I may have to re-evaluate my assessment of the people running the club in that maybe they aren't totally clueless as to what we need, because I think even if he doesn't enthuse you his CV is probably the most suited to our predicament of all the options out there and it would be unusually sensible for our lot to put that first. I suppose the next question would be whether he would come then. Is he going to sit and be told what he can and can't do by Rudy Gestede? Would he take it until the summer like he did at Birmingham and then see how the land lies? There seems to be an assumption that he would take it, which you would certainly hope he would given his last 2-3 clubs and the manner in which he left Oxford, but he can't really afford to get this next move wrong and I worry he'd tell Rudy and Suhail to 'do one'

Been strongly linked with the Celtic job in the summer if/when O'Neill finishes.

Chris Coleman? Carlos Carvalhal? Carlos Corberan?

There will always be some who moan with a particular appointment yes, so in that respect you are right, but the better calibre of manager you get the less and less would moan. Same at any club anywhere. You're never going to win everyone over at the appointment stage, but you do your best to minimise disappointment and maximise confidence in your process and appointment. So for example a Rowett - I am sure there would be a lot who would be 'meh' about him, but deep down those people would hopefully at least recognise it as a logical, sensible, 'safe' appointment, even if you don't like him or even if it doesn't get pulses racing. But appointing someone like Coleman, or Richardson, or Ainsworth, would be a worthy way to earn themselves maximum grievance from the fanbase, because such an appointment would not be based on logic, or sense, or playing it safe, but on other factors, like who they are mates with or being 'from the academy' which are utterly irrelevant.

Wonder if the Chief Executive will be attending the next meeting? Doubt it!!! What is it now, 9 months since Waggott packed his bags? How's the 'notice period' going? Sums this lot up - if they can get away without doing something they will - if they can save on a wage by divvying up Waggott's job elsewhere they will - all about saving themselves cost and effort, not helping the club.

If Johnson gets the job it wouldn't be for the right reasons. It appears he has no pressing desire to be a manager, which begs the question of why we would ask him to do it a minute longer than necessary, but beyond that they wouldn't be doing it for the good of the club/team. They'd be doing it because they can't be arsed or don't want the cost/hassle of finding an established manager and paying what it takes.

Would be logical and sensible. No nonsense, track record. No need for compensation. Too sensible I fear.

It just doesn't fit does it? I'm never keen on a dingle, but could accept one where the case is overwhelming. An example being Dyche after his work there, clearly a good manager for a Championship club. But Alexander? Is the case overwhelming? No - his record is decent, but there are 3-4 others in League One and Two with similar or better records of results - Challinor one, I like Nigel Clough who has done brilliantly at Mansfield and doesn't come with the 'baggage' of legendary status at PNE/Burnley.

I really don't get the Alexander links. On paper he has a reasonable CV albeit that includes spells in Scotland and relatively well endowed clubs for the levels they were at - Bradford giants of League Two, MK Dons and Salford financially strong for their league, even Scunthorpe and Fleetwood were both throwing money at it when he was there. I don't understand why on earth he would walk away from a safe, secure job at Bradford, where he has a chance of promotion to the Championship this season, to come here and risk relegation. Maybe a pay rise but that's not much good if he's gone within 12 months or we go down. It is just random and bizarre. No connection, if anything the opposite with his PNE and dingle background. I'm struggling to see it. Presumably Bradford would want a hefty compensation package for him and his assistant, why pay that when there are alternatives with better records or no compensation required? Dean Smith I've never understood the fuss about either. Walsall - average - Brentford - mid table and they got promoted when he left and Thomas Frank took over. Villa he got promoted but with an incredible squad at his disposal. Probably far and away better than what we will ultimately end up with but he isn't a name that would generate any excitement or encouragement to me.

Lee Bowyer. In in the last 5 years he's managed 73 games at Birmingham and Montserrat and won 21 of them. Not managed a club side in 3.5 years. Sounds about right then.

And is failing at Gillingham with a relatively big budget.

A few years ago we were a PL/Championship side and Stockport were a National League North side. Right now I reckon we'd struggle to persuade Challinor to leave them to come here. They're spending money, are well run and have a chance at promotion this season. They could be in a higher league next season. That's before we analyse working for the buffoons and shysters at Rovers.

It makes absolutely zero sense for us to take an interest in Richardson. He was unemployed for over 18 months after he was sacked after a short failed spell at Rotherham, and has been at Reading for 15 games. We would now have to pay them compensation. There are far better, safer and more interesting options who are unemployed and we could use the compensation money to pay them a bonus or higher wage. He isn't good enough and certainly not good enough to warrant paying a good chunk of compensation for. His Championship record at Wigan and Rotherham is dismal, infact other than 1 League One season at Wigan after they were relegated and a few games at Reading in League One he's never done it. The links to Blackburn are stretching it big time - time in our academy going on 30 years ago should be irrelevant.

Yeah he's definitely a better option than some of the dross appearing on the list. He would actually be a logical appointment for a Championship club to make unlike names like Coleman and Richardson, but if it was down to me I'd avoid.