What's speculation? His birthday is on Companies House. The top paid director at Rovers is on £300,000 - that's in the club accounts - the assumption of course is that the highest ranking executive is paid the most. Something very odd going on if he isn't. He is London based. Only have to look at his career before here to see that and I've heard from multiple sources that he's spent most of the year based at home in the South East. Same people have said he's retiring next year so let's see. Its also a fact that he's overseen a collapse in our season ticket base. Can dress it up all different ways but the fact is we've got a lot of work to do just to get back to 8500 and its happened on his watch.

Surprisingly he's 66 according to companies house. By the summer he'll have had 3.5 years here seemingly on £300,000 a year and he'll be 67 or close to it. I also believe he is London based and spends most of his time there so can't imagine the commute to Blackburn is easy. He'll also have his ear close to the ground and no doubt time an exit for when the budget gets slashed or his mate runs out of patience with the fanbase. He'll be well set for a cushy retirement. We'll be picking up the pieces with our 2500 season tickets.

Even if Hughes was desperate to get back to management I very much doubt that his ego, financial demands or the Venky regime would enable that to happen. Him coming back here in our current state, him returning to where it began, would be something of an acceptance on his part that he's gone full circle in his career. I don't think he could stomach that. I think he'll realise now that in club management he needs a good Championship job or foreign job to rebuild his career. But expect he'd want full control, a decent budget and no clowns in the background. He'd have control here but unfortunately a few clowns and hoops to jump through to get things done. I can't see him jetting off to Pune every summer. But you never know and you'd hope the questions would be asked Sadly here it is more likely to be those desperate for a job willing to take whatever stipulations get thrown their way.

I've heard multiple times that Waggott will be retiring in the summer. I suspect that will be the natural conclusion to the latest cycle of Venky ownership. Will Mowbray be weakened by such a departure? I doubt it but it's clear having a familiar face or ally in the boardroom was high on his priorities back in 2017 and if Waggott departs we will be left with a skeletal executive structure once again. Will he even be replaced? Doubtful as they had 2 years without a CEO and IMO it is blatantly obvious that Waggott was only brought in on Mowbray's say so and recommendation. Is he going to be able to bring in another CEO to keep the show on the road? Will we bring in a CEO without Mowbray's input? All very uncertain. But I get the impression that is what they want. A cycle of 3-4 years of invest, grow assets, see how it goes and review. Maybe hit the jackpot but no particular stress if not. They trust the bloke with their money and can sell a few to cover the bulk of their spending and start again.

The minute we accept that we are 'where we should be' whether that be on budget/squad this season or more generally club size and general pecking order is the point at which we should give up. I suspect it is that sort of mentality that will see the club exiled from the top division for 20 odd years like it was in the 70s and 80s before someone came in and forced a change in mentality. Sadly this seems to be exactly the attitude that Mowbray is now trying to foster in telling people that we are punching above our weight and struggle to compete against the behemoths above us. I just wish Sharp and co. would ask Mowbray to explain the Middlesbrough but then again he'll probably say that's because they're a massive club. Personally I'll always strive for better for my club and expect to see work being done to achieve that. This is especially the case when I witness the likes of Burnley, Palace and Brighton as established Premier League sides. The day I'm happy with second tier and treading water each season is the day it is time to give up on following competitive sport.

Yes that's it. We are at the limit of his capabilities here and I'm afraid that comes back to his principles and tactics. Unless you've an exceptional group of players like Fulham or a world class coach like Leeds you aren't getting out of this division playing football, as the clued up managers and sides will just pick us off. If we had sold people like Dack and Armstrong and adopted a policy of balancing the books then there'd be an argument that standing still would be a decent outcome. But to select that route as a club I would expect the books to be balanced and the debt to be manageable. As it is, and credit to the owners for this, we haven't sold players, we've given Mowbray healthy funds and time to follow his 'slow build' yet the real evidence - points, wins, league positions - suggests progress is non-existent. Those who want to focus on style of play, possession, goals and number of passes are just falling for the diversionary tactics of Mowbray. As I said last night the biggest concern I have is that because the owners like him and he's built the club up around himself the chances of him being sacked are remote, and even if he was the knock on effect on the club would be substantial. It shouldn't be like that. So more likely is we will just limp along whilst having to sell our best players and the owners lose interest again (if they ever got it back after promotion).

