JHRover

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2021/march/rovers-confirm-details-for-brockhall-consultation/ Full steam ahead! I'm just looking forward to seeing what happens if the housing estate is a go-er but the new training centre isn't. Despite the claim that the whole project hinges upon permission for the new training ground i very much doubt that they will leave it at that. Odds on leasing King George's playing fields?

Indeed. We've squandered so many opportunities and now the options and timescales so much more limited. They were sacked at Huddersfield due to disagreements on their structure. The Cowleys wanted to manage and be in sole charge of recruitment, whereas their Chairman wanted a head coach structure which they've now got with the young Spanish bloke there. As for why they've been out so long who knows. Maybe it was part of his severance deal with Huddersfield that he needed to stay out, maybe he's been waiting for a Championship offer and rejected lower division clubs, maybe he just wanted a year rest like many do. I just think here and now he's the best contender out there, and he'd take the job and embrace it as the biggest job of his career rather than us having to twist someone's arm to come here. He's probably not got the right agent though for this club so wouldn't get it even if he offered to do it for free.

Monk's an odd fellow and goes through clubs at a rapid rate. I wouldn't be overly keen but I do think his record is better than people credit him for. He had to work with horrendous conditions and points deductions at Birmingham and Sheff Wed and both have gone backwards since he left. Rather him than Pulis, Venus, Adkins, Johnson but in an ideal world we'd look elsewhere. It was more looking at available firefighters who would take the job and know the beast they were dealing with. I think Monk would.

I think they are worth a punt. Incredible record at Lincoln and sorted out a real mess at Huddersfield when they looked like they might go straight through to League One. Achieved what they were tasked with doing. Huddersfield haven't improved since they left. Recharged, refreshed, ready to work. An educated gamble.

My (admittedly pointless) revised shortlist of people we need to be making contact with asap. Even if we are deluding ourselves that Mowbray can turn this around soon we have to put the wheels in motion on a back up plan in case he doesn't. Given the stage we are getting to this needs to move quickly and on that basis I've ignored those who are contracted at other clubs simply because the remotely decent ones, such as Rowett, Ismael, Neil, aren't going to be easy to get out of their existing clubs at this stage of a season. 1) Cowley 2) Hughes 3) Monk 4) Wagner I'm honestly short on other suggestions just now that I'd be confident a) would take the job b) would be obtainable and affordable c) I would have confidence in them immediately delivering results I'd expect both Pulis and Adkins to be on the agency list but on that basis alone I wouldn't want either but even if they weren't agency list I'd avoid based on recent records. Venus, Johnson are potentially suicidal.

How about Billy Barr as our next manager? His u23 record is as good or better than Johnson's

Barnsley a lower budget Brentford. Have managed to assemble an exciting positive side on a relative shoestring but most importantly have the ownership, plan and structure to cope with managerial and playing turnover. Sourcing Stendel, Struber and Ismael impressive recruitment that has worked each time. Imagine the chumps at Rovers doing similar. The Barnsley rise is awkward for Mowbray, Waggott and the Facebook morons. Having whinged about everything from time, resources, parachute money and a journey Barnsley are now showing us up on each front. He's had excuses galore for Watford, Norwich, Bournemouth being above us So what's the excuse for Barnsley Tony?

His is another interesting tale. Involved in the academy until Bowyer became manager when he left the club. Then after Bowyer was removed he makes a sudden return, transitioning to the senior squad where he became assistant manager on Mowbray's arrival and dropping back to First Team coach when Venus rocked up. Interesting to say the least.

A manager who was forced to resign at Coventry City with them en route to League Two for the first time in 50+ years is now bulletproof and unsackable at Blackburn Rovers in the Championship. Good work if you can get it. Anyhow, I'm just penning my monthly 'thank you' letter to Venkys for being model owners and not letting us 'do a Bury'. We're so lucky to have them.

There was an occasion in the first half when someone went down injured. The Reading player walked to their dugout and there must have been at least 5 Reading coaches there shouting, communicating and instructing their players during the stoppage. Then it showed our dugout and there was Mowbray on his own and no sign of anyone else. No communication.

