JHRover

Positives for Steve Waggott: Only 3 wins to secure Championship status Manager hasn't resigned mid-season (yet) despite the usual Venky shenanigans 3/4 of the way through a transfer window and £0 spent Wage bill lower than it was going into the window All good in the boardroom folks - it's us fools who want / expect better than that.

Not only have we failed to strengthen, we have weakened. They'll pretend that part of that is down to injuries rendering important players unavailable, I think that is an inevitable consequence of their decisions and recruitment. They'll also pretend that the departure of Baker was an unforeseeable and uncontrollable shock but it really wasn't when you rely on loans to fill up your squad. Hats off to Venkys, it takes some doing not only to refuse to help us strengthen but to actually make what was already a threadbare squad even weaker during a key phase of the season. Where would we be without them.

There's clearly an air of panic around now judging by Waggott's rare hastily cobbled together excuse laden 'update' that actually tells us nothing other than to reduce expectations even further. As we approach the final week of the window fans and manager will be awakening to the deception and getting very angry as a result and demanding answers. One of the reasons behind Waggott's existence is to keep the hoi polloi quiet and believing that all is well with the world and Venkys. The 'no impediment' to their funding line is part of this. When trouble starts he gets nervous. It happened this time last year so he schemed away and got senior players and 'fan reps' to sit around a table and discuss things. This is where he earns his Venky silver as he balances keeping things ticking over and doing just enough to keep us kind of competitive and keep the manager in place/fans quiet but nowhere near enough to involve spending money or committing to any sort of serious outlay. All whilst keeping eyes off India and the shadow man and on him. So out comes an 'update' just to keep people quiet for a few more days. The problem he has is that more and more people are slowly waking up to his games and tricks. He hasn't got many in his locker because he's not very good, so he just rolls out more of the same every time.

The club and owners have made their intentions and ambitions quite clear (again) for anyone in any doubt By next Friday the small remaining window to change course will have almost gone entirely. They've no right to expect anyone to hand over their hard earned money for YET ANOTHER televised non-Saturday 3pm home game.

It's self pity central isn't it? All the excuses, sob stories, tales of woe, it's not fair, what more can we do? Conveniently it ignores two important factors. One being that we brought in a huge amount of money and profit in selling Szmodics to Ipswich, money that could, if our disgusting owners had an ounce of interest, have allowed us to sign 2-3 quality signings who might have filled that void. Instead their financial shenanigans and decisions have forced us to dip in the bargain bucket, again. The second factor is that it is absolutely clear that Rovers actively wanted a Szmodics sale. They invited it and made little-no effort to stop it. Just like with the other sales e.g. Adam Wharton, We were not reluctant sellers like some ambitious Championship clubs would be, we couldn't wait to get him out, so that removes any right we have to turn around 6 months later and complain about the consequences or difficulties. If we had been absolutely desperate to keep him and done everything possible to do so I might have some degree of sympathy. But instead it was a pursued sale to pay the owners' bills.

