JHRover

Whilst i certainly wouldn't be opposed to the 'loan to buy' route if the player in question is of good quality, it does leave me wondering when we will just 'buy'. Sooner or later we need to invest real money into players on real contracts with us, not kicking the can down the road for another 12 months as quite soon we will end up with no assets left.

I see the latest game is to profile a former player / club legend as "one of our own" and then offer supporters the chance to be the same by buying an expensive season ticket. Clueless

You're probably right on this point. There is more to it than just offering a lower price and assuming thousands more decide to buy. The attitude at Rovers seems to be that people will come and get one if they want one. Next to no proactivity. Printing off a price list and posting it out to all existing season ticket holders is really schoolboy stuff. Preston have sold their highest amount in 50 years, this during an economic mess, off the back of a pandemic and following a mediocre season where they floated around the bottom half. Yet they've come up with pricing that people like, have made a managerial appointment people like and have promoted it properly - I've heard of people out in Garstang and Clitheroe putting flyers through doors advertising tickets. Have Rovers done similar? No they haven't. For the second time in 5 years we've been sat in a glorious position in February with a promotion push to look forward to in the run in. People respond to these sort of things. Yet on neither of those occasions have we so much as announced season ticket prices until after the end of the season. That is madness. The one thing drifting support will respond to more than anything is a promotion push and winning games, we've had that in the palms of our hands and done nothing to capitalise on it. Season tickets should have been on sale and pushed relentlessly to the 5000+ matchday buyers turning up at Ewood in the second half of last season. Get them signed up whilst the going is good and the feeling is positive. Give them 20% early bird discount to buy before the end of April (or something along those lines) to give them a genuine reason to get in there quickly and hand over their money.

Preston aren't in the 3rd division, nor Wigan. So how are they doing it without billionaires behind them picking up a large part of the tab? They even do it whilst keeping their ground tidy and their pitch in working order.

I'm confused. It doesn't seem like 5 minutes ago we were being told that if it wasn't for the great and benevolent Venkys that we'd certainly go the same way as Blackpool, Wigan and Bolton. Are we still on that and how come all that lot can charge so much less without those great owners?

We have billionaire owners, lose almost £20 million a year, have recently sold a striker for £15 million and will probably do so again this summer, Preston don't have any of the above, yet have been able to offer prices much lower than us and put our sales to shame, all whilst losing less per year and performing just as well in the league, and also investing in facilities which have been neglected here. 13,000 sales at £250 brings in more money than 8,000 at £400. So looks like there's a good chance that despite these prices PNE will have brought in more cash for FFP calculations and that's before the benefit on atmosphere and income from food and drink. Rivals show it can be done, which defeats the convenient narrative established here over the last few years under FFP and parachute excuses are being shown up as false. It can be done, we just don't want to.

This club could and should be getting 13,000+ Bolton and Preston have proven that and I am grateful to them. It destroys certain myths spread around the Rovers support base. Falling just short of that - maybe back to 11,000 or so - might be acceptable but to be 6,000 short of that is unacceptable.

You learn a lot about a club by the effort put into things such as its matchday programme. The small things that separate the clubs that try and those that don't. Of course selling programmes is not, in this day and age, a source of income. That doesn't mean you just do away with it. Some clubs treat matchday programmes as an opportunity to engage with their support, keep people in the loop, paint a positive picture of the club to dignitaries and visiting supporters, and another route to advertising for sponsors. Others treat it as just another burden, unwanted hassle and as it doesn't make any money it is far easier just to do away with it. Of course there is another approach - just as there is another approach to season tickets, merchandise, closing stands at Ewood, closing the club shop in the town, having a woeful offering of matchday food and drink etc - yet sadly no such effort to be found at Ewood and easier just to shrug shoulders and get rid.

The wages these people will be on will be much less than those who have departed. Brown coming in from Ireland will be on very low costs, likewise Hedges coming down from Aberdeen. TK and Trav deserved pay rises and new deals but I expect both are on considerably less even now than we were paying out on people like Holtby and Mulgrew not long ago.

