JHRover

This. I thought it was strange because it was unlike Sharpe to mention someone specific and it seemed to come from nowhere. I'm convinced he got the heads up from somewhere before mentioning Woodgate.

Preston through the 11,000 mark. Bolton over 13,000 in a lower division. Silence from Rovers tells us everything. This alone should be sacking / resignation material for Waggott. Disgraceful mismanagement

Diaz will have to go. This is no league for kids, it needs experience to go with it. Unless there is a budget to replace the departing CBs and get some goals I'm going to be very worried.

I'll have a bet on one thing. If we appoint such a person it will either be an existing staff member taking the job or an ex player brought in to do it with no experience of the job on the cheap to deflect attention away.

Ainsworth might come in handy when we're in League One which is increasing as a possibility with every day Run by cowboys, no manager, no plan, half a squad and no money with the club captain set to walk. I've seen this one before and it doesn't end well.

Does any of it matter anymore? If Ainsworth gets it we can debate all day whether it's the right decision or whether he'd have even been considered had he not got a Blackburn connection. My own view is it would be a ludicrous decision, but typical Rovers of this day and age looking no further than 'one of our own' because it fits that strapline for season tickets and it's an obvious, easy one to do. But ultimately if the requirement is that he works with the irreplaceable coaching staff then it matters not. Because he'll be starting with one hand tied behind his back and without the ability to work with his own people, being dictated to on key decisions by buffoons who don't understand football.

Can anyone tell me what "a willingness to work with young players" means and how that is determined in an interview? What is a young player? How many need to be played to claim he is willing to work with them? What happens if he gets the job and doesn't use them? Sacked? What happens if no players coming through are good enough? Most importantly how do dollopers like Waggott and Pasha know and filter candidates on such criteria?

The process isn't to get the best manager possible. It might be to get the best possible according to warped requirements e.g. development of kids, within our strict financial and practical parameters, but unfortunately that means nobody decent is coming. Our process means sifting out those interested but incompatible with our existing coaching staff or self imposed financial restrictions. Not easy when lots of good managers would want to come to a club of this size and stature, but this lot will manage it and find someone absolutely unacceptable .

This is it in a nutshell. For all the wailing about no money and FFP the cash saved by keeping Lenihan and Nyambe, which it seems is much more likely with an ambitious appointment, outstrips the cost of a contract for Carvalhal and his coaching staff. They just don't seem to even contemplate this at Ewood or the local media.

Could do worse IMO, than going for Evatt at Bolton. Not had much of a mention but done a good job. But suspect bringing him in and paying compensation is a non starter. Plus if we are keeping the staff on then pointless talking about decent options. Mowbray had them imposed on him but was willing to do it to get back into management

I'm getting tired of the financial excuses too. Only a matter of time now before we get the twitterati out telling everyone how due to our limited income Mowbray was the best we could hope for, how we could never afford better, never afford to bring in a new management team or back them in the transfer market. Anyone hazard a guess how much our wage bill will be come July with our threadbare squad (compared to what it was in the summer of 2020) - it has been demolished. Anyone else bring in £10 million+ net from trading last season? Anyone else going to have to sell another £15 million player this summer? Top end ticket prices, billionaire owners, excess of £15 million losses a year and I am still supposed to accept we can't afford to do better than this?

I've long suspected that the termination of contracts is now a matter for India to decide and India alone. This is the reason why Mowbray was left in place until the very end, why the coaching staff are going to be part of the next man's setup and why Coyle was allowed to wreak havoc until the end of February. Those on the ground in the UK simply don't have the authority or remit to make those changes. The owners either won't allow it or will take so long to do anything that it will torpedo an appointment anyway. I also believe that at least 1 of the 3 has a job for life here and wouldn't ever be sacked. Disgraceful but if that's the way the want to do things that's their choice. I've also got a choice this summer

And there we have a few examples of Venky ownership in one: D of F lined up but not announced- communication D of F having no say in the management appointing - upside down backwards way of doing things Decent manager wanting to come but put off by insistence coaching staff continue- madness Decent manager expecting to hear back but gets nothing and moves on - disrespectful

The thing with Beale at QPR is that yes, for me it would have been very underwhelming if we had done that, and it is a big risk, but at the very least they've made a decision, gone out, paid compensation to get their man out of Aston Villa, and will try their best to make it work. It might end in tears, it might be successful for them. But at least they've brought their process to a conclusion and seem to be following some sort of plan. I remain convinced and concerned that no such plan is being followed here and that we are just going to end up with a dismal name out of desperation.

