Mark Robins seems to have managed alright under SISU

To be completely honest if we go back to 2017 I would happily have taken Warburton, Pearson, Rowett, Davies, Hasselbaink over Mowbray, and possibly also Adkins, Freedman and McLeish. All of them were in a better place cv wise than Mowbray who had just left Coventry in ruins and had been in the running for 4th division Chesterfield job (and missed out on it for Gary Caldwell) That is the benefit Mowbray has had from us. There's nothing to say any of those other names couldnt' have done just what he has given 5 years, the squad he inherited and healthy backing. Of course over the passage of time most of that lot have taken jobs and failed at them or have been out of work meaning their CVs have taken a hammering, whilst Mowbray's has been rehabilitated because he's signed up for and put up with Venkys.

I think Mowbray is playing the Venky game here. Quite obvious he and others have been kept in the dark by India for some time. Quite obvious what happens if he doesn't renew his contract very soon. Goes without saying that unless they do something at their end he's not going to be here. All the rest of the talk is just pointless. The assumption would be that they are fed up with him, planning on a change and have held talks with alternatives, because that is what responsible club owners would do. But here it is more likely, on balance, that India don't have any such plan, that they aren't remotely interested in Mowbray's contract situation and will only deal with such things at a time that suits them. So I imagine the latest performance from Mowbray is just a public reminder to the owners that unless they move to get this sorted then inevitably he will be off and they will have to find someone else to do it. If I was betting on this I'd expect a couple of weeks of silence after the Birmingham game with Mowbray going on holiday and then at some stage after that, once they've blown any window of opportunity to get a decent new manager in, that Mowbray is announced signing a new deal to stay on, some sort of 'statement' from the owners and maybe even a half decent transfer kitty in an effort to persuade him to stay.

One thing the 'local' media are good at doing is putting the dampener on expectations and hopes of ambition. Why? Well that's the easy part - poo poo suggestions and possibilities, particularly those that are likely to be bold, ambitious, expensive ones, but at the same time leave it open ended with 'not currently' 'expected' etc. to allow for backtracking or to cover if by some chance it does happen. Hardly need a textbook on Rovers' recent history to predict that a decent manager won't come here because they usually don't. Quite an accomplishment here to smash expectations to smithereens so much that an unemployed bloke recently sacked after a horror run at Norwich is seen as unattainable. Reality is if we got our act together and sorted ourselves out this is probably the best club and level he is going to get. Of course the local media won't come with any actual news or information because they don't have any and actually putting something out there is the hard part.

Our problem isn't and has never been whether decent managers would come here. Our problem is the owners and management who can quite easily cock up any situation and I expect will do so again here. Decent options will be ignored or overlooked due to incompetence and corner cutting. As for that article on Farke it tells us absolutely nothing. No sources, no quotes, 'understood', 'impossible to rule out'. Meaningless stuff but at least it gets clicks and subscribers.

Personally I wouldn't go near Hughes unless he brought with him Bowen and Neidzwicki who are now at Wimbledon. He'd be better than many of the names linked but I think his best days are behind him.

No, but I'd draw the line at having the p1ss taken out of me whilst expecting me to pay top end prices for the privilege. I think we can safely say that is the case here and there's much more to this than merely picking a manager that might not be everyone's choice

Yep. I don't see certainty or clarity. I see a bloke who deep down would want to stay but there has clearly been some sort of break down in communications or relations and together with his contract situation he has no choice. I'm bracing myself for a new contract. I think after his relative tantrum announcing he's off that word will have got back to India and they'll offer him cash to stay. There are only two potential positives to this. One is if it avoids Woodgate, Adkins, Johnson or Venus then its better the devil you know. The other is it might force them to cough up a reasonable budget to help him rebuild the squad. Shame I won't be there to see it.

Surprising efficiency here for a club that is usually last minute on these things. Decent looking fixture nonetheless

Suppose we'll just have to wait until Sunday for the latest 'update' from Nixon. Sunday = Rovers rumour day. Coincidentally that is the day his stuff appears in The Sun and we all need to click on their website or buy a copy to see what he has to say. Nothing happens between Monday and Saturday but then we all need to queue up and buy The Sun to read his latest theories.

I am fascinated by Rich Sharpe's references to Woodgate in his article. I find it bizarre that he would go out of his way to make specific reference to Woodgate, dedicating far more space in his article to him than others of far greater calibre such as Farke. He admits that he is at long odds and that he doesnt even know if Woodgate would be interested, but that he looks better value than those at shorter odds. Why? Where has this come from? Someone must have dropped his name in as a contender for Sharpe to publish this. Sharpe does not do this unless someone has primed him for it.

Maybe the meeting was Mowbray telling Waggott what needs to go in his interview and long awaited press release, asking him what he is and isn't allowed to say ahead of his eventual sit down with Rich Sharpe. Maybe Waggott is waiting for direction and instructions from the lowly manager to tell him what needs to happen next.