I'm getting to that stage too. If we go down a road similar to 2011-12 or 2016-17 where inertia in India costs us our league status then I'm not going back. The Covid crisis has brought things into perspective and I can't be bothered with it any more. If we act like a normal club, make a change and appoint a suitable replacement then we can crack on. But more shenanigans keeping a defeated manager in place, jeopardising Championship status or micky mouse stunts like Mowbray upstairs as D of F and Venus/Johnson as Head coach and I'll be spending my money elsewhere in future. I do think this is something they will consider. They won't want to sack Mowbray or Venus so will look for the next best option which is to shuffle things around but keep the same people in place behind the scenes. It needs a clean sweep and better coaches.

Concerned reading his comments. He refers to 'the journey' and that he might not be a part of it moving forward but that he wants to ensure that if he leaves that the club doesn't rip it all up and start afresh. I sincerely hope he isn't suggesting that he should have a role in appointing his successor and it wouldn't surprise me if the basis for this is to get Johnson or Venus into the hot seat and Mowbray go upstairs.

Pulis would tick all the 2015- present boxes. HSH Unemployed Would love the job Once got promotion from this league a long time ago Just like Lambert, Coyle and Mowbray I don't know how I would feel TBH. Prior to his Middlesbrough and Sheff Wed spells I'd be all over it but he didn't impress in either of those and he doesn't have the same sort of track record as Warnock, Bruce, McCarthy and Hughton (the other 'dinosaurs'). It took Pulis a while to get Stoke sorted and he hasn't done it anywhere else. He's better as a firefighter keeping teams up than dragging them to promotion. I'd rather him than a needless and reckless gamble on a rookie or nonentity from lord knows where but I think there are many better and more exciting options for the club.

I don't enjoy this. I don't want to dislike Mowbray, I don't want to see him erode the good work and respect he has built up. If the owners and their representatives had any interest or decency they would just do the right thing now and draw a line under it. Let Mowbray and his staff go, put an end to it, thank them for their efforts and move on. Sadly I think this is going to become more and more unpleasant. Under Kean and Coyle I was quite happy to see those people squirm and face the wrath of the support but I don't want that for Mowbray. I just want a handshake and a goodbye. It still seems to be lost on some people that we are slowly but surely heading into a relegation scrap. There still seems to be this oblivious arrogant attitude around that we are safe and so have the luxury of time and games on our side in the hope that sooner or later we snap out of this run and get back on track. I think we are more likely to be the Hull City of this season, collapsing in spectacular fashion unless action is taken to stop it. It isn't a road to nowhere any more. It's a road to relegation. I don't think we can afford that and I for one won't be joining that particular party like I did in 2017-18. It's just a feeling of sadness and frustration. But in the end the club has to come first and there's two big issues here now. The first is that it is quite obvious we will never get promoted from this league under Mowbray. On that basis alone his days should be numbered. But the second is that we are in a spiral now of more worrying scale than any previously and I think he is out of ideas to stop it. So we are reaching a point where action needs to be taken to avoid a catastrophe. It is that serious.

Paul Clement got the assistant manager job here under the snake so presumably he is connected to the right people. I wouldn't want him here but expect he'd be an option for the owners.

Ayala, Mulgrew, Williams How much has the club spent on their wages this season in return for a handful of appearances? Meanwhile we are up and down loaning 18 year olds to put a defence out. Jokers the lot of them.

Also losing 11 games, winning the league with 81 points and conceding more than the teams below all point to them not exactly being a class apart that season. As with us in 2017-18 he had the fortune to inherit a very decent side stronger than most rivals, had a few quid to add a few and the quality to beat teams regularly.

There won't be a transfer fee as he's out of contract (I think). A very suspicious situation and one which Mowbray should be interrogated on. What's the betting Del makes a full recovery from this long term injury and plays whenever selected at his next club?

