JHRover

There's no potential about it. We've already got half the squad out of contract in the summer and adding more loans now will only add to that. I'd rather the funds were diverted into renewals of contracts to reduce the massive rebuilding job they're going to have in the summer. I thought there was meant to be some sort of medium term plan here under Mowbray's stewardship. I dont think this indicates any sort of plan just a make do and mend job and then another one next summer through failing to keep players tied down.

Not been on for a couple of days and deliberately avoided the 'news' outlets as to our transfer activities but not suprised at all to see that we are now a third through the window and haven't brought anyone in. Lo and behold for all the bravado about the owners agreeing to back him in the window and him needing/wanting centre halves in asap we haven't got anyone and the only serious link appears to be attempts to borrow a teenager from Everton's academy until the end of the season. Absolutely pointless IMO. In our position it needs to be one of two routes from this point. You either add a few players to give you that final push into the top six (a few high calibre loans) or you accept you aren't going up under this setup and get one eye ready for next season. Quite what we hope to achieve by doing neither and borrowing development players for 5 months I don't know. More of Mowbray's baffling comments in the media where he accepts that our business will be short termism and seems to suggesting Preston have cash we don't have in their pursuit of Whiteman - quite why Mowbray is being asked questions about a player for Doncaster who Preston are supposedly signing and indeed why he is commenting on said player seems very strange, unprofessional and needless.

If this is the extent of Waggott's invention he's in the wrong job. He's already tried this with the embarrassing £10,000 prize draw if 10,000 season tickets sold. As if people were seriously going to pay hundreds of pounds for a season ticket to enter a draw that might not even happen if 10,000 wasn't reached. We need people running the club with creativity and bright ideas on how to grow the fanbase short and medium term. Instead we've off the hoof short term cash flow desperado stunts. As if anyone is going to go out of their way to spend hundreds in the club shop.

See I don't agree on this. Venkys might be willing and able to play the slow game and wait in the hope we eventually evolve into a promotion achieving side. They seem to have the cash reserves but little other of the ingredients needed - plan, interest, structure. But history under these owners would suggest that they move in cycles and the indicators would point towards us nearing the latter stages of the latest one. Sooner rather than later they may well give up on keeping our best players or backing the manager with competitive resources for signings or insist on sales to plug losses and then begins the slippery slope from the relative stability we have now. We know this because this is exactly what happened in year 3 of the Bowyer era after 2 years of propping up the squad and funding decent signings. If the above is a false alarm and they are happy to indefinitely retain our best players or invest all sale proceeds into new ones and keep stumping up £15-20 million per year then I'd be very pleasantly surprised. If I believed that we had the luxury of bundles of time on our side to incrementally improve and develop then I'd be less worried (though would still question the benefits of keeping a manager who won't change his approach). In the event I'm correct as above then I'd sooner move heaven and earth now to try and get promoted rather than go through another 2015-17 experience of slashing costs, watching the squad be dismantled and watch us slide back to League One. If that means making a ruthless yet calculated change so be it. I'd sooner do that and upset Mowbray but have a chance of promotion than do nothing and squander our best and possibly only chance.

A fortnight from now he will be using the transfer window to keep people onside. Wait and see if we can get a couple of new bodies in to help us. I'm sure if we get who we want we will be much stronger in the second half of the season. The new lad(s) need to settle in. Buys him January and February. So predictable.

The journalists will just repeat what Mowbray says ad infinitum without challenging or questioning him. Mowbray has found his excuse for our dreadful run of form and will now continue to throw it out in public whenever he can. Once Travis is back he will find something else to blame for his failings.

Mowbray back on his latest excuse for our abysmal run of form which is apparently all down to missing Lewis Travis and once he is back playing everything will be OK. Should keep trouble away until the end of January or beyond when Travis is match fit again. There's always an excuse and there'll always be an absence to explain it. Just a shame people accept this nonsense. He's got a plethora of midfield options all signed by himself. Of course Travis is a miss but this is the second transfer window where we've been able to replace him.

Does anyone know what the position is with I Follow subscriptions? When I look at the various subscription options the 'basic' package is supposedly free and includes match highlights and behind the scenes content, but obviously not live match coverage. I've tried to access this 'free' content however no matter what i do the only videos I can watch are the basic highlights/goal videos - I can't watch any extended highlights, interviews or behind the scenes content. It just doesn't seem to make sense. It then tries directing me to 'audio pass' which suggest you don't get video. Anyone had similar?

Emotion shouldn't come into it. Nor should doing things the cheapest or easiest way. I'm sick of us making decisions that affect our future based on them being nice blokes or good lads. I'd rather someone from the opposite side of the world who can drag us forward not languish in the lower leagues forever whilst giving chances to local lads or lower league managers. Small time mentality.

