JHRover

Good news for the likes of Sunderland, Ipswich and Hull, bad news for the likes of Accy and Crewe? Always surprised that they were able to bring it in so quickly and with so little fanfare.

One thing I can say with some confidence is that the emotional harm and upset caused to me and thousands of other lifelong fans over the last decade is almost certainly greater than any upset billionaires on the other side of the world writing off losses that will probably not have put so much as a dent in their vast fortune. I also think that the money I spend every year, along with thousands of others, in supporting the club is probably a greater percentage of my limited income/net worth than £15 million a year is to billionaires.

I'm afraid that £15 million+ per year is the going rate for a top end Championship club these days. The only way of avoiding that is through regular player sales like Brentford or Barnsley with extremely shrewd management or parachute income. We've had neither and so need owner investment to this level, in much the same way as Forest, Derby, Sheffield Wednesday, Reading and Bristol City similarly rely on substantial owner input to plug losses. The annoying thing is that Venkys picked us up on the cheap, £40 million for an established PL club inclusive of external debt is a bargain. A decade on and you'd be looking at £200 million now if WBA and Swansea sales are anything to go by. For £200 million and sensible management they could have bought us, cleared the debt and put £15 million a year in on top of the PL riches. But instead that's now what they have to do just to keep us floating around this division. If they'd have come looking for a club in 2020 rather than 2010 then they'd have run a mile. But if they'd have bought a mid table Championship club and wanted to try to get promoted then they'd have needed £20 million a year to have a chance so I don't think this is unchartered territory. Its the going rate. Difference is that most rivals have given up after a few years and have sold up to someone else yet Venkys keep on going. Other owners appear to have an interest in the game and attend matches whereas ours don't. It actually doesn't concern me as much as it perhaps should. Why? Because it is 'debt' to them and there is simply no way they will ever get it back. They need to accept that and they seem to have done so without running so they must be comfortable or realistic about it. The bigger concern for me is if and when they give up who we get to step into the £10 million a year minimum requirement void to keep us going. I've no doubt there will be people interested to try and get us promoted in a season and make their money back. But as a long term Championship club maybe not so simple. It is also difficult to reconcile a £200 million 'investment' yet not even able to maintain our stadium or pitch to a decent standard. With that sort of spending we should be the envy of the division.

Funny isn't it. I think everyone or close to everyone accepts that Mowbray has done a good job here. Lots of talk about rebuilding the club, growing assets, stabilising us. All correct to varying degrees. Gary Bowyer did a good job too. Infact in terms of league finishes he did better. He got 2 and a bit seasons to carry out his rebuild from keeping us up after a complete shambles, but was then sacked as it became clear we weren't going anywhere. The vast majority of fans were supportive or accepting of that decision. He was fired after 2 close play off finishes. Why does Mowbray deserve longer? What has he delivered that makes him so much more deserving than Bowyer? Why was removing Bowyer completely fine but removing Mowbray is some dangerous, risky, unfair decision?

I really wonder at times what Mowbray's focus and priorities are as manager of this club. He doesn't strike me as a 'win at all costs' manager, prepared to do whatever is necessary to go home with 3 points in the bag. Of course he "wants" to win every week but if he doesn't he doesn't strike me as someone who will have a sleepless night over it and he isn't prepared to compromise on his "principles" to try and do it. Another example yesterday - there was no doubt, none whatsoever, that the lad from City was going to make an appearance at some stage. Mowbray has tied himself up by bringing him in having promised Man City he will get game time and I'd expect the loan agreement to contain penalty clauses if he doesn't play. Even if not he won't want to jeopardise things with Guardiola. He will want to send him back in the summer with Guardiola purring with delight at his development at Rovers, earning Mowbray and the club positive PR and putting us high on the list for future loans. Thats all well and good. But the minute the manager starts making selections and substitutions on the above basis is the point at which results cease to be the priority, because decisions are being made with a focus beyond the game and result. If we'd have been 1-0 up instead the City lad would have come on and Nyambe would likely have been the sacrificial lamb. Mowbray will toddle off to India and tell them tales of how he has built up links with Pep, Jurgen and Carlo and how we will get more emerging stars on loan in the future but at the same time we stay in the Championship and alienate our own academy products making way. Nyambe will leave for nothing or a token fee which makes the building talk nonsense