Well well well, as if by magic up pops our silent and invisible CEO. The man who outside the 3 monthly fans forum meetings hasn't been seen or heard of in what, close to a year now? By pure coincidence he suddenly decides to issue an 'update' on our transfer window a couple of days after the Coventry defeat, when the squad is in rubble and the manager is visibly fed up, and the Venkygraph reporter has confirmed in public that he can't get an interview with Waggott or Gestede. Funny that. Almost as though slippery Steve is sat somewhere hoping he doesn't need to say anything but he reads the mood well and can spot when people are getting really pissed off and suddenly appears back on the scene again. It happened after last years' January debacle when JDT left and he conspired to gather fans and players together to dilute the anger, it happened shortly after his plot to demolish Brockhall was discovered online. Never see or hear from him until public anger and chaos is unfolding and then he pops up to say something, but actually tell us nothing. (I seem to remember Chaddy once running to the club's defence by saying that they would wait until after the window had closed to comment on transfer activity but forget about that for a moment) The words of a snake oil salesman right there. An interview littered with excuses and reasons why we have been unwilling (not unable) to do business so far this month and little commitment other than 'we'll try' to get some more in. Excuse after excuse: "We TRY to IMPROVE the squad" - therefore as long as we try that's ok and players have to improve us (of course can therefore roll out the old we aren't signing players that won't improve what we've got "Who will be a good fit for the current closely knit group of players as John wants to keep intact the togetherness of the squad" - of course the excuse can then be that options out there weren't compatible with this and could have disrupted us Other clubs looking for the same areas of improvement - a.k.a we can't compete because other clubs can offer more than we can even though we've spent nowt and brought in more than everyone else "This very limited January window" - it's as limited as you make it - if you need players you get them - the words of excuses and dampening expectations as usual. "Hopefully some of the injured players will become available for selection over the next few weeks" - this is a 3-in-1 blame injuries for our situation and inevitable slide down the table, even though most people know the real reason why we've started to get so many injuries dampen expectations on new arrivals by pointing to the return of absences reducing the need to strengthen, 'next few weeks' of course by then if this continues we will be playing catch up to our rivals and our advantage will be totally squandered so he can use that as a further excuse when we get to March / April and the squad has recovered but just has too much work to do. "We will continue to pursue our list of targets" - of course suggesting that there's a grand plan being followed which we won't deviate from - then when it ends in failure as it has the last 4 years we can play the old line of saying that we aren't going to compromise on our principles or deviate from the plan, though it is obvious there isn't one. A total conman who I totally despise, I dare not look on the comments below as I'll flip if I see people thanking him for his 'communication and honesty' like we got last year.

Whatever happened to the 'tifo' display they were inviting suggestions on? Is the club planning on doing anything to commemorate its' milestone 150th anniversary in a little over 9 months' time? If so what? Is there any chance the club could be liberated from Venky oppression before that momentous occasion?

That isn't correct. Chief Operations Officer comes below Chief Executive Officer in the hierarchy. Rovers' own website lists him below Waggott in the structure. He might 'run the show' but he is beneath Waggott in title, and Waggott takes ultimate responsibility and accountability for the performance of the organisation. Technically he reports to Waggott. On what planet could promoting Gestede to such a role be justified or make any sense given he has only worked at the club for a little over 6 months and in a role totally different to CEO?

People like O'Brien, Brereton, Schlupp, Asante and the other known names we have been 'linked' with were never going to happen. Most sensible people know that and therefore there's no point in having a discussion or expressing an opinion on their suitability, and no, the club doesn't get any credit for 'trying' but failing to get them. I suspect our 'interest' went as far as ringing up Forest/Southampton/Coventry, asking if they might be available on loan and if so what minimum % of their weekly wage they'd be willing to accept us contributing. All probably gave us short shrift as they will want to prioritise a sale and if going down the loan route will want the bulk of their wages covering, which we are clearly not willing to pay. I really have to wonder what else they have been doing for the last 3 weeks. Waiting and hoping that one of these clubs suddenly changes their minds or drops their demands possibly but that's a daft approach given how unlikely it is to happen.

With Venkys it is and always has been about control. I think they get off on controlling everything, even though they've no interest, it makes them feel powerful that they have to ok it all and don't cede power to people who know what to do with it. Although their dogsbody has seemingly some limited authority I think that is heavily restricted and as we saw with the last couple of January debacles they still need to authorise incoming substantial signings which is why they fell through at the 11th hour as their approval did not come through in time. This is the reason why they will never sell the club or indeed put it into administration, because the second that happens their power is gone, probably forever. They can't stomach that so yeah, they'll just keep us in perpetual zombie like state as we gradually rot and decay. So far the worst of it has been avoided due to the good football management of Mowbray, JDT and Eustace in a very poor league. But the chickens will come home to roost very soon as they did in 2017, only because they decided to turn the taps on again on relegation, and very nearly did last year. You can't operate like this in any professional support and expect to be anywhere near successful.

