JHRover

Little acorns don't work if the club swiftly gives up on the lower DE as a home stand and reverts back to putting away fans only in there. Nor does it work if all those in the DE would have gone anyway but instead are moving away from the almost full BBE lower and instead sitting alone in the vast DE lower. It requires a hell of a lot more time, effort and initiative to rebuild this mess yet Maggott seems to think it is so easy that a good first half to the season and a bundle offer and thousands will be in queues to take advantage. He's either stupid or being deliberately incompetent about this after 4.5 years at the club. If they are serious about it then they would release season tickets in there. Unreserved seating. Promote it as a young adult/youth area or for those who want to stand and shout all day. We won't go for safe standing because Venkys won't pay for it but they could go for it being the unofficial standing area. Basically just do what Williams did when he opened that area to home fans but promote, promote, promote, target local clubs, organisations. But we know it won't happen. Only last week Waggott was wittering on about hoping to have season tickets released earlier this year. Yet numerous clubs are already announced and on with sales and we will be among the last. Everything is done last minute and off the hoof, poorly organised and planned. I'd like nothing more than to get back to the days of having home fans on all 4 sides and a better atmosphere at Ewood. Of course we had precisely that not long ago when there were established season ticket holders in that stand. Not a lot but the numbers dwindled each year, but still a presence and atmosphere at that end of the ground. Then the Club decided to shut it at short notice with no consultation and dispersed those fans elsewhere around the ground (or put them off going altogether). These sort of short term decisions cost support so it seems strange that they now want home fans in that end after getting rid of them.

To be honest that's one of the reasons I don't look forward to the play-offs. With a near 40,000 allocation I dread to think what we would sell at Wembley prices. Think people would be surprised and not in a good way.

No it isn't. Employing dodgy accountancy practices with the aim of cheating the system is significantly worse than breaking spending limits but being honest and transparent about it. It is a different offence. One might be accidental, inadvertent or be a few quid over the limit, the other is a brazen attempt to manipulate the system using false information. The only reason those sanctions were imposed was because of those practices. No points deduction was imposed for the offence of spending too much on players. If it was the 'same thing' then why didn't those clubs then get separate points deductions for overspending? The argument on here since day 1 has been that we cannot spend beyond a certain amount on players because if we do we will get a serious sanction, probably points deduction. My point has been that sanctions for such spending are rare and highly unlikely. Though it is convenient to Waggott and co. because most people don't know what is going on and just see the words FFP and points deduction for Derby and Sheff Wed and immediately assume we would go exactly the same way if we spent anything on players.

I can not include Derby and Sheff Wed because their sanctions were for breaking different rules! You can't spend ages warning against the pitfalls of spending money on players and then use two clubs who were sanctioned for fiddling their accounts and just lump every club that recieves a sanction into the same category. Compare us to Birmingham fine as that is the benchmark. We will only emulate the other two if we do something underhand with our Brockhall sale - like backdate it or grossly inflate its value. Their sanctions were for using prohibited accountancy tactics to try and assist them in dodging the rules. I know it is real - my point is that only in very rare cases do overspending clubs actually get sanctioned for doing it and usually those are the clubs run by buffoons. Those clubs guilty of overspending - and it is obvious to everyone that Stoke, Bristol City and Middlesbrough are - have not been punished and I will eat my hat if any of them actually have any points deducted. Reasons being their owners are too astute to allow it and the EFL know this. If they were going to sanction them they would have been able to do so long before now. Because lets remember that the FFP rules haven't come in during the last year or two - they've been here for 8 years and were in the pipeline long before that. Which makes Rovers inability to cope with them even more bizarre given we were in this division when they were brought in and suffered at the hands of them back in 2015 yet are still unable to get our house in order to comply with them. Meanwhile titans of the game like Bristol City and Boro have managed to avoid any issues despite spending considerably more than we have over the years. I'll be amazed if that happens.

We hear this sort of thing around this sort of time every year. Very rarely happens. Only 2 clubs have been docked points due to FFP breaches - Birmingham and Reading. Derby were docked points for administration and like with Sheff Wed also for employing dodgy accounting tactics to try and avoid FFP trouble, not for actually breaching FFP. People like Coates at Stoke and Gibson at Boro are the darlings of English football. Almost universally liked/respected and just about as reliable and ideal owners as any club could want - local and loaded and in it for the long term. I'd say there's zero prospect of the League wanting or trying to sanction them and even if they tried Gibson has shown he's up for a battle and will take them on. Bristol City have just lost over £30 million in the last year alone. It is as clear as night follows day that they will be over the 3 year limit that people often refer to. Lets see if they actually get a sanction because I don't think they will. Lansdown is another one like Gibson and Coates - the sort they don't want to upset or antagonise and the sort with the ability to take them on if they try.

