We don't need to , we choose to. We could, if we wanted, use some