Yes I do expect a new Riverside. There's more to a stadium and stand than just numbers through the door. It doesn't need to increase capacity of Ewood, but it could improve everything else about the place. The facility is inadequate for modern day requirements. I think it is one of the worst stands in the top 2 divisions. No disabled facilities, no concourse, no shelter, uncovered seats, restricted view seats. It needs replacing and there's no reason it couldn't be if the owners were serious about improving things here. Speaking of FFP - a new stand with proper facilities would provide additional income streams to help with FFP - office space, retail space, hospitality - whilst also making Ewood Park a better venue to host other events. Turd Moor held England U23s the other week. Why are games being held there when none are held at Ewood? More £££ missed out on. The pitch isn't up to scratch. The groundstaff do their best but we haven't had many games on it recently and it will deteriorate again rapidly. Waggott knows this which is why he was promising a new one but then failed to deliver. The current arrangement is just a patch up job until the next bad spell hits. Again it is all just emblematic of a club that has cut corners for far too long and it comes back to bite.

Well they haven't made any offer to Mowbray or his staff, and seemingly he has zero idea whether he will be offered one or not with only 6 months left to run on his current deal. So I would certainly raise the question as to why everyone is so happy to believe that they have offered players improved terms. Mowbray is one of their friends, they like him and trust him and have met him in person on several occasions at their house in India. They haven't met the players because they can't be bothered coming to the UK to visit the club. So if they can treat Mowbray in that way - leaving him to wonder what his future holds and not make any progress on a new deal - then surely they can and will do the same for players they have never met? Seems odd to assume that they would be willing and able to chuck substantial money at player contract extensions whilst staying silent on Mowbray? I agree it is all quite pointless discussing really because the only thing that actually matters is whether the players sign or not. Maybe we have made them offers but they are crap so players would sooner become free agents and try their luck elsewhere. I think that is unlikely to be the case because I don't see many Championship clubs outside the current top 3 that have the means at their disposal to offer these players substantially more. If they do then I would of course come back and question where the hell Venkys' £20 million a year is going if mediocre Championship clubs are in a position to entice our players away. It is pointless - just like Waggott doesn't get credit for talking about a new Riverside, or telling his chums at Sky Sports that a new Ewood pitch is in the pipeline or that some really good players were sat at Brockhall on deadline day wanting to sign but didn't. End results are what matter. No points or credit for failing.

Thanks for confirming that it is all based on what Waggott and Mowbray have said. That's my whole point. After the shite Waggott has come out with I'm astonished as to the number of people so happy just to believe him. Maybe the new contracts will come after the new pitch, new Riverside and ticket reductions to compensate fans?

Yes I know he's said that. My point was why is the assumption that the owners are organised enough to agree to offer improved contracts to multiple players (at substantial cost to them) but aren't organised enough to make a decision on their manager (who they have met and like several times) and who would cost much less to keep at the club than those players? I think the most likely scenario is that nobody has been offered new deals. Nobody can be because they require approval from the bosses in India for the additional cash they will require. It is interesting that NONE of these players have accepted the 'improved' offers made by the Club. Not one. Almost as though there are no improved offers there to accept...

Oh, I thought it was the training ground sale that was needed to avoid an embargo? Which one is it? Or is it both? We need to sell a £15 million player AND our training ground just to avoid an embargo? I've asked you before - what difference would an embargo have made in the summer? It might have meant that we weren't able to sign Edun (though we probably would have been able to because the League allow spending provided it falls within certain criteria even under an embargo) I've also asked you before - what evidence do you have to support your claim that Rovers have offered new improved contracts apart from Waggott saying so? Do you not accept that Waggott might not be entirely truthful on that front given it is his name next to it when things go wrong? It is interesting. You so willingly and readily accept Waggott's comments in the fans forum as the truth (even though he has lied/exaggerated many times) and believe that the players are holding off signing new deals yet you also seem to accept that Mowbray and the management team haven't been offered new deals yet. Why would the owners sanction offers for the players if they haven't offered the manager new terms? Here's a conspiracy theory for you - maybe, just maybe, Mowbray and the players are all in the same boat - contracts expiring and not a peep from our reclusive owners as to whether they will be getting new terms or not.

Still annoys me more than it should that Bournemouth are ball number 1 due to them putting the 'AFC' before their name rather than after like everyone else. Shouldn't be allowed and they should be further down the list.