In 2018-19, 2019-20 and now 2020-21 we have reached a point, usually around December and January, where we end up with no fit/available CBs and have to either chop and change formations, play full backs at centre back or throw in youngsters to deal with it. Is this bad luck? For it to happen once would be bad luck. Three seasons running and any serious operation would be asking serious questions as to how this predicament keeps appearing each season despite transfer windows and some different personnel.

The great fear for me is that come the summer we are likely to lose Nyambe for nothing, a raft of first teamers including Rothwell and Holtby on free transfers, Elliott who will be off somewhere else next season and Armstrong who will want a move to somewhere better than mid-table Championship. When all that happens Mowbray is going to be ready armed with his next excuse for another 12-18 month building job and a large portion of the fanbase will simply lap it up as an excuse for another few seasons of drift. I want accountability and consequences from failing to hit targets. This club and some peoples attitudes towards it are more in keeping with an amateur Sunday league club seemingly happy to just see what happens and try again next year.

About two attempts where we could have scored or tested their keeper I recall. Worst part is that even if we'd have equalised I reckon Stoke would have come back and got a second.

Stoke did everything that Mowbray is unable/unwilling to do here. Use brains, tactics, dark arts to manage the game to perfection and see out a win relatively comfortably. That's what good managers do. Find ways to win games. Mowbray finds ways to lose them. I'm bored with it.

Post of the week

We're at the Middlesbrough October 2013 stage. The penny dropped there with Steve Gibson that their legend Mowbray wasn't going to take them any further than mid table and that he needed to make a tough but necessary change to give them a shot at promotion. He binned Mowbray and brought in Karanka and they got promoted. We're at that point IMO. If we really want promotion we need to be ruthless and make a tough and arguably controversial decision. Or we can persist in mid table in perpetuity as it's easier and we don't upset the apple cart. One thing I think we can all agree on is that we aren't going up or even getting close to it if things carry on as they are.

I dont know. You were the one suggesting Nyambe would want a move to another country so thought you might have heard something.

Work can be done indoors with analysis and these super computers. I sincerely hope it has after Wednesday's performance or we've no hope.

What country? What league? Surely if he had such intentions then that should have been dealt with last summer rather than allowing him to go for nothing? Why is Mowbray still claiming to be confident of him signing? As ever no responsibility nor accountability for anything here. Stand to lose millions but roll up roll up buy your hats and scarves.

If Nyambe is able to leave this club for nothing, or for some token compensation fee in January, then for me it really blows a massive hole in the way Mowbray has claimed to have been running the club for the last 3-4 years. Its all well and good banging on about FFP rules, reducing reliance on Venkys, using the academy, growing assets for the club, protecting our assets, having to find ways to compete against clubs with bigger crowds and incomes etc. etc. etc. But if we are still going to end up in a position of losing arguably, along with Travis, our most promising academy product of the last 3-4 years for next to nothing or nothing because we haven't dealt with the contractual scenario quickly or adequately enough then all the above comes crashing down, because it is clear that the owners/club haven't learned from past mistakes and are still costing the club money through negligence and poor operation. I'm afraid those suggesting that we are powerless if Nyambe doesn't want to sign are ignoring the bigger issues and questions here. Why on earth would Nyambe not want to commit to the club he has been at since a kid and should now be a regular first teamer? What sort of financial package are we offering the lad if it isn't enough to persuade him to sign? How serious are we? Why have we allowed him to reach the final 6 months of his deal without it being resolved? Why did Mowbray say back in September that he was dealing with contracts and keeping space in the budget for those extensions and yet here we are at Christmas with no new contracts issued? This club frustrates the hell out of me. Only this week Mike Cheston whinging about limited cash and budgets when talking about power washing grime off the stands at Ewood and players pleading with fans to buy hats and scarves to support their club and yet on the flip side dishing out needless contract extensions to Hart, Smallwood, Samuel and then allowing this situation to develop with a prized asset. Madness.

I'm actually looking forward to this match more than other recent games as I think it is going to be two decent sides up against each other and expect a competitive affair. I was surprised to see that their home record isn't as good as I thought it was. Won 4, drawn 2 and lost 3 so quite a mixed bag at their place. Won 4 drawn 4 and lost 2 away from home in comparison so actually picked up a couple more points away than at home. Having said that my confidence of a result is quite low. I just think that O'Neill and Stoke will be too organised and astute for us and especially if they get a goal ahead they'll manage the game well and I just can't see us finding a way back into it. My hope is that we've done some serious work since Wednesday's performance and there's been rockets up some backsides and together with the delirium of snatching the win on Wednesday will see us hit the right notes today. I obviously hope I'm wrong and we can pick up a big win here because the longer this run continues without overcoming these sides above us the more difficult it is going to get to progress in this division. A draw would be ok IF we are able to follow it up with some wins against the lower placed opposition in Wednesday, Huddersfield and Birmingham next but that's an IF.