I think as much of a problem as the bundle is the lack of time and effort the club has put into promoting it. I'm sure they think flasing it across the scoreboard v Forest and putting it on Twitter and the website counts as marketing and promoting the offer but I'm afraid there's a lot more to it than that. No prices or offers were announced until shortly before kick off v Forest a little over a week ago. The first game of the bundle is in 48 hours. That left 9 clear days between announcing the offer and the first game taking place. I don't know nor care the reasons why it was left so late but surely even Waggott must accept that putting tickets on sale for an event 9 days before the event take place might be cutting it fine and limit the number of people buying? I compare to a similar situation at Preston. Their derby game v Blackpool is on 5th April, yet back on 19th January they began selling tickets a whole 10 weeks before the match.

Not very many at all going off availability on the ticket planner last night. Looks like the half nearest the JW stand is open, the front 10+ rows are closed and there are a handful of sold tickets towards the middle. I'd guess a couple of hundred at most.

75 points is the usual requirement for a top 6 position. We need 21 to get there. After the Middlesbrough win on 24th January we had 52 points and needed 23 from 18 games. That is roughly 1.25 points per game over more than a third of a season to get there. Apply that across a full season and that level of form would result in around 57 points, so enough to survive but not much more than that. Go below that 1.25, which we would need to do to fall short, and get towards 1 point a game and it is relegation level form over more than a third of the season. Put simply a failure to finish at least 6th would be a collapse of epic proportions and it matters not what people would have took back in August. 7th or below should result in the sack. 6th or above and there is a lottery ticket which even Mowbray might land a win on. But if not we are back to square one in the summer with the annual Venky rebuild with kids and loans.

In isolation not a bad result, arguably a decent one, and I felt we looked the more likely of the two to go on and win it in the second half. I had big concerns that we were going to be the usual new manager at home lambs to the slaughter with a night of frustration a la Hull and Swansea so it was at least good to avoid that. BUT I'm not sure how good a result a draw against WBA is these days. Despite the new manager Bruce hasn't had much chance or time to get them drilled yet and tonight was probably an opportunity to strike at them. They are a weary side and I think were there for the taking. A side almost at full strength against them pushing for promotion should be, in my opinion, sniffing blood and getting the win. Even if we say it is a good result in isolation, when we take it as a group along with Forest, Swansea, Hull, Luton and Mboro it is 1 win in 6 now with 1 goal scored. In any language, in any division that simply isn't good enough and has to change. You can come with the excuses about injuries, players missing, Chile national duty, bad referees but plain and simply the responsibility lies in house. There are a lot of people who I saw before and after the game saying how happy they would be with a draw at West Brom. The same people will almost certainly be saying the same before QPR, Sheff Utd and Fulham soon, so if they are happy to get draws there, even if we beat a stubborn Millwall with our scoring problems, that will be 2 wins in 10. I'm not sure if these people are aware of that or not. Sooner or later we are going to have to win one or two of these 'lets be happy with a point' games otherwise the play-offs will soon slip out of reach. I'm also amazed at the speed with which we have gone from 2 weeks ago being sat in the top 2 and effectively with that destiny in our own hands to now so many people happy to accept 6th as a great outcome from here. It seems the manager himself has settled for that with his comments recently about being 'confident' of us finishing in the top 6 despite us being 2nd. I often get accused of being negative yet I'm not the one settling for a place 3-4 places below where we currently occupy with a third of the season left to play. And once again that doesn't mean I think we will get top 2 - because with this sort of form that will quickly disappear - but I certainly wouldn't be giving up on it in February because 6th would have been good if offered in the summer. That is a bonkers way of operating. Time will tell but I am really concerned about the fitness regime at this club. The injuries to Ayala and Brereton tonight, just as we need them and just as we are getting reasonable options back available almost getting into laughable territory.

Expensive tickets but then again at least they have an excuse for it - limited capacity, high demand, top of the league We've been guilty of charging similar at Ewood in the last few years. It won't stop until an independent body introduces a cap on it. Clubs/EFL won't bother so time to take the power out of their hands.