I'd rather keep Mowbray or have the return of Bowyer or Lambert than Woodgate or similar. At least the above have shown they can keep our heads above water as a minimum which Woodgate wouldn't do.

I'll believe it when I see pen to paper and an announcement. Until then I'll take these stories with a large pinch of salt, as it wouldn't surprise me if this is just a bone thrown to the supporters who want to know what the hell is happening and it is season ticket renewal time.

Since the only people running the club for the last 5 years were Middlesbrough based Mowbray and his mates and a clueless biscuit salesman who thought Owen Coyle was a better option than Neil Warnock.

Rich Sharpe won't nail his colours to a mast or give the nod to a name unless it is one he has heard or has been primed for. The fact that there are the Boro connections to go with it screams a Venky appointment.

Woodgate is one that would tick several boxes. The usual ones being available, cheap, keen to get back into it and would be grateful for a chance at the job. There will also be some baseless assumption that he would 'work with' 'young' players which they seem obsessed with. Then there's the Teesside Middlesbrough connection - would lead me to conclude Mowbray had recommended him or pushed for him. Would work with those already here including Venus no doubt. Presumably Middlesbrough fan Honeyman is also a big fan of his? No matter that he's as dull as dishwater and failed miserably at Middlesbrough before Warnock came in and did a rescue act. Who cares about little things like that?

A while ago I suggested that the reason Lenihan, Rothwell and Nyambe were leaving was because the Club and owners had done nothing to keep them. That the situation had been allowed to drift by silent owners and that whatever offers were put to them, if any, were derisory. I was shot down for that suggestion, accused of creating conspiracy theories and that because Mowbray and Waggott had said that 'improved' offers had been made to these players that we should believe them and that it was actually money motivated players and their agents that were the only issues here. And now we see our manager publicly admitting that he has had absolutely no communication from the owners or their representative on his future, his contract and that he hasn't spoken properly to the owners for a long time, save for a 'best of luck' message from Balaji recently. I'm afraid Mowbray's comments this week, and the continuing silence from the Club, only support my 'conspiracy theory' that the owners have turned the phone and taps off and have left the club to drift over the last couple of seasons. That is the reason key players are out of contract and our manager seems to be off, not because they've told him this or they want to make a change, but because it is just silence.

The club has had plenty of national credit for its steps in 'integration' with things such as the Eid on the pitch the other day. Waggott found time in his busy schedule to turn up for that, meet everyone and give interviews and his thoughts on how great it was and how we are the first Club to do such a thing. Well done, pats on the back. Yet he's stayed absolutely silent for months on the far greater issue of the Club's future direction and management situation, even leaving Mowbray to deal with those questions himself between the Preston and Bournemouth games. It is completely unacceptable. He is the CEO of the Football Club. It is his job to provide answers to important questions, clarity as to what is happening and show leadership. He has certainly failed on those fronts. Good work has been done but this pales into insignificance when unwilling or unable to do the most important things. Time to resign.

And if we look into League One it is a similar story. Rotherham, Sheff Wed and Wycombe went down last year = in the top 6 this. Wigan big spenders and were in the Championship recently. Sunderland big spenders and in the Championship recently. Once upon a time you'd get a few small clubs coming through - when we were in League One Shrewsbury and Scunthorpe mounted an automatic promotion push.

Looking forward to hearing Waggott's side of the story, not that I believe a word he says. But until then whilst the silence continues I'll maintain he and the Club he 'directs' have behaved disgracefully so far.

The ball is in their court. I'm in no rush to renew and will happily pay £30 more if it means waiting to see who turns up. I'm past the point of this nonsense. I almost didn't renew last year. Covid has taught me I can do other things if needed.

Mark Robins has signed a new deal at Coventry. So there's the only remotely decent HSH option off the list, not that he was ever going to leave a secure job there to come here.

Completely agree with this. He's their man. He was one of the small number of names that got mentioned in February 2017 before Mowbray turned up here. There is clearly a policy here of employing managers who have a PL promotion on their CV - Lambert, Coyle, Warnock (almost), Mowbray Most importantly Adkins would do the job how they want it - he would work with Lowe and Benson and limit his coaching demands to being able to appoint his old mate Crosby (similar to Mowbray with Venus). He has that uber positive attitude and mentality which borders on nonsensical at times but would go down well in the Pune bungalow in the annual summit meeting.

Lambert's departure was announced well before the end of the season finale. So much so that at Rotherham for his final game many fans were singing "Paul Lambert, We want you to stay". Infact just about any reasonable, professional, competent Club would by now have released some form of statement about the manager's future rather than leaving him to deal with it and the media alone. The coward Waggott can hide away and hope this all blows over but I know what he is - masquerading as a CEO when he probably can't even order a bag of grass seed without Indian approval.