Mowbray is good at it I'll give him that. He's out of excuses. He can't use the 'time' excuse because he's had longer than anyone else in the division and we're further away than ever. Rivals appointed within the last 12 months - McCarthy, Warnock, Paunovic, Ismael, Hughton, even rookie Rooney - are putting him to shame. He can't use the funding excuse because through time, backing and lack of sales he's had a bigger net spend than anyone else in the division. He can't even claim we are a good young side having bad luck. We're performing abysmally and have been since November. So how does he turn it around? He turns it on the owners - suggesting that the club needs 'a plan' and inferring he's one to deliver it. The suggestion being that if they axe him then we go back to the chaos of the past. He publicly advertises one of the few bright sparks of the season- Adam Armstrong- knowing full well his goals this season and contract situation will see him on lists this summer. The Derrick Williams situation is a typically Venky-esque saga. We wanted to 'cash in' last summer and the manager was publicly trying to drum up interest. It didn't happen and he's made all of a handful of appearances when we were down to the bare bones. Then he gets a muscle injury that keeps him out for the rest of the season and I hear he's signed a deal to move to the US in the summer. They're having us on. Again.

Good distraction tactics though. Rather than focus on our miserable form and performances lets talk about how sought after Mowbray's signing is and how much money we might get for him. He's communicating with India again.

He's been paid by Rovers since last year but to all practical intents hasn't been our player since we tried selling him off and it didn't happen. I've heard that he's off abroad in the summer and the deal is already in place. No way his next employers are going to allow him to get injured playing for us before then.

I think we are on a knife edge here. As far as I'm concerned Mowbray has done a decent job since getting out of League One but it is clear he's out of ideas and time. Three ways it can go from here: 1) Mowbray goes and is replaced with a good manager and the owners enable that manager to do a good job - if that happens and they continue to invest then the PL can be a realistic aim 2) Mowbray goes but they botch the replacement with delay, indecision and a poor appointment or don't allow the next manager funds/time to do the job - if that happens then League One will be a possible outcome. 3) Mowbray doesn't go - League One will be a possible outcome, mid-table Championship the height of our expectations and more fans drift away I agree it is a big one. I just am not convinced Hughes is the right man for it. IF he was allowed to get on with it, given backing and allowed to bring in his own coaching staff then maybe. But I think the first thing they will do when Mowbray goes is look to preserve the structure he leaves and that means Benson, Lowe, Johnson and maybe even Venus will be kept on if at all possible. Of course that is incompatible with a manager of Hughes' calibre who will want a clean sweep of the coaching staff. I think one of the reason's Mowbray got the job in the first place was because he was willing to work with Lowe, Benson and Dunn and since his arrival the only change has been his mate Venus joining and Dunn being demoted back to the u23s.

Don't get me wrong. I think for an ambitious, well structured and funded Championship club he would be a realistic option and he would 'step down' to the Championship to re-ignite his career and try to get to the Premier League. I just think there are too many hurdles to overcome here. I think many managers would love the job here with the freedom and time afforded by Venkys, but there are flaws and I think everything rolled into one would see Hughes avoid it. He needs his next job to be a success and gambling taking a flawed club like Rovers is going to be brave. Not to mention his ego suffering by returning to where it all started for him 17 years on. If I were running the club I would be putting the feelers out to him - seeing what his plans were, what his demands would be and what staff he would want but we know that won't be happening here at the mad house. If Hughes was expecting a mega budget or big salary I'd move on quite quickly. I wouldn't be getting worked up over him. I still think our best bet is on an up and comer and Cowley ticks just about every box on that front. There are others operating in League One and below but they are employed and haven't had important Championship experience let alone promotions by the hatful like Cowley has to date. Yes it was lower down the pyramid but the process is largely the same. After all we've just seen Sheffield Wednesday in the bottom 3 appoint their 3rd permanent manager of the season in luring Darren Moore from Doncaster - I'm confident we could have our pick of up and coming managers if we wanted them. My original preference would have been a Mick McCarthy, Warnock, Hughton or Pearson but we've allowed all 4 to pass us by in the last 12 months on our road to nowhere and all are leaving us behind in the table. Other than the possibility of Bruce leaving Newcastle or Wilder from Sheffield United I don't think there are any of those sort available any more.

He wants a plan from the owners? I thought Mowbray was the one with the plans and the owners had bought into it and backed him on it? Or did the last 3 years not really happen?

Said Months ago that a bumper sale of Armstrong is Mowbray's get out card. Big money bids coming in saves his skin with the owners and 'vindicates' his approach. He's so brazen and blatant its embarrassing.