JHRover

Stoke had a tough away match at Middlesbrough last night, travelling back down after the game, late night. Us two home games in close succession. Could be an advantage there but then again just have to hope Ismael has no more birthday parties to go to before Saturday.

They didn't get rid of Coyle until February. February. This mon won't be going anywhere, especially with his 3 year deal and alignment. Remember lesson number one under this regime - football results and performances are irrelevant. Have been since day one.

Of course they did. That's life. Sometimes you benefit, sometimes you lose, but for the good of football overall and when tasked with making a decision for the integrity of the league, for once I agree with what the EFL did and feel they had no other option, and the whole 'representations' stage was a waste of everyone's time when it was clear from 5pm on the Saturday what the only realistic outcome was going to be. If we'd have been 1-0 down with 10 men we'd have got away with one and would be in the same position. There's one way of taking these sort of things out of the hands of Kieran McKenna, Ipswich players, the referee or a group of 'board members' at the EFL and that is to ensure that the Ewood pitch and drainage don't fail again in heavy rain. Never used to, now it has become an annual event. I wonder why that is.

You've told me that I've been wrong for having an opinion for years now, calling me a conspiracy theorist and many other things simply for offering a view. Yes they could have set a new precedent. And it would have led to all sorts of chaos in future. That's why it has never been done before in a century of football, because as 'unfair' as the decision is on Rovers it is the only outcome that works and ensures fairness in the long run. My only criticism is that it took them a while to make their minds up and inevitably we are now going to wait until November or beyond for the game to be rearranged. As far as I am concerned it should have been replayed last Tuesday or Wednesday and bollocks to whether that was inconvenient for Ipswich or their fans.

I'm getting fed up with this now. The EFL have made the correct decision. You and others at Rovers might not like it given the circumstances, but that's how it is. It would be utterly ridiculous for them to let the result stand with probably 15 minutes+ left to play and even more ridiculous for them to have just played the last 10 minutes or so starting with Rovers being 1-0 up against 10 men. There is no precedent for it in English football history and for good reason - it wouldn't work and would open the floodgates to all sorts of shenanigans in future when there are issues with the weather, floodlights etc. If you are angry about it I suggest you spend less time worrying about the EFLs difficult but ultimately correct decision and more of your time working out whether Rovers have invested sufficiently in their facilities to ensure the pitch is in the best possible condition to ensure this sort of thing doesn't happen. I can safely say that Rovers could have done more, it isn't just the weather or the River Darwen, just as we had no issues with drainage getting games abandoned from 1992 - 2012.

There has been a long standing assumption that the shadow man is a Venky man. To me this appears to be based not on anything concrete but rather a combination of the fact that he has been around the place throughout Venky ownership, that he originates from South Asia, and that he has a direct line to them. None of the above actually mean he is a Venky man. It would be the natural and logical assumption that he is, but if we think outside the box maybe he isn't a Venky man at all, maybe he's representing other interested parties. His Asian origins may just be coincidence, his 'direct line' to them may be a business arrangement for their management of Rovers rather than him being their dogsbody reporting back every now and again. When we look at things from that angle whilst it may make some feel uncomfortable and might be suggested as implausible it is certainly possible and would stack up with some of the things we have seen. If he was the 'broker' that got Venkys to the table, that they trust and always have done, and this is his project, things start to make more sense. The installation of structures that compete with his little fiefdom - like Mowbray and Venus, Broughton and JDT, Waggott, all to varying degrees handed their own power independent of him - all swept aside. This is how he likes it - just as it was back in 2016/17 after Shaw, Myers and Bowyer had been removed. Whose interests was Waggott representing and acting on? I am inclined to say the Indians, as he was allowed to go out there with Mowbray. I don't think the shadow man has ever liked other people getting a direct line to India and he will stop it whenever he can.

The Telegraph conducting themselves with dignity and professionalism with what must be an extremely challenging development for them. Unlike the cowboys running Rovers who wouldn't know the meaning of the word professionalism and continue to drag a once proud institution through the gutter

'Alignment' claxon again!

