JHRover

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.

We see with the stadium just as we see with the pitch and the squad. Cutting corners and avoiding spending in the short term results in long term problems. Yet only one of these can be blamed on FFP rules. Two are exempt yet still people believe Venkys want to spend but can't.

I'm sorry but I'm going to have to get going again on this. 'Decimated financially because of Covid' - I'm not sure that we were, or at least not to the extent some would suggest. The club retained all its season ticket income for the 2019-20 season, refusing refunds where rivals offered them. Sky and media money increased considerably to cover losses in ticket revenues during the 2020-21 season. I'm not sure why or how Covid has affected this club any more or worse than anyone else. There's an argument we should have been best protected against Covid given our relatively low reliance on gate receipts and crowds in comparison to those who budget for 20,000+ a week turning up. Even if by some strange reason we were in a worse state than others because of covid, since the summer we have had no restrictions, and unlimited ticket sales. Just because Waggott botched season ticket sales once again doesn't mean it is covid caused. The purchase of the training ground we are led to believe was a FFP dodge, and nothing to do with Covid. Covid losses can be deducted from FFP calculations as clubs clearly should not and cannot be sanctioned for unforseeable losses beyond their control. The CEO is clearly out of his depth but anyone with the time to go and read his background in football could have worked that out in December 2017, yet instead the idiots in India decided to employ him on an astronomical salary seemingly on Mowbray's suggestion or recommendation rather than employing an experienced, quality CEO who would perform the role as it should be, independent of the first team manager rather than in tandem with him. Then we get on to the transfer ins and outs. Adam Armstrong sold last summer adds at least £10 million onto the balance sheet even with Newcastle's cut taken off. Since last July with the mass exodus of experienced players we are looking at weekly wage savings of over £100,000 adding up to £4 million by next month. The club has spent a few hundred grand at most in the last few windows (and I think people probably overestimate on that given the contractual situations of Markindy, Hedges and Edun). The club knows there is a strong likelihood of another major sale in the summer in Ben Brereton, as he won't be signing a new deal and we will turn at least £15 million on him. So even a relatively small investment in January - and I'm talking signing a CF from League One or Two or even an Andy Carroll until the end of the season - would not have breached FFP. It is nonsense. Even if that relatively small expenditure caused issues we have the Brereton sale to make up for it with interest. It is inexplicable and unacceptable. It has almost certainly blown automatic promotion in a month going from 2nd in Feb to well off it in March. It will probably cost us a play-off spot too. Shame but that's what happens when run by the likes of this lot. It is time people accepted the reality. Venkys don't care. The only way they pump more in than the bare minimum is if the manager gets on a plane, goes to Pune, waits for his meeting, tells them how great they are and persuades them to spend. Mowbray hasn't been able to do this which is why the club has been left scrimping and saving for the last 2 years trying to walk the tightrope of managing with no investment from the owners. I personally doubt that Desai and her hubby even know we've been near the top of the league.

I'm not sure a new manager would be given the opportunity to overhaul the coaching staff. I am of the opinion that if Mowbray did depart that Lowe, Benson and Johnson would be able to stay on under the next manager and that would be a requirement for new managers to agree to. It is this stipulation that is likely to limit the calibre of people interested in the job, as any manager with ambition or clout will rightly expect to be able to assemble their own coaching staff and work with their trusted people rather than have people imposed on them. I also think that if we are going to part company with Mowbray, which by the sounds of what went on on Tuesday night at half time and full time he might need for his own health if nothing else, then there needs to be a clean sweep. The best argument for getting rid of Mowbray is there is a feeling of history repeating itself every season and the same old mistakes and excuses each season. With that in mind it would be madness to remove the maanger but keep the coaching staff the same. For me if the backroom staff are staying the same then it is almost getting to the point whereby Mowbray might as well stay on because there won't be that much point changing him. If the club can't or won't pay the going rate to replace the coaching staff then it has serious problems because the cost is insignificant in the scheme of running a football club and aiming for promotion. If it is an emotional decision - keeping people in situ because they are nice people, work hard or get on well with people then again - we are wasting our time here because no such sentimentality should apply in such major decisions.

This lot score goals and have firepower, but also a very leaky defence. This is must win for me. There won't be many better opportunities and we need to get some momentum going. With the ridiculous games in hand situation (how the hell do all but one of our rivals still have these games in hand?) we can't afford more slip ups. Whilst they won't all win their games in hand and indeed can't (Sheff U v QPR one of them) there is a strong chance at least a couple of the teams will. Line up wise I think something similar to the 2nd half v Derby although I am loathe to change the defence which has worked well we do need goals and probably more than one to win here.