A lot of people saying they would be happy with a draw here. Normally I would completely agree but unfortunately with the results at Hull, Luton and Swansea we need to make ground up here. Fail to win and that is 2 wins in 9 including FA Cup and with tough games against QPR, Sheff Utd and Fulham coming up where no doubt people would be happy with draws in those we could easily be looking at 3 wins in 13 even if we beat Millwall and get draws in them. Not good enough.

The people running the club at the moment think Clitheroe is a long way away. 10-20 years ago John Williams was making serious efforts to push the club on the Fylde Coast and Lancaster, now they think putting on a free kids bus to Clitheroe is impressive.

You may be partly referring to me here. I am delighted Kaminski has signed and hopefully (we need it) more will follow. I maintain my view that it is increasing wages that has been the issue here which is why those on lower end wages from their academy days - Lenihan, Nyambe - or those on League One figures - Rothwell - have been unable to secure the increase they seek whilst Gallagher and Kaminski - both likely to be on much bigger wages already - are probably happy to sign up for another couple of years on the same sort of cash. I think Venkys have directed no pay increases or something similar which is why the deadlock on those on low wages who want paying a figure reflective of Championship regulars. A percentage increase which is probably incompatible with the 'structure' Venkys are driving.

Fulham, Bournemouth, West Brom and Sheffield United, and arguably Forest, all have substantially greater budgets at this moment in time than we do. So for us to be above 3 of them and just behind another is a good effort. But by the same measure Mowbray has had things in his favour that those other clubs haven't had. He's had 5 years in sole control of this club and has been able to build it up in the way he wants. The way we play - he's had years to work on it with little pressure during that time. Settled in the division. No adjustment, rebuild, chaos to deal with. Compare to Silva, Parker, Ismael/Bruce, Cooper, Heckingbottom - all of whom have taken over their clubs recently, and whilst they've inherited decent squads and have had decent budgets, haven't had a fraction of the time and freedom Mowbray has enjoyed here. For me we see where we are come May. If he gets us up somehow he deserves all the credit in the world. If we get top six and fall just short then there needs to be a serious conversation as to what the plan is moving forward. If he misses out on the top 6, having been 2nd in February, I'm afraid that has to be the end for me, regardless of how well we have done to date. Because you don't get a trophy for finishing 4th, 5th or 6th. Only if you get to Wembley and win is it an achievement. It can be a sign of progress and improvement but then that's only any use if you use it to go again and go one better next season. Given the state of our squad there can be no talk of building for next year because it is going to be dismantled in the summer.

I'm not sure anyone can say that contract issues have been out of Mowbray's control. He was able to get approval to give expensive contract extensions to Bennett, Mulgrew, Smallwood, Evans and expensive deals to Downing and Holtby. I am pretty sure that in the summer of 2020 he could have focused his budget on new deals for Lenihan, Nyambe, Rothwell and there would have been more than enough scope in there to get those done. Instead they were overlooked and the money spent on other things.

I expect he will get one if he wants one simply because it will be the easy and obvious thing to do. I don't think this lot have a managerial search in them. I think and hope there will be more to it than offering him a new deal based on November-January and doing better than expected. I'm concerned by Mowbray's revelation in January that he wanted to sell Rothwell to Bournemouth to generate funds to rebuild but the owners refused to allow that and as a result he is going to leave for nothing leaving us with little/no money to spend. We are already facing a mass exodus of talent in the summer and Mowbray has to take some responsibility for that. If the owners won't back his judgment in January and won't sanction spending and won't allow wages for new contracts then what is the point?

A few on Twitter have pulled them up on their unimpressive 1900 following yesterday - which in my opinion is decent but not what I would expect for a 'big' club in blistering form. Apparently it would have been much bigger had they not had so many other away games recently. Lets see how many we take to Sheff United in a few weeks - even at pushing £28 per adult I still bet there will be over 1500 there. Does that make us a massive club?

Without me having to go back and check the rules can anyone tell me what the rules are with yellow card suspensions? Lenihan I believe was on 8 yellows before last night, with 10 triggering a suspension of 2 games. He should now be on 10 - so does he just get a 2 game ban for 10 yellows and nothing for the red, or does he get an extra game?

With crowds you reap what you sow. Lots of efforts being made to engage and develop support from minority groups but when you are losing traditional support hand over fist - which we have under Waggott's management - then it is achieving nothing. Had to laugh at the obnoxious Forest lot obsessing about attendances. I think last night was the most I can remember them ever bringing to Ewood and to be honest a little over 2,000 given their form of late is nothing to boast about. I also remember playing at their place not too long ago with an official gate of 18,000 in the Championship and clearly much less than that on watching on the night itself. Still, doesn't fit the narrative.

