50 points wouldn't smash the highest points total for relegation, we went down on 51 in 2017. But yeah this year I'd like to think that 50 would probably be enough, but it would be uncertain and uncomfortable. First off it would mean Wednesday would have to win both their last 2 games for them to have a chance of finishing above us. They've still got West Brom home and Sunderland away so unlikely. It would mean Huddersfield would need at least 7 points from 9 against Swansea, Birmingham and Ipswich. That would require them to take at least a point or three off Birmingham, which would mean Birmingham could reach a maximum of 52 if they won their other two against Rotherham and Norwich. Even if those things happened you'd still have Stoke and QPR needing 4 points or more from 9 to finish above us. So I think unlikely, but possible, and I'd much rather grab a win at home against the 2nd worst team in the league so far this season to finish it off, rather than going up against bogey side Coventry or to Leicester knowing we could still go down. Trouble is we don't tend to deliver when the pressure or expectation is on. Away at Leeds nobody gives us a hope, no pressure or expectation. But at home, against a struggling side, most will expect a Rovers performance and win. We struggle with that.

The club have essentially trapped themselves on ticketing due to their high season ticket prices. Gradually increasing season ticket pricing to a point where we have one of the highest starting adult prices, despite the greatest number of spare seats, one of the least affluent and most competitive areas in the country, before we get on to the other nonsense that goes on here under these owners. this is only going to get even more problematic with increased Sky coverage, dodgy sticks, red button, less 3pm Saturday games. Not only does this all put many people off buying a season ticket in the first place, but also it prevents the club, or seriously restricts it, in offering 'cheap' matchday tickets on a regular basis, as to do so would effectively undercut or wipe out the price benefit of being a season ticket holder. This effectively means that we've got little alternative but to keep prices high to ensure season ticket holders still get 'value' for their money. Ultimately it means we will be stuck in a rut as you aren't going to get massive numbers of people paying £25+ to watch Championship basement battles, especially not on Sunday lunchtime, Tuesday night etc. There is a solution. Radically rethink the season ticket offering particularly on pricing and go down the route of Bolton and Preston. This doesn't mean just cut prices and sit back and wait for people to come. It means coming up with a marketing plan. It means getting them on sale early. It means pushing them in areas, communities, clubs, schools, way above and beyond the current 'efforts' of BwDBC only. Get the prices down, emulate Bolton The ground is immediately more full, and then the added bonus is you can start offering matchday tickets at £20 a head knowing that even if you did it every week a season ticket holder would still be saving £100+ over the season.

Simple explanation for it is that all other clubs have one eye on factors other than immediate cash flow. Factors such as positive atompshere, growth, medium to long term consequences of decisions, footballing concerns. Here we have a charlatan masquerading as CEO employed to take the focus off the owners and cut their expenditure. With that remit he will do whatever he needs to do to keep his figures looking well, and as we've seen with some of his 'policies' to date there's nothing off the table in pursuit of that. Last I heard one was renting out Ewood for Liverpool and Man Utd legend events, a clear sign to anyone just what sort of people we are dealing with here.

Eustace's has won 2 of his 13 league games in charge, and picked up 13 points from 39. JDT won 10 of his 28 league games in charge, and picked up 33 points from 84. Neither get credit for the 3 points against Stoke as neither picked the team or prepared for the game. JDT won games more frequently than Eustace has. Eustace has lost games less frequently than JDT did. If we go down then the season will have been 2/3 JDT and 1/3 Eustace. If we win 1 or more of our remaining 3 we are safe. If we don't then Eustace finishes the season with 2 wins in 16 league games, which I'm sure everyone can agree is an abysmal win return. JDT's points return had us on track for survival (whoop dee doo) hence we were never particularly close to the drop zone under him.

This is the problem we have and it will not change for the foreseeable future. The only way this season will be considered anything other than a decent one for Waggott is if we get relegated. Anything other than that, whether it be 7th or 21st, matters very little. Another season in the Championship, blame JDT, sold a few players for £25 million, academy model vindicated with Ash Phillips and Adam Wharton going for millions, no significant impact on results as we continue to be a mediocre Championship side. Wage bill cut again. Another 8000-9000 season tickets sold. Bonus time as the owners don't need £15 million of share issue next year, we can just use the Wharton cash instead. What's not to like?

Yes I know we are rock bottom. So what's the solution? Just hand over the ground to whoever wants it and shrug shoulders? Or make the effort to get more home fans in, and fill the ground up a bit that way?

End of the day Rovers have proven that they are only interested in taking the easy route to get where they want to be. Its easy handing over the Darwen End to Sheff Wed, Leeds, Preston. Just agree, print off the tickets and watch the cash flow in. No real effort required. It is justified on the basis that we have the space to do it and we need more people in because home attendances are low. So what about increasing home numbers? Sadly for us this is where it falls down. This is where effort is needed, because you have to make serious, sustained efforts to engage and attract new people and get them coming on a regular basis. It takes a plan, it takes effort, it takes imagination. All lacking at the good ship Ewood, rinse and repeat same old dreary approach each and every year. Other than changes to prices (almost all increasing) what is different about matchday or ticketing now compared to 10 years ago? Nothing. Nothing changes, no imagination, no planning. No singing area, no cheaper area, no safe standing area, no 'ultras' or flag waving area. No sir, not a jot of interest in any of that as it requires EFFORT. Emulating Huddersfield, PNE, Bolton and implementing serious price reductions with a view to adding thousands to the gates and engaging new, younger supporters? No, can't do. Too much risk, FFP, wouldn't work here (no evidence). This is where the gripe with me lies. Quite happy to take the easy option to grab the low hanging fruit and cash in on away numbers, no willingness to make any effort to fill up Ewood and maybe one day not have 20,000 empty seats sat doing nothing, or maybe not be under pressure to take the away coin every time.