They have destroyed, and will continue to further destroy, everything about this once great club. The only question is how much longer it continues and what state it is in by the end. Hopefully we still have a club left to rebuild from but I wouldn't approach that with confidence given the amount of damage done up to this point and a continuing refusal to leave.

Ismael's managerial career to date, starting in 2014: Nuremburg - 5 months and 14 games Wolfsburg - 4 months and 17 games Apollon Smyrnis - 3 months and 1 game LASK - 14 months and 50 games Barnsley - 8 months and 44 games WBA - 8 months and 31 games Besiktas - 7 months and 19 games Watford - 10 months and 41 games Average tenure - 7.3 months Average games - 27 Rovers - 7 months and 19 games (and counting). Within a few weeks he will have eclipsed his average tenure at a club and with another 8 matches will have matched his average games in charge at a club. Most of the above decided to sack him - infact the only one he walked away from voluntarily I think was Barnsley to take up the WBA offer. Gestede and Pasha in their infinite wisdom decided to give him a 3.5 year contract.

I wonder if we have now basically reverted back to the original plan whereby Venkys are the legal owners of the club and top up the running cost shortfall every year but aside from that the practical day to day management of the club is 'handled' by a third party - it appears that back at the start the intention was that certain 'consultancy groups' were given that job, nowadays it is the shadow man doing it. I thought it was interesting / strange when the shadow man mentioned that when it comes to a new CEO it would be India deciding on this and he would simply find out about it when it happened. That stacks with the above - perhaps employing a CEO is a job reserved to the India side of the equation and such an individual is 'their man' on the ground at Ewood, beyond the responsibilities of the management. Would explain the numerous power struggles and different approaches over the years. One being implemented by the management group and the other being implemented, albeit at some distance and slow pace, by the legal owners in India.

They're doing the same thing to the men's team as they did to the women's only more slowly, and it will end with relegation to a lower level more in keeping with their capabilities and investment 'strategy'. An absolute total disgrace, yet not a sniff of anyone at ownership or board level giving a single solitary stuff.

Impressed with Vipotnik for Swansea who joined them on a free transfer last year. 22 year old international who has been in the goals this season.

They're only banned from Ewood Park and other Rovers' owned property. Fortunately Rovers can't do anything to make other clubs ban journalists from their grounds, although it seems they've tried. I'd rather they spent their free time making an effort for our 150th anniversary or dealing with contract renewals than ringing up rival clubs begging them to ban Elliott Jackson from their grounds

They love to give novices power and responsibility beyond their standing in the game. Kean, Singh, Berg, Agnew, Hunt others, now Gestede and Pasha, neither of whom have any right to be anywhere near positions of such power in professional football. The owners enjoy this because these sort of people are so grateful for the opportunity that they'll sit quietly and put up with the Venky nonsense. Trouble is that the Club burns in the meantime, but they aren't arsed about that, as long as they can tell themselves they are wonderful and pay people to tell others they are.

The only resolution to the 'issue' is for the owners to clear off and take their disgraceful henchmen with them.

Good grief, they've somehow made themselves appear even more diabolical than they appeared after yesterday's statement. No doubt shitting themselves now they're realising what this actually means and national attention growing as powerful media and journalists take notice, so a slimy attempt to backtrack by piling it all on Jackson. Horrendous. Clearly trying to get him removed by the Telegraph and replaced with someone else. I've criticised the Telegraph many times but individually and publicly targeting Jackson is outrageous. I really hope the Telegraph double down here and go to war on the Club. Who the hell they think they are at Ewood, like all crooked, corrupt evil regimes around the world they want the media in their back pocket and support 'reporting' as long as it's the version they tell them to report.

