JHRover

They have destroyed, and will continue to further destroy, everything about this once great club. 

The only question is how much longer it continues and what state it is in by the end. Hopefully we still have a club left to rebuild from but I wouldn't approach that with confidence given the amount of damage done up to this point and a continuing refusal to leave.

31 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

He's an abysmal manager.

We concede the first goal a lot under him and have conceded a lot of goals, sometimes 2, within the first 10mins of a game.

If he loses tomorrow, he needs sacking.

And no @chaddyrovers, I'm not joking. He'll have had 20 games in charge, losing over half of them (11) and winning just 6.

Ismael's managerial career to date, starting in 2014:

Nuremburg - 5 months and 14 games

Wolfsburg - 4 months and 17 games

Apollon Smyrnis - 3 months and 1 game

LASK - 14 months and 50 games

Barnsley - 8 months and 44 games

WBA - 8 months and 31 games

Besiktas - 7 months and 19 games

Watford - 10 months and 41 games

Average tenure - 7.3 months

Average games - 27

Rovers - 7 months and 19 games (and counting).

Within a few weeks he will have eclipsed his average tenure at a club and with another 8 matches will have matched his average games in charge at a club. 

Most of the above decided to sack him - infact the only one he walked away from voluntarily I think was Barnsley to take up the WBA offer. 

Gestede and Pasha in their infinite wisdom decided to give him a 3.5 year contract. 

I wonder if we have now basically reverted back to the original plan whereby Venkys are the legal owners of the club and top up the running cost shortfall every year but aside from that the practical day to day management of the club is 'handled' by a third party - it appears that back at the start the intention was that certain 'consultancy groups' were given that job, nowadays it is the shadow man doing it.

I thought it was interesting / strange when the shadow man mentioned that when it comes to a new CEO it would be India deciding on this and he would simply find out about it when it happened. That stacks with the above - perhaps employing a CEO is a job reserved to the India side of the equation and such an individual is 'their man' on the ground at Ewood, beyond the responsibilities of the management.

Would explain the numerous power struggles and different approaches over the years. One being implemented by the  management group and the other being implemented, albeit at some distance and slow pace, by the legal owners in India.

They're doing the same thing to the men's team as they did to the women's only more slowly, and it will end with relegation to a lower level more in keeping with their capabilities and investment 'strategy'.

An absolute total disgrace, yet not a sniff of anyone at ownership or board level giving a single solitary stuff. 

Impressed with Vipotnik for Swansea who joined them on a free transfer last year. 22 year old international who has been in the goals this season. 

17 minutes ago, Leonard Venkhater said:

Gestede is a narcissistic con-man. It really sickens me that a work experience novice has been given so much power. 

They love to give novices power and responsibility beyond their standing in the game. Kean, Singh, Berg, Agnew, Hunt others, now Gestede and Pasha, neither of whom have any right to be anywhere near positions of such power in professional football. 

The owners enjoy this because these sort of people are so grateful for the opportunity that they'll sit quietly and put up with the Venky nonsense. Trouble is that the Club burns in the meantime, but they aren't arsed about that, as long as they can tell themselves they are wonderful and pay people to tell others they are.

22 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

Rovers and LT need to resolved this issue on Monday and sort it out ASAP

The only resolution to the 'issue' is for the owners to clear off and take their disgraceful henchmen with them. 

Good grief, they've somehow made themselves appear even more diabolical than they appeared after yesterday's statement.

No doubt shitting themselves now they're realising what this actually means and national attention growing as powerful media and journalists take notice, so a slimy attempt to backtrack by piling it all on Jackson.

Horrendous. Clearly trying to get him removed by the Telegraph and replaced with someone else. I've criticised the Telegraph many times but individually and publicly targeting Jackson is outrageous.

I really hope the Telegraph double down here and go to war on the Club.

Who the hell they think they are at Ewood, like all crooked, corrupt evil regimes around the world they want the media in their back pocket and support 'reporting' as long as it's the version they tell them to report.

1 hour ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Piss poor isn't it,old Etionians eh...that will see a big crowd on!

Probably get announced a week beforehand with tickets at Category A prices as well.

It really won't take much this year for a mid-table side to slide into serious relegation trouble. That includes us. Need to keep the points flowing and not have a barren run. As poor as Sheffield United have been there's no way with Wilder in charge that they are going to be near the bottom 3 come the business end of the season.

I thought QPR and Swansea would struggle this season, both have been pretty solid in recent weeks. Oxford have just had two excellent results with a draw v Leicester and win at Bristol City. 

Why can't the game be replayed on Tuesday or Wednesday this week and then at least we get the benefit of their player being suspended?

I know it will inevitably be played at some point in October or November but why when we've got a free slot and can get it done immediately?

If Ipswich won't travel for it then award Rovers the 3 points.

What we really need is for the ref to abandon the United v Chelsea game in similar circumstances with United winning. No way they'd make them replay it from being 2-0 up so we'd have a chance of arguing ours should stand. Not looking likely mind their pitch holding up reasonably well in the deluge.

2025 - today's game called off after 80 minutes due to a waterlogged pitch

2024 - Rovers v Portsmouth postponed due to a waterlogged pitch

2022 - Rovers v Millwall postponed due to snow

2021 - Rovers v Swansea postponed due to a waterlogged pitch (2 days after this game Rovers release a club statement acknowledging issues with the pitch and blaming 'extreme weather' and a high number of games

2012 - Rovers v Brighton postponed due to a waterlogged pitch

Now I'm relying on the power of Google and my memory but I cannot recall a game being cancelled, abandoned or postponed due to the weather prior to 2012 in my lifetime, and I was born in 1990.