On what planet do we sell him in January? I've heard plenty of the usual talk about selling him during January to recoup as much money as possible. You don't do that if you are chasing promotion. Can't happen. Not if the club is serious. In the summer maybe, if we get a good bid for him from a HIGHER division. I find it bizarre - are Fulham, Bournemouth and West Brom talking about selling their best players in January during a promotion push or is that just us? We will see what Venkys are all about in January. Will they back the club to try and be successful or will it be radio silence and a couple of loans if we are lucky? Because if they aren't going to back Mowbray in January in the position we are looking like being in given the outgoings and savings made in the summer then they never will.

Agree. Don't want to play them and certainly don't want to go to their place for numerous reasons including the ridiculous police operation. If we had won the last meeting between the sides I'd be quite happy to never play them again and retain bragging rights indefinitely however given they have had the better of us recently we need to play them sooner rather than later and beat them to reset the clock. I'd just rather wait until they were relegated and Dyche leaves and they have a firesale.

Reading Mowbray's comments in the press I would tend to agree with the theory that he is getting his views out into the public domain, putting a bit of pressure on the owners and trying to avoid any finger of blame in his direction if the owners start playing silly beggars again in January. I find it interesting how the Armstrong sale and substantial windfall is now just history. No mention of that cash or any reinvestment of it. Gone, Done, Dusted, forgotten about, move on. I think Mowbray is expecting similar in the event of any sales - the money will just go and he will have to try and pull some more rabbits out of the loan market hat. Only so long that can go on. Some might say this is fair enough, the owners have spent heavily in the last few years and are entitled to claw some money back. Of course they are. But by the same measure you would expect billionaires who are determined to get back to the PL to sense an opportunity this season and to show the money for some key additions rather than sales. You would also expect them to push the boat out to keep Brereton under long term contract rather than hide behind self-imposed wage structures. It is simple - if the cost of paying him more for the next couple of years is less than the amount it puts on his transfer value then it is worth doing. If a new contract costs the club a few million but adds £10 million to his transfer value it is worth it. My view is that there has been radio silence from the top owners in India - Mr and Mrs Desai - for at least a year now. Because of that Mowbray has been unable to persuade them to release funds or issue new contracts and I think there is plenty of evidence for that in the state of the contracts and recruitment which has been extremely short term and low cost since summer 2020.

Tomorrow night. One of my favourite football events of the year. What are people hoping for? Glamour tie at Ewood and see Waggott in a tailspin trying to accommodate 30,000? Home draw against lower league opposition? I fancy going to a new ground so would love an away tie at any of: Wimbledon, Orient, Swindon, St Albans I've been before but would be great if we could get Kidderminster, Boreham Wood, Salford or Halifax I wouldn't complain with West Ham, Spurs or Brentford away (new grounds) Hope we avoid the monotony of a Derby, Bournemouth, Reading, Stoke, Birmingham. Really anyone but Championship would be a nice change.

Efforts like the above from the club are to be applauded. No complaints from me if they are bringing kids in from various places and trying to get them into it. I think this needs to be scaled up somewhat though. They need to be targeting a bigger area than at present and a bigger target audience. It seems at present it is basically primary school age kids from BWD, which is fine as a start but it needs to increase to secondary school ages and it needs to tap into much wider reaching areas. Still not doing remotely enough in Hyndburn from what I see and hear. 'As far away' as Clitheroe I think sums it up. Clitheroe isn't far away at all, it is our backyard, full of Rovers fans to bring in. Not long ago John Williams was targeting Lancaster as our turf.

Lets just see how it goes. No need for talk about contracts yet unless that is for players who will have substantial value for the club to protect. I'm amazed at how well we are doing and long may it continue. Particularly satisfying for me are the controlled 1-0 wins against tough sides in tough conditions like we have had the last 2 weeks. Of course a large part of that has to be credited to the manager. Irrespective of results he isn't leaving any time soon so lets just enjoy it whilst it lasts. I am sure that at least 2 of the play-off teams this season are going to come from a group including ourselves and other names such as Millwall, Middlesbrough, QPR, Coventry, Luton and Forest. We simply have to be confident of finishing above those sort of sides given the way we have performed and points we have at this stage. I'm not one for considering the play-offs as the Holy Grail and the answer to all our problems. If we were to get in there, which is a long way away, that doesn't mean that we are promoted and doesn't address the issues that we have in the summer with the squad. We will soon be arriving at Mowbray's annual point of collapse so the big test won't be Bournemouth next week but will be Barnsley, Huddersfield at home and Hull away. What an opportunity there.

