JHRover

I can understand him perhaps wanting to put the breaks on expectations somewhat and slow things down a bit and make sure people realise that things will be much tougher in this league but I think he's going too far here. We all understand the situation with clubs with significant resources and that plenty of clubs have bigger fanbases but it is going too far. Middlesbrough supporter or not he should be more respectful to Rovers. Perhaps he should spend some time reading up on history before classing Middlesbrough as 'huge'.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/16254413.A__huge_challenge__awaits_Rovers_in_the_Championship__says_Mowbray/#comments-anchor A bit too much bigging up other clubs here for my liking. I accept it is a formidable looking league for all concerned given the amount of 'big names' in there and a lack of 'small clubs'. I'm not really comfortable with Mowbray referring to the likes of Middlesbrough as a huge club or Sheffield United with huge expectations. Neither of those are huge clubs compared to Rovers, in any measure. Middlesbrough have been throwing the cash around and that's about it.

All relative though isn't it? At the moment they get more people watching than us because they've been an established Premier League club whilst we've been struggling in the 2nd division. If they level out or struggle in the Championship their gates won't be much bigger than ours. In terms of trophies won they're behind us. Middlesbrough another example. I can remember when we came out of the Premier League they were in mid-table and bottom half under Strachan and Mowbray and were getting 15,000 and less on at home. Then they started challenging for promotion under Karanka and they put nearly 10,000 on their gates. All relative. Last 4-5 years they've had 3 or 4 promotion pushes and 1 Premier League season so bound to get more people on. If they'd been lolloping around in the bottom 3rd whilst we'd been in the top 6 the story would be very different.

Can't help but think Villa's best chance is to keep Bruce. It might not be pretty but his record in the Championship is second to none and even on a limited budget I think he'll have them up there. Of course we all want to see things unravel there as they are punished for extreme spending and not going up but I'll believe it when I see it. I expect they'll cash in on one or two and release a couple of big earners and that will be enough to keep them clear of FFP trouble.

I want them to yes, but I don't think it will happen no. This thing about the parachute payments is getting on my nerves a bit too. I keep hearing it from Mowbray and Waggott saying 'half' the division are receiving parachute cash which puts them on a different level to us. Is that really the case? Who will be getting parachute cash next season? Swansea, Stoke and WBA, though they will all have Premier League wages to sustain from that which will eat a large chunk of it up. I expect Stoke to be a force as they have acted decisively in getting an experienced manager with a decent track record but Swansea and WBA will be unknown entities under inexperienced managers. Villa and Middlesbrough spent obscene amounts in the last couple of seasons but surely that will have to stop with promotion being missed. Rumours of massive changes at Villa as they adjust to a 3rd season at this level. Hull, Sunderland, Norwich all get parachute cash. Sunderland relegated, Hull nearly, Norwich a bottom half side. Who else gets parachute money? QPR possibly though they have made massive cutbacks, not sure on any others? So the 3 relegated clubs, Villa, Boro, Norwich, Hull - that's 7 clubs out of 24 and 2 of those spent all last season in the bottom half.

Possibly not, but that was why I said we'll need investment. The same however applies to a lot of clubs in the Championship. If they don't strengthen this summer or if they lose a key player or two they will expect to struggle. All the indications are that we will strengthen. As it happens I believe this current squad (including loans) is better than the one that achieved 51 points last time round and went down on goal difference despite having Owen Coyle in the dugout for 7 months of the season. If nothing else the camaraderie, fitness and pride in the side are superior to what they were.

For once Chaddy I agree with you. There is nothing to fear in this league. I hope Mowbray takes that approach as typified by Wilder at Sheffield Utd and Harris at Millwall. We have just as much right to be in this league and to push for promotion from it than anyone. Just because Swansea City were in the Premier League and they'll be getting a fat cheque from Sky doesn't make them bigger or better than Blackburn Rovers. I think people's expectations are being distorted by our season in League One. Lets remember that prior to the Coyle shambles we were a competitive mid-table side that most felt was underachieving. We need to invest as every club does but I'm not having it that we're some plucky underdog destined to struggle in some league full of bigger and richer clubs. Really that just isn't true.

Highly unlikely that any of those bar Leeds, Villa and Boro will bring more than 5,000, despite what Rovers are hoping for. Out of all of them probably only Leeds can be relied upon to bring 5,000+ whatever the weather. Villa and Boro will bring that much as long as they are in the promotion picture, same goes for Stoke and Sheffield clubs, but if they are sat in mid-table then no chance. PNE have had their big family day out at Ewood with their selfies etc. as they pinch themselves that they play at Ewood in a league fixture so I don't think we'll be seeing as many of them again in future. Notlob and Forest no chance. No more talk about big fish from now on. We can accept that Villa, Leeds, Wednesday and conceivably Derby and Forest are beyond us in terms of gates but other than that nobody in this division is 'bigger' than Blackburn Rovers. Of course plenty will get bigger gates for a variety of reasons from ticket prices through to form and recent trajectories but there's more to club size than a few thousand here or there through the turnstiles. PNE, Notlob, Wigan, Rotherham, Sheff Utd, Hull, Boro, Swansea, Stoke, WBA, QPR, Brentford, Millwall, Reading, Ipswich, Norwich bigger fish than Rovers? Not for me. Sky Sports parachute cash doesn't change that either.

