JHRover

On that one the club will merely say that they can only get them on sale when they take delivery of the stock, so they are in Umbro's hands on that and can't be blamed for it. I'd argue that if our deal with Umbro is such that we miss out on the key summer holiday season and can't start selling new shirts until August then it's probably time we terminated our deal with them and went elsewhere.

If being on sale longer doesn't change anything then how come so many other clubs have already got theirs on sale in February? What do they know that we don't? It seems logical to me - the longer something is on sale for the more people are likely to buy it. I'm not really referring to longstanding season ticket holders who can be relied upon to buy no matter what, I'm referring to drifting people who make their minds up depending on performances, form, price, money left over in the bank etc. Those are the people we should be going out of our way to try and entice and I think it is worth doing something different to try and capture them. Sadly thinking outside the box is something we don't get much of at groundhog day Ewood. No imaginative pricing, always late with putting tickets on sale, put prices up then question why ambitious targets aren't reached. I don't really blame Waggott as it is my belief that he needs to get prices signed off from India before they can go out and that won't happen until the annual review. If you restrict your sales period to June and July before the season begins (during which we have no games, people don't come to Ewood and spend their cash going on holiday etc) then in doing so you restrict the scope for selling substantially more.

Seems this is going to be relatively well attended, although for the first time in a while we're playing them on a Saturday rather than a Tuesday night. Well priced tickets too. A draw would be decent. I've no idea what to expect. They are hard to beat at their place although last time out lost to lowly Bolton so it isn't exactly mission impossible to go there and win. The obvious way to do it is to start with a clean sheet and go from there but I won't be betting on that happening.

Exactly what Huddersfield did - brought in Wagner, knocked tickets down to £150 and marketed it as the 'Wagner revolution'. Targets for sales, progress shared with fans, encouragement to try and reach milestones, exciting signings to go with it. All about timing. Sitting around doing nothing until May and then hiking prices up another 17% and shutting another stand won't get people queuing up. Nor will signing a couple of free agents from League One and other players who clearly aren't going to improve the team.

They are either living in denial and genuinely believe that mucking around with kick off times, putting it on tv and putting prices up/shutting home areas doesn't negatively impact on home crowds or they're just coming out with it to try and shrug off any responsibility and instead blame the supporters for a lack of 'commitment'. Another one is the illogical claim that leaving season ticket sales until May or June rather than getting them out now like many rivals have done also has zero negative impact on numbers sold. What have we got to lose by breaking the tried and tested formula and get them out months earlier? Even if it sees no increase in numbers sold, it will still give people more time to budget and get themselves sorted. Life on easy street, Less numbers is lower risk, early kick off means it can be over and done with early and everyone can go home to bed relaxed that the day has passed without major issue.

This 'European network' that we are supposedly developing I feel is codswallop. I don't doubt that we are miles behind other clubs on international recruitment and development, as I've said before the limit of the club's gaze is the far side of Darwen. That's the result of a lack of investment and neglect of those areas over a prolonged period. But I don't think there is a serious push from within the club to address this, I don't accept that it should take 3 years to develop this 'European network' and I don't believe that Mowbray is the sort of manager eager to explore that market but has been prevented from doing so by factors beyond his control. I think the club is set up on a provincial, small scale basis, and that is evidenced by the recruitment, and that sort of thing suits the owners and those running the club on a daily basis. It is a result of that provincial approach which has seen Kean-Berg-Appleton-Bowyer-Lambert-Coyle-Mowbray in the dugout and never a foreign or 'outside the box' appointment which would require a far greater level of search and recruitment. As far as I can see Mowbray has never been a manager who has relied very much on the foreign market for his players, preferring instead to source British - that was the case at WBA, Boro and Coventry - so unless he's going to suddenly change his decade long approach to transfers I can't see him being keen to go down that road. Even if he was desperate to and those running the club were anxious for us to catch up in that area - there are many ways of doing so that are quicker and more effective than taking 2-3 years to build up a 'network'. The recruitment of a well connected and experienced Director of Football, technical director or whatever you want to call it with contacts and know-how of the European market would deal with that issue quickly. Watford were taken over by their Italian owners and within months had implemented their structure and were expertly navigating the European market and picking up bargains and quality players from all over the place - done by employing people who knew what to do - they didn't sit on their hands for 2-3 years waiting for a 'network' to be put in place and bemoaning having to play catch-up.