You're right, it is impossible to second guess. Just like if Mowbray had been Cardiff or Middlesbrough manager he would almost certainly have been sacked during one of those club record bad runs, whilst if Warnock or McCarthy had been given 5 years and good backing here to do whatever they wanted regardless of results I'd be confident we'd have finished higher than 8th during that time. Its a game of timing and risk. You pay the money and get a Farke or Carvalhal then the risk is reduced but not removed. You cut corners and do things on the cheap and get a Coyle the risk is increased. I am pretty confident we won't be getting a decent DOF. I'd be surprised if we got one full stop, but if we do it is likely to be another internal promotion of someone who shouldn't get the job or some cheap desperado from elsewhere. There's no point having one if the bloke isn't able to 'direct' the football operation and given he is coming in after the new manager there's not much chance of that happening, especially with these owners.

The point I was making was that McCarthy is considered yesterday's man, yet it is 6 years since Pardew did anything of decent quality in football at Palace in the Prem. McCarthy in that time has overachieved with Ipswich, did well with Ireland and initially well with Cardiff before the wheels fell off. Just to be clear I'm not suggesting McCarthy should get it, just that if we are considering the likes of Pardew then it would be easier, cheaper and probably safer to go with someone like him who at least has done something in this division in recent times.

More recent than Pardew

Pardew was last relevant about 6 years ago and hasn't managed at this level for well over a decade. I'd prefer to bring Warnock out of retirement or go for Mick McCarthy.

Carvalhal confirmed at Al Wadha, so there goes the theory that it was all just a negotiation tactic. Farke next no doubt. Presume Waggott will know Pardew from Charlton and based in a similar part of the world. Wouldn't surprise me.

So that's the 'big announcement' that we were waiting for? Another pricing category with all sorts of strings attached starting from £849? Jesus. My sympathies though, damned awkward they put a Bank Holiday Platinum Jubilee celebration in this weekend at the last minute causing havoc with our season ticket sales. If only someone at Rovers could have known about this at the time we imposed the deadline in April.

If Farke and Carvalhal are gone then we can certainly forget about some of the other big names linked. I think I would be looking at Gary Rowett in the hope he'd fancy moving closer to home after 3 years with Millwall. Failing that maybe Garry Monk. Dealt quite well in terrible circumstances at Birmingham and Sheff Wed, knows the Championship well, probably has a point to prove. My hopes and expectations, even though I should have known better, have taken a beating once again and with time drifting by I think we need a safe pair of hands rather than a leap into the unknown. Cheers Venkys

It suggests to me that someone wants to go down the D of F / Sporting Director route, but that is more of a medium term aspiration than a firm plan that is being followed. It is probably an appointment that is awaiting ratification from India, and until they agree to go with such a structure instead we will just have to focus efforts on getting the manager in, which is a position they will already be well familiar with. It just makes no sense in any way for the club to spend weeks, even months, interviewing all and sundry only to then bring in a director who might not like or want the manager or vice versa.

I've heard the Critchley rumours a few times. I can't get my head around why he would entertain leaving Blackpool to come here. Obviously we are a bigger club, with a better academy and facilities and probably a bigger playing budget. But probably not bigger to the extent that it would resemble promotion material. He's 6 months into a 3.5 year contract, has got a good chairman, settled setup, support all around him. Quite why he'd walk out on that to join our freak show is baffling, when he'd be under an as yet unidentified sporting director, the mysterious man and Waggott the oaf. Then he'd had to ditch his coaching staff to come and work with nonentities left over here. It would be so typical though for us to throw compensation at Blackpool, Wycombe or MK for their manager's, yet refuse to cough up the money for a Carvalhal to bring his team with him. Not to mention the increased season ticket sales such an appointment would inevitably bring. But who cares about season ticket sales? Clearly not Rovers.

Apologies if already posted but a Spurs fan on Twitter was with him at Heathrow Airport this week and he was flying to Porto. Think we can file that in the not happening drawer

Probably true that we are planning more interviews. After speaking to those decent unattached options and them running a country mile when they realise what incompetence we have running this club we will end up back at square one and have to start the process again, only this time with the dross options. Presumably they thought that quality managers like Farke and Carvalhal would ditch their loyal staff who have worked well with them for years and agree to come here and work with Benson and Lowe and no money. An appointment of Farke or Carvalhal would have put untold more on the season ticket sales and covered the additional expense involved in making other changes to the staff.