Now we've got McFadzean's wages off the books we might now be in a position, combined with other savings made e.g. O'Riordan back out, to cobble together enough to bring in one. They're also not totally daft and will be able to read the room in terms of how fed up Eustace is getting and how the majority of fans seem to be aware of what they are up to. So yeah about now is where they drop a signing in just to shut people up for a few days. Nothing big but perhaps a loan.

Any contract renewal for a senior or established player is going to require a pay rise, commitment to a Championship level salary, probably some sort of signing fee, additional bonuses and a commitment beyond the time of the current deal, probably of at least another couple of years. This isn't on the agenda. Scumbags like Venkys and Waggott would see absolutely no reason or purpose behind doing this, as it would simply cost them more money from now onwards. Of course anyone with any sense can see the medium to long term benefits of doing it, but they aren't into that sort of thing. When we hear about people like Dolan 'refusing' to sign a new contract that's 'on the table' I suspect any offer, if there is one, is poor and not worth the paper it is written on, probably well below what a Championship standard player would expect. I suspect Waggott will probably get a cut of any savings made on this too. Despicable.

Sorry meant Waggott by the gravy train ride. This gig is the best he's ever had and he'd obviously not get anywhere near the equivalent elsewhere. Same applies to Gestede and the other invisible people. Yeah Eustace gets another Championship job after this, infact those employable elsewhere don't last here long - JDT, Lambert, even Broughton.

Season not quite over as we still need 2-3 wins to hit 50 points and with it effectively secure Championship status. Waggott's interview last year let slip the reality of what he and his little gang are focused on and need to ensure. There's no reason to think that 'ambition' has changed in any way, shape or form. So just a few more wins for Eustace to eke out between now and May and then it's job done, bonus qualified and job for another year (if he wants/needs it which I'm sure he does, a ride aboard the gravy train can be hard to give up). Promotion, top 6, growth, development, long term? HAHAHAHAHAHA

True, I was specifically referencing his final season when we were in the best position we've been in since relegation from the PL, 5 points off top of the league in late January, and we oversaw a frankly ridiculous recruitment policy which saw us sign a collection of players who contributed F.A. to the team in the second half of the season. There were implausible suggestions at the time that the owners had made money available for a promotion push but that for some inexplicable nonsensical reason Mowbray had declined to use it and instead signed Markanday and Hedges. It didn't make any sense because it wasn't true, just like Ian Silvester suddenly forgetting how to register a new signing wasn't true either. All lies and nonsense made up by certain people behind the scenes desperate for the anger and blame for what goes on to be focused on people other than the pondlife in India and their lackeys. I'm almost excited to see what they come out with this time. They've set a high benchmark after 2023 O'Brien and 2024 McGuire, it's going to take some topping. Maybe they'll just give up on pretending to sign decent players and just batten down the hatches until it blows over and hope Eustace doesn't walk.

"Still hopeful of Rovers adding" Good god almighty

Remember when they blamed Mowbray, JDT, Broughton, Silvester, FFP and various other things for a lack of investment and new signings? Well now we are seeing clearly what the reality is. That was all rubbish designed to protect the architects of our misery. Slowly but surely Eustace is realising the truth. They'll have been feeding him rubbish over the last few months about doing stuff in January, he will be realising now that it isn't happening and they aren't going to back him. Anyone want to offer any guesses what the excuse will be this time around? Surely even the most deluded Rovers fan out there wouldn't accept 'admin error' again so soon. I think I'll go with the QPR game that week shortly after the Preston match leaves just not enough time to get it done. I really hope nobody is still falling for this con but I'm sure there will be a few lapping it up and feeling sorry for themselves about our 'injury crisis' - almost as though heading into a 50 game season with a small squad after signing people in the summer unaccustomed or no longer able to keep up to the demands of the Championship has nothing to do with it.

