Just have to hope that Mowbray gets chance to fly to India at some point between now and May. If he does and he can meet with Mr and Mrs Desai I'd be confident of him coming back with the resources to secure these contract extensions. If he doesn't then he won't get his meeting with them and I doubt will get the funds required.

I get what you are saying but it comes back to this: An extra year for Gallagher, at say £15,000 per week, is an extra commitment from the owners of about £700,000-800,000 (assuming he gets no pay rise). As you say his performances to date unremarkable and unlikely to see a profit on the fee paid for him at this point. Work for him to do to deliver a profit. An extra two years for Nyambe - lets say he's on £5000 a week now and wants £10,000 - that increase would be a commitment of £500,000 from the owners, yet immediately it would see his transfer value go from £0 in the summer to multi-millions. Overnight, just by signing the deal. I get the owners might be reluctant to increase the wage bill but it isn't as simple as that - there has to be an analysis of what happens if they leave for nothing - it costs the owners millions more in lost value and having to source replacements in a difficult market. And lets remember that whilst these deals might add substantially to the current wage bill, it would still be way, way, way below what it was last season which we are told had to be slashed only because of FFP rules.

Good news on Gallagher although with my Mr Negative hat on again I do have to raise a few concerns. Happy that he has signed an extension and happy that this seems to suggest that there is at least something happening at the club and some steps being taken to protect assets. This is the first 'major' contract extension in over a year since Dack extended his deal and by most accounts that one had been agreed and drafted before his first major injury. So it has been a long old time since the Club tied down a senior player. And yes - I am aware that Wharton, Buckley, Dolan and JRC are now 'senior' players but their previous deals were not and converting what were effectively youth or u23 level deals into something reflective of their newfound status would not have been onerous on the club. In terms of Gallagher I come back to what I said previously which is that I find his extension quite odd for 2-3 reasons. Firstly it is likely that he will already be one of our biggest earners having joined the Club from Southampton where he will have been on a big wage. Secondly we were under less pressure to extend his deal than most others in terms of timescales and performances. These two factors suggest something amiss with the other players. How can it be that the Club has the resources and the proactiveness to secure Gallagher for longer yet has been unable, supposedly after years of talks, to secure lower earners yet more integral performers such as Lenihan, Nyambe and Rothwell to new terms. My theory remains that someone upstairs at Rovers has realised that there has been a cock up with those other players and they are desperate to avoid the same happening with Gallagher. Particularly in the cases of Armstrong and Brereton someone in India shelled out big transfer fees to get those in here and both will have turned a healthy profit, albeit much less than we could have got had they been under long term contracts. As it stands, unless we get promoted, we will be forced to sell Brereton in the summer and we will get a fee reflective of his expiring contract - healthy but not a jackpot like we should get. It wouldn't be the first time that certain players are treated differently to others - for example the owners won't strictly be out of pocket if Rothwell or Nyambe walk for nothing as they strictly cost the owners nothing to bring to the club. Gallagher cost them a lot. I hope and pray that I am wrong with this and that new contracts follow for these others. I can understand Brereton not committing at this point but the rest - Nyambe, Rothwell, Lenihan, and yes we get onto Travis and Kaminski and even Buckley - need new, long term and improved deals otherwise the club is going to be left in a vulnerable position regardless of what happens in the next 4-5 months. I'm struggling to understand why when the owners are pumping in the best part of £20 million each year and have recently 'sold' our training ground for £16 million to 'dodge' FFP rules that somewhere among that vast sum of cash and Armstrong sale there is insufficient cash to pay someone like Nyambe what he is after. As others have said he will almost certainly not get a PL move this summer so who is paying him substantially more than Venkys can and how?

Huddersfield is £30 a head on the Blackburn End and Riverside for a 2pm Sunday kick off. So that puts paid to that being a 'big crowd' although they might shift a few thousand given it is one of their easiest away trips. I see Birmingham are charging from £15 for their home game v QPR at the same time (live on Sky). Less than 1,000 tickets left.

Anything but a win would be a let down and that applies whether we were chasing promotion or fighting relegation - Barnsley have the lowest points haul in the league for good reason - they have been the worst side so far and anyone at home should be disappointed with anything less than a win. Of course it isn't so simple and sides will come to Ewood to try and stop our forward players and grind out results and the best sides will drop points against the weaker ones. The key of course is not to panic. Nothing will be lost if points are dropped but then there needs to be a response. Our biggest problem under Mowbray has been that he is a streaky manager - when things are going well the football can be good, goals flow and we look like a team going places but then when we have a setback that usually ushers in 6-7 game barren spells where we slide down the table. Setbacks OK if it is a setback and not a month long horror run. Having said all that I and many others will have looked at this tranche of Hull, Barnsley and Huddersfield as a great opportunity to put a serious gap to the teams behind us. After the Hull debacle we really need a win to keep things going.