I'd just like us to be quick out of the blocks for one and get the majority of our spending and business done early doors to give the new players a full pre season. Mowbray said he wanted that last summer but it didn't happen as we left it to late on before bringing in Reed, Brereton and Armstrong. I don't expect that to happen as we've still to go through the annual review with Madame in May or June before approval is given to spend and we will be playing catch up whilst all the decent free agents will be snapped up.

I don't accept that. We had 3 reasonable chances to score, but took none of them. We were playing the team 2nd bottom of the league who had won 1 since early November, so having a few chances is the bare minimum to be expected. Even if we had taken one of those chances, there is no way we'd have gone and got a 2nd or 3rd in the first half. We would have sat back on a lead and Reading would have been able to respond, we've seen it at most away games that we've gone 1-0 up in.

The problem we've also got, beyond Mowbray deciding to become ruthless and make brave but potentially unpopular decisions, is convincing Venkys and the money men to do it. We've spent most of our efforts since promotion on dishing out improved longer term deals to most of our players. The next phase is going to be convincing them to cough up multi-millions and even bigger contracts to entice decent players to join us who will improve what we have. Given their track record they are more likely to ask Mowbray to cart on with the team he has assembled, which is much easier and cheaper than making root and branch changes.

Aye, I imagine there's plenty like you, plus plenty of others who have tickets who won't bother when they discover the game will be live on Sky Sports, plus plenty who would have gone at 3pm for the local derby but won't bother doing at lunchtime. Many, many reasons for that, ranging from other commitments, saving money by watching on tv or just not enjoying it as much at 12 noon, people making the decision either don't recognise or don't pay any attention to but then come out with stuff about 'commitment'. As I've said many a time - any other club in the league that willingly allows or even requests that its most popular fixtures to be moved to 12 noon?

The official Lancashire Constabulary Police twitter account for Preston confirmed the other day that the reason the game is at 12 noon is because Rovers made a request to have it at that time and the police had agreed to that request, not because the police had insisted on it kicking off then. So I suppose it depends which account you believe - the police (supported by the fact that everyone else can avoid noon kick offs and so can we when Man Utd or Liverpool come to town) or Rovers. I know who I hold responsible, but even if I'm wrong and the police are insisting on it, that still doesn't mean Rovers can't do anything about it.

From Caley's perspective what incentive is there for bigger crowds? Does he get paid more if there's an extra 5000 turn up? No. Does he have more pressure on him and work to do? Yes. What time does he clock off after a noon kick off? Probably home in time for tea, job done. For a 3pm kick off he might not get home until 7 or 8pm. No good. I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if it was something so petty as that. That's the extent to which people have entered the comfort zone with minimal accountability here. The myth that it is done on police instruction is gradually being exposed as a lie and hopefully the pressure will grow on those responsible to explain their decisions. If you want to increase home crowds start by playing more at 3pm Saturday and not being on TV as a result. From Middlesbrough onwards I reckon all but Stoke and maybe Bolton will be available on Sky TV. Surely Waggott is looking at that and can join the dots.

The club has to take accountability for the decline in atmosphere. They chose to shut two stands and move longstanding season ticket holders from their seats. No matter what the JW Lower corner block is never going to be a sensible place to create a singing section. It's too low down, too out of the way and too small. The club know this, the lack of any promotional material suggests that they didn't want to encourage people to sit there. Notice that Reading have a singing area of a few hundred fans next to the away end like the DE was, they refuse to close it to enable huge away followings like Rovers do. The revelation that the PNE noon kick off is at Rovers request and not the police is confirmation of what we are up against. Comfort zone stuff. 1 of 7 home games between Middlesbrough and August at 3pm on Saturday, 6 of 7 away games at 3pm Saturday. Sickening

I don't think anyone is suggesting Mowbray was wrong to point them in Waggott's direction when asked for his view, or that Mowbray should have recommended a 'cowboy' for the job. The concern is more to do with him seemingly being involved in decisions that the manager shouldn't have anything to do with.

I don't go as far as to suggest he instructed Venkys to employ him. More along the lines of Mowbray telling them they needed to appoint a competent CEO who could be trusted to run the club properly, Venkys having no idea of who or what to look for, so they trust him and ask him to recommend someone, and he points them in the direction of someone he got on with at Coventry, another club with maniacs running them.

Examples? We had no CEO of any description for nearly 8 years, then when they do appoint one the person they get happened to have worked closely with Mowbray a matter of months before? I'm sorry, I'm not alleging any wrongdoing, but expecting me to believe that there's nothing more to it than a simple coincidence is pushing it.

