I wish people would stop lumping us in with all the other clubs in the land, as though our issues are just normal ones faced by well run sensible clubs at this time of year and there's nothing we can do about it, as though everything is sorted out at Rovers and the only issue is the general state of football I get that it is fashionable these days to avoid putting any blame at the door of the owners or those they employ but ultimately they have been in control of finances and contracts and they are the ones who have left the Club short on numbers on the cusp of a new season. Of course it is tough to do business. Simple way to avoid that if you are struggling to sign players - don't let 10 important ones leave overnight! Sort your contracts out in good time. Don't build a squad on loans (all things I've raised concerns with on here over the years which now leave us in this precarious state). So just to recap its absolutely nothing to do with Venkys, lackey or Waggott that we've lost 10 significant players over the summer, nothing to do with them that we have been dependent on loans every year to fill the squad up which means we have to wait until the deadline to sign key players, nothing to do with them that we've only signed 1 person this summer to replace them all.

Only at Venky Rovers could you go from being 2nd in January/February and in with a chance of promotion, and then in the following 5 months not even finish in the top 6, lose most of the players that were central to us getting into that position, sign 1 RB all summer long and now the discussion is about 'transition' or in old fashioned speak a season of struggle / mediocrity and forget about promotion before we've even started. Deliberate sabotage couldn't have turned things around so quickly as this.

Once again an insight there into Waggott's focus as well. All about BWD area and next to nothing about the surrounding regions where a huge proportion of Rovers fans now live. Ignore them at your peril. But why should Waggott care?

Then I hope we don't sign him. Absolutely ludicrous if we are offering anyone guaranteed places in the team, especially not a 17 year old.

JDT will be judged on results, which is how it should be. Not how he talks, who he signs or how many academy players he puts in his squad. Get off to a poor start and he's under pressure. No amount of excuses will protect him from that. Doesn't matter when he was appointed, FFP rules or how unfair life is, if results aren't good enough he will be judged accordingly. All this 'free pass' talk is ridiculous. This is professional football in a cut throat ruthless league and we are paying top end prices to watch it. Why the should I accept a season where results aren't important or is essentially written off from the start because we haven't got our recruitment sorted?

Stoke lost £50 million last year, are way over 100% on spending to turnover and have just signed Dwight Gayle. Derby weren't sanctioned for spending too much. They were sanctioned for inflating the value of Pride Park to try and dodge the rules. Then their owner gave up (we can dream) and cleared off.

A lack of evidence doesn't mean something isn't true. Just like there is no evidence to suggest Hibs couldn't afford his wages. Nobody bar JDT and those running Hibs know for certain. I have no evidence that the Venky lacky is to all intents and purposes running Rovers and has been for the last 7 years, but that doesn't mean he isn't as most of us can see between the lines

I don't agree that it is being negative to be concerned about these things. Of course the situation might well change over the coming weeks, of course it is difficult to get signings over the line, but neither of those things are going to be much use when we cross the line against QPR, Swansea etc. in the near future. At that point the only thing that will matter is how good the squad is, no amount of talking about how hard it is and what we are trying to do will help us then. As far as I am concerned I judge performance on results over the whole season, which starts on Saturday, not on results from September when we might have made changes. Right here right now is the most important thing and was the focus of my original post, not where we might be if certain things happen As I say, I'd like to be more confident, but I am struggling to be given the lack of action to date on signings.

And? Have they signed? Are they available for selection? I'm on about the reality of the situation and who is available to play for Rovers, not what might happen if things fall into place. We can try to sign whoever we want but if we can't get those deals done then we have to use what we have and hope. We don't get points or grace for trying to sign players but not doing. We might well get those players between now and September but the season starts in 4 days, not at the end of August. We could have an uphill struggle by the time people sign. Next news is we will be using the excuse of how hard it is to attract signings from a lowly position in the table.

I wish I could share the optimism but I really can't. I don't think anyone can seriously put a case forward that we are anything but weaker than we were last season. It's all well and good saying that the window isn't closed yet and that other clubs are also struggling to bring players in but I don't think many will have a lack of depth and experience to the extent we do, nor will many others have lost so many from last season. We are basically hoping that Tomasson turns out to be a good manager, at least better than Mowbray, and that the younger players can step up / we don't get many injuries. A dangerous and reckless way to approach a Championship season IMO but seems the majority are happy to gamble with it.

I've said before but I think it is a good thing that PNE and Bolton have both sold 13,000+ season tickets. Why? Because it destroys some of the myths that get circulated among the Rovers' support and corridors of power. Up to this point Waggott and co. and the legions of people who cannot contemplate criticising or questioning the official policy have been quite happy in their little world convincing themselves that sub-10,000 season tickets is natural, unavoidable, inevitable, impossible to better, and that anything higher is a private reserve for the big city boys or those who throw big money around. Thanks to our neighbours that myth has been annihilated. It shows once and for all not just how appalling Waggott & his team have performed in the last 3-4 years (somehow presiding over a decline in sales at a time when rivals are increasing) but also more generally how terrible our sales have been over the last decade - never getting past 11,000 even in the 'good old days' of Gary Bowyer. It goes to show that some semblance of a plan, joined up thinking and most importantly decent pricing can deliver much better than we've had and have been told is our lot in life. Yes it is embarrassing, but at least it is ammunition to store for those who go on about the 'small town' stuff and 'we can't compete' nonsense. Well we can but that needs to start at the top, Ideally new owners but failing that a CEO and board with an ounce of ambition or pride.

