JHRover

I have no interest in what Waggott, Sylvester or Talbot have to say. I've seen and heard enough. The game is at Ewood. Rovers set the prices and allocation. Rovers print the tickets and send them to Blackpool.

At the end of the day Chaddy numerous clubs around the Football League have run extensive consultation periods with their supporters and the overwhelming response is that safe standing should be offered. It is for this reason the government has started to allow it and it has already been installed in several grounds. Of course some people don't want to stand. I'm one of them. They don't have to, there will still be seats available. Once again though Rovers getting left behind. Rivals consulting with their supporters, thinking carefully about it, actively pursuing it whilst all we get in the Fans Forum is Waggott claiming to look into it (Which in Waggott speak actually means nothing is happening) and some sob story about the cost. I wonder if he's done a cost/benefit analysis of a potential increase in ticket sales and the benefits of safe standing to that? Of course he hasn't. Nothing will happen at Ewood because that requires money to be invested.

You didn't answer my question. I appreciate that it is your main social activity. It's mine too. But what happens if Waggott continues to increase prices by circa 15%+ each summer as he has done recently? My question "for what"? was more aimed at the Club than you. Why are our tickets, with the lowest demand to seats ratio in the League, and in one of the poorest areas with lowest running costs, so expensive when basic things like ground maintenance are neglected? Why am I at risk of missing games due to postponements as a result of inadequate drainage/pitch condition?

What happens if you can't afford to renew? At the rate Waggott has increased prices I think a lot will be reaching that point, if they aren't already there. One of the most expensive season tickets in the league and for what?

No that must be false. Nobody wants to buy 2nd division loss making clubs. Isn't that why we are stuck with Venkys?

Just waiting for us to drop out of the promotion picture altogether and then they can try selling expensive season tickets to a demoralised fanbase right around the time Rothwell, Nyambe and Lenihan leave and they announce Mowbray's new deal then wonder why sales are poor.

Back 10-12 rows of BBE and DE, or all of the side blocks and keep the middle seated. End blocks of the Riverside wouldn't upset too many although might affect views from more central blocks.

I see that yesterday they announced the Darwen End is going to be open to home fans for the Blackpool fixture. So after they had the 'Double Decker' deal which saw perhaps 1000 at a push buy discounted tickets in there, they then announced that they were going to continue that option through to the end of the season. This announcement was made 3 days before the Bristol City home game. Less than 24 hours after making that announcement they declare that actually the DE isn't open to home fans and that decision was due to 'lack of uptake'. Quite how they come to that conclusion having allowed less than 1 day between announcements I'm not sure. I'd also be interested to know what 'uptake' they were expecting or required to make it worthwhile, especially after sales of less than 1,000 for QPR/Millwall even at cheap prices. After knocking it on the head for Bristol City, they've then left it for 2 weeks without any information or announcement, and now 2 weeks before the Blackpool game, have suddenly announced that it is open to home fans, even though home tickets have been on sale for almost 2 weeks already. I'm not sure what they are playing at here but it seems to be an absolute fiasco in terms of organisation and communication. I'm all in favour of trying to get home fans in both ends and growing the DE as a home area but how on earth do they expect this to succeed if they are running it like this? I wouldn't rule out the possibility of another U turn over the course of this week and it being closed again before the game takes place.

As others have rightly pointed out it is a fallacy to persist with Mowbray purely because it is the easy/cheap option or because it could be worse. It is a fallacy because his departure is inevitable. It might be this summer, it might be next year, it might be in 3,4,5 years, but it will happen. It might be that we sack him, it might be that his contract runs down, it might be that he gives up and has a rest/retires, or it might be that another club comes along and offers him a move and he takes it. The latter two of those possibilities I think are unlikely any time soon, because there aren't many managers who give up a good number especially after a 'good' season, and I don't see there being many clubs willing and able to entice him away from his cushy number here. But it could happen and if it does then Mowbray is in control, not Venkys or Rovers. Such a thing could happen very quickly and unexpectedly. Hell he could sign a new 3 year deal tomorrow and then in a couple of months get a call from someone willing to pay to take him away. Nothing we can do about that. So the only question is whether we accept our lot, drift along with Mowbray the one who decides when the time is right for a change and we are then scrambling around for a replacement from a position of weakness and under time pressure, or whether the Club comes first and dictates when that happens and makes a change at a convenient time when the next manager can be sourced from a wider market and is under less pressure to hit the ground running. The outcome is the same either way. Whether it be tomorrow or in 3 years there is a future without Mowbray as manager and the Club has to have a plan for that. There also has to be some ambition in the Club to seize that opportunity, when it comes, to improve and progress rather than looking at it with dismay and concern. Some people on Social Media seem to be under the impression that Mowbray can and will continue forever, that he is doing such a stellar job here that there is no risk of any other club ever offering him a better deal than Rovers and that a managerial change here is the end of the world as we know it. Most fans and clubs see a change as something to be embraced. Of course it doesn't always work out. In which case you make another change, and so on and so forth. Never making a change because you have no confidence in making one that works is insanity, especially when change is inevitable sooner rather than later anyway.