All apart from maybe Smallwood and Leutwiler were under contract this time last year (Williams slightly earlier with his move to America) When we look at who has come in since then on permanent terms - Edun, Pickering, not many others, the wage bill must be a fraction of what it was recently. I suppose the question is that having allowed wages to get to that point under Mowbray, and allegedly only being forced into cuts due to Covid and FFP, whether they turn the taps back on under the new regime. They can if they want.

Let's remind ourselves of the wage bill at this Club at the end of the 2020/21 season. Compare to what that wage bill will be in 2 weeks time. Wages off the books: Lenihan, Nyambe, Rothwell, Johnson, Davenport, Chapman, Williams, Bell, Mulgrew, Bennett, Evans, Holtby, Armstrong, Downing, Smallwood, Leutwiler Add to that the cash received for Armstrong and probably coming for Brereton. The budget has not only been cut, it has been demolished. The fact that in doing so we actually had a better season last year is impressive. But the point is that there should be plenty of space in there for some good signings. The issue shouldn't be 'can we' rather its 'will Venkys allow it'.

Based on the theory that keeping previous coaching staff on as we have with Lowe and Benson is necessary or good because they know the players and club then they will have jobs for life and will never be asked to leave. In the real world of football that doesn't happen.

Wilder is no mug and him, Middlesbrough and Lenihan will come out of this situation better than Rovers. It is easy to get distracted in the excitement of JDT and Broughton's arrivals and big talk but losing players of Lenihan's value and importance, on a free transfer, to a Club of the level of Middlesbrough really is a slap in the face however you want to dress it up.

Don't think a voucher scheme would be too popular either. I know I'd be pretty annoyed if I'd forked out for a ticket during the 'loyalty' period only for the club to cut prices and then only offer me a voucher for the Club shop whilst later buyers got a ticket for less and weren't tied into vouchers. A £20-30 voucher isn't much use to me when the replica kits and training gear prices start from £40 odd for a t-shirt. I think the ONLY way they could get away with a voucher scheme would be a cast iron promise that those who paid the higher price would get the difference knocked off next years season ticket. Then that is like for like. But there's no way Rovers would offer such a thing. What a complete balls up this has been.

They've sold 13,000 season tickets. So I'd expect maybe the southern clubs with a few hundred away fans would still put them close to 15,000

I also think there is zero chance of a price cut or refund / money off scheme for next season. I think Waggott would need to get approval from India for such a scheme which would involve him admitting he's made a mess of things Better to keep quiet. Maybe offer another cash prize if we hit a particular milestone.

I'd be embarrassed and alarmed by the fact that Burnley, Preston and Bolton have all sold almost double numbers to us. Dress it up however you like but that fact is the most alarming, embarrassing and clear evidence our pricing and policy has failed. You'll get those pointing to the fact that Burnley are just coming down from the PL which inevitably will inflate their numbers but there's simply no excuse when it comes to PNE and Bolton. None. Neither of those Clubs has the benefit of kind, generous, billionaire owners restrained only by FFP either. I can see us limping to about 8500 season tickets. This will be dressed up as a success based on it being a slight increase on last year, Waggott will pat himself on the back and on it goes. Our crowds hover around the 10,000 mark whilst the rivals get 15,000+.

Also in the Riverside quite a few seats are classed as unavailable because they are right next to or behind the supporting pillars.

Good work. Better than I expected but still well short of where we need to be.

There are 5-6 uber positive people on twitter and social media like the one above who would vociferously back the Club even if we announced we were demolishing Ewood and groundsharing with Burnley from next season. Its almost like an illness, like they think it is a sign of weakness or failure to do or say anything that isn't 100% firm support of everything the Club says or does. The statement that the "owners have delivered an unbelievable change in direction of the club" is correct, but not in the way he alludes to. These owners have done little but damage this Club since their arrival. The less than £3 a week thing is another typical crafty statement aimed to minimise the high prices of Rovers and gap to rivals. Its like those who support the TV licence continuing often trot out that it is only the cost of a cup of coffee or whatever each week. End of the day it isn't because it is a one off substantial payment and a p1ss take so you can dress it up however you like it doesn't change it being unpopular. There's nothing wrong at all with moaning about the price of tickets. Infact it is only through that moaning and inability/unwillingness of people to pay these prices that the penny might eventually drop in Waggott's office of the damage he is doing. If the same number happily turned up and paid these prices then he'd just put another 20% on next summer to push it another step further. Waggott doesn't get this Club, fanbase or town despite 4.5 years of working here, and clearly has no intention of consulting with fans before setting prices. So its time the fans sent him a message he can't hide from. The only language he will understand is plummeting sales.

