JHRover

Holtby has spent the majority of his career in England and is half scouse. Not exactly unearthed him from nowhere. I'm not interested in missed targets or what games our scouts watch. All that matters is who signs on the dotted line. I suspect most clubs in the Championship have numerous scouts who travel to many games over the course of a season. Last summer we had Downing (Mowbray's mate from Middlesbrough), Johnson (Bennett's best mate), Gallagher (here last time under Mowbray) whilst he had encountered Cunningham and Tosin directly. That's fine if it works but for me there's far better value to be found abroad and nowhere near enough of us using those markets, still, some 3 years after his arrival. It doesn't take 3 years to sign players from abroad. Even if we (bizarrely) ignore the first 18 months before promotion back to the Championship we've had 18 months since then. Look at the impact and speed with which Bielsa has revolutionised Leeds for comparison.

Trouble is that Mowbray has been here nearly 3 years and run the club as he wants and yet even in his most recent transfer window he spent all his budget on players he knew from his past or Bennett's best mate. Other than this random German kid we've just been linked with no evidence of any progress or serious desire to tap into foreign markets. I suggest you look who Norwich and Brentford employ alongside and above the manager as to the reason why they are able to recruit so effectively. Modern structures whereas we are stuck in the dark ages with the manager running everything.

My fear/expectation is that whatever cash we get for selling Evans will disappear into the ether and will not be reinvested into improving the squad. So it is a no brainer. Dont sell unless it is a big offer or we get freedom to bring in new players in his place. Telling though isnt it. Another player Mowbray inherited who has been an important part of the squad particularly these last 12-18 months attracts interest from rival club whilst those Mowbray has brought in attract no serious interest and have no serious value. Sell Evans fine but it wont overcome being lumbered with Smallwood, Samuel, Davenport, Hart, Brereton and co. What do we do when those Mowbray inherited are all gone/sold and those he signed aren't remotely good enough?

Why can we not compete with Brentford on wages?

We all know what happens if Evans is sold. It will be wages off the books, a few quid to pay the bills and then make do and mend either by signing an inferior replacement or patching up with what we already have. I've no doubt Stoke will be after him and expect O'Neill has already had a word. He'll get a pay rise and another couple of years on top. Last time we gave him a new deal it dragged and we tried lowering his wage. Reality is that Evans has been one of our better performers this season and when rival clubs come in for players and we let them go it doesn't tend to end well. Those suggesting Smallwood or Davenport could cover for his absence need to get real. Two more of Mowbray's signings not good enough. What a mess we've made of recruitment. To think we are 15 million net down on it too.

Posh areas of Teeside from Brockhall straight up the A59 and A19 - 1 hour 50 minutes on Google Maps. Get your foot down and push the speed limit and time your journeys right and you could do it in 1 hour 30 or 40. Stockton and Durham way further on than where Mowbray lives which i recall is somewhere this side of Middlesbrough. Either way it is a pleasant drive through nice countryside avoiding motorways. If i were my own boss on Mowbray's sort of salary with the added benefit of a place in Brockhall thrown in for added convenience I think the Rovers job is just about as good as he could ask for other than Middlesbrough and perhaps Leeds. If i had to be in Middlesbrough for 9am for work from home in Ossy I reckon i could get there in less time in my car than i could to Manchester for 9am on the train.

It would take some folk longer to get from Blackburn to Manchester Centre to work in a morning, especially if relying on trains and buses, than it does to get from Brockhall to Middlesbrough in a car. I don't really see what relevance it has where Mowbray's family are living. He's not exactly old by managerial standards at 56 and surely working in West Brom, Coventry and Glasgow were all more difficult for him. In the scheme of things driving up to Teesside from the Ribble Valley is a lovely and not exactly taxing journey to do 3-4 times a week when on his sort of salary.

If you still believe that the arrival of Waggott had nothing to do with Mowbray then good for you. I wasn't born yesterday and don't believe in coincidences of that level. Prior to that we had no CEO, so of course it was a step forward of sorts to bring one in. But it is quite clear these owners felt there was no need for one prior to getting to know Mowbray. What do these owners know about sacking or appointing managers? Why would they make such a decision and not entrust it to their well paid CEO?

