Already we are behind in the queue, unless we've actually already got someone lined up which I think is very unlikely. QPR have now made a decision and an announcement and it seems likely they will now be scouring the market, interviewing people and testing the water. Options like Farke will be getting spoken to and be coming off the market. All good for the 'who will manage us' brigade who will presumably use Venky ineptitude as a reason why we should continue as we are.

In theory of course we should be in a brilliant position this summer, even if we miss out - Stable ownership situation with people who pick up the tab every year of 8 figure losses - Wage bill slashed right back last summer with more to come this - FFP compliant having sold assets - Established the Championship, look like narrowly missing the play-offs - 'Billionaire' owners who are keen to invest, prevented from doing so only be the FFP cycle which apparently re-sets - Brilliant squad of young players that Mowbray has waxed lyrical about this season - Productive academy. Not many clubs in this league who has all the above and doesn't have to cut costs, sell players, wait for things to happen, adjust to a new division, deadwood to get rid of etc. The be all and end all of our summer should be to recruit a better management team and then give them backing in the transfer market. Even that should be straightforward having been aware of Mowbray's contract situation for months and having had plenty of time to line things up if he's leaving. Then I woke up.

So hopefully a crowd that beats Burnley's highest of the season. Another one for my notebook.

All good suggestions although I know very little of Knutsen. Carvalhal is being linked with Reading and is said to be keen on returning to England, which if true we should be all over. Farke, Bilic, Jokanovic and Dyche would be expensive but attainable if the deal was right.

The rumours about WBA and Stoke are likely to be baseless, but even if they are true the situation doesn't change. Sooner or later, whether it be now, Xmas or next summer, Mowbray will leave this club for one reason or another. As it stands it looks like that is going to be because our loony owners are in hibernation mode and aren't doing anything about their Club, so off he goes. But it could just as easily be that Mowbray opts to retire or that some other club offers him a better deal and then we are in the same position - we still need Venkys or one of the other incompetents at Ewood to select a new manager. Got to cross that bridge sooner or later, lets just hope that the start of the summer is the best time rather than mid-season.

This changes nothing on my prediction. I still think they will let him stay if he wants to, the question will be how long it takes Venkys to awaken from their hibernation and do anything.

Again I read Mowbray's interview and it is all about him and his family life/balance, talking about hardly seeing his son for the last 5 years etc. This is where I get annoyed with him. I'd have some sympathy if he just left it at admitting there had been no discussions and as such he was being let go, but instead he seems to project a belief that he's been here doing us a favour for the last 5 years or that managing our club has been a chore that he really doesn't need. If it is such an issue for him he could have walked away at any stage with his held held high. Facts of the matter are he's had a good run at it, rebuilt his managerial reputation and been very well paid. Interesting he mentions a 5 year plan coming to an end. Not sure who else aside maybe Guardiola, Klopp or Ten Hag would be handed such a long term 'project' and be left to get on with it.

Oh I agree, if this was being handled properly then there would be an official announcement this week and a cheery send off on Saturday. But who, outside of India, is willing and able to communicate with fans on an issue as significant as the manager's future? Does anyone have the authority to say anything even if they wanted to?

What management team? There's only 'Mr Waggott' and he's as much in the dark as Mowbray, and I expect won't be too happy if Mowbray is leaving.

We don't know whether there is a problem or not. It might all be about nothing, or there may be something to it. I'd have thought in a multi-million pound competition with so much resting on it the authorities would want to remove any chance of an issue, and at least try to appear to want to maintain some integrity. Its not as though he's the only qualified option to do the job, is it? What's harder, simply dropping him or moving him to an unrelated fixture, or having to face extreme pressure/scrutiny and risk accusations of dodgy business undermining the competition?

It is the responsibility of the footballing authorities to at least try to maintain an image of fairness and integrity for the sake of the competition, even if Keith Stroud isn't at all influenced by his Bournemouth connections or alleged Luton support in games, the fact that there are those connections means there can be allegations of it and this can undermine confidence. The fact that they have allocated him this fixture at such a pivotal stage of the season suggests they either don't care even about appearing to be fair or they don't even look at such things when determining who is reffing which games. There are many. many, many referees in England who could do this fixture none of whom would attract the allegations and concern Stroud will. So why run the risk by giving it to him?

I think Lenihan will end up at somewhere like Middlesbrough, Sheff United or West Brom Wilder is an admirer and tried to sign him for Sheff United previously. He also tends to focus on British/Irish players so expect Lenihan on a free to feature highly on his list. Sheff United will need freshening up with some slightly younger players and will be able to offer him a wage rise. Likewise Bruce will be rebuilding WBA on a limited budget so ideal for them. I would be surprised if Bournemouth were still interested in Rothwell if they are promoted. If not then expect him to go there, assuming Parker is still manager, but if they go up I would expect them to have bigger fish to fry.

I think we will do well if we get to 20,000. The BBE lower might sell out - so there's 5,000 At present a few hundred at most in the lower DE 1900 Bournemouth if they sell their remaining tickets. Riverside looks about half full at the moment, so say 2,500 at a push That's about 9,500. Meaning the JW would have to sell out completely to get past 20000. Looking at the planner still plenty available in the upper tier.