The truth disappeared from the nest of vipers that is Ewood Park a long, long time ago. They've managed to maintain a facade of the truth during that time by having the right people in place to 'handle' the media aka Waggott, Mowbray, Eustace, Broughton and JDT. All gone, fed up of being used to legitimise a corrupt and poisonous regime, and not replaced, or at least not convincingly. Only the deluded and naive have continued to believe that the party line put out is accurate. It might make some feel better if they convince themselves that every comment and press release from Rovers' end is the gospel truth but it simply doesn't stack up. That's why I shook my head with bewilderment at far fetched claims and praise for Gestede, Waggott, Pasha and Ismael for their 'honesty' simply because they sat in front of a friendly interviewer and answered comfortable questions. Doesn't mean they are telling the truth or providing an accurate account of things. With the amateurish Pasha now in charge it is clear that he hasn't got the skills that the likes of Waggott had - he was a crafty old goat but at least he was crafty enough to recognise a need to keep the local media and fans quiet. The clown Pasha instead thinks he can silence criticism or questions through direct conflict. Highly unlikely to work out well for him unless the Telegraph back down and toe the line. It was clear that the regime would attempt to crack down on dissent after the diabolical performance of the stooges earlier in the summer and the building furore over their negligent mismanagement of the club. Only a couple of away wins has prevented outright rebellion and they are clearly concerned at ever falling gates. Hopefully the Telegraph now position themselves as the mouthpiece for the anti-regime movement. In a time of civil war (which this is, and will remain until they're gone) we need every friend we can get and the local media can be a powerful tool. It won't quite be Newcastle/Mike Ashley levels of local media pressure but it can help and that's important.

Probably get announced a week beforehand with tickets at Category A prices as well.

It really won't take much this year for a mid-table side to slide into serious relegation trouble. That includes us. Need to keep the points flowing and not have a barren run. As poor as Sheffield United have been there's no way with Wilder in charge that they are going to be near the bottom 3 come the business end of the season. I thought QPR and Swansea would struggle this season, both have been pretty solid in recent weeks. Oxford have just had two excellent results with a draw v Leicester and win at Bristol City.

Why can't the game be replayed on Tuesday or Wednesday this week and then at least we get the benefit of their player being suspended? I know it will inevitably be played at some point in October or November but why when we've got a free slot and can get it done immediately? If Ipswich won't travel for it then award Rovers the 3 points.

What we really need is for the ref to abandon the United v Chelsea game in similar circumstances with United winning. No way they'd make them replay it from being 2-0 up so we'd have a chance of arguing ours should stand. Not looking likely mind their pitch holding up reasonably well in the deluge.

2025 - today's game called off after 80 minutes due to a waterlogged pitch 2024 - Rovers v Portsmouth postponed due to a waterlogged pitch 2022 - Rovers v Millwall postponed due to snow 2021 - Rovers v Swansea postponed due to a waterlogged pitch (2 days after this game Rovers release a club statement acknowledging issues with the pitch and blaming 'extreme weather' and a high number of games 2012 - Rovers v Brighton postponed due to a waterlogged pitch Now I'm relying on the power of Google and my memory but I cannot recall a game being cancelled, abandoned or postponed due to the weather prior to 2012 in my lifetime, and I was born in 1990. Maybe someone can confirm if I am not correct there. Let's focus on games affected by the rain or snow. There has always been a river running past the ground into which the pitch drains and yet strangely this didn't seem to be a chronic problem for 20+ years, it seems to have become a major issue, particularly in the last 3-4 years. I'm sure that some will claim that this is because of 'climate change' and we are suddenly getting a lot more wet weather than we used to. Or maybe it is actually because Rovers have failed to invest adequately in maintaining and improving their facilities, which I think is pretty evident from a simple visual observation of Ewood Park, and this is one element of it biting us in the arse. Edit - our match with Aston Villa in the Cup in 2010 was postponed due to snow and ice

So Wilder's return to Sheffield Utd confirmed. Has there been a more pointless and ridiculous series of events than what we've seen there since the play-off final? Sack a bloke who got 90 odd points and a play-off final, appoint a young coach with minimal experience of the Championship/promotions, it's a disaster and then go back to the bloke you sacked a few months later? At least the owners there have had the courage to admit defeat and go back to a safe pair of hands and sensible appointment. Would have been easier for them to turn to someone totally new rather than swallow their pride and go back to Wilder but his record there speaks for itself. Expect them to climb the table quickly and I'll be having a little bet on them making the top 6 again.

Almost as though between April and summer he concluded that staying here beyond next summer was no longer an option. Perhaps linked to the fact the club has been unwilling to extend any senior contract and has sold off everyone else of quality.