Yeah but what about 'inflationary pressures' which Waggott gave as the reason we can't sell any?

The Riverside. Add to the training ground, pitch and a whole assortment of other things Waggott was looking into. 4.5 years later and naff all done.

On a similar subject I see here that QPR have decided to instal rail seating at Loftus Road following an overwhelming survey of fans wanting it. https://www.qpr.co.uk/news/club-news/rail-seating-230322/ I think when this subject has been brought up with Waggott it has been met with nothing but a 'look into it' shoulder shrug and mention of how much it would cost. Another example of a rival club delivering for their fans to improve their offerings whilst Rovers sit and do nothing in a decaying stadium.

Lenihan had already made the breakthrough by the time Mowbray came along. I think it was Lambert who brought him into the first team. If my recollection is accurate people like Raya, Travis and Nyambe were also well on the way to the first team by the time Mowbray arrived. Granted they've played a lot and become integral players under Mowbray but that could well have been the case under any manager. Not sure it is some particular skill or vision of Mowbray's that has resulted in this. If anything I think I'd credit Gary Bowyer more for their development as all were nurtured in the u23s under his management. Put any manager in charge of a club for 5+ years and there will be players making the breakthrough from the academy to the first team. There's no reason to believe this is any greater or less under Mowbray than it would have been under any other manager.

https://www.stokecityfc.com/news/2022/march/23/club-statement/ One for Waggott to try and explain. Stoke have lost a lot more than we have over the last few years. Their owners are writing off debts and spending £4 million improving their training ground and stadium That's what owners who care and take pride in their club do.

Its a tough one really, because I accept that he has done good at the club and there are numerous positives to his management. The promotion from League One was 'job done' but I'm at the point now where 4 years later it is time to consign that to history. It was good to get straight back up, it wasn't a foregone conclusion but then again with that squad and resource it should and needed to happen. But he can't keep on living off that promotion. It wasn't Accy Stanley he was hauling to the Championship on a shoestring. He was well backed and equipped to do it. Serious clubs applaud the accomplishment, respect him for it, then look to the future. Not keep on harking on about a promotion 4 years ago or how bad things were under Coyle as a reason to let him continue indefinitely. Another element of being a serious club is having a prospective view and approach - looking forward to the future - where do we want to be and how are we going to get there - rather than a retrospective view of where were we 5 years ago and just because we are in a better state then we have to be happy with how things are. There are traits in Mowbray that I appreciate. Apart from his odd touchline wobbler he generally conducts himself well and is by no means the worst person to have representing the club, even if he does talk garbage from time to time. He seems to be respected by most people who come here. He will tolerate working for Venkys which must not be easy at times. We saw early last season and the first half of this season that he has the ability to craft a good side and go on good runs of form. Sadly we've also seen the dark side to it in the second half of last season and this - horrendous - nothing less than catastrophic. So really I'd give it a 6 out of 10. Some good, but also a lot of bad. People say we're drastically better off than when he arrived - but after the upcoming summer exodus and sale of Brereton I'm not sure we really are. We'll have a few assets under contract - Kaminski, Travis, a few others but not much. The squad will need drastic work doing to it again just to remain competitive. So again looking to the future there has to be criticism of some form towards the manager for arriving again at a point where we have so much work to do and not much to do it with. The manner of our collapse this season - astonishing by any measure - is unforgivable and unforgettable and forget 2017-2021 and all that went on there. He has to pay the price for January, February and March because it has been nothing short of a dereliction of management from him and his team including Waggott. The fact that he has done this multiple times before - Middlesbrough twice and to less extreme levels Coventry and Rovers last season - tells us that he cannot and will not learn from this. So looking forward to the future and planning ahead it is clear that he isn't going to be able to get past that. Even if by some miracle we get to the same position this Christmas the chances are he will just repeat it again.

Yep. The play-offs were gone after the Bristol City fiasco. We might have made a late rush for it after the Derby turnaround if we had beat a woeful Reading but of course we blew that opporunity too. The Lenihan injury will not derail our promotion push. That was already derailed after the January window and relegation form since then. But as others have pointed out it is another excuse for the Mowbray collection and the 'unlucky' brigade who want to believe our collapse is down to misfortune rather than shite management from the top down.

