JHRover

Time to forget looking upwards. We aren't going to be troubling the play offs unless something radical changes. We'll be competing with Luton, Barnsley and Huddersfield to see if we can get a top half finish.

Ok so after yet another non event first half at Ewood I have finally got round to doing something I've been thinking about for quite some time and have reviewed our home first half performances under Mowbray's management going back to the League One season. I've done this because I have formed a perception over the years that our home games will more often than not follow the same old route where we might start brightly and apply pressure for the first 10-15 minutes but then after that we regress into nothingness until half time. We seem to create very little, if anything, after the first ten minutes at home. As a season ticket holder at the Darwen End of the ground my experience is one of very few goals or excitement as we usually shoot towards that end first whenever possible. We only seem to click into gear later on in games often when it is either too late or the opposition have got the lead. So I go back through the record books. Since we went down to League One we've had 80 league games at Ewood. On only 33 of those 80 games have we scored in the first half. So in well over half our home games we've failed to score in the first half. Indeed in those 33 games we have only managed to score in the first half more than once on 8 occasions, and only scored more than twice on 1 occasion (this season with 3 vs Wycombe). IN 80 HOME LEAGUE GAMES ACROSS 3.5 SEASONS WE HAVE SCORED 41 FIRST HALF HOME GOALS. Now, I get that games are 90 minutes, not 45. I get that you're of course only looking at one side of the bargain here and not factoring in clean sheets or second half goals. But it shows that over a long time now we have proven ourselves to be ineffective, blunt, and altogether not good enough at doing the business in the first half of games. The majority of the time we are abysmal, creating next to nothing and allowing the game to pass by without doing enough. It is therefore no wonder when the likes of Sheff Wednesday turn up, limit us and keep us at arms length for so long. Time after time we fall behind to next to nothing pressure wise and end up clicking into gear in the last 20 minutes when it is too late.

Pulis' record at Middlesbrough over 18 months was far superior to Mowbray's here. That's if you focus on results which is what this game is all about. It might be boring on occasions but he got them into the top 6 in his first season and just outside it (7th I think) in his second season. Despite that he was let go and wasn't given the opportunity of year after year to gradually improve them. He missed his target of promotion twice so was let go. He's no doubt envious of Mowbray who is now into season 3 of Championship football and 4 of permanent management here and has never really done any more than flirt with the top 6 yet still gets an easy ride by nearly everyone because he 'plays nice football'. He won't be the only one. I suspect half the managers in this division look at him and think he's got it great here.

No nearer the play offs now than at the same point in the previous two seasons. Soon to be half way through the season and haven't occupied a top six position for more than a few days several months ago. All the excuses known to man will get trotted out. Reality is we haven't made progress in the areas that really matter. Nothing will happen because too many people are comfortable with the good ship Mowbray on course for mid table drift every year.

0-0. Pulis will take heart from the near successes of Rotherham and Millwall at Ewood. His methods of making them hard to beat and tough to break down will be starting to take root by now. We need an early goal but we tend to struggle to get those at Ewood.

I mentioned those clubs because they are the current competition and who we need to finish above. I note you recognise that the likes of Luton, Wycombe and Barnsley have been League One regulars. That's correct. Yet we have spent a hell of a lot more than them and are next to Barnsley and Luton in the table. Why is that? I'd wager our annual losses are well over theirs combined. There are many others. Yes some clubs have spent more but clubs like Stoke and Derby did so under previous managers going through relegation or instability. Mowbray hasn't had to deal with either of those issues recently. He's on a great number here.

Mowbray has had funds that many managers at this level could only dream of. Preston, Huddersfield, Cardiff, Swansea, Luton, Wycombe, Sheff Wed, Barnsley, Coventry, Rotherham, Millwall- these clubs are nowhere near us on spending on new players. Virtually all have had to make significant sales or cuts over the last 3 years. We haven't. When you combine with the time, freedom and control Mowbray has enjoyed here he really does have a job the envy of many. Most managers would have sales forced on them, have to cut the budget, or take over shambles like Pulis has at Wednesday or O'Neill did at Stoke. Or deal with loony owners like Birmingham, Reading and Forest. The benefit of Venkys is they are able and willing to write off £20 million a season to plod along because they like Tony and enable us to sign and retain players that many rivals couldn't get close to signing and paying. Remember when Preston tried it with Armstrong and Mowbray came and blew them out of the water. We are clearly much stronger than such clubs financially as we ought to be with these owners but at the moment and over the last few seasons that isn't being reflected in the table.

Normal people wouldn't i agree. But in the parallel universe of the billion dollar football industry I'd expect that to be on the table ahead of postponing or cancelling fixtures and causing chaos with TV contracts and fixture calendars.

Brilliant news. Best for a long time.

I'm not entirely sure he would easily get another Championship job these days. Plodders like QPR or Birmingham maybe but I think Mowbray would find his hands well and truly tied at those sort of clubs with hands on owners. I expect it would be a decent League One job for him. Ipswich a likely destination or Hull. Rotherham maybe. He'd be a dream for a hands off owner wanting a steady pair of hands and trustworthiness around or an older school Chairman who doesn't want to be bothered with a Director of Football. He certainly wouldn't be an appointment that would get pulses racing anywhere else in the Championship.

I don't think delaying things for a month will really achieve much. I don't think they can do it in Prem/Champ as they need the season to finish in time for the Euros. To be honest I'm surprised that they aren't looking at a way of private paying vaccinations for the football industry to protect against people getting the virus and let them carry on.

Stoke have sold 18000 season tickets. We've sold 2500. I blame Waggott for that. Not Covid.

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.

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