A predictably mundane performance with precious little to get excited about. Unusually slow start but we recovered and looked the better up to half time. Having said that to win a game you need to create proper chances rather than just lots of possession and with the exception of Elliott's missed chance from Armstrong's pass I can't really recall any other really good clear opportunities to take the lead. No worry, 0-0 at half time was fair enough and nothing to be upset about. Second half I thought was very poor. The usual self pity talk after conceding a scruffy goal but these things happen when balls come into the six yard area. We don't do it enough to the opposition as we keep the ball in areas where you don't hurt them or where mistakes aren't game changing. After they went 1-0 up the game was never in any doubt. Armstrong's 20 yarder well saved being the only time their keeper has really been called into serious action. Mowbray rolls out his tombola after 65 minutes, but after witnessing another random selection of substitutions it is difficult to believe there is much method behind the madness. It strikes me as just throwing on as many attack minded subs as he can in the hope they produce something through volume of numbers. It rarely works but you only have to look at the chances created in the last half hour - you would expect a top 6 chasing side, top goalscorers in the division, chasing an equaliser against a side that hasn't won at home in nearly 3 months to be bombarding them relentlessly, putting them under intense pressure and forcing them into last ditch defending and their keeper into a string of saves to keep them at 1-0. But no. Nothing of the sort. Infact I doubt QPR will have had an easier last 30 minutes all season and managed to waste away the final 30 minutes with relative ease. Where does this leave us? No different to this morning. We aren't getting the top six under this manager and that has become apparent over 3 years not a few games. He simply doesn't have the tools in his own locker to do it. A familiar feeling of getting within a result of the top 6 spots and looking forward with optimism to now a new month and a familiar sort of result to bring the good spell to an end. These sort of results aren't fatal in isolation - the key is how you respond to them. Anyone can have an off day from time to time although the best sides have them only very rarely. The problem is that under Mowbray these sort of days usually usher in a spell of 4, 5 or 6 game winless runs where we build up a large block of points gap to the play offs then have to have another good run to claw it back. I now fully expect another 3 games without a win and will be very pleasantly surprised indeed if we win any of them. As for the Nyambe substitution - shocking.

I think something along the lines of the Deepdale Pavilion stand would be right. It shouldn't be any smaller than the existing Riverside though probably no bigger than 5000-5500 capacity. The JW stand is 11,000 so building something less than half the capacity of that would still see a very lopsided ground. Also I can't recall many, if any, construction jobs in recent times that have reduced overall capacity. More or less the same or slightly bigger with more leg room and space would be right. It needs to be brought in close to the pitch and made into a steep as possible so to close that side of the ground in, make the atmosphere better. Close in the corners, get rid of the walkway and make it near the pitch. Get rid of the floodlight pylons, big screen and toilets. Incorporate all those into the new structure and fill in the corners like West Brom have. Get a new modern big screen, or two, as ours is out of date. Incorporate modern disabled facilities into the stand ready for the PL as without those we are going to have to do something elsewhere. The existing disabled 'facilities' aren't up to scratch nor are the media facilities so a proactive club would be addressing those at the same time. So all the usual excuses about not needing the capacity can be overcome because we do need to improve media and disabled facilities if we want to be in the Premier League. Burnley were forced into throwing up those horrible corner disabled stands which just look as tacky as anything as does their lean-to tunnel. A new stand provides an opportunity to get up to scratch in one. Also once done we should tidy up the area behind the stand. At the moment it is horrible and nobody in their right minds would go round there. Ewood is effectively a 2 sided ground where all home fans gather at the BBE or JW stand. It should be tidied up, opened up and made into an area for fans to go pre and post match. Put bench seating by the River, a fan zone, etc.

It will be his 9th transfer window as manager of the club and we will have two established CBs under contract one of whom has spent most of the season injured, one LB who hasn't yet played at this level or for the club and no RB. Any suggestions of a long term slow build are demolished by the above. As for contract extensions we've had a lot of talk about talking. It shouldn't take 6 months to sort Armstrong out just like it shouldn't have reached 18 months to go before we try to sort it out.