Hoping for draws between Luton/Preston, Millwall/Huddersfield and Forest/QPR Hope for a Blackpool win over Sheff Utd and for Hull to win at Coventry.

I may be reading too much into his interview and body language. But I would expect a manager that had just masterminded a turnaround from dire straits and getting beat and awful performance to good peformance, 3 goals and 3 points to be emboldened by that when dealing with the media afterwards. I might expect him to try to take credit for the changes that turned the game. Or credit for getting stuck into the players at half time. I might expect him to at least spend some of the second half, especially when the game had been rescued and we were in the lead, to be back to his usual behaviour on the touchline. The sulking in his seat for the full 45, combined with one of the most downbeat, miserable, exhausted looking interviews I have ever seen from a manager, especially after a win, suggests to me there is more to this.

Yes on the stadium planner for Blackpool adults are £25 starting price.

Johnson also posted something on Instagram a short while ago which was simply a cartoon of a headless chicken. EDIT - just seen the above post earlier

So in 19 away games Bristol City have conceded 38 goals and kept 2 clean sheets - both against us

Tonight was an extreme version of the Rovers I have become used to seeing at Ewood Park under Mowbray's management. An atrocious first half performance with absolutely nothing of positive note to report, followed by a significant improvement and upturn in the second half. Another occasion where we only turn up for part of the game rather than the full 90 minutes, but if we win who cares. Lets be honest it is quite frequent for us to spend the first half of games at home asleep or uncomfortable/poor, only for them to come out second half when attacking the Blackburn End and there to be a massive improvement. I think the only real difference tonight was just how bad we were in the first half. Really bad. And the Johnson selection - I knew he would throw a curveball into the equation but that has to be up there with his most random of all time. But in the end we turned it around, got 3 goals and 3 points so a difficult night dealt with. I still think we have some major issues some of which are entirely self-inflicted but hopefully we can get a win at Reading which might put us back on track before the international break. Onto Mowbray. I have watched his video interview with Andy Bayes after the game, and noted his behaviour in the dugout tonight and I have to say I'm almost worried for the bloke's wellbeing. First half he prowls the touchline in animated and excited fashion. Even throwing his jacket off in frustration half way through. Then second half makes a clear point of remaining sat down in the dugout for the entire 45 minutes except for one occasion when he spoke to the 4th official about injury time. This is a throwback to his behaviour in the second half of last season when he would spend some games - Wycombe away one that immediately springs to mind - sat down on the bench for the whole game whilst Venus was the one stood up speaking to the players. I don't know what sort of relationship they have but it is very strange. It seems sometimes they are co-managers rather than boss and assistant. Having watched his interview I must have missed the part about him accepting responsibility for getting it wrong with the team tonight. I heard him mention that they hadn't had time to prepare following Saturday's game. I heard him mention that there were some players in the dressing room who don't want to win enough and I heard him mention that we'd been on the wrong side of fine margins over the last 10 games. I didn't hear him hold his hands up and admit fault because he never does. That interview though. Wow. He almost looks like he's having some sort of medical episode. I mean I'd expect something like that if we had lost but even then I'd expect anger rather than the look of exhaustion/weariness on his face. Head in hands, clearly unhappy, just like he was this time last year. Like he doesn't enjoy the job and doesn't want to be here.

The evidence to date, if you believe in such things as crowd numbers and away fans, is that the increase in numbers / relocation of the away fans to upstairs in the DE has actually had a detrimental effect on results. Because since Xmas there has been a clear increase in home fan numbers, even putting them behind both goals recently, yet we've struggled for goals and wins. Back in the early stages of the season we had away fans downstairs behind the goals and were getting 10,000 total crowds yet were scoring more and winning more. Maybe they need to look at that.

Another round of fixtures that should be ideal for us to make up ground on rivals with them all having tricky fixtures. Preston don't lose many so tough for Luton, Blackpool decent at home, Forest v QPR playing each other. We've got a home game against a side in dire straits. But matters not if we can't score.

Punching above our weight next to Huddersfield, QPR, Luton and a few points above Coventry, Millwall and Preston?

Last two home games at 0-0 with 10-20 minutes remaining and desperate for a goal and Mowbray has turned to Jack Vale and Bradley Dack. If you can find a more succinct summary of what a mess the January transfer window was than the above I'd like to see it.

Almost perfect results today in dingle relegation operation. Only downside was Everton getting nothing but still think they'll come to when the pressure is really on. With a bit of luck Watford and Roy will haul themselves to safety and relegate both the dingle and Leeds/Everton.