I predicted on Boxing Day that we'd seen the last of Trybull with his absence from the squad. I was surprised to see him back at Huddersfield but now with this injury who knows if or when he'll be back. My thoughts on his signing is that it was deemed necessary at the time as Travis had gone down with a serious injury until January and we all know about Evans' fitness so an extra body was brought in. I think Norwich were more than happy to let him come here and play so it was an easy and cheap loan job. With Travis coming back soon and Evans presumably not too far away (?) I suspect Trybull is probably seen as a sacrifice worth making to free up some wages for other reinforcements. I think he's steady away but another who hasn't really stood out and for one reason or another hasn't been able to put a good run of games together for us.

I honesty have no interest at all in the transfer window. Any incomings are likely to be temporary options and no matter who or what we sign the issues will remain under this manager as they have for 3 years.

Could do a lot worse. That he is likely to lead that rabble to yet another higher finish than us is one of the most stark illustrations of our state under Mowbray. What Neil would give for £10 million and wages like Mowbray has had for Ayala, Tosin etc. If we were ever in the industry of poaching managers from rival clubs I'd be testing the water for him or Rowett from Millwall. Both would improve us significantly and both would embrace the additional finance and stature we could provide. Reckon Neil would cost in the millions to get after he got a new deal last year after the West Brom interest. This lot won't pay for their next manager.

I want a job like Mowbray has. I try to imagine a situation where my employer invites me to a meeting, gives me a 3 year contract on very good wages, sends me off to the other side of the world to get on with it and has no interest in my performance or attainment of targets. I'm able to run things exactly as I want to even if it doesn't make sense or work and get to carry on even if loads of customers actively disapprove of me and my performance. All the while the supporters/customers are expected to 'like it or lump it' and get asked to pay more for the privilege whilst I can cart on regardless because I'm better than my predecessor from 4 years ago. It isn't the real world. It isn't acceptable of a way of operating in any line of work, let alone managing a professional football club employing hundreds of people and taking money off tens of thousands to operate.

Just noticed that Birmingham have lost their last two home games 4-1 against Middlesbrough and 4-0 against Derby. Very poor and unusual for a Karanka side who is traditionally defensively strong. They've actually lost their last 4 at home including Watford and Barnsley and going back further have lost 6 of their last 7 home games, the other a 0-0 draw with Millwall. They've scored 8 goals at home in 11 games. If we don't win this he needs sacking. No ifs no buts no excuses.

That's one extreme end of the scale. I'd just be happy if there was some level of interest, scrutiny, review taking place above the manager and for owners to think about us more than once a year.

What about the other 9 names I suggested after a quick google search? Are they all unobtainable or unaffordable too?

I'm sorry Chaddy but one players comments upon being given a new contract do not mean the manager still has the dressing room. The dressing room is a collective of 20-30 players. Of course publicly players will support the manager. I'm yet to see a player anywhere in the world who doesn't back his manager in public. Also, whether Mowbray still has the dressing room or not is irrelevant. Many, many times managers retain the support of the dressing room until the very end but still get removed if results aren't up to scratch. Mowbray is undoubtedly popular behind the scenes as he seems to be everywhere he goes. The evidence is in performances and results, not what Dack says in his club media interviews.

Some more Mowbray drivel in his post match comments. Apparently Ayala is struggling with the physical demands of playing for Mowbray and in our 'system' having been used to playing under Karanka and Pulis at Middlesbrough. Mowbray thinks it will take him time to adjust. Ludicrous. If he needs to adjust then why was he signed and why was our season built on that? How many players at his age with his injury record get fitter?

I'm not paid £300,000 a year so haven't been able to go away and research options in depth and scour the globe for candidates. But 10 minutes on my laptop in bed leads me to plenty of names who have been around the Championship, Premier League and Football League over the last 3-4 years who have better records or bigger achievements than Mowbray. Pulis, Hughes, Pearson, Bilic, Cowley, Cook, Wagner, Stendel, Carvalhal, Poyet, Sousa, Petrescu, Oscar Garcia. So there's 12 names I've just come up with off the top my head or doing a google search. All available, and I'm sure most would be very interested in the job here. That's a search limited to people with past connections to England and currently unemployed (apart from Carvalhal) with a decent track record. That's before looking further at in work managers here or overseas. Out of those I'd personally avoid Pulis, Pearson and Cook. I think Pearson, whilst entertaining, would be a disaster waiting to happen here with this lot. Pulis is too extreme and whilst he'd do a job and get results I'd avoid him with the personnel we have and position we are in. Cook is horrible although i can see the logic there. I'd also tread carefully with Hughes and have to listen to him in interview. If he really wanted the job and wanted to rebuild his career then maybe but I wouldn't go to him cap in hand or persuade him to take it. I'd also like to know what he'd do with his coaching staff given they are now spread all over the place. Bilic would be up there on my list but doubt he'd come here unless we paid him very very well. Cowley would be interesting and I would hope possesses the hunger and ambition to take us forward, rather than slouching in his chair picking his ears or walking around with his head in his hands. Of course the way we get a top manager is to promise them a massive bonus for promotion. The naysayers will cling to the idea that we are a skint lower league operation unable to afford a change but there are different ways to skin a cat and a £2 million bonus for promotion is one way of enticing a top manager here. We've already missed the boat on Mick McCarthy and Neil Warnock who were both available recently. One now managing abroad and the other taking Middlesbrough towards the play-offs in his first season. Both would have joined us earlier this year. If we were astute and clued up we would also be monitoring the situations with Wilder at Sheffield United and Bruce at Newcastle and preparing to move quickly for those when they leave their current positions, likely to be quite soon. But that would require a plan and forward thinking and opportunism. Last seen at this club about 25 years ago. It's all a pointless discussion but it is necessary because there are still the fools who convince themselves that Tony Mowbray really is the best manager in the world for Blackburn Rovers and we simply can't hope for any better. That's why names above need to be trotted out because he really isn't the best we can hope for.