Yeah but "inflationary pressures" and FFP rules (says Waggott)

The relegated teams that have done well and bounced back tend to be those that have maintained consistency in their set up and squad. Norwich, Fulham, Bournemouth, Watford - all had relatively low turnovers in personnel Dingles have almost built an entire new team and with 6 weeks left to go I'd be surprised if they didn't lose a few more. That sort of turnover requires time to settle and adapt. Takes some doing to craft it into a promotion ready team in one pre-season. If they'd have kept Dyche and their squad from the start of last season I'd expect them to be there or thereabouts on automatic promotion. I'm less sure of that now. In their favour is the general weak state of the Championship. Aside from the other two relegated clubs and perhaps WBA/Sheff U/Middlesbrough there's really nothing there in this league. Even sides like Huddersfield and Luton who were top 6 last season I'd be very surprised to see in there again this.

I hope things have changed but I am worried that the window is likely to go the same way as previous years. Lots of big talk and links to 'big' name players but then pipped to it by others, and we end up resorting to the last minute loan market as the easier option. After we signed Brittain the local media were obviously tipped off that several more were imminent and led Sharpe to boldly announce things were hotting up and moving on transfers. 5 days on and it sounds like the annual Liverpool loan is on hold and Styles is likely to join Besiktas. Don't get points or prizes for missing out.

I'm optimistic about the signing. I can't really comment on whether it is value for money as only time will tell, but I am relieved/satisfied that we have invested in a permanent signing rather than turning to loans. I won't get back onto the Nyambe discussion but it is a signing we have had to make because of our negligence on Nyambe so to answer your question yes I am pleased with the signing, yes I am pleased we have paid a fee and given him a 4 year deal, but it wouldn't have been needed had we sorted our shit out over the last few years. But I wasn't talking about the Brittain signing, I was talking about further signings, which are urgently needed, and Tomasson's comments yesterday about there being money available. The point I was making was that most managers and staff under Venkys have said money is available, but actually spending it is where things don't always come together. For example you could have £30 million to spend, but if you are adhering to a strict wage bill suggestive of a bottom end Championship club you might as well not bother, as you won't be able to put it to much use.

If we actually spend it I'll be happy. Lost count of the number of times someone employed by Rovers has said there is money but then little if any gets spent. Think it is a contractual requirement

https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/blackburn-rovers-transfer-stance-brittain-24570860 'The Venkys' claxon Deary me

Burnley is a false figure in many ways just like their finances, propped up by their PL days. Give it a couple of years of missing out and both will collapse. We need to be more worried about being so far behind PNE and Bolton, and neck and neck with Blackpool. No excuses for that and suggests big problems. But hey Steve's a nice bloke and thinks sales have been good so why would I cast doubt on that?

Risky business only going after League One players. They need to be good enough for the Championship otherwise we become another Peterborough, Barnsley or Rotherham.

I find it strange. 2 weeks ago I was reading all about how we can't really blame Lenihan for ditching us and moving to a Championship rival - Middlesbrough - because they are more likely to be in with a shot at promotion and he's thinking about his best career move etc. etc. Now rumours come along the same club are interested in Gallagher and people would entertain selling him, now, 1 week before the season despite our threadbare squad being down to the bare bones with what 8-9 departures and 1 arrival this summer. Doesn't that tell us something - if a rival supposedly in with a better chance of promotion wants one of our players it might not be the best idea right now to sell him to them. For all the talk over the last few days and 'excitement' on names LINKED with us reality is we've signed one. Work to do and quickly. We won't get points for trying and missing out.

Well yes that partly, but I was referring more to: “Achieving excellence in player trading is vital in our aim of establishing Blackburn Rovers as an aspiring and ambitious club, and Gus will be key in helping us to develop this area. “When we sat down to look at what we wanted from this role we targeted three criteria: · A proven track record of working within elite performance recruitment and scouting of players; · Excellence in creating structure and running processes; · Outstanding people skills with the ability to build relationships. “Gus has a track record of excelling in all three areas. During his 22 years working with the Welsh FA, he has played a big part in their journey, rising over 100 places in the FIFA rankings and now qualifying for the 2022 World Cup for the first time since 1958, with a squad of whom 90% have graduated through their talent identification programme. “More importantly, his values and emotional intelligence will allow him to develop the key part of any recruitment programme – relationships" I know it's easy to say but it just looks impressive and suggests we have people who know what they are doing

The most impressive element of this is the comments of Broughton on the website . A welcome sign of professionalism at the club. Of course as I keep on saying words mean little if not backed up with anything but I really like to see him explaining the logic behind the appointment and yesterday's signing. At the very least it looks like we are doing things properly.

Ah right I'm with you now. So I can only form a negative view of someone if I myself have done the exact same job as him and I have sat across a table and had a brew and chat with him? I actually rely on my own research, eyes and ears, experience in the world and most importantly track record in the job to form a view rather than simply listening to what he has to say and believing it verbatim as the reality of things.

It only dispels anything if you take Waggott's word for it. The problem I have is that frequently he has said things are happening or going to happen and they haven't. So I can't take Waggott's word for it.

Fair play to those who have gone to the effort of meeting with him and then reporting back on here as to the outcome. Personally I don't believe a word he comes out with. People like Waggott get into the jobs they are in through an ability to talk a good game. There's a lot of them in football and its half the reason they get employed in the first place by owners with no interest in doing the dirty work but keen to keep people quiet so they pay people big money to provide a facade for them. I'm focused on what actually happens. I think his policies and performance range from mediocre at best to self-destructive at worst and have caused significant damage in some places like season ticket sales. I can't imagine any situation whereby he would meet with fans and admit that it was Mowbray who got him the job, or admit the owners are cutting back, or admit there are major structural problems at the Club. If he did any of those things he'd be out of a job quickly.