It would be the mother of all remarkable coincidences for Mowbray to have had zero input into the appointment of Waggott as CEO and for him to just so happen to have ended up getting a job at the same club as Mowbray a short while after they were both working together at Coventry. The level of Mowbray's input into that decision is questionable but I think it is very safe to assume at the very least he put in a good word or gave the idea a thumbs up when suggested to him.

It may have been Mowbray's choice to keep him with the first team after he got the job longer term, but was it Mowbray's choice to move him from the academy to the first team to be his assistant in the first place? I don't know, but on balance I'd say unlikely. More likely is he was told to find an assistant from within the existing staff or told who he was working with in the aftermath of the Coyle and staff exodus. As I say I've no idea on his qualifications and coaching ability and don't know the bloke.

Venus is assistant manager as he always has been to Mowbray, except at Coventry where he was involved in recruitment and Mowbray had Jamie Clapham as his assistant. I know Venus has had personal issues to deal with this season which was the reason he was absent a lot before Christmas, things seemed to pick up from New Years onwards when he was back in the dugout, possibly a coincidence though possibly a sign that his presence is needed. I'm not sure what the crack is with Lowe but I find it interesting how he's managed to end up where he is. When Mowbray arrived he was immediately promoted from his job with the academy to assistant manager and then kept on whilst Dunn was demoted back to the reserves. I don't really know the bloke but something just doesn't stack up there with me. Maybe it's my paranoia after years of Venkys but I wonder how much choice Mowbray has had in that appointment and if none then who did.

That would require us to remove David Lowe, and I think there's no chance at all of that happening. Friends in high places etc.

So if we'd have signed a proven CB and Britt Assombalonga for £10 million in January, but then continued our form through February and March, secured a top 6 position, and won promotion to the Premier league, would you be criticising Mowbray for 'overpaying' for players in January? 7 or 8 signings this summer, whilst clearly necessary, doesn't fit into the slow gradual building job?

I think that is a sly dig from him towards Middlesbrough and Karanka. When Mowbray was there he had to work under relatively tight financial constraints as they balanced the books after Strachan's spending spree, eventually Boro ended up with a couple of near-misses with the play-offs and then slid towards trouble in his 3rd season. Karanka then came in and was given a big budget, got them into promotion contention and eventually backed sufficiently to get them promoted. Why that is relevant to our current situation I'm not sure. There's no chance any manager at this club getting that sort of money from Venkys and it seems when they do make good money available it comes about in an unexpected manner and has all sorts of strings attached to it.

Only one team in the last 40 years has got 96 points or more and not won the league and that was I think Middlesbrough back in the 80s. Last 2 seasons we've been victims of needing well above average points to reach our target (52 needed to survive). Just hope this season isn't the same.

As long as we avoid relegation then this season will represent upward trajectory on last season and the season before that. It is an industry based on results and league position and if we finish where we are then we've done ok given where we've come from. My concerns are less to do with the deterioration in our form since November, which was always likely to happen, and more to do with our bizarre recruitment and endless chopping and changing and the seeming inability to overcome issues that have been our Achilles heel since way back into last season. The manager deserves the chance to overcome those issues but I'm beginning to doubt whether he is able to do it. The fragile defence has been a problem now since early on last season. Also the 45 minute performances at home which rarely see us turn up for the first 45 minutes. There's of course the added caveat of what goes on behind the scenes. In normal circumstances I would suggest giving him this season, the summer and next season unless in relegation trouble but with these owners we just don't know what sort of thing is going on. It isn't as simple as making a change as it is everywhere else, as we've then to go through the pot luck selection process along with the 'trust building' process that Kean, Bowyer and Mowbray have all had to undertake with trips to India. Could we get a better manager than Mowbray? Almost certainly. But would these buffoons know where to find one who would be better at management plus handle all the other stuff, work within their bonkers system, pander to their egos and work with staff foisted upon them? Extremely unlikely.

The concern I have is the entire premise of Mowbray's management since promotion last season has been the slow, multi-year gradual build, the idea that the way we are going to do things is each transfer window add 2-3 decent players, replace the poorer ones and end up in a couple of years with a promotion capable squad, and yet what has happened and what looks like happening come the summer is going to be very different. To me it seems more and more to be the case that come June we're going to have to carry out a major rebuilding job, with a huge amount of new players required who are up to Championship standard. Even if we strike lucky and keep Dack and our other 'assets' there's a huge amount of work to do, and perhaps more importantly a lot of money or incredibly shrewd business to be got through. Given recent signings I'm not particularly confident in the recruitment policy here and I don't believe for one minute, despite the claims of some, that Venkys will be sanctioning major expenditure for multiple quality players. Much cheaper to keep those already here under contract.