True story, but unfortunately for them, maybe fortunately for us, they don't have a choice on that front. If they can't or don't want to spend money there is only one solution - leave - preferably by handing the club over. That's the only way they can avoid spending more money. Not coughing up a few million of the club's own money to give it a chance in the promotion shake up is only ensuring that we at best remain a Championship club, have few/no assets and we soon return to costing them £10-15 million a year at least. Not a lot they can do about that. If they aren't leaving then there's promotion to the PL (not happening in a month of Sundays) or sell players for big profits (soon to be at an end). It's one of the few things keeping me going here....knowing that in the not-too-distant future those who don't want to spend any more are going to be getting a request for a multi-million transfer to keep the lights on. And again and again and again forever and they won't be able to direct Waggott to sell a few players to cover it as there aren't any. What a shame. Then it's back to their responsibility to cover.

It isn't the only thing that matters, though I agree it is the most important. It also matters when we get them. If we don't get them until 10 minutes before the window closes then we've got to get through games against Coventry, Bristol City and PNE. There's also a fair chance that someone signed on deadline day might not be fit and ready to start by the time we play QPR away. That's 12 points we could miss out on - season over if we lose them. If we miss out on the top 6 by 3-4 points after losing to Oxford and tonight, or Saturday, I'll be allocating some blame to our once again dilatory and shambolic transfer window.

Admin errors suddenly a thing of the past when its getting people off the wage bill and money in. Funny that.

Agreed. Very impressed by what I saw of him this season as well on the touchline, clearly a big influence on the bench and behind the scenes. I would have preferred him around for the run in but thanks to Venkys we clearly need everyone off the wage bill to save up enough to bring in a couple of loans on deadline day.

I quite liked Thomas. I wouldn't be thrilled if he came here but certainly think he is a more than capable Championship player.

Yep correct. And they appeared to understand that when they sanctioned signings like Armstrong and Diaz for reasonable amounts of money knowing they were likely to grow in value. That plan has clearly been abandoned. I could almost understand that if it was their personal cash they were being asked to put up to pay for such signings but it isn't - it is club money received from selling club assets that would need spending. I could also understand if it was a decision taken with a view to cutting all input into the club and getting out at minimal expense but that's clearly not the case. So the idiots are only causing more damage - stopping us getting promotion, depriving us of future assets and ensuring that their tab is going to be back at an 8 figure sum every year once the sales dry up. Morons.

I don't think any of our current crop can be considered 'investments'. Even those still at a good age for potential resale - basically Carter, Travis, maybe Brittain, are in positions that don't usually attract large bids and even if they could their contract situations are such that come the summer we are going to be in a weak negotiating position anyway. It's up the top end where the money is to be made as we saw with Armstrong, Diaz, Dack, Szmodics and we sadly know that we are now woefully short in those areas after stripping the cupboard bare and spending nothing replacing them. Adam Wharton a slight outlier but an exceptional case based on his age, quality and being English. You'll find one of him once a decade if you are lucky. Could and should have been a game changing sale equipping the club with the resources to build a really strong squad of assets but they won't allow that. So thanks to Venkys not only have we sold most people of value, failed to reinvest properly but we've also neglected contract renewals. It's a ticking time bomb and the only consolation I'm clinging to is that once the assets are all gone and they are back to needing to find £15 million a year from their own reserves this is the final push needed to get rid of them. They've had it relatively easy the last couple of years by wrecking our squad and promotion prospects to pay their bills, that can't and won't carry on much longer. Tick tock.

That's kind of the plan I think. Get through a few years by blaming 'legal issues' in India, forgetting to press submit, changes to our recruitment department and then by the time we are a few seasons down the line everyone will have forgotten about the Wharton and Szmodics cash and they can revert to blaming FFP for a lack of action as they successfully did a few years ago.