'Football is a business' has led us to having the most expensive season tickets in the division and with it stagnation on attendances. All delivered by people who have no idea what they are doing and no regard for the long term consequences, all in the name of increasing revenues but in the longer run is clearly doing significant damage to our attendances and with it future health as a club. We are one of a very small number to have had no growth in the last decade. Local rivals have drastically increased their numbers. Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture than just an immediate cash boost. As I said last week, where would you draw the line? We usually gey 10,000 ish home fans on. So if the away club asked for 20,000 tickets and we were able to give them that with no police objections and condense all the home support into the Jack Walker stand, be outnumbered 2:1 at Ewood, You'd support that because we'd make more money off it?

All correct which is one of the reasons they employ a snake oil salesman as CEO. He can earn his corn making up excuses about why we still can't invest after raking in £40 million, feed little bits to the Telegraph and Fans Forums and unfortunately a large chunk of the gullible ones will swallow it all as fact and truth. Nothing more we can do, let's rely on the kids.

Nobody else in the country gives the away team 7000+ away tickets at the drop of a hat to make some extra money Apart from fake club MK Dons Why do Rovers?

Exactly. It makes no odds to Blackburn Rovers' prospects whether we get £2 million, £20 million or £40 million for AW As with all decent players they won't be replaced and there won't be reinvestment. So doesn't matter. The team gets worse. We are currently at close to £25 million in transfer cash brought in since July 2023 and what have we done? Nothing. Cut cut cut, none spent, launched ourselves into relegation contention and forced out a Good manager. Would an extra £5-10 million for AW have changed that? Nope. Would keeping him have changed it? Well it would have kept us clear of trouble. Probably. Until next season when the inevitable happens.

If Carlsberg did weekends for Steve Waggott Priceless win at Leeds probably keeps him safe in position for another year Szmodics in League team of the year and closing in on the golden Boot. Will add a couple of million to his price tag and increase the competition for his signature. Rovers win 'Fan engagement' award which is beyond a joke yet he'll be able to produce that as evidence his policies are correct and this will counter all the other issues with attendances and ticket prices which the stats show have been a total failure.

What's that got to do with the Club? Complain all they like the club was here before they were and is doing nothing wrong filling its seats up.

So who decides what a positive result is? Coventry at home soon. What is a 'positive result' out of that one? Or does it depend what happens tomorrow?

So that's QPR, Millwall and Plymouth who have all managed to defeat the mighty Leicester in the last few weeks whilst battling for their Championship lives. We've got our chance to do the same. Over to the manager and players. But before then we'll have the local media and negative brigade telling us how it's mission impossible and how Leicester are unstoppable.

If only we had some empty spare land close to Ewood that we could use for parking on matchdays......

I hear the phrase 'positive result' a lot these days. What does it mean? Anything other than a defeat? Or a win? I'd argue that away at Leeds a draw would be a positive result, but at home v Sheffield Wednesday only a win would be a positive result.

Any more than 20,000 these days and they go into a tailspin having to issue warnings about parking, congestion, traffic, queues, bumper crowds etc. Just under 20,000 right in the comfort zone.

True. Interesting the club doesn't acknowledge this fact when marketing and advertising, only when it comes to restricting. I'm struggling to see why John Smith with an Accy postcode and address couldn't buy one. Obviously a Sheffield or Yorkshire postcode is a different matter but suspect the number of Ewood attending Rovers fans who aren't season ticket holders in that group is very small.

'We'll look into it...after the game has passed and the damage is done and it's too late to do anything'

Why can't they just do it by postcode or is that too difficult?

The argument appears to be that if it makes us money, increases noise levels or fills otherwise empty seats then it is worth doing. Slippery slope there

Those in favour where does it stop? I mean we often have 20,000 empty seats at Ewood thanks to Venkys and Waggott, so presumably they'd be happy if we handed away fans all the BBE and Riverside if possible, pocketed loads of money for no benefit to the club and condensed all the home fans into the JW stand. Happy days.

People often talk about potential job losses as a reason we need Venkys to keep funding us rather than risk administration. As though under vile Venkys and Waggott there haven't been any job losses over the last 12 years and as though self-inflicted relegation under them won't result in more. With the likes of Waggott penny pinching everywhere I'd take it as given that those employed at the club are essential roles and probably on as low a wage as we can find and get away with. Hence a setup not fit for purpose. Administration still means the club functions and essential tasks performed. Those here now would probably still be needed in administration.

And in the upcoming summer episode Carter is surplus to requirements / sulking because of a lack of game time and therefore we simply have to move him on and cash in on him How convenient! You heard it here first