Maybe someone can confirm if I am not correct there. Let's focus on games affected by the rain or snow.

There has always been a river running past the ground into which the pitch drains and yet strangely this didn't seem to be a chronic problem for 20+ years, it seems to have become a major issue, particularly in the last 3-4 years. 

I'm sure that some will claim that this is because of 'climate change' and we are suddenly getting a lot more wet weather than we used to. Or maybe it is actually because Rovers have failed to invest adequately in maintaining and improving their facilities, which I think is pretty evident from a simple visual observation of Ewood Park, and this is one element of it biting us in the arse.

Edit - our match with Aston Villa in the Cup in 2010 was postponed due to snow and ice

So Wilder's return to Sheffield Utd confirmed. Has there been a more pointless and ridiculous series of events than what we've seen there since the play-off final? Sack a bloke who got 90 odd points and a play-off final, appoint a young coach with minimal experience of the Championship/promotions, it's a disaster and then go back to the bloke you sacked a few months later?

At least the owners there have had the courage to admit defeat and go back to a safe pair of hands and sensible appointment. Would have been easier for them to turn to someone totally new rather than swallow their pride and go back to Wilder but his record there speaks for itself. Expect them to climb the table quickly and I'll be having a little bet on them making the top 6 again. 

33 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Tronstad's interview was Summer 2025 with Norwegian media

https://www.brfcs.com/forums/topic/37711-2025-summer-transfer-thread-😂/page/413/#findComment-2735208

Almost as though between April and summer he concluded that staying here beyond next summer was no longer an option.

Perhaps linked to the fact the club has been unwilling to extend any senior contract and has sold off everyone else of quality.

21 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

What interview? 

I gave you the link last week over Tronstad interview with Norwegian media last summer..plus link Gestede's interview last week. 

That's it blame your own club

depends on what we talking about? 

Sondre Tronstad makes Blackburn Rovers contract admission | Lancashire Telegraph

This interview. April 2025. 

Yes I will blame the club. They are responsible and the one constant in years of shambolic activity.

12 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Some of that money covered Rovers losses whilst Venkys couldn't send money over..

We spent 10m this summer. Some left over for January window. 

Yet again I don't have all the answers why dont get Josh to ask these questions at the next fans forum

Pointless asking questions at the Fans Forum. Even if they answer them we have good reason to believe that they won't be genuine honest answers and even if they are won't be accurately minuted so that everyone can read them. 

I have zero interest in whatever fanciful figures you want to throw out there for what we spent in the summer. I do not for one minute accept or believe that we spent that amount and whatever we did spend was comfortably covered by what we brought in. Some might call that astute, but if it means we finish 10 places lower than last year where's the benefit?

Venkys could send money over, they chose not to. Choice.

Difference being the owners of Wrexham, Derby and Middlesbrough were willing to put money in. 

5 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

 

Don't agree. Every club have wage budget and some higher wages than others but its results on the pitch that matters. Your wage bill need to in line with what you can afford

Question - why, when we've sold over £50 million worth of players in 4 years (averaging out at £13 million per year, convenient that this is roughly the amount we lose each year) - are we not able to afford to pay our players as much or more than Wrexham or Derby?

Please answer me that one. 

12 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

People are still fixation on these 4 players who have gone. 

Yes. Because it is important and directly affects how the club performs. 

Must be nice to just want to sweep things under the carpet and pretend everything is well and gross negligent chronic mismanagement doesn't matter because 'it's in the past'. Gestede, Ismael and Pasha would just love that if everyone fell for the 'new era' spiel again and forget all about the chaos of the last 4 years that they have delivered. 

If only life was so straight forward. Unfortunately unless we finish 7th or above there should be an inquest into what has gone on here and why and serious questions asked and answers demanded. Not just a shoulder shrug 'it's in the past'  routine. The club will never, ever get anywhere if it doesn't at least accept and recognise past failings and ensure they won't ever happen again. Under this regime it is just being set up for the same in a couple of years.

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

Tronstad said in a Norwegian podcast last summer he wanted to return to Norway at the end of contract. Posted the link last week to a poster who posted that info

Travis was never staying here when Eustace left and of course he would publicly say he wanted to stay here, in case he didn't get a move. Listen to Travis Derby country interview last week with their BBC Derby, he wanted out from here. 

 

Tronstad has said more recently in a local media interview that he was very happy at Rovers, loved being here and would like to extend his stay.

So which one is accurate?

With Travis you are doing exactly what the club want people to do - making out as though the club is nought but a powerless spectator in the debacle. You're contradicting yourself here - suggesting his comments about wanting to stay at Rovers weren't true and yet attaching importance to his recent comments to BBC Derby which of course are going to offer a different narrative.

The club is to blame for his departure. Surely you can accept that basic principle?

90+ points, 2 points deducted, play off final, arguably unlucky to lose late on to Sunderland.

If that had happened at Ewood the manager would be given years in the job off the back of it.

Wilder clearly the best man for that job, the new owners there very foolish but falling for the laptop / football manager spiel like so many others have in 'modern' football apparently needing a 'head coach' and 'structure' and 'alignment' but in doing so have cost untold time and money.

No. You need to just support a good manager when he's done well. Bit like us with Eustace.

32 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Does it matter? Still on his managerial CV isn't it? 

Why not appoint Coyle then? Or George Burley, Nigel Worthington or Micky Adams?