I doubt with people like Allardyce, Warnock or Hodgson it really comes down to cash. Of course it helps and in Allardyce's case the prospect of a huge bonus to keep a side up must be attractive rather than sitting around at home bored. But they will all surely have more money than they will ever need by now. If they weren't all very good managers they would have likely retired years ago if they had been tradesmen or worked in industry. No I think its a way of life that they just become addicted to and can't resist it. Spending all day every day immersed in management for 20-30 years and being good at it must be like a drug. The adrenaline, pressure, adulation, being 'the boss', fans and players respecting you, proving people right or wrong. Spending your days out on the training ground having the fun and 'crack' of working with footballers every day. Probably beats sitting in the garden under lockdown. Looks like a job too far for Allardyce and I was amazed he took it but again just don't think he can resist when a club rings him up and begs him to join them. Ego and money help.

By the same token look at Burnley, Palace, Brighton....would you swap? We were streets ahead of those clubs until Venkys ruined us and now we are well behind. There will always be examples of clubs that have or are currently having a worse time than us. Just like there will always be examples of clubs who have passed us by. Fact is we are a shell of the club we were and will remain so under this regime. I struggle to express gratitude that we are a mid table Championship side unable to maintain our stadium properly but celebrate that at least we aren't Bolton.

Will Lampard not be expecting better than Bournemouth at this moment in time? Having just left Chelsea and been far from a disaster there I'd have thought he'd be looking at a PL job like Palace or something rather than another Championship job. Easy to see why linked though, especially with Uncle Harry just down the road putting a word in.

Well Bournemouth have just sacked their manager after a spell of poor results. Looks like they aren't going to sit back as they slide out of promotion contention. Always a risky appointment. Another example of an assistant or coach promoted to manager that hasn't worked out.

I suspect Waggott is just coming out with the stand redevelopment talk as it is an easy and popular subject to get people on side but one which is likely to take sufficient time and sufficient variables that he will never be under any pressure to deliver it. Building a new stand takes years at the least to plan, fund, design and construct so the chances of it ever happening at Ewood under this regime are non-existent. But in the meantime Waggott can impress a couple of hundred fans in Fans Forums with the talk. I hear what people are saying about Covid 19 and closed grounds at present. The flip side is that the last 12 months have provided an ideal opportunity to crack on with significant works whilst there aren't thousands of people turning up every fortnight. I bring up Accy Stanley again who are now cracking on with renovation works to their main stand including building new changing rooms and bar/hospitality areas. They could just have moaned about Covid and done nothing but Holt has more of a plan and idea and is cracking on knowing there are benefits to doing it now. Infact when that's done they'll have refurbed 3/4 of the Crown Ground in the last few years with new seating, new stand, new shop and car parks and new bars/hospitality. If they can do it and afford it why can't we clean Ewood?

Who the hell do Sheffield Wednesday think they are? Don't they know that Bournemouth were in the PL last season and have an expensive squad?

Not sure how decent QPRs form actually is. Away from home they've put together an impressive run of results to keep their heads above water, but at Loftus Road their results have been poor. Impressive recent wins at Watford, Cardiff, Luton and a draw at Norwich good results. But at home: Lost 1-0 to Derby Lost 2-0 to Fulham (cup) Lost 2-0 to Swansea Drew 0-0 with Stoke Lost 1-0 to Reading Lost 2-1 to Bristol City Their last home win was back in November v Rotherham. Since then 6 games, 5 defeats and only 1 goal. I'm glad they won last night as it should take pressure off them for Saturday. But Loftus Road away is an ideal fixture at this moment in time.

I'd be surprised if the settlement even reached a million, but yeah even if it did we should still be looking at least at £1 million from this deal.

I'm sure Venkys wouldn't agree with your analogy. Once again a window goes by with no significant sales and some cash coughed up for incomings to replace the crock Mowbray gave a 3 year contract in the summer. He's had another window of backing. Most owners would either have fired him or sold a few to recoup losses by now. Assuming £650,000 is an accurate figure for Pickering and assuming we don't sell anyone then that's a reasonable net spend certainly more than most in this division in this climate. Having said that I'll stop short of hailing Venkys as "meaning business" by authorising short term loans of two teenagers likely costing us very little.

It will be a financial decision. Either we get a discount on the fee if we let Crewe keep him until the end of the season or Crewe pay a chunk of his wage until the summer when we get Bell and Douglas off the wage bill.

The other part of it is that with the exception of Trybull all the loans are or will be cornerstones of our team. Heavily dependent on them. First choice and best LB, first choice CB, first choice CB back up when the inevitable injury comes and our most creative talent. All on loan. All the best managers and teams get a settled stable back line and build off that platform. 4 years and 8 transfer windows in and we're still making do until the summer at CB and LB.

