JHRover

I can't get over how cheap and nasty that range looks.

Yes that more or less fits with my understanding of dates etc. I reckon that the 'club badge' now used is probably quite awkward to produce on kits (which is why today we often get the monochrome plastic version used as it is much easier than stitching it with the detail and different colours). So whilst it started appearing in the 60s on print programmes, signs and stationary transferring it onto kits was seen as unnecessary or difficult. Then in the late 80s / early 90s someone realised that this was actually a pretty unique and perfect badge for us to roll out on our kits, at a time when most other clubs were adopting modern designs and where it has remained since.

We're pretty unusual as far as I can tell in the badges that we've had during our long history. There's the uncertainty / confusion / lack of evidence around the Maltese cross, but even if it was adopted and used it wasn't really a club badge and certainly doesn't appear to have been worn for very long, maybe the first couple of years or so at most. Then - I hope I am right - we didn't have any emblem or badge through most of our history from say the 1880s until the 1970s - aside from special occasions like the 60 FA Cup final when we wore the town coat of arms on the shirt Then from the 70s into the 80s we had a boring and limited effort of the 'red rose' badge with simply 'BRFC' underneath. I would be interested to know the background to this - I suspect a decision was made in the 70s in keeping with the direction of travel in football that we needed an emblem or badge and this was the easiest/quickest thing they could come up with. I also suspect that by the late 80s they realised with the rapidly changing world of design, trademarks, kits and everything else that the red rose badge wasn't acceptable in the modern era and we needed to get ourselves a proper badge with the club name on it, which is how we ended up with the current badge. The current badge - which has been through a few different forms and reincarnations - has a confusing history too. As per the above this appeared on club programmes as far back as the 60s, but not on the shirts until the late 80s/early 90s. Strange that we would design and adopt a badge to use on programmes and letterheads etc. but not use it on kits and then use a totally different badge of the red rose on kits - maybe because that one was cheaper and easier to transfer to shirts than the quite complex design of the current one. It probably all comes back to the uniqueness of the blue and white halves which have always been the club's USP and for what it is known around the world and this previously negated the need to have a badge. Obviously in the modern era we need a modern badge that meets trademark requirements and can be mass produced. Back to the anniversary, I'd have preferred either for us to 'update' the current badge for the occasion or if we wanted to go traditional either not have a badge at all for the special kit or perhaps use the town coat of arms version for the special occasion.

They stopped shareholder and Consultation Meetings under the excuse of Covid and have never even mentioned the possibility of them resuming. So perhaps one question needs to be why the Fans Forum meetings are able to take place but the others cannot. It is abundantly clear that we have now reached a stage where there is no longer even the facade of this being a fair, accurate, representative exercise. The alternative minutes posted on here yesterday clearly display an obstructive, confrontational and unhelpful group of people running Rovers who are clearly uncomfortable with and reluctant to share important information even through this limited channel of communication. The suggestion that the sit down cosy interview with Gestede, Ismael and Owen at the end of the summer or the outrageous ones with Gestede, Pasha and Waggott earlier in the year are somehow evidence of their willingness to engage, both occasions being behind closed doors, in house interviews with prepared questions and editorial power held by them suggests they think such bare minimum efforts are good enough. The comment about 'signing 10 players' as though that represents backing from the owners - naturally ignoring that more than that number left the club requiring their replacement in any event and ignoring the millions of pounds pocketed in fees in the process. Just an outrageous attitude, group of people and they really ought to be ashamed of themselves. Then to top it all off we can't even get agreed accurate minutes of the meeting out afterwards. Best off giving it up now and waiting until they are willing to take this seriously.

Standard Rovers playbook - get former players to record messages and send them in - easy and cheap Where are the other announcements they were going to make over the course of the day? I've seen the embarrassing 'VH Group' pages of the book. Amateur hour. The piece is written by a third party heaping praise on the owners for their impact on the club but really is just reciting what happened when they darkened our door in 2010. Yet beneath the piece it is signed off as 'VH Group' as though they wrote it, which they obviously didn't. Two photographs used - one when the Queen came to Ewood and they turned up for their big moment and the other with the two idiot brothers at a game. The caption erroneously states that the photo is at Ewood for a game against Aston Villa, which is incorrect, the photo used is from the final game of the season at Wolves when their operation to relegate us nearly came to fruition in their first season. Obviously there's zero reference to any accomplishments beyond becoming the first Indian owners of a (former) PL Club, vague references to investments in the Club and town (no specifics) and the Queen visiting. Quite the highlights reel from 15 years of ownership. Clearly no sporting accomplishments to mention nor any recent photos given their absence and no comments from the villains themselves who couldn't even make the effort for this occasion.