I'm very disappointed that the Club decided to play the u23 match vs Palace on Monday night at Ewood despite a direct clash with the first team at Preston. I would have hoped the Club wanted as many Rovers fans as possible to attend and support the u23s which is unlikely to happen when we are playing in a local derby just up the road at the same time. As a consolation I hoped that the Club would have filmed the match or at least a decent package of highlights to enable people to watch afterwards but it seems even that is beyond our capabilities.

I can't be bothered but imagine if you tot up the number of Championship appearances under the belts of our key players and compare to appearances at this level of players starring for Luton and Huddersfield there will be a different picture.

Forest's average age over the season is about a year more than ours. If anyone tries to suggest that 1 year more on average age is the reason they are above us and going for automatic whilst we've probably blown even the play-offs since February I'll laugh at them. The reason they are above us is because they are better managed and invested in key positions at a key time.

This is where our Premier League designed stadium comes back to bite us. Because with a capacity of 30,000 to fill even if they fly off the shelves and we get up towards 20,000 or even above that the ground will still be only 2/3 full. For it to feel packed we would need to be getting over 25,000 which just won't happen. Compare to say the dingles or PNE who have grounds holding 22,000 ish. They only need to shift 15,000 or so home tickets and with a reasonable away following the ground is full or close to full. If our ground held 25,000 it would effectively mean losing the upper tiers of the BBE and DE. We could put away fans in the DE lower and at the current rate of sales the place would be heaving and the atmosphere brilliant. But with the Bournemouth lot upstairs and home fans rattling around the DE lower, plus a closed BBE upper it will still feel quite empty. The other side of course is that if we did get back to the PL we have ample space to accommodate all and try to grow our fanbase by offering cheap tickets to all and large away followings to cash in on. So too big for our current level but great if we go up.

We knew this was coming - back to our best, commitment and energy across the pitch, neat passing, goals. I'm surprised it came tonight and expected it either against Bournemouth or Birmingham but we know from experience Mowbray can drag that out just as the pressure is mounting even from his staunch supporters. Delighted with it and I will never complain at a hammering of a local rival especially after recent form and their decent record at Deepdale. But I find myself walking away from Deepdale with 'what if?' at the forefront of my mind. What if we'd have turned up like that at Peterborough, Coventry, Reading or at home v Stoke, Blackpool or Bristol City. We'd be ready for the play-offs already. But we knew that just as it was about to become mathematically impossible the tide would turn. Who knows what he'll have in store for us on Saturday. It could be a turning point and we miss out on the top 6 by a whisker or it could be straight back down to earth in typical Mowbray fashion. Anyhow I'll save my comments on the manager for a later day. One swallow doesn't make a summer for me and I'm possibly even more frustrated tonight having shown everyone what we can do if set up and approaching things correctly.

If Mowbray had anythiing about him a defeat tonight he would either resign or announce he is definitely leaving at the end of the season. The play-offs will be gone and that will be the end. We might yet accomplish a bottom half finish, which is laughable. The fact that he probably won't do either, along with the drivel appearing in the local media, tells me that he is waiting for news from India and a new offer, that he wants this and is lining his ducks up in a row for it to happen.

Ludicrous isn't it. Sometimes people suggest I'm being overly critical in my comments about Rovers and that really everything is in hand and ticking over ok down there. Then we see the above and it is quite clear there is no plan or strategy, they're just making it up on a whim to suit their agenda. Again it seems those who pay up front or who show the commitment actually end up worse off.

I'm convinced this is 'evidence' gathering by Mowbray and Waggott ahead of a hoped India summit after the season. They will be compiling a dossier of evidence to present to the owners as to why their little party should be given more time and what better than a few senior players coming out and speaking in your favour. Throw in the young team nonsense and hard luck stories about budgets and the job's a good one. Then Waggott will be hoping for a bumper crowd at £10 a ticket on Saturday and some reasonable season ticket sales before the end of May and they will present a picture of all is in hand and well at the club. Why make changes?

All staged this. No player is going to publicly criticise their manager, especially not if there is personal respect there. Operation get Tony a new deal is ramping up a gear.

Oh he's lost the dressing room, there's no doubt about that. 99 times in 100 in football that is game over for a manager. It is irreparable and the manager has to go because it is the only realistic solution. But then I remind myself of the shenanigans of the Kean days and who we have owning us and sat in the directors box at Ewood and think they would rather keep Mowbray and their cushy numbers going than risk change. So it is perfectly reasonable to expect him to send the players off on their holidays and then in the summer dismantle the squad by offloading any personalities in the dressing room hostile towards him. Half the job is already done with the number we have out of contract/loan. Won't take a lot of work to get rid of 2-3 more and then bring in a raft of new players who will be subservient to him.

The longer it goes on the more I believe he's keen to stay but at this stage hasn't had an offer. That isn't because the owners want him gone and are looking elsewhere, just that the owners don't give a stuff and will only deal with things when it suits them. If he was leaving then he could announce it now. The atmosphere around the place would improve if he announced it and he'd get a warm reception at the Bournemouth game. The fact he hasn't made any announcement speaks volumes. Also talking about young teams, about how good Markandy will be when fit, about Gallagher being the next Brereton - all points to another cycle. I don't think I can be part of his 'journey to nowhere'.

So another round of Tony press conference bingo. Full house: not his fault or responsibility, it is what it is, young team (it isn't) and the reason they've fallen away is due to inexperience rather than poor management.