Correct we can offer players whatever we want and there is nothing stopping the owners offering the players £1 million a piece for promotion if they want it desperately enough. What I'm getting at is that bonuses have to be declared and above board. There will be bonuses in their contracts - so it isn't as simple as saying that because we are doing well they will give them another bucket load of cash on top of that - they would have to insert that as a term into their contracts either by amending their contracts or by giving them new ones. That would be a complex job. Otherwise what are the players relying on? Waggott's word? Some people on here might be daft enough to take what he says as the truth and not question it but I doubt players and their agents would do that - they would want this bonus system in writing and watertight which is where the contract comes in. These things can't be written on the back of a fag packet - there will have to be tight provisions for how much they get, when it gets paid, how long the Club have to cough up, differing amounts for different appearances etc. More likely of course is that all this is already in their existing contracts and will have been provided for when signed years ago. Perhaps Venkys offered substantial bonuses at that stage in comparison to other clubs. I think the suggestion something has recently changed and that Balaji has suddenly dangled a big carrot for the players given their good position is unlikely.

I don't think anything has changed - my point is that I don't think the owners have done anything here - the bonuses referred to in the story will have been included in the players' contracts when they negotiated and signed them and will be entirely normal for a Championship football club to offer substantial bonuses to players in the event of promotion to the PL. I don't think the owners have done anything recently. FFP is flexible and down to calculations and interpretations and there are all sorts of loopholes. Only today Bristol City have announced losses of nearly £40 million for the last year yet I don't see them selling training grounds because their owner will find a way to manage it. I'm pretty sure (again not certain as I haven't had chance to check the rules) that you can't just decide to offer massive bonuses mid-season beyond what is set into the contracts. Also bonuses have to be declared to the authorities.

I don't think so. I don't think you can just decide to insert new bonuses into deals half way through them. For this to be above board they would have to agree new deals with the players. The Football League have stringent rules on bonuses and what you can do. The likelihood is that promotion bonuses were inserted into all the players deals back when they signed them and therefore IF we ever get promoted we will have to pay a lot out money. That incentive has always been there and will be in just about every players contract at every club.

I hope that Rovers are genuinely angry and take steps to push this. Yes I've seen the tweets and the apparent 'complaint' to the EFL seeking an investigation but I often wonder how determined Rovers are to push these things and demand answers. I suppose one thing is that the Club will have incurred substantial expense in hotels, travel etc. for the players which might encourage them to go further with it. When it is the supporters who are mucked around usually we will get a couple of disgruntled tweets and perhaps a couple of players having a whinge about it or thanking people for their support but then it all dies down and gets forgotten about. I don't think there is any chance of Rovers compensating almost 3000 supporters all of whom will be out of pocket This really is just unacceptable and sums up what a complete lack of interest there is in supporters from clubs in this country. We arrived at the ground at Hull and went to get some programmes and although some of the people there were sympathetic and helpful there was also a feeling of 'what are you lot doing here?' I agree that I think clubs got quite comfortable with the ease of matchdays last year without the aggro of thousands of fans turning up and a lot of club staff would be quite happy to see a return to that.

Not sure this is some great discovery or exclusive. It goes without saying that all the players will have some sort of promotion bonus in their contracts and that when you add together 20+ senior players and the management team that cash is going to be significant. We also know that there is a tendancy here for clauses to be put into contracts that are - shall we say - weighted in favour of cash down the line rather than up front - whether that be transfer fees, wages or bonuses the way they like to do things based on what has been said and heard in the past is that they like to spread payments across several years or make them contingent on certain targets being reached - so it would not be a surprise to see deals with substantial bonuses in place to sweeten the deal. Not sure this really makes much difference with those out of contract in the summer. I would hope in our position there is little/no appetite on either side for those players to leave in January. I'm not sure on the legalities of it but I'm not sure this is a new development - I don't think you can just dangle massive bonuses beyond what is in their contracts from when they signed them. Might be wrong on that but would expect the league to be quite strict on bonuses and how they are distributed. You can't just have a good start to the season so offer the players a huge pile of cash if they maintain it.

Points in the bag for me. We should be desperate to play Boxing Day to keep the momentum going and to take on a very average Hull side without their manager. At the start of the season I'd have taken 51 points and survival. We should be aiming now for 75 points and the play-offs as a minimum. 11 wins needed to get there asap. Don't care what the others do if we focus on ourselves and aiming for that points target.

I don't think Gallagher has actually signed a new deal yet has he? That isn't to say he won't do, but we've heard these things before about something being 'imminent' and then it not actually happening. It wouldn't be the first time Waggott has told people that things are happening that then don't. Then come the excuses as to why it didn't happen - goalposts moved, covid etc. But yes - it does fly in the face of common sense as to why they would be willing and able to offer Gallagher what he wants but not the other lads. I come back to my original point that perhaps they haven't made offers to the others as there is no capital outlay to protect in people like Rothwell and Nyambe - whereas Gallagher was a big buy for someone in India and they are eager to ensure he doesn't walk for nothing like the others.