I see the '150 range' is now on sale in the club shop. Deary deary me. Zero effort or imagination gone into that lot. But we still have the White Rose of Yorkshire adorning everything. I get that monochrome is cheap and that's what BRFC is these days but surely they could do it at least in black or gold rather than white?

Even so much as a passing reference to that family in India negates any positive there may be about that book and prevents me from buying it. They have brought nothing but shame and damage upon this club and do not deserve to be part of it.

3 wins on the spin, two away from home, against two of the relegated sides and a side in the top 6 makes it an outstanding 10 days or so for the team, but brings into focus just how precarious our position was (and remains). Even after all that we are still sat down in 18th position. Thankfully this block of points has put some daylight between us and the bottom 3 just as it looked like we were destined to get stuck in it. But our position remains weak and precarious and we need - despite these wins - to keep it up otherwise we could easily slip back into serious bother quickly.

So the Maltese cross is an ironed on felt patch? Not a good look

I think there is going to be a 'range' of stuff so I suppose this could be something else from the selection rather than the match worn shirt itself.

You're assuming Rovers are going to secure a large quantity of stock and then sell them at a reasonable price in the shop. Neither are guaranteed with this lot. Quite capable of only ordering a couple of boxes from Macron and running out straight away, or only making them available to players on the day. I wouldn't put anything past them. If they were interested in making cash out of this you'd expect a bit more than radio silence 4 days before the big day.

We shouldn't be 4 days away from the biggest anniversary event in the club's history not knowing anything about the 'special' kit we will apparently be wearing, other than it appears to have been leaked on a third party website at an astronomical asking price. Once again delay and lateness on the part of Rovers ends up just making them look amateur. The club shop shouldn't be closed today - we have a game tomorrow night and said anniversary fixture at the end of the week. People who enjoyed watching the win at Leicester might have got the bug and wanted to go down and buy things. The doors should be open selling tickets and merchandise ahead of the occasion.

Looks pretty dismal but lets be honest it was always going to with this lot. I'm pleasantly surprised they've made the effort to do anything whatsoever. Not sure how strutting around in all white celebrates 150 years of Blackburn Rovers but hey.

What's more important? Securing a capable well-performing player to improved better terms, increasing his value to the club, protecting an asset and addressing an important position for the medium term, continuing to build towards some sort of sporting aim? Or earning bonuses and %s by refusing to pay him more, selling him in January/summer for a couple of million, making a relatively quick profit and pats on the back from the accountants and agents doing very nicely out of it? This is Blackburn Rovers 2025, enjoy

The irony also that the League and other clubs bent over backwards in recent years to accommodate Coventry's off the pitch issues including dragging teams and supporters all over the place to Northampton, Birmingham, Burton, etc. to play games all to make sure they could fulfil their fixtures and now they are settled down and stable are going about ripping off rival clubs fans like this. Of course the EFL should intervene and take a hard line stance in the same way they should have been expelled from the League for not having a suitable stadium available but expect nothing to be done. Absolutely ridiculous of course that there is a £30 cap in the PL yet nothing lower down the divisions.

If true that they are once again manipulating the minutes to provide a false impression / narrative then it really is time for the Forum to stop attending. Funny how the word 'misinformation' seems to have been invented and used with regularity in the modern era yet usually it is the other way around - when the public read things that aren't true / accurate and are given a false impression of things. Here however we have gangsters holding the club hostage who are manipulating the information released to the public from the only channel that remains open. It is all a waste of time. They don't want to communicate and are only doing this because they have to. If they can't even be trusted to release accurate minutes afterwards there's no point to anyone of this. Best off just nobody turn up and write to the wider fanbase and Football League to explain why.

Rovers know full well that this day could turn out to be an absolute humiliation and are ensuring that it isn't going to be Derby's 'big day out'. As is often the case with away sides at Ewood the snowball effect occurs and every tom, dick and harry decides to 'get on it' for the day out with their mates and a bumper away following. Rovers have rolled out the red carpet for such behaviour on many occasions. All of a sudden Derby, who traditionally have struggled to shift 2000 away tickets, are moaning that they can't have more than 2,700, which is still more than they would get at most other grounds in the Championship, and still more than they would need were it not for the fair weather fans jumping on it.