Back to the conspiracy theories. I see Mowbray now expects Derrick Williams to be out 'long term' with his mysterious injury. I'm sorry, but I just don't believe it. In the case of Williams I think something has gone on behind the scenes since the start of this year. Whether that be contractual or something else I am not sure, but it is clear that something has changed. I don't recall him being injury prone in his first 2.5 years at the club and yet since this time last year he has barely featured due to a succession of training ground caused 'injuries'. I recall in the summer it was rumoured that we were looking to sell him and reports suggested the MLS or Swansea. Mowbray actually admitted it was something we were looking at, but for whatever reason it didn't happen. I think if Mowbray had his way Williams wouldn't have played at all this season but circumstances have forced his hand with Wharton and the late addition of Ayala. I just find it difficult to believe that after the MLS/Swansea move that it just so happens that a reasonably fit 27 year old suddenly comes down with multiple long term injuries which are now looking like keeping him out of action until the spring. Its frustrating because he's actually done ok at CB and would be very useful in the current climate with our squad the way it is Out of contract in the summer isnt he?

It started to happen when Venkys took over. They authorise all expenditure from India with no understanding of football. So since then it has been a case of make do and mend every summer, working on a very limited budget. The Venky bean counters just see costs and overheads and not the longer term consequences of a lack of investment. Ewood has become a ground and pitch falling quickly behind rivals. You compare then to clubs like Sheffield Wednesday- the first thing their owner did was spend 6 figures installing a Desso pitch at Hillsborough and it looks the business. No room in this game for corner cutting.

I half wonder if there was a level of arrogance or similar around the game and our preparation for it. That Mowbray just expected us to go out and beat a side like Rotherham and that rubbed off on the players in their approach and once things started to go wrong we end up with Mowbray sulking and doing his head in hands routine and the players looking bereft of anything good. I'm disappointed in his post match comments about the pitch. It is a fact that we spend less than most clubs on the Ewood pitch and you only have to look at the overall attitude towards maintenance of our home that the pitch will be another area victim of cuts and a bare minimum attitude. For Mowbray to use the pitch as an excuse is a joke considering the lack of investment there has been in it. If he doesn't like it then he should be on the phone to India demanding it be prioritised at the end of the season and invested in properly to achieve a quality playing surface. Until then an astute manager would adapt his tactics to cope with pitch issues rather than persist and then whinge about it.

I don't think tonight was a particularly unusual phenomenon. Being absolutely rubbish at home is in my view actually quite common and happens at least 10-12 times a season. First halves devoid of anything of any significance are par for the course under this manager. Having been a season ticket holder in the Darwen End of the Jack Walker stand you don't get much by way of action in the first half of games as we shoot towards that end. I don't know what it is all about but it must be the way he sets us up in games to be cautious and grow into the game as it progresses. A win is a win and I'd sooner have a dozen of them over a season than a dozen of the Bristol City ones. But by god if the manager isn't concerned after that he never will be. Many, many reasons to be worried. As predicted though it is job done - a narrow, hard fought and unconvincing win at home to keep things ticking over on our road to mid-table. Enough to keep serious pressure off his back until January. I'm not going to slate him as I've done enough of that recently after defeats. There's no better feeling than a last minute winner and we've had a couple of those in recent home games to snatch a bonus 4 points. Watching things unfold though it just seems like a mess from back to front really. Some of it enforced through our now ridiculous absentee and injury list but some of it just more chopping and changing which he seems to want rather than be forced into. The Armstrong and Elliott combination are getting a habit of digging out of tricky situations.

Which is why Mowbray gave needless contract extensions to Smallwood, Hart, Gladwin, Samuel etc.

Mowbray has had money, time, opportunity and freedom no other current Championship manager can lay a glove on. £20 million spend, no forced sales, minimal pressure from above or the fanbase, patience and control over everything. Never mind punch above our weight Tony. Stick to the job in hand of getting above Barnsley and Luton. I also take issue with the suggestion that we can't compete with top 6 sides who currently include Swansea and Brentford. I'm sure their managers would love the money Mowbray's splashed out and wages he's committed to.