JHRover

How is that possible under FFP?

It would feel better if these players were going to clubs bigger, or at least in a higher league than us. In those circumstances you can hold your hands up and accept the situation and move on, albeit still significantly out of pocket. But what we are facing is losing them to immediate rivals. The likes of Middlesbrough and Stoke. Mid table Championship sides. Sides who I have been told for the last 3-4 years have their FFP comeuppance looming and that these clubs would be sanctioned due to their huge losses and wages whilst good old Rovers make sacrifices in order to avoid that fate. Back in the real world they haven't been sanctioned, despite losing far more than us, just as I confidently predicted they wouldn't, and are now able to cherry pick our key, prized core academy developed players by offering them better packages Think a few on here need to admit they were wrong about those sanctions and that we've been taken for fools. Venkys out. Waggott out. Asap.

So whatever Broughton said or offered clearly not enough to persuade Nyambe to hang around. Rumours are a move to Stoke so we can't even use the comfort blanket of him going to a higher division club. For all the hot air rivals are paying more and are more attractive places to be. As for Waggott he should resign. There has to be a consequence to the travesty of losing 3 key players for £0 like this.

Then why didn't they do that and let Mowbray spend some of the Armstrong cash, particularly in January when we had promotion in our sights?

Good job then that Armstrong turned down our supposedly very good offer of a new deal and forced us into a sale. If not and he'd accepted our offer where would we have found the money to cover running costs? 🤷

Let's see how far this 'good budget' Broughton referred to gets us. There's been plenty of talk here over the years about grand plans, good budgets and the like. I'll believe it when I see it. For all the optimism I still fully expect to get to September and see £30 million in from Armstrong and Brereton in 12 months and a million or so at most out on new players.

Because they aren't loyal. That's the way he wants to play this. Never mind that people may have agonised about giving up their season ticket, people who were afraid of Covid risk, people who have lost jobs or income during the last couple of years, people who are struggling now with the economic situation. Nope, if you are renewing from last season you are loyal and qualify for the 'discount' whereas if you aren't renewing, aren't decided, aren't sure if you can or for a plethora of reasons couldn't get one last season you don't qualify so full price it is.

I think Rovers stopped with the free season tickets when Waggott twigged that it meant hundreds of staff members including Community Trust were each getting 2 free season tickets and were able to dish these out to whoever they wanted. Probably saw the best part of 600-700 freebies and I think Waggott thought people would buy instead if that loop was closed.

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+.