Well I'm not aware of any other Championship club that erects barriers and employs external companies to 'vet' home fans entering the ground before reaching the turnstiles. I'm also not aware of any other Championship club that puts articles up on its website and uses such language towards its own limited and dwindling support base. Right back at the start of all this the Club is responsible. Like with 99% of all the other mishaps and fiascos we've seen down there under a wholly inadequate management team. They've sold the tickets in the first place. So if 'fraud' has been taking place I presume there will be a thorough review of how so many people have managed to get their hands on concession tickets and whether Rovers ought to have put measures in place to stop this at the source rather than half a dozen games into the season, in doing so annoying most people whether they have a valid ticket or not. We know the snake of a CEO and probably his little entourage in the boardroom are judged by those in India on financial performance. We know that season ticket sales are bucking the national trend and are shrinking whilst most other clubs enjoy good health on crowds. Sadly a sizeable portion of people are happy with that because "it were like that in 1981 you know" and because plenty feel better about themselves being 'one of the hardy few' Seems clear to me that the only metric by which Waggott is judged - the balance sheet - is looking unpleasant - and so he's now resorting to desperate tactics to try and recoup some extra cash by using these rather extreme steps and language. He's squirming because up until now his policies have worked in keeping the scum off his back, but it seems they are now asking a few questions about why numbers are so bad. The elephant in the room is that after their crimes and misdemeanours of the last 2-3 years (almost erased from the history books now thanks to Eustace having a decent start to the season, yet some of us won't be forgetting what they've done) causes far more damage to the club than a run of a few defeats and a narrow escape from relegation. People won't put up with it and will vote with their feet. Chickens come home to roost. Waggott can lash out at the small number trying it on with cheaper tickets but he can't do anything about the thousands who have found better things to do with their time than continue to fund this despicable regime.

My concern is that Eustace and a large portion of the support base appear to have decided that draws away from home are fine. Sooner or later there has to be some more ambition than that. This is something JDT had, aiming to win every game. Of course many times it ended in defeat and lots of goals conceded but we also won a fair few which is something that looks a way off at the moment. I agree draws away are good IF you are winning all/most of your home games. But when home form dips, which it will when we get around to playing the likes of Leeds, West Brom, Sheff Utd etc. and folk are then out in force telling us that a draw in those would be a great result, this shifts a lot of pressure over onto our away form and needing some wins from those. Win every home game and draw every away game and you are laughing. But we won't win every home game and we aren't drawing every away game. The product in the last 3 away games has been horrific, picking up 1 point from 9 against three very poor sides despite having a man advantage for most of one of them as well. This is worrying and I am concerned that Eustace's 'pragmatism' is becoming an issue. He was far too slow to act in the Preston game and that cost us 2 points and nearly 3. Coventry was the typical dismal midweek debacle against a side who had lost games either side of that in weary fashion. Plymouth could easily have been a horror show attracting far greater criticism, we were spared from it by poor finishing/good saves/late equaliser and the last gasp nature of their winner. On another day we could have been 2 or 3 down by half time and they'd have won at a canter. We all know that the owners and the board have zero ambition other than serving their own interests, but I think now that the 'unbeaten' tag has gone one or two need to get real and stop with the pats on the back routine.

A quick read through the minutes of the recent fans forum meeting clearly demonstrates that the 'powers that be' haven't got a clue what they are doing on this subject. That they seemed to expect a surge in sales after their behaviour over the last few years tells us all we need to know. Totally and utterly out of touch and to be honest quite an insult that they think people will simply ignore all that and renew regardless just because they imposed a minimal price cut IF you bought quickly.

We hear this from people every window. As I say amazing what a few reasonable looking signings does. Last time around some were celebrating the signings of Wahlstedt and Telalovic. What's the plan here?

Common sense and financial stability? Here? When does that start? Simply laughable what a few loans and cheap signings will do to people. We are nowhere near sensible or stable in any respect. We are a club in financial crisis and having to exist hand-to-mouth despite fortunes being brought in through sales. Give me West Brom's position any day of the week.