If I or any reasonable person owned the club but wanted to live on the opposite side of the world we would employ experienced people either to run the club or at least advise on major decisions and therefore the CEO would be on the phone on a regular basis and would not be a mate of the manager who got him the job. Stop trying to normalise the structure here. It isnt normal and is the biggest reason we won't ever succeed.

Suits to lower expectations and pressure by convincing everyone that we are skint and can't afford to sign anyone/sack a failing manager so might as well cart on with what we have and hope for the best.

Yes I saw the finances. Entirely predictable - will be similar every year we are in this league. I suspect none of the figures were surprising for the money men at the club. Mowbray has exhausted his funds and arguably doesn't deserve any more money.

Who has said we are cutting the budget? Looking overseas for players with the 'new scouting network' is another disappointment of Mowbray's management. It just hasn't happened with any noticeable benefit to the squad. You want to operate to a budget fine, McCarthy is one of the best at it.

The process for Rovers is to sit around and wait and see who applies for the job, or alternatively go through lists put forward by popular agents, ex-players or people from the local area and decide on the basis of who is going to be cheapest or most grateful for the opportunity. Completely the wrong way to go about appointing a manager. You have to either pay the bucks to get a top proven manager, or if you can't and have limited cash, then you have to go out and headhunt the right man. Barnsley spent ages looking for their new manager, unearthed him from relative obscurity yet appears to be doing well. Same goes for Wagner, Farke, Cowley. You have to be proactive - sell the club - have a vision and get the man to fit that rather than sit waiting for applications to come in and then draw one out of the hat. I've said this before but I would be opening negotiations with Mick McCarthy and Terry Connor to come in after the Euros this summer. Until then either leave Mowbray in place or appoint a caretaker.

It was always going to be the case that Raya went on to be a good keeper. When Brentford, with their spending levels and track record of player development, come along and offer millions for our keeper you can be sure that they know their stuff. The fact that we sold him for millions, attempted to blame him for our awful defensive record, replaced him with an inferior loan signing and are now expected to accept that there's no money for signings I think is a disgrace and a dereliction of duty.

This has been coming. When we consider Mowbray's transfer business it has been almost entirely either temporary loans or when money has been spent it has been with a view to resale in the near future. They did the same when Bowyer was manager. Gave it a couple of seasons and then cut it down and cleared the assets for cash. That's why talk of a multiyear build wasnt going to be sustainable, because barring an unlikely promotion it was always going to see Venkys cash in on their chips. It's what they do. They dont want to invest and have only.been persuaded to do so on the basis they can get it back soon after. I dont accept that it is essential to do this. I look around the division and plenty of clubs dont adopt this approach.

Waggott will back down. He will panic by Monday if sales haven't gone well. Likewise plenty of these Preston lot who only go to one away game a year will relent and buy where they are told. Still expect 4000+ easy but it will be another opportunity missed for Waggott who will have had this down since the summer as a 7500 job. As ever with this lot the family day out novelty of going to Ewood wears off after 2-3 visits.

Patrick Roberts joined Middlesbrough on loan. Good signing for them.

If the price is the same in both tiers I don't get what the problem is. Just wait until the top is sold out and then buy, or buy now, return them and buy in the lower when they reach that stage. If we were doing what Bolton used to do which is charging more upstairs than downstairs I can understand some groans but again just do the above. Incidentally I am going to be complaining to Rovers/Forest about yesterday's ticket fiasco. Paid a higher price to sit in better seats as per the blocks advertised online only to discover from the stewards that it was a complete free for all on the day.

Gladwin gone following the expiry of a contract Rovers never announced he had signed.

Absolutely it is down to those in India. We've got billionaire owners who control a portfolio of many companies in many countries and beyond that must have daily dealings and good relationships with countless wealthy and powerful businesses and other millionaires/billionaires. Would it really be asking a lot for Balaji to have a word with one of his rich mates to buy some advertising boards or similar? Seems perfectly reasonable to me. The endgame is avoiding FFP. In near 10 years of their ownership we haven't had a single shirt sponsor, advertising board, tie in, from any Indian companies.