Indeed. If we don't finish at least 6th then it will almost certainly mean we get less than 75 points. To be on 53 in January after 29 games If we don't hit 75 from 46 then it will mean we have picked up 21 points or less from 17 games. Relegation form. The concern now is that many people will be more than happy with the top 6 - and I think up until December most would have jumped at scraping into 6th at the end of the season - but having done so well up to January if we don't make it now by any measure it would mean a disastrous last third of the season.

Yes, we've only got 5 months to wait for ours.

Two decisions that I object to in the last 2 games alone. Swansea away - leaving Brereton on the bench. Somehow what should have been 1 game missed due to international duty spills over into 2.5 games missed and him being thrown on when chasing a game away from home. For me if fit he should be starting and then if knackered then take him off in the second half hopefully by which stage he has got us ahead and in control of the game. Trying to be too clever IMO, rather than just focusing on the job in hand of beating a poor Swansea side and to do so needing your best players on the pitch from the get go. Then leaving Nyambe out v Forest. Maybe it wouldn't have made any difference to the result, maybe it would. But the fact is that he has been a central part of the side that has done so well and had such momentum and defensive strength over the last 2-3 months. So to drop him for no good reason risks unsettling the side.

Preston play Blackpool at Deepdale on 5th April. Still 7 weeks off but had announced tickets weeks ago and put them on sale in mid January. They've pushed and pushed them and that's partly because they are opening the away end to home fans. I don't understand why this has been left so late in the day.

These spirals tend to last around 8 games before we sneak a win against someone and recover for a while. So I suppose it depends where we are in the spiral now. You could argue it started back against Huddersfield where we got a reasonable 0-0 draw but didn't play well, or even before then when we edged out an abysmal Barnsley side. Since then we've had a couple of narrow wins settled by single goals against Cardiff and Boro. Good results but not particularly good performances. Hopefully the passing of games means we've only another one at most before a recovery comes. Doesn't feel like it though, feels like we are only in the early stages of it and it has a while left to run yet. The arrival of a few new players and return to fitness of others won't help as I think Mowbray will baffle himself with his selections and substitutions.

Our appearances in recent weeks have reverted to the 'bad old days' of early this season and perhaps more accurately seasons past. Teams getting ahead of us early on or scoring with their first opportunities and then just seeing the game out whilst Rovers struggle and fail to get back into the game. Plenty of possession and spells of nice football but in terms of actual proper chances and testing the opposition goalkeeper - very little. Possession stats creeping up but ineffective and results in very little. Nobody can question the effort of the players but little idea or quality in getting back into games. This has been a long term issue under Mowbray - all well and good if keeping clean sheets or getting ahead in games but when that goes we really struggle, always have, at recovering from losing positions. Sides will be working out that if they get the first goal they are going to get a result and probably the win. I have to say that the Nyambe situation appalls me. If it is true - and I firmly believe it is - that he has been dropped for non-footballing reasons - then it is clear that Mowbray is prepared to gamble a chance of promotion on making some sort of point. It interests me that Nyambe always seems to be the fall guy whereas other contract 'rebels' - i.e. want paying a wage reflective of their status - keep their place regardless. The insertion of Hedges to RB baffling but again suspect Mowbray will dress it up as needing a goal so putting an attack minded player there. No doubt he will justify it in his head as giving a place in the team to someone focused/committed to the cause but I'm not having that. Nyambe has been half way out of the exit door since last season and yet he has continued to play an integral part in the side that has got us into this position. I'm getting fed up with the number of comments online about how the top 2 has gone and we need to focus on staying in the top 6. I'm sorry but the top 2 are there for grabs - still - and fortunately for us tonight whilst we slipped there were also dropped points for QPR, Huddersfield, WBA and Middlesbrough. With 15 games to go I certainly hope none of these players or manager are content with the top 6 because they are in the wrong business if giving up on automatic in this position. Do I think we will get it? No because I think a combination of a lack of depth/options and Mowbray's meddling will ultimately cost us but it has to remain the aim. If we fail to get at least 6th from the position we were in heading into February then heads will have to roll. On to West Brom a side in horrendous form losing again tonight and will be nervous when we go there yet Bruce's first home game in charge - we know how this goes.