Agreed save for the suggestion that a boardroom reshuffle / investment in January under Venkys would be acceptable. There's no future until the Indians are gone together with their mates and hangers on. No ifs, buts or compromises. Too much time and suffering has gone for that. They aren't ever going to change or learn because they don't want to. The health and dare I say it survival of this club depends on them leaving quickly, not just bringing in some other buffoons to the boardroom who will be undermined and constrained even if they are competent.

They're not going to release a special kit for this occasion are they? All gearing up to use this away shirt with the 'town landmarks' on it.

It's a real shame that people have such a downbeat and pessimistic approach to life. Never wanting or demanding better for the Club because of a baseless belief that there is no better option than Venkys. I say it is baseless because all the evidence we have available is what has happened at other comparable clubs, and the clear pattern is that all comparable clubs have changed hands to new ownership without collapsing into oblivion. I often get called negative and pessimistic - I admit I am due to the unrelenting misery we've had during the last 15 years - but I still believe in a better future for this club and won't accept the disgrace that it has become. Whereas those who are quite content to accept this situation and even go further than that and criticise / rubbish those who do want better. With such attitudes permeating the place its hardly a surprise that the town and club have ended up in the appalling state they both are.

"Entering administration was the inevitable outcome of years of financial mismanagement, a lack of accountability, and repeated failures to engage credible buyers. Administration is not something to be celebrated. It needn't have ended this way. But we are overjoyed to have Dejphon Chansiri out of our club for good. "Administration represents a necessary turning point. With the club now totally out of Chansiri's hands, this may be the first step to getting our Wednesday back. It closes an era defined by poor decisions and deep divisions, both on and off the pitch. Once Hillsborough is recovered from his ownership, Chansiri's influence will finally be consigned to history, a regrettable chapter in Sheffield Wednesday's long and storied history. "We understand that this news will bring uncertainty and anxiety about what lies ahead. Yet there is every reason for calm optimism. "The appointed administrators are highly experienced professionals, including one who has been a Sheffield Wednesday season ticket holder for decades. The Trust has already opened dialogue with them and will play a full part in safeguarding the long-term survival and sustainable future of our club. Anyone else feeling a little bit jealous of them?

"Like many football clubs, it has been trading at a significant loss for many years, with those losses historically funded by the owner. Mr Chansiri is no longer willing to provide that financial support. "While the recent fan boycott has not directly caused the insolvency, it has increased financial pressure on the club. As a result, the owner has chosen to place the club into administration. "Supporters are the backbone of any football club. The money they spend at the gate and in the ground is vital. I've been a season ticket holder since 1984 and know first-hand the passion of this fanbase. "Now, more than ever, we need fans back in the ground - buying tickets, merchandise, pies and pints. Every penny spent will go directly to supporting the day-to-day running of this club, not to the former owner or professional costs. This will help stabilise the club while we secure a suitable buyer." More to get behind and support there and more understanding, transparency and faith in those running the club than we've had in 15 years here.

Within hours of going into administration workers were at Hillsborough ripping out the 'Chansiri' letters from the North Stand to expunge traces of his regime. Oh for that to happen at Ewood. What I would give to see photographs and videos of people at Ewood dismantling the 'Venkys' advertising boards and removing all visible traces of their wicked regime.

The administrators take operational control of the club and actions by creditors are frozen.. Without knowing the ins and outs I imagine Chansiri or his companies are significant creditors of the club, together with HMRC and others. Technically he is still the majority shareholder so still owns them but has no control over decision making and the administrator is able to sell the club as a going concern to the best option. The administrators have to get in there, go through the books and work out what on earth is going on financially, run the club in the meantime and then try to get to a point where someone comes in to buy them and sort out their debts or come to an agreement with their creditors to reduce/remove their debts, and sell it on. The biggest risk is that for whatever reason the administrators can't save them as a going concern and the alternative then is liquidation. Highly unlikely to happen but possible. Apparently the other company he set up to own Hillsborough stadium has also been placed into admin which means the administrators can sell both together to new buyers. In some ways the best time for them to go into admin because this season was a write off and the administrators can spend the next 6 months sorting them out with a view to a fresh start under new ownership for next season.

If we finish 21st this season without needing to sack Ismael or spend much in January then Pasha and Gestede will be doing cartwheels around the corridors of Ewood. Their 'plan' will have paid off big time - major cost cuts, Championship survival and vindication. Another year on the gravy train and with Cantwell, Tronstad and another couple to flog in the summer - like Gueye to the UAE for a million or two - on it goes. I very much doubt that they will have bust a gut to get us into the top 6 last January - just not interested - it makes no material benefit to them. This is the measure of where we are - survive in the Championship and this lot are happy because it secures their positions.