So the assistant takes over from her boss.

Presumably on a lot less money and no experience in the role

I'm sure that's the ideal way to address the 'January issues' and ensure there's no repeat.

27 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

why is an internally investigation taking so long?

Because there isn't one.

It is bullshit fed to the fans to pretend that the January fiasco was caused by factors out of the owners/boards control and by individuals conveniently going rogue.

They know people are on to them and know that the only alternative to admitting the owners and their underling are to blame is to make up this rubbish with promises of a brighter future.

Meanwhile the Adam Wharton money disappears and no money gets spent.

Excuse after excuse.

I think Wednesday get a result at Sunderland and Birmingham will beat a half hearted Norwich. I expect Birmingham to go ahead and hold on.

So it will come down to Plymouth not beating Hull....

The only way we'll be looking at new goalkeepers is in the unlikely event either Pears or Wahlstedt attract cash bids from elsewhere and we manage to sell them. 

That will be a financially motivated decision depending on whether anyone entices us with cash.

Until that happens both will be under contract and they won't be worrying about that position in the transfer window.

What we could really do with to kick off a squad rebuild quickly and proactively and to put us at an advantage to most other Championship clubs is a big pile of guaranteed cash coming in from sales. Money that will enable us to pay what is needed to beat other clubs to signatures of good players and money we aren't waiting on things to fall into place to get.

You also have to look at the bigger picture with Szmodics.

This season his goals are likely to be the only reason we don't end up in League One, costing the club upwards of £10 million and then some. 

If we ain't spending in the summer, and we probably ain't, then someone somewhere has to balance potential relegation against a tidy profit on Szmodics.

Selling him might be pats on the back in the directors box but medium term sees our Championship status go up in smoke.

Of course there's never any accountability or recognition of this at the club. Never any acknowledgment that management and transfer decisions ultimately impact on the club and finances down the line. 

47 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Asking fans to ‘send him pictures’ of the shit tip that is Ewood - how about you or your staff get off your arses and have a look yourselves.

Probably difficult if he's spending all week down in Kent and only turns up at Ewood for the matchday prawn sandwiches. 

4 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Coventry sold their best 2 players last summer in Hamer and Gyrokers then reinvested the money into Simms, Wright, etc

Yes I know. So why can't we?

1 hour ago, Wheelton Blue said:

It will take more than cheap tickets to entice people back. 

There also has to be something to believe in, some ambition, someting to hope for.

We have none of this with this lot in charge.

I was reading a lot of Coventry fans comments after the game yesterday. Disappointed that they have fallen short in the playoff chase and technically regressed in League position having gone to penalties in the final last season, but generally a lot of confidence and belief in a process there and that with more investment in the summer they'll be in the promotion race next season.

No talk on there about selling star players before this season has even finished..

Something to believe in and hope for the future. 

Us? 

How much we'll get for Szmodics and which youngsters on loan. How exciting.

People need something to believe in. Most of what goes on at Rovers is unbelievable.

Thank god we sold him and got the money.

Now we can afford to repair the BBE lifts and the undersoil heating.

Who knows, get shut of Sammie and we might be able to get the moss power washed off the brickwork.

2 hours ago, alcd said:

The club makes an annyal operating loss of about £20m before transfers. Without funding from India the transfer income is paying the wages. 

The question is why.

Nobody else makes this loss to exist in the Championship.

So why do Rovers???

When we have the answer to that we can't get any further.

3 hours ago, DE. said:

 

So our only hope would be having some money available to invest in the team. If there's a small amount available and the recruitment team do better than identifying the likes of Leo for £800k type fees then maybe we scrape another season. Or maybe we don't. Ultimately the only way we genuinely progress is for Venky's to sell up, which seems like a distant dream at this point. 

Don't you know we've got the lifts in the BBE to repair this summer?

2 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Says a lot about the direction of the club and what has happened in the last 6 months that weve gone from 7th to being happy about other results because teams might try harder against teams in order to keep us up.

Best player sold, captain loaned out, no funds from the owners and an ambitious manager quitting and replaced by one that seems out of his depth. Thanks Venkys.

Fully agree. One thing these rancid owners are good at is rapidly transforming something good into something terrible. 

A year ago the play-offs within grasp yet THEIR ownership has reduced us to a side still working out the permutations to avoid League One (again).

Horrible people, the worst owners in football and employing spivs and liars.

So another campaign ends at Ewood with no news at all about new season tickets. 

You'd probably expect a club desperate for cash and keen to get as many tickets sold as possible to have them on sale by now, or at least have announced prices and be pushing them like mad whilst there's a crowd on Ewood and a captive audience.

But no, in typical Rovers fashion we do nothing, we let the season end and then we'll announce something in a month or so when people are off doing other things with their time and money.

2 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

Birmingham have just failed to beat the only two teams below them.

The potential for a weakened Norwich team aside, why do you think this is likely to happen?

A combination of their recent home form being solid, having Rowett in the dugout, and that they know they need to win. They'll treat it as a cup final, their ground will be full and they've done this sort of thing more than one before on the final game of the season.

If Bolton get through the play-offs I wonder who the 'be careful what you wish for' gang will use as their poster for why we can't hope to be rid of Venkys.

