JHRover

According to Waggott (I know, I know) there are around 1,000 people who held season tickets last year who haven't yet renewed for this year. I find that to be alarming and I would hope Waggott does too. Given we are only starting from a base of circa 8,000 season ticket holders to begin with, to face a situation where 13% of those are not renewing, despite a decent season last year and the new manager ''bounce'' suggests there is something very wrong. Of course some of that is natural drop off and will be replaced by new people which has been the case since the start of time, but I do think that is a high number / percentage, especially when you factor in that renewals got the cheaper 'loyalty' price - so I'm not sure how much of this can be put down to pricing alone.

Earlier this summer people were suggesting James Brown as a competent Championship RB who could fill in to replace Nyambe. He's just joined League Two newboys Stockport on loan. Best of luck to the lad but I think that brings things into perspective. What people think we might have available isn't all that.

Preston have not only sold considerably more than us, but in doing do have likely made more money (despite far lower prices), will certainly make more on food and drink on matchdays through having 5000 more a week on watching and will reap the benefits of having a 2/3 full ground every week and only 7000 empty seats rather than a 1/3 full ground and 20,000 empty seats. It doesn't look good for us on any level. If our higher prices were enabling us to rake in substantially higher income than them then there might be some justification for them. But I fail to see how that case can be made. Even if we have made slightly more money that has to be offset against the income from food and drink and benefits of having a full ground.

No, my clever plan would have to be honest and transparent with the fans and other stakeholders. Just say that it isn't resolved and couldn't be until he turned 17. Instead Waggott once again seized the opportunity before him to try and get some free credit in the bank by leading people on a merry dance believing that the situation was resolved. He got a big pat on the back from it and then surprise surprise it isn't sorted, far from it, and we stand to lose yet more money. He didn't say it was 'pretty much done' either. If you read the article it says a 3 year deal is agreed and clearly implies that the situation is done and dusted and that everyone should feel good about it. Nowhere have I said we could force him to sign a contract, and nowhere have I said we are immune to the threat of bigger clubs coming in and taking an interest. But then again patterns are emerging here that are impossible to ignore. Patterns which involve the CEO leading people to believe things are happening, or are going to happen, only for them not to. This corresponds to what I have been saying for months - that these people can talk the talk - promise the earth, tell us how great things are going to be at some point in the future, tell us how Player X is going to sign, how Venkys are going to provide money for players, how we are going to spend fortunes on a new training ground or new pitch. It's all jam tomorrow. Yet time after time people fall for it. Believe them. Then believe the sob stories and excuses that come with it when things don't happen. I fully expect this summer to go the same way. Lots of big talk for weeks on end about how recruitment is going to kick into gear, about how we are lining up good players rather than adopting a scattergun approach, about how money is going to be invested, how we've plenty of time to do this before the end of August. Hope I'm wrong but I've seen this before. It ends with excuses, bullshit, 'we've done our best', 'money was there but we couldn't spend it'. Hope and pray I am wrong because if I am not then the bottom 3 won't be far away this season. I know people like to think I enjoy being negative or pessimistic about things but I think that is an entirely reasonable and fair stance to take given the above examples.

I wouldn't have gone to the press and said or implied that the situation was resolved. I would have been honest and said it wasn't. Of course nobody can be forced to sign a contract. Though given the numbers who have declined them I think if you haven't already it is perhaps time to start questioning the approach of those offering them.

Which is precisely my point. Plenty of folk are keen to take Waggott's word for it, not just in this instance but in most other areas of concern. "We've done a,b,c" "We've offered x,y,z" "We've got big bids on the table for new players" "We've done all we can" "It's not our fault" Time after time stuff he comes out with then doesn't happen. I just don't get why people are so keen to believe the party line when he's got such a track record for bullshit or saying things that don't happen. Player after player depart for nothing, costing the club millions in lost player value, yet rather than question what the hell people like Waggott are up to instead it's easier to look away from the club - FFP rules, crowds, income - all the usual easy excuses. Responsibility starts at home. And lets be honest we are only talking about Ash Phillips now because of the lack of CBs we have following another exodus this summer. If we'd have recruited properly up to this point we wouldn't even be considering putting him in the squad.

You believe what you want. I know what he's up to. He'll tell anyone and everyone what they want to hear but in the end fails to back it up. September 2021 was around the time he was telling fans Lenihan was days off signing his new deal. Not a word that he comes out with can be relied upon. I hope it makes you feel better about things telling yourself it's never an issue at Rovers' end and always something else out of our control. Won't get us anywhere though.

Not tell the press and fans the situation is resolved?

So why tell the press in September it was in hand and sorted, if it wasn't?

https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/football-news/blackburn-rovers-phillips-contract-latest-21594468.amp Relax everyone, its all under control, Waggott said so.

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.