He's finished and the penny has dropped or is now dropping for 90% of people. The remaining 10% consists of those who genuinely think he is the best man in the world to manage us. I still feel physically sick after last night. I would have been disappointed with a draw in all honesty as it did us no real favours in the table but to lose the game having equalised was simply unforgivable. This coward of a manager will divert blame elsewhere but there is a pattern here and it comes back to him. Our response to scoring a goal is a mixture of confusion and terror instilled by a manager with no answer to it. Nothing is going to change. What will happen next is that we will bumble on to our next fixtures. Sooner or later, even by fluke, we will win a game. It might be against dreary Birmingham on Saturday or it might come from a dodgy penalty or fluke goal later in January but it will come because you persist with something long enough and give enough opportunities it will happen. Remember we are now at 1 win in 7 with some tough games coming but I'd be very surprised if it reached 1 in 10 territory. If we play them we'll beat Doncaster in the cup which will keep the wolves from the door for another couple of weeks. Just imagine if we got to 1 win in 10 or 11 games for the second season running and he survives it. Madness. Anyway, leave him in place long enough and we will win a game or two and as soon as we do the paper will go over the cracks and folk will be online saying 'I told you so'. Normal service resumed. Probably a few wins as Dack gets up to speed and Travis returns. But it won't last or get us anywhere because the same old underlying issues remain. We can see it because we watch football on a regular basis and detect these patterns and issues. I also feel sick at the thought of a 'CEO' here on £300,000 a year just because the manager recommended him who has never had to do the most important thing a CEO does. The biggest and most important job for a real CEO is to monitor results and performances and carry out change when needed, recruiting alternative managers to deliver improvements. He should live and die by that. Yet here we are, not a peep from Waggo. Happy to bombard fans with price hikes but will hide away from the real big decisions and stop on easy street until retirement arrives. Sick of it now. Massively underachieving and wasting a good opportunity.

An incredibly naive approach and attitude to the game. Just like Mowbray's delusions of replicating Leeds. He thinks he's better than he is and has repeatedly failed to learn from mistakes during his career. He's very lucky to be operating in the Ewood vacuum surrounded by acolytes who lap up every word and question nothing.

Be interested to see what happens if a season 'pass' holder rejects this and the 'offer' of £10 off next season and seeks a refund of their season ticket due to breach of contract after Rovers sold tickets on the basis of Huddersfield away being free. Expect Rovers would come out with some claptrap about the 'EFL' making the decision but where I come from Rovers have sold a product and are now backtracking on that at the 11th hour. Waggott will be putting tickets up by a lot more than £10 next season with the lure of returning fans so Rovers will be profiting from this. Any refund will be comfortably made up in due course through price increases and they've one less fixture included in the package this season. Stinks to high heaven.

Wow. Pulis sacked at Wednesday.

Personally speaking the opposite is the case for me. Having been a religious attender of every game prior to the pandemic the more and more time that goes by without being able to go the less I think I miss it. I've also come to realise that the parts I do miss the most are the social side of it rather than the experience of watching Rovers or football more generally, which tend to be stressful, annoying and frustrating. What I miss is the 'crack' of having a day out, a few pubs, the match day atmosphere. Given the above I have little to no desire to attend fixtures whilst subject to restrictions of any sort like we have seen at those grounds that have opened. I'm also appalled by Rovers' conduct towards fans over the last 6 months or so and certainly won't be queuing up to hand over whatever cash they want the minute restrictions are lifted. I will probably return to complete attendance again eventually but it's all a bit 'meh' at the moment. In terms of priorities I'll be travelling, booking holidays and visiting friends/going out for food and drink before worrying about buying tickets for Rovers.

I'm expecting a score draw here. Either 1-1 or 2-2. I don't think we are playing well nor have we got the capacity to go there and win or keep a clean sheet. Huddersfield blow hot and cold. They have been hot at home, beating most and have been cold away, losing most. I can't see us being the side to turn the form book on its head and win there. Conversely I don't think we will lose. I expect Huddersfield to be much more ambitious in their play than Stoke or Sheffield Wednesday which ought to suit us. I also think we are due a "positive result" (whatever that term means) so will come back with something for our efforts. Another defeat and even the ardent Mowbray acolytes may be questioning things whereas a draw will be hailed as a good result and so on we go. Expected trajectory of the game is that we start bright and go ahead early on before being pegged back once they apply some pressure and struggle from there.