I wouldn't go near Hyypia. Hasn't managed in nearly 6 years and was a disaster at Brighton.

It will be one of Mark Venus, Damien Johnson, Nigel Adkins or Tony Pulis. If I'm correct on that - and I don't rate Mowbray as people well know - I would rather keep Mowbray than make a change. The first two I think would be a disaster, Adkins would be similar at best and Pulis might be a slight improvement on results but would be horrific to watch. All would be grateful for the job and would agree to work with the existing staff and structure. If we are going to make a change there has to be ambition shown. But there won't be so there's no point. I'd like nothing more than to be rid of Mowbray and his team and see a quality manager like Farke appointed but it just isn't going to happen here.

Bolton season ticket sales just passed 8,000. Prices start from £219 early bird. We can't do anything due to 'current inflationary pressures' according to Waggott.

Shameful. Does the Legends Lounge even exist any more? Certainly isn't a venue open to supporters to use so might as well remove that sign. But remember a few things: FFP rules 'We've done all we can' 'Venkys want to invest but are prevented by the rules' 'Venkys never refuse a cheque'

I think you've nailed it and I agree. I don't think there's any malice in Mowbray I just don't think he's anywhere close to being as good or clever as he thinks he is. Never has been never will be. Waggott is just a face and voice to do the dirty jobs Pasha can't do from the shadows - keeping the authorities and fans on side.

On Brereton I find it to be an interesting insight into the machinations down at Brockhall. The people from the Chilean FA have been to Brockhall, spoken to and assessed Brereton, and have deemed him fit enough or likely to be fit enough to take him to the other side of the world to play in games of critical importance to them They wouldn't do that unless they were confident he could contribute. Yet if he wasn't involved with Chile I don't think there's any chance he would be back in the side for us for foreseeable future. All very strange. I wonder if there is an eye on his transfer value and the benefit of Chile games to that.

All Mowbray and Waggott need to do is show Desai the league table and points return - both of which will be an improvement on last year - and the financials - reduced wage bill, substantial sales - and Venkys will be happy, I'm sure of that. I doubt they will know or at least not care that we've had relegation form since January or that he has blown our one chance at promotion to be dislodged by Luton or Huddersfield. Why would they want him gone? They like him, he dances to their tune and is willing to do it they way they want, he'll work for whatever pitiful budget they provide, he'll blame everyone and everything apart from them when it doesn't go well, and in addition to all that he's saved them money whilst improving results. What's not to like? Only way he's going is if he throws in the towel himself. He would be a rare beast in football if he turned down the opportunity of an extended stay and multi-million pound contract running a club like Rovers more or less as his own boss. An even rarer one if it resulted in his mates losing their jobs in the process. Football management is like a drug and for all the third party platitudes from rivals and the media he'll struggle to get a better job in football. He knows it which is why he's stuck at it and lasted when he wouldn't at any other Championship club. So the narrative from the Club and media will start to shift over the coming weeks - excuses, hard luck, valiant efforts from this 'young' team (not sure I'd go with that looking at the ages and experience of those who finished the game at Reading). The purpose of all this will be to make people believe this is just the first step in a multi-year process, that the failings of the last few months just part of the learning curve, that its got nothing to do with the manager or his staff and everything to do with naïve inexperienced players or luck and that this will all change when we've signed a few or they learn what the manager expects of them (this is all false because more experience will depart this summer and will be replaced by younger or inexperienced players so it only becomes more of an issue). Mowbray comes back from India with a new contract, some funds to strengthen and promising to go one better next year. On it goes. We'll sell Brereton, lose 4-5 key players and then reach pre-season well short. The Mowbray acolytes will enjoy it though because nobody else would manage this club and will fall for the old 'we've got money and will strengthen' game, preoccupying themselves with transfer tittle tattle which won't materialise.

The only one of those that Mowbray appointed was Venus. Lowe and Benson were already at the club and were promoted from lower positions when Coyle's gang cleared off and Johnson moved over from the u23s. Of course he will say he picked them, or is happy to work with them, but no manager is going to admit that they have had to work with people imposed on them. Especially not one with skin as thin as Mowbray.

I'd be seriously considering making a change now. Interim manager like Warnock until the end of the season just to roll the dice. If it works brilliant, if we miss out then at least we've tried to do something to turn it around. Probably too late for that now but the people running the club should be at least considering it rather than sitting back and watch this continue. It is quite clear Mowbray doesn't have the answers and we are going to miss out on the top 6 with him in charge. That strong possibility alone should be enough for him to leave the club in the summer given the position we were in 6 weeks ago and the disastrous collapse in form (relegation). His pathetic behaviour in the second half v Derby tell us all is not well behind the scenes and also in Mowbray's head.