Mowbray appears to have set the target at 70 points for the season. Where he's plucked that figure from I'm not sure, but I think if we got that it would be a decent points return, albeit likely to be short of the play-offs and therefore pretty irrelevant as far as our future in this division is concerned (no serious difference in this League between 7th and 17th). Having set the target short of promotion at 70 points what then is the next stage in the plan? The scheme to sell Dack either in January or the summer to win friends in India and balance the books but then what? A big gaping hole to fill and presumably only a fraction of the Dack cash to reinvest in multiple areas with a manager who has an appalling record in that area. The next 4-5 months are important. We are reaching the end of Mowbray's schedule which he repeatedly broadcast following promotion of needing several windows to get us to where we need to be. Well we are now into window 4 since promotion and surprise surprise the goalposts are being moved. No money in the kitty and FFP being pushed around into the fanbase collective mindset as an excuse. Hang on a minute, I thought the whole idea with the gradual slow build policy and sensible wages etc. was to ensure there was no risk of FFP sanctions whilst slowly growing a strong squad, yet here we sit with no keeper, few defenders and problems in attack. The next question is whether this is acceptable and whether there's any point in persisting with it for another 12-24 months or to try something different. Perhaps a manager who aims for promotion rather than 70 points. Perhaps the owners will ask why he pushed the slow build project rather than accepted their big money offer (if that ever actually happened).

I asked Waggott at the Shareholders meeting in September about what, if any, attempts were being made to circumvent the rules by bringing in sponsorship from some of the owners many companies or the hundreds of large businesses that they must have dealings with in Asia. QPR, Cardiff, Fulham have all done deals e.g. with Visit Florida or Visit Malaysia or airlines linked to their owners. Alternatively sponsor the training ground like Birmingham owners. I didn't get a coherent answer from him, except to say that it was something that they were 'looking into'. It's what, 5 years since Ffp was introduced? They simply don't want to. Don't fall for it. They haven't the interest to try and beat the system or find ways of improving our prospects. No wonder then why the place is in such a state.

We need a goalkeeper. The current one isn't good enough and isn't ours (thankfully, though it wouldnt surprise me if there was some sort of agreement to make it permanent). Either in January or the summer we are going to need to sign at least one keeper. Why not do it now? Why wait 6 months? It sums up what a mess our recruitment has been that we don't have our own competent keeper yet there appears to be no budget nor rush to get one. Where has the Raya money gone?

If it was so important to grow income and revenues I would expect to see the club go out and headhunt a proven successful individual from elsewhere in the industry. The fact we are advertising for the role suggests we will react to those who apply rather than proactively go out and recruit a leading figure and pay him/her top dollar to deliver results. Let's be realistic. At no stage during Venky ownership have we had an executive structure worthy of a club of this size and stature. Why did the last commercial manager leave? Why have we not had a commercial director since Dave Biggar went off to America having landed the lucrative sponsorship deal with Dafabet? Even when we've had people like Waggott and Shaw they have ended up in the job through being mates with the right people and havent really had any power. What freedom will the new commercial person have to revitalise that department of the club? Very little would be my prediction. The owners have shown no desire nor interest to employ the right calibre of people to run the club on the lines required to make a big difference. Shame but that's their decision. A bit like they've never invested sufficiently in the playing or coaching staff to propel us into serious contention. Up to them.

How many times have we seen this. For some reason we start most games brightly for the first 10-15 minutes and often catch the opposition out. Bristol, Swansea, Huddersfield, Preston, West Brom, Stoke, Reading away - we go ahead in the first 10-15 minutes. At Ewood we usually have a bright first 10-15 minutes but rapidly regress into insipid dreadful football for the next 30. On the occasions we do get ahead we often immediately sit back and change our approach to the game. This gives the opposition time and opportunity to fire back quickly - WBA, Swansea, Huddersfield we concede soon after going ahead. QPR away concede soon after scoring. Home games v Birmingham and Forest almost immediately conspire to allow them straight back in. Despite Bristol being a good win they had numerous good chances after we had scored to get back level. We can't cope when we have a lead to protect. Heads go. It's a very serious problem that goes back to last season which Mowbray has been unable to address. It isnt down to personnel. It is mindset, fitness, game management. I'm bored of watching it. Very predictable.