Its the fault of the media. Tomasson had a short and ill-fated spell at Newcastle, but other than that has had no involvement in English football. As a result he is treated as an unknown or 'flop'. They ignore his stellar career with Denmark, Feyenoord, Milan, and as a manager with Malmo. Meanwhile Kompany is much more recent and well known from his playing days as he was a popular player with City. Even though there's an argument Tomasson's trophy haul is just as impressive if not more with European honours on there. But it is much easier for the Sky numpties to promote Kompany.

My biggest concern is that the money people in India have either turned off the taps completely or down to a trickle, and it is because of this 'hand washing' that someone lower down the chain - Pasha probably - has the freedom to implement his own 'vision' for the club which we are seeing now. This can be good and bad. On the good side hopefully it will mean a more conventional setup with proper people running things but on the bad side it is likely to be an extremely limited budget - I just cannot see India throwing money at this without the manager persuading Desai to go with it. The transfer and contract activity of the last 18-24 months would suggest taps are off. Couple with the fact that Mowbray was shunned and left to run his contract down with no communication from India and that we did next to nothing in January to try and keep hold of our top 2 position all points to one thing to me - that the real power brokers here have gone dormant and aren't putting the extra money in. Time will tell I suppose. Ideally this new structure is the result of joined up thinking and a new phase with India backing those on the ground to get the job done but I've been burned with this before so will hold my horses on that.

I expect Middlesbrough and West Brom to be top 6 certs. With a full pre season and some good transfer business Wilder and Bruce will have their sides in contention. You'd expect at least one of Watford or Norwich with their squads to be in there too. Not sure Dean Smith is all he's made out to be (both Brentford and Villa improved after he left) and I think Norwich might struggle to hit the heights of Farke's time. Dingles will hopefully struggle but I suspect they will 'go for it' relatively speaking in the hope/need to get back up quickly. We need to hope they don't whilst their parachute cash dries up and then they will be stuffed. My dark horse tip is Sunderland. Think with promotion, some decent business, a decent manager and large support behind them they might be up there. Think we are in that category where if it all comes together we could be a surprise package but we could just as easily be in serious relegation trouble. I don't want to dampen the mood after a refreshing introduction with JDT but there's a lot to be done and a lot of unknowns at this point. Birmingham a disaster waiting to happen if Bazini takes over but I can't see that going through. Tips to struggle - Reading under Ince, possibly Blackpool, Rotherham, Wigan, Cardiff Us, QPR, Hull are in that unknown category with relatively new coaches and likely big changes to playing staff.

I'll be surprised and almost impressed if that is the case as if so we should at least surpass last season's efforts with time left to run and some optimism around the new manager appointment. Still a little over half of what Dingles, PNE and Bolton have sold mind

At least Tomasson has shown after walking out on Malmo after 2 successful years that he isn't afraid of moving on if the circumstances require it or he wants to try something different. Quite different to the situation with his predecessors who would hang on to the Rovers job until the bitter end knowing it wasn't ever going to get any better for them, In years gone by Tomasson would by now have arrived back from India after 2 weeks in Pune talking to Mr and Mrs Desai. On the positive side of things that would likely mean he came back with a healthy kitty and renewed optimism but on the flip side would have wasted time whilst also making the manager effectively unsackable and indispensible due to his direct link to the owners. This time around there is an air of more professionalism - no need to fly to India and an actual Director of Football welcoming him to Brockhall to get stuck into the task and as much as I am unimpressed by the lingering Lowe and Benson at least we have a well stocked support staff down there now. If India has finally put something in place whereby Waggott, Pasha or Broughton can operate with some sort of freedom and a proper budget we might be in business. But I'm afraid if they are making the Club wash its own face and operate within extreme limits it is unlikely to work.