All these other clubs who go bust, reset, get through it and go again, coming back in far better health than Venky Rovers.

One day we'll do the same, we need to, just hope its sooner rather than later.

I think we are now in Plymouth's hands and hoping they don't beat Hull final day. That's our best chance of survival. Hull a tricky side to beat but Plymouth unpredictable at home.

I think it is a banker that Wednesday finish the job off and get something against a rudderless on the beach Sunderland, after comprehensively dealing with us and WBA.

I think it is highly likely we lose at Leicester, and I'd bet on Birmingham getting past Norwich at home.

Really couldn't have asked for better circumstances today. At home, against a side with nothing to play for, knackered after a big week and playing with 10 men for over 30 minutes. Couldn't manage it.

Where's the connection? Gestede was long gone from Rovers before Waggott turned up so doubt they knew each other or that Waggott is letting him shadow him at Forum meetings as a favour to an old friend.

I'm not aware of a similar arrangement ever occurring before, and it isn't the first time I've heard of Gestede being around the club and training ground which all just seems odd to me if he isn't employed there.

I may have missed this among the talk of using the Adam Wharton cash to repair the broken lifts at Ewood but can anyone explain why Rudy Gestede was in attendance at the meeting on behalf of the Club?

I can't find any mention of this in the minutes and cannot find any mention of him being employed at the club or what role he performs. 

9 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Only make 4 January signings, including 1 free transfer, 2 loan signings and buying a striker who scored 1 goal..

He massive improved the current squad and their best players playing well

We signed 6 players. McFadzean has played well, 2 centre backs signings who haven't played. Chrisene and Ayari who looks decent enough and Fleck who got injured on debut

I know he's done a good job. Point was what happens next. JDT got zero backing and undermined in 3 transfer windows, forced to sell his best players and offered nothing by way of reinvestment. 

I bet QPR's board don't do that to their manager this summer.

Our January transfers were nothing short of laughable. Just because we signed 6 does not mean they are remotely good enough or that the manager has been backed. 

47 minutes ago, DE. said:

Cifuentes has done a spectacular job at QPR. 

Unlike JDT here they'll actually try to back him and improve under him.

11 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

wonder what the excuse for no transfer budget is this summer,im`e leaning towards the maintenence and regeneration of ewood.i.e painting steelwork,cleaning roof etc etc etc,they`ve  neglected it for seasons so in true swag  sense it will take millions to put right instead of doing it on a season by season rota,wouldn`t surprise me if a new pitch appeared as well,anything not to spend money on players,i honestly think it`s all going to unravel next season and with fortune and the lords help.the end of swag,broughton and the indian fraudsters(allegedly!!)

Can't block those pathways for the youngsters. It just wouldn't be fair to sign proven players when we've an academy model to follow!

Surely these facility repairs and safe standing could all be funded comfortably from the £25 million cash coming into the club since last summer? Or are we supposed to forget about that.

Just like we are supposed to forget that not long ago Coventry were a 4th division side playing in Northampton, so yes I take exception when Rovers employees are using them as an example of what we could/should be. The only reason we are below them is because of mismanagement at our end which has been bettered by virtually every other club in the Football League.

I'm sure it occurs to him every summer to do it and it will probably be the next step on Steve's race to the bottom which he will turn to eventually.

For now he'll have worked out the costs and benefits. At the moment there's 1000 or so ST holders in there many of whom would be furious if the club asked them to move and many of whom wouldn't move elsewhere they'd just not buy. Most of these people will be in his 6000-7000 bankables who he needs to renew every season at his prices to hit his targets. He'll know that he's taking a risk if he starts going after those people.

Expect it to happen only as a last resort or if relegation occurs and he grows increasingly desperate in his cost cutting schemes.

They will justify it on the usual basis - that we need to 'help' the owners, that we need to 'reduce' our reliance on the owners, that we need to comply with FFP and that if we cut ticket prices it will simply mean less cash left over to spend on players and transfers.

All a load of crap of course, but music to the ears of the apologists, as proven by the fact that we carried a far greater wage bill and transfer outlay years ago with cheaper ticket prices, but back then we didn't have a CEO paid on the basis of saving the owners money and willing to do whatever it takes, including destroying the club, to achieve his personal targets.

There is not a single reason to believe that this CEO will come up with anything better than a price freeze and probably some offer with multiple strings attached that isn't worth the trouble. One look at his track record tells us that. He isn't in the business of reading the room and making drastic changes to reflect that, he will simply double down and push it through regardless.

Remember back in the covid days when he lied, twice, first by stating that people would be compensated for missed games in the covid season and then by saying the club would reduce future season ticket prices to compensate people instead. Neither happened, so I'd take his comments at the  moment with a lot of salt because he'll say one thing when on the spot and then deliver something different when sat secure in his office with his targets to meet.

He knows he's getting at least 6000 whatever league we are in and whatever price he comes up with.

His biggest problem is going to be plugging the £10 million black hole from relegation and missing out on the away support bonanzas offered by Leeds, Sunderland, Sheff Wed, Sheff Utd, Dingles, Preston and co. if we go down. That will be his biggest concern.