If it is true that Venkys have to approve any bids for our players before they are sold (which Mowbray says is their decision) then I would be quite confident of keeping Brereton until the summer. By the time a bid comes in, it then goes to India for them to think about and a response comes back January will be done. They don't do things quickly and I don't believe the manager has any direct contact with them in any event so if they won't even speak to him I can't see them speaking to interested clubs. If they would rather shift him now than wait and see what unfolds over the next 23 games they need their heads looking at but then again we know that already. I still maintain that either these players haven't been offered new contracts or if they have they are utterly derisory and not worth the time of day looking at. I really struggle to comprehend how players who have been here for years, progressed through the academy, clearly enjoying their football at the moment at a club in a good place in the league would want to turn down improved terms to take their chances elsewhere in the Championship. Who are all these clubs that are in a position to offer them substantially more than we can at this moment in time? No looking at these players they don't have many options at present. Strike me as the sort of performances they are putting in to try and convince the club to pull out all the stops to keep them here. Going to look extremely suspect come the summer if they've taken us to the play-offs and been star performers in the Championship and then toddle off to sides finishing miles behind us in the table. Listening to Mowbray's comments he is trying to put public pressure on the owners to make them suitable offers.

Anyone thinking that restrictions will only last for 2 weeks or believing this 'circuit breaker' talk just needs to remember what happened last year. They went on and on and on about a 'circuit breaker' in November last year and we weren't properly out of restrictions until this summer. It went on for months and months and months. The test will reverse once the restrictions are in place. At the moment it is forecasts that are being relied on to determine things i.e. what might happen in a few weeks if restrictions aren't brought in. But once under restrictions it will be a case of waiting for the data to arrive that proves it is safe to release them and it being unsafe to do so until that data appears.

Good way of ensuring that all the 'in crowd' - sponsors, corporates, guests, directors and basically anyone with loads of money get in to watch but keep out the riff raff. I think some in football would like that to be the permanent way of things.

With the Brereton phenomenon in full swing I would expect the Club to be well down the line with arranging some pre-season fixtures in Chile for the summer. This is the sort of thing required to tap into the mania and grow a new legion of interest and support in the club. Of course there's a possibility that Covid might be an issue in 7 months' time but the Club has to operate and plan on the basis it will be possible to travel and get things lined up. I'm sure someone will be along to tell me how it isn't possible for us to go on such a long distance pre-season tour (even though most sides go abroad pre-season and many go to Asia or America). I'm afraid a couple of t-shirts with a Chile flag printed on simply won't cut it but expect that will be the extent of things here.

Its amazing how the confidence flows after good performances and results. For example I would normally look at a trip to Cardiff in January as a tough one we would struggle to get anything from but now I think - particularly given their position and form - I'd be disappointed not to win. In fact I look at our remaining 23 games and other than WBA and Fulham away, possibly also Sheff Utd and Preston away I don't see anything as daunting or something we should be happy with a point from.

Every season since we got promoted in 2018 we have had spells where we have been great to watch and had good results that have got us wondering about the play-offs promotion. This has always been the biggest frustration with Mowbray. Because he clearly has enough in his managerial locker to assemble a decent squad, achieve a minimum i.e. keep us clear of relegation issues and keep a happy camp at Brockhall and conduct himself well with the press etc. whilst walking the tightrope of dealing with the loons in India. But there has always been that issue with him that the good runs quickly come to a catastrophic end and we embark on similar bad spells of 6-7 games which has always ensured we ended up nowhere near the mix in May. The one last season after Xmas was especially dire and it was abundantly clear in his media comments that even he was fed up and going through the motions. Go right back to his days at West Brom he has always been a popular bloke and had something about him management wise but then factor in his jobs and seasonal finishes since then and it is clear he has missed that extra bit that the promotion experts like Bruce, Warnock, Hughton have been able to replicate across multiple clubs. This season feels different for a few reasons. Obviously one of those is the height of the position we are in which is much better than any other time. But beyond that is the way we are playing - the goals being scored, the defensive performances. No season ends in December so lets hope and pray this can be maintained over the next 23 games and see where it takes us. I still worry he will start to tinker if a few games go against us or if a few injuries strike. I think/hope one of the reasons we are doing well is that Mowbray has thrown a bit of caution to the wind and stopped with all this 'project' talk that dominated previous seasons. He also hasn't got that group of senior pros in the dressing room to keep on side in his selections and substitutions. It is quite obvious there is no medium-long term plan here with owners who don't communicate, a manager and squad out of contract in 6 months and seemingly still no idea on what (if anything) he can do in 10 days when the window opens. Seems he might have just gone for it knowing it might be his last chance.