Not an appointment that I would be particularly excited by if I were a Sunderland fan. Ross seems to be another one like Paul Heckingbottom - getting linked to every job going despite not having really done anything of significance. I think it is good that a young British manager is getting a job higher up the levels but it is one heck of a gamble for Sunderland on a bloke who has never managed above the Scottish 2nd tier at small clubs. Don't think things are as rosy at Sunderland as some would believe.

Conway shouldn't be a starter any more. But as a last 20-30 minute senior player to come on and use his experience in games it could be valuable. I'd be in favour if it was a reasonable wage on a 12 month deal with him being a sub not a starter.

I'd like us to move to a different manufacturer. Adidas, Puma, Kappa, Macron all superior to Umbro in quality in my opinion.

Which makes the regular complaints about FFP and a lack of income/revenue all the more laughable. Selling a few more season tickets or handing over the full DE to away fans pales into insignificance compared to attracting a well paying shirt sponsor, yet as you say with the exception of Dafabet whatever efforts they have made on that front have been futile. Still never got to the bottom of that deal with Zebra Claims but something didn't add up there.

Surely billionaires with 40 years of being one of the biggest poultry/pharmaceutical firms on the Indian subcontinent could use their vast network of contacts to find a large global company interested in having some exposure?

How does £149 million become £250 million just by adding the debt they've had with the Bank of India?

The Dafabet deal was apparently quite lucrative as they have been on an expansion programme in recent years adding Sunderland and Dingles along with some at Everton. It was signed back in the day when we had Dave Biggar in place as Commercial Director before he left to go abroad. I wonder who is responsible for trying to lure in new sponsors. Given complaints about our revenue streams I would hope this is an area that is going to bring the club a lot of money. It really wouldn't surprise me to see us end up with something like the Community Trust as shirt sponsors. They seem to be heavily involved in almost everything that happens these days (even taking over the matchday lottery and family stand). Not expecting a major well known company. Of course Venkys could do what Chansiri at Wednesday or Evans at Ipswich have done and sponsor it themselves as a back door to additional funding without FFP issues.

When Dafabet was confirmed as the new sponsor in 2015 it was announced by Rovers as a 'multi-year' deal. One other website at the time suggested it was an initial 3 year deal, so if that was the case then it will have expired, unless it has been extended without announcement.

The interview with Mowbray was just about as positive as it could be. Mowbray clearly conducting the interview remotely, sounds like he's away on holiday with his family, but also sounded very excited about things. Short of announcing exact figures of money available he can't go any further than he has. Sounds like one or two of the Venky bunch have got carried away with the success of last season which Mowbray has tapered by bringing things back to a steady building job. That's fine so long as the Indians understand that it might take several years of spending and losing millions before we're ready to do anything and even then there's no guarantee of success and they don't start selling everyone as soon as they get bored.

The London factor - he isn't going to Palace, West Ham, Arsenal, Spurs or Chelsea in the near future. QPR, Millwall, Brentford are smaller clubs with as tight if not tighter finances. Where else in the SE to attract him?

Move on where? What bigger or better club is Mowbray going to get than Rovers? He was getting rejected by Chesterfield shortly before turning up here. Mowbray has it good at Rovers. He's getting what he wants from the owners in terms of some support and being left to run it how he wants, the fans love him, the players clearly enjoy playing for him. There will be money to spend, but it will be limited as it is for most clubs in the Championship. They could spend millions if they wanted but clearly don't want to. I doubt Mowbray even has an agent.

Mowbray himself was quoted as saying our wage bill was £8 million or £8.5 million, I can't remember which but recall him saying it. Not clear whether that applies to the playing staff, all staff or includes the academy etc. Nixon will be revving himself up for that one. One thing he loves is touting our best players with transfers away.

Their previous owner sacked Chris Coleman and his assistant to 'clear the decks' before passing the club on. These new owners only came on the scene when the goalposts moved after relegation and Short wiped away his debts. They've been linked with Alex Rae and Jack Ross. With due respect to those individuals from the outside looking in that tells me that money is going to be tight and hence why they are looking like gambling on young unproven managers from Scotland used to working with no money. No question they've got potential and will get large crowds whatever the weather but that hasn't helped them at all in the last few years. Didn't stop little Burton finishing above them, just as it didn't stop them finishing above us the year before. That club is a graveyard - O'Neill, Poyet, Grayson, Coleman - all managers with good reputations damaged massively through short spells there. Sunderland are a club with problems, as are we. A new name over the door won't instantly change that, just like a good season and promotion won't instantly change it here.

Could do what West Ham have done and told everyone that Pellegrini is going to have a record transfer budget to work with this summer. That should increase asking prices a fair bit.

Why would anyone think Mowbray would even be remotely interested in going to Sunderland? He's spent the last 3 years of his managerial career trying to get out of League One. If Sunderland are appointing someone like Jack Ross coupled with getting rid of Coleman purely to save on overheads it tells me that perhaps they aren't as flush as some people seem to think they are.

http://www.my-rovers.co.uk/ It should be on this website, quite confusing that there are now 3 websites to use for Rovers.

That process doesn't bother me. Nor does waiting for a few years for things to develop. What bothers me is the last time we embarked upon such a process under Gary Bowyer after 2 seasons they decided they'd had enough of waiting so sacked him and sold all our best players and got us relegated to League One. What's to say they won't do the same with Mowbray if he spends a couple of seasons in mid-table or bottom half of the Championship?