All those clubs spent substantially on both permanent signings and loans. We are doing neither. The comparisons end there, those clubs had a serious intention to get somewhere. This one doesn't.

We've signed 5 senior permanent players, of which 3 will be gone by July when their 12 month contracts expire. That number is eclipsed by the number of sales and departures since January. We've a heap of cash and massive FFP flexibility (two excuses for lack of spending in previous windows gone) and months and months to prepare for this window since selling Adam Wharton. And lo and behold despite all the talk about plans, changes, new structures, it's the tried and tested cheap, easy, last minute short term-ism again. Building? Don't make me laugh. It's cobbling together a squad whilst the cash disappears out the side door.

Depends that doesn't it, on the quality of the loanee and what state we are left in at the end of the loan. Hardly suggests long term planning or any shift in approach from what we were doing under Mowbray or Broughton's regimes.

So is reinvesting and building a squad. When does that start?

Names and faces change, 'new model' introduced, transfer receipts through the roof yet still got Liverpool and Brighton on speed dial in the last days of the window hoping they'll send us a cheap kid or two.

2 days to go At least 4 signings required No restrictions on the owners No FFP problems £15 million cash brought in this summer alone to put to use Should be in a strong position but thanks to Venkys and Waggott we remain in a weak position unable to even sign a goalkeeper despite knowing it could easily save us 10+ points. Venkys and Waggott: undermining, damaging, weakening our position each and every time.

Cost is the motivation at this club under a shady operation like this. Quality, as we have seen many times, is of little concern to those calling the shots. If they were interested in quality we'd have long ago addressed the goalkeeping position and wouldn't still be starting Jack Vale in games.

The main reason Gally was offloaded was because he was highest earner, and the main reason there have been forces at work trying to get shut of Travis is because he's now the highest earner. I think there is more chance of pigs flying over Ewood than Rovers under this ownership and management offering Szmodics £22k a week to stay, I think that is a work of fiction either created or at least encouraged by the people employed down there for people to believe we were willing to do that to try to keep our star man but that this wasn't enough, it looks a lot better than the thought of them actively seeking sales of key personnel. Rovers will be sniffing around Cantwell because he will be desperate to get out of Rangers having requested a move and will want to come back to England. Rovers will be hoping between that desperation a bargain can be found.

Been there done that. If we don't have the structure in place to afford him we shouldn't be meeting him. if we can't afford to buy him now, with this pile of cash behind us, then that is a total disgrace. He'll be the 2024 version of Assombalonga, O'Brien, McGuire etc.

I think the Cantwell one is just agent work. It's clear he's keen to get out of Rangers and probably secure a move back to England and the Championship will be his level. His agent, and others, will be beavering away trying to find him a club before the window shuts, we probably tick most boxes in that we need players and should have money to spend. They'll be hoping that we cough up and make that happen. They haven't factored in the Venky element which makes the pile of cash brought in irrelevant.

Indeed. Actions, or in this case inactions, have consequences far beyond the immediate embarrassment and damage to the squad and season. Who in their right mind - rival club, player, chairman, agent - would even entertain dealing with Rovers in the final few days of a transfer window? Even when they are saying there's a deal and inviting the player in for photos and putting it on Twitter the plug could be pulled. They've got different faces on the ground - Gestede and the other bloke I can't remember the name of - but they are still working for the same mob behind the scenes.

So if there's a Leicester move for Kaminski in the pipeline the end of the transfer window could be looking very rosy indeed for Maggott and the shadow director. Not because they're planning on making any serious effort to support Eustace or improve Rovers' prospects this season, but there might be another 6-7 figure sum coming from Luton in a sell on fee. Happy days all round.

Yeah but what about things like the power washing of the BBE last week, the grass seed needed for the relaying of the Ewood pitch and repairing the broken lifts in the BBE? None of those things are free you know!