This time last year they allowed limited fans into grounds in London/low Covid rate areas like Norwich and Brighton whereas most areas of the country including NW were not allowed any fans in. We had a long time of 'local' restrictions with Lancashire one of the longest and most severe in those due to Covid rates. Fast forward to now and we keep being told that 'Omicron' rates are high in London but less elsewhere. Strange how they don't adopt a localised approach this time around and allow low Omicron areas to continue to function normally for longer whilst restricting those areas with high rates.

Anyone have any figures for how full the Riverside is on a typical matchday? At a guess I would say there are maybe 1000-1500 in there on a good day and the stand holds what? 4,500+? So maybe a quarter to a third full on a typical matchday. Given that this stand runs the length of the pitch and provides what is traditionally a sought after side view of the action it seems that the people buying their tickets don't agree. Anyone think of any other 'side' stands in the Championship that are usually only a quarter full on matchday? It really does let the ground down and as I've said before it isn't all about the attendances - if the club had an eye on anything beyond the next few weeks and months and any semblance of a medium to long term plan it would be developing that lucrative area into a modern facility - media, disabled, covered, concourses, better floodlights, internal spaces. Fulham have been building a new stand at their ground - started in the Championship - they didn't need to as they don't need the extra capacity as a Championship club and their old stand was ok. But their owner wanted to improve the ground and grow the club. Really galling for me the losses the club has racked up and yet the facilities have been left to rot through neglect and starvation of funds. The money comes in, the money goes out, the club sees little benefit.

We've heard that theory before though. I'm sure people were saying it when Armstrong was sold and Mowbray had mentioned at one stage not spending on new players to save money for contract renewals. The only gambles the club should be considering at this moment in time is how far out to push the boat to give the manager what is needed to finish the job this season. If the owners and management of the club aren't going to push the boat out in January then that is their decision but they won't ever have a better position to build from going into the second half of the season. They have told us that selling Armstrong (£15 million) and Brockhall (£16.6 million) along with slashing the wage bill (rough guess £5 million per year) were steps required to ensure FFP compliance. I hope nobody believes that selling Brereton is another FFP enforced step because that would take income and savings to the best part of £50 million in the space of 6 months with nothing spent on new players. Every club has the same concerns and risks with Covid. Not every club has billionaires funding them and not every club has the benefit of having recently sold a player for £15 million to plug the gap. No I'm afraid a sale in January would just prove people like me right that the owners don't really want promotion and won't do what is required to get there.

I'd personally have rather Fulham drew with Sheffield tonight. At the moment I am looking at reducing the number of clubs who might be able to rise from mid-table and overtake us. I'm looking at in-form and decent squads Sheff Utd, Forest and Middlesbrough in particular as potential threats to deal with. Fulham will at the very least be in the top 6, probably top 2 come the end of the season. It would take a disastrous collapse for them to not at least finish 6th. So we need to accept that. Meanwhile clubs like Forest, Sheff Utd and Middlesbrough we will probably need to finish above if we want top 6. Hopefully we continue to put distance between ourselves and these clubs. I am hoping that all 3 just have momentum after managerial changes that won't be sustained, but I think Wilder and Cooper are good managers who will fancy their chances of getting top 6 so every point we gain on them will be important.

It will be in the summer because that is the earliest point at which Venkys will authorise any spending after their annual review.

But that's my point. We won't always have assets on the books if we are unwilling or unable to pay them Championship level wages. I could accept not paying those sort of wages if we operated on a sustainable budget including not losing £20 million a year but we wouldn't need Venkys if the plan was to be self sufficient. As I've said before - Nyambe and co. will be going elsewhere in the Championship I'm still waiting for an explanation as to why we are losing so much money and selling substantial assets but unable to pay key players what they want yet rival Championship clubs will be able to pay them what they want without selling assets or losing £20 million.

I wouldn't describe it is shocking no. I dont think anyone would expect much different with what has happened in the world. As for it being reduced that is of course a decision for the owners. Matters not really if they are still prepared to fund the shortfall Of course once again you are focusing on cutting wages which is the easy part. How come there's never any talk about our pitiful income and measures to increase it? And I think I pointed out yesterday that we shaved about £100,000 a week off the wages in the summer, along with pocketing £10 million+ from Armstrong, so those are substantial measures to reduce it Of course selling good players for good fees will make much more impact on these figures than just releasing them and avoiding paying their wages. A sale of Nyambe for several million would be so much more beneficial to the club's accounts than losing him for nothing but not paying him slightly more. Can't you see the short termism of the way things are done? Fast forward a year or two when we have no assets on the books and you will presumably be saying that we can't do anything because we haven't sold anyone for big money.