To be honest I'd say 14,000 home fans on for a Lancashire derby given our form and league position is pretty poor. It is only the horrendous 'normal' crowds we get that makes 14,000 seem good. I'll give you an example - Bolton played Wigan in League One a month or so ago and the crowd there was 21,000 with a similar number of away fans. The last time we went to Preston before lockdown there were 15,000 in the home ends. And remember that a good 1,000 of those were giveaways in the BBE upper. Clearly it is a step in the right direction but lets get some perspective here. It wasn't long ago we had 18-19000 season ticket holders so no I won't consider 14,000 for a derby anything other than quite poor.

So if Preston get a few walk ons they'll be at about 4,500. Add to our season ticket base of 7,000 and probably 1,000 giveaways (top tier BBE again) then there is perhaps 13,000. To hit 17,000 we'd need an extra 4,000 Rovers fans paying £30 adults. But hey, the clowns at Ewood can claim it is a 'big crowd' and 'busy day' with queues at the ticket office and running out of food and drink, blame the weather and covid and everyone can go home happy having managed such a 'risky' fixture with no trouble. Heaven help this lot if we ever got 30,000 turning up.

I don't know. I do know we are one of the most expensive season tickets in the league despite having the most empty seats and being in one of the poorest and most competitive areas with supposedly some of the richest investors. I don't care what the average is and whether we are in keeping with that or not. £30 is too expensive for any 2nd division football match.

Yep definitely panicking about a dire gate. Reap what you sow. I still find it astonishing that anyone anywhere thinks that £30 minimum for an adult to watch a second division match in Blackburn is remotely acceptable. Then again the person making the decision won't be paying will he? I wonder when Waggott last paid to go on a match? Easy making these decisions when you're on the payroll and get complimentaries everywhere you go.

Agree although many at Rovers can't wait to produce attendance stats from the 80s to help explain/justify dire attendances in 2021. As you say times have changed and if the benchmark is what was happening in the 80s then we are on a slippery slope. Football is a different game and most clubs have seen substantial increases since then even when at a similar level in the pyramid.

I think we are in dangerous territory with this match. Expectations at PNE appear to be at a low ebb yet it would be foolish to overlook their recent results including impressive wins at Bournemouth and Middlesbrough having trailed in both and also a hard fought draw v Fulham last weekend. Apparently - I haven't watched them play for a long time so can't comment as tv coverage seems reserved to West Brom, QPR and Derby this season - they are as dull as dishwater in the way they play. Some might see that as a negative but I think for sides of limited means that is the most sensible route to take in this division and is probably the reason they have kept themselves clear of trouble and ground out some decent results. You can be horrendous to watch but don't concede silly goals and hang on in there and you'll have a chance. I'll be going for a 1-1 draw here. They always seem to raise their game against us and I think it is too much to ask for us to win again now that we have got into a good position. The fixtures coming up over December are very attractive ones (Bournemouth aside) and a real opportunity to establish ourselves as a top 6 side going into the second half of the season. We have tended to struggle in these sort of golden opportunity games but I do have confidence in our home form which has been good this season.

A quick look at the behaviour and CV of Waggott's predecessor Paul Senior and there are similarities. Another one who turned up here out of the blue with an odd background in football, suddenly installed as the top dog at Rovers, welcomed by many as a much needed communication link to the fans, turning up for fans forum meetings and doing the rounds at Ewood on matchday telling people what they want to hear. All very cosy, approachable, nice guy, always happy to answer questions and entertain people, make them think things were happening. But in the end he came and went, god knows how much he was on for his 6 month stint and next to nothing of any significance happened. Next news he is advising on education in Scotland. How he landed that one who knows but another one where talking the talk gets you where you need to be. These people move around the country doing a couple of years here and there taking home massive salaries. A core part of their job is keeping everyone happy and being seen on the ground. Maybe that is what Venkys like - a figurehead who will deal with the supporters and keep them quiet. It is one of their skills to keep the various 'components' to the organisation happy. It is quite clear with Waggott that he likes to talk the talk then when the bad patch arrives he disappears for a month until the dust settles and then back out again. Despite all the talk a quick look at what has actually happened on his watch makes for poor reading. Consistent decline in attendances at least in part to his pricing - yet excused due to Covid Talk about a new Riverside - never gone anywhere Talk about a new pitch - never went anywhere Talk about a new super duper training ground - never went anywhere Talk about new signings at Brockhall with their suitcases ready to sign - never went anywhere Talk about senior players signing new contracts - never went anywhere There's a theme appearing here - things he talks about, promises, says are going to happen don't do. Meanwhile 4 years on the payroll and we've lost £80 million in that time, no longer own Brockhall, have failed FFP and are facing a mass exodus in the summer with precious few assets on the books.