I'm afraid when I scrutinise things the only conclusion I am coming round to is that Mowbray isn't the only conductor of our transfer business. Only last week he was again publicly stating in his interviews that he wasn't keen on the loan market as a solution and that he wanted to get permanent transfers in to build on and have as assets. That was off the back of the Branthwaite deal and now fast forward a week or so and here we are doing similar again. I don't believe in coincidences like this. I believe Mowbray uses the press to get messages out to the fans and more importantly to India. Same thing happens when it comes to new contracts- he's sending messages to the owners about how they need to sort contracts out quickly, and also how we cannot as a club rely on the loan market. Unfortunately they seem to enjoy the short termism and high turnover in players. Of course if a couple of decent loans propel us into promotion or bring in quality like Harvey Elliott, who we wouldn't have a cat in hells chance of doing better than on a permanent deal, then its worth doing as a means to an end. But medium to long term we need the defence in particular addressing. A turnover in personnel every 6 months is unnecessary and unhelpful. I also refuse to accept that we can't find a defence of good Championship quality without the loan market.

The same Carter that Mowbray shipped out to Burton Albion rather than give a chance to here and one of the reasons we need new defenders? Not sure he's a solution. I expect a defence to be built on solid foundations and consistency. Familiarity and experience knowing each other inside out and then build from that. Most managers get the defence sorted and build on it. Year 5 of the slow build and still going down the short term borrow a teenager from a PL club route. Then repeat again in the summer.

It isn't going to happen. You know that as well as I do. Even if it did that would mean going into the PL with no defence and having to build a new one virtually from scratch. Complete short termism at odds with everything the manager has said about building assets and growing a squad. Strangely though it fits in well with the 'lease' policy Venkys were keen on when they turned up Low cost, short term, low risk, but medium to long term of little benefit to the club as we have to replace every transfer window and help develop other clubs players. I'm struggling to work out how anyone can suggest this is a great deal for Rovers. We borrow a player for 21 games, are under pressure to get him game time to keep the parent club happy, and come the summer have to find someone else. Its just a make do and mend job.

We ain't going up or down. So why are we borrowing players for 20 games only to face replacing them again in the summer? Mowbray was clear in the week that he doesn't want to do loans and yet that's what he's doing. Can't afford Kipre so borrow someone cheaper is the outcome. Bored with it to be honest. Come May we will be left with Ayala and Lenihan as our defence. Bell, Williams, Douglas, Branthwaite, Nyambe, Bennett and this new lad all down the road. Where's the plan here?

Just hope Mowbray isn't telling Kipre that he'll spend the next 4 months sat on the bench having to watch and learn from Branthwaite and Lenihan. He's not going to come here over Preston if he's going to be third in line here or playing every week there.

Really pleased and relieved with the win today. It's the fine margins that count. A scrappy, hard fought 1-0 against an awkward horrible side who we've failed to beat previously and I go to bed happy and wake up Sunday and Monday with more of a spring in my step. A drab 0-0 or defeat would have been horrendous. Credit that we kept going and ground out the win - a lot of sides have struggled to break Luton down this season and it is easy to see why, that's before you get on to their other antics to grind their way through games. But it wasn't a good display and we didn't create enough to cause them any serious problems. It seems through December and January there has been a shift in our performances because at home especially we have been consistently quite dull and low scoring in the last few months. The results speak for themselves - and they are impressive - but they are tough watching and we've relied on slender margins to scrape past the likes of Millwall, Rotherham, Barnsley and Luton. In the end I find these scrappy 1-0s just as if not more enjoyable in some ways than the hammerings against 10 men earlier in the season. Time will tell if anything has changed but I still fully expect us to now be hitting the glass ceiling again before another 4-5 game poor spell takes us back into mid-table. I desperately hope I am wrong on that because I look around and think we should be first in line ahead of Boro, Stoke, Bristol etc. to take a slot if it opens up. But it comes down to consistency and avoiding the bi-monthly death spirals that we usually have when hitting 7th and 8th and being within a win of the top 6. Saw on the BBC website they described it as 'controversial' that Luton didn't get an equaliser. Strange as I've not seen any serious suggestions that it wasn't a perfectly correct decision by the linesman. The poor TV footage isn't clear but it looks offside. I'm still concerned nonetheless that they had such an opportunity at that late stage and even more concerned by them having 3 players reacting and charging in on goal after the cross without much happening on our end. Fragile and poor - need to be more switched on than that.