"Loans aren't free you know, they need paying" "We don't get £41 million all in one go, it's spread over a few years" "FFP" "Just back the manager and lads FFS" All set and ready to go come Saturday morning.

The most interesting part of the next week on the transfer front will be predicting what excuse they come up with for another poor end to the window. They can't use the funding issues one after their statement last week. They can't use FFP. They can't use secretary amnesia or staff member going rogue after the last couple of Januarys. It looks like they are going down the route of 'can't decide or agree' which targets to go for. Quite audacious but there's certainly been a push in that direction in the last week or so. Suspect Waggott is gearing up for another 3-4 months of silence and hope Eustace works a miracle to keep the heat off him through results.

4 days to go, at least 5 signings needed according to the manager. Looks like they're going to let Eustace down just like all the rest.

"Will not impact on the operational aspects of the club" is another favourite that he's trotted out 2-3 times now. Of course operationally it probably is business as usual. He's given his instructions by the shadow director and acts on those, beyond that he has his little fiefdom and turns up for the prawn sandwiches on matchday and pats himself on the back for making sure the grass seed invoice is paid on time and paying someone to hurriedly power wash the Blackburn End 2 days before the new season starts. All business as usual to him and everyone else employed down there. The fact this is being funded through selling off players rather than the owners matters not to him or to the operation of the club on a day to day basis. Of course it isn't business as usual if when the assets run out there's no other funding options.

It didn't go unnoticed that the story appeared in the 'Scottish Sun' - of course a certain agent linked 'journo' for the English Sun can't make it through a week without linking a Rovers Player away. I join the dots in these instances and it always tends to lead back to the same grubby agent infested circles

It's clear there is some blockage on bringing in new players. Unsurprisingly it looks like we are waiting for the loan market to land us a coupe of squad fillers. When you look at our summer business it appears on the surface totally bizarre on timings and frequency. Nothing all summer, then about 5 in the space of a few days, then nothing again in several weeks since then. Then when you start to think about it from the 'hand to mouth' existence the Indians have reduced us to, whereby we can only commit to new contracts and wages once we have brought in money and offloaded wages, it makes perfect sense. The capital brought in from Gallagher and his wages off the books, together with cash for Gent, enough to get those deals over the line but no more. Since then we've sold Szmodics but not spent. I suspect the main reason for that is we are still waiting to discover what, if any, portion of that money the rats will allow to be spent on replacement players, a process that should have been completed prior to any sale or certainly within hours of it, but here likely takes weeks to resolve. The other issue of course being that Szmodics' wage likely not to be that substantial in the scheme of things, certainly compared to Gallagher which probably covered Ohashi, Gueye, Batth and Weimann in one swoop. This is why IMO someone upstairs is maneuvering for more sales including Travis because if he's top earner on £15k a week or whatever they'll be thinking of getting 3 in for that and a few million more on the running costs. No brainer if you've no interest in winning football matches, progressing or anything other than saving the owners money. Personally think it will be a couple of loans and if we are lucky one more cheap cash buy.

Another way of looking at it is that they've pulled a masterstroke. I've long believed that there are people at ownership or board level plotting to get rid of certain people irrespective of the damage it might do to manager/team. Maybe the people on the coaching staff have got wind of this plot and decided to put player before the cameras, that interview thereby putting an end to suggestions that the manager doesn't want him or that the player doesn't want to be here. It is a tried and tested ploy of the higher ups at Rovers to attempt to turn the blame on player, agent, manager and away from Venkys. That interview makes it as clear as day that any move from here will be nothing to do with the manager or player pushing for it and therefore anyone with any sense will be able to see other forces at work undermining squad and management. Nothing new there but still some prefer to blame players/agents/managers. The shadowy figures would love nothing more than the fans to believe his girlfriend has long dreamed of a move to Glasgow or he's had a bust up with the manager. Anything but Venky cutbacks!