How do you know they have? Genuinely - if you have an inside track to the players themselves, their friends, family or agents who have told you they have been offered improved terms then I'll bow to that knowledge. I can't promise they haven't. I can offer my opinion which is given the information I have available I have strong doubts as to the validity of these offers or at least their suitability given none have been accepted. As far as I can see the only people to comment on this are Mowbray and Waggott, and I've explained many times why it is in their interests for people to believe they have done all they can, even if they haven't. We all know how it is most likely to pan out with valuable assets walking for little/nothing, then another cycle of loans come in and another 6 months of whinging about low revenues and FFP constraints kicks in without any admission that the way of avoiding these issues is ensuring you have a squad of contracted players with value in the tank.

Course not. We have all summer, fail to sign anyone and it isn't Rovers fault. Nothing never is? Failing to comply with FFP - not our fault. Failing to keep key players under contract - not our fault. Failing to recruit properly - not our fault. Wish there would be some accountability and responsibility at times around here. And if we aren't sure of doing things the CEO shouldn't be telling supporters we are or shouldn't be appearing in the local media saying things are going to happen.

I can't think of anything lower down my list of priorities than spending my free time with the likes of him tbh. I also wouldn't believe a word he came out with so would be a waste of my time.

Oh. So why did the club say they were in discussions with him about a new deal? I don't know or care whether it was Maja or Messi. Matters not one jot if he doesn't join.

Well actually we could have it both ways. Cut prices, sell far more, bring in the same cash. If the club had marketed the Preston game properly - £20 a head and got tickets on sale weeks ago with big promotion behind it then there would have been 20,000 or even 25,000 on Ewood. Many on the food, drink and merchandise. Instead, due to short sightedness, it is looking like 15,000 on if we are lucky, crap atmosphere. Meanwhile only this morning the club has released a statement on the website encouraging people to buy their replica kits quickly because they have nearly all run out and there are no large sizes left in stock. It doesn't appear as though there is any plan on getting further stock in. Maybe if we had increased stock levels we would have some to sell over Xmas and bring in some extra money?

I have as much evidence as you do. You believe Waggott, I don't. That's the only difference. It isn't a conspiracy. I think he is a liar and cannot be trusted and think there is plenty of reason for that. You want to accept everything he says as the accurate reality and convince yourself that this is the truth. I have zero interest in the wage budget and what is needed to 'manage it'. That is irrelevant to the point I was making which is to cast doubt on whether these players have actually been made improved offers worthy of consideration, as you have repeatedly claimed. What evidence do I have? Very little. What evidence do you have other than what Waggott has told the Telegraph? What I do know is that in the summer we supposedly made efforts to keep Bell and Bennett who both decided to move on elsewhere, that we supposedly made efforts to tie Armstrong down to a new deal who decided to go elsewhere and that supposedly now for at least the last 12 months we have been making efforts to secure the futures of Rothwell, Nyambe, Lenihan, Brereton and yet despite that time and claims of improved offers not one of those players has signed up. Now you might expect at least 1 of those various players to have accepted 'improved' terms and yet none of them have. Not one. What does that tell you? It tells me that either offers haven't been made for them to accept or alternatively that the offers are so poor that all those players would sooner go elsewhere. Someone like Lenihan isn't getting a PL move. He's staying in the Championship. Having graduated from our academy, been here all his career and established himself as captain and effectively guaranteed his place in the team you might expect him to fancy sticking around. Yet despite an 'improved' offer he'd rather head off to some other 2nd division club? Not sure I'm buying that. Of course Waggott as the CEO keen to protect himself, the manager and Venkys is going to attempt to divert blame away from those at the club and towards those players. That is just common sense. He is hardly going to hold his hands up and admit that no offers have been made, that the club has botched the process or that the offers made are poor ones. He'd probably be sacked if he admitted that. I don't think anyone is suggesting 'overpaying' for players. All the information I have heard is that Nyambe is on quite a low wage by the club and Championship standards. It isn't very long ago that you were trying to justify giving Ben Gladwin a 6 month deal to use our training facilities to get fit so I don't think it is unreasonable for a player like Nyambe to expect a substantial pay increase. Rothwell is another who was signed from Oxford, probably on small Championship wages, and has grown in importance When we look at the frivolity of this management team over the last 3 years then relatively low earners like Nyambe and Rothwell have every right to expect a substantial increase. I don't understand why I need to meet Waggott to be able to have a view on him. He lied last year about compensating supporters out of pocket, and went one better by increasing prices by 20%. He was in the Red Rose suite earlier this season telling people Lenihan would be signing in days and that we had a striker lined up from abroad. None of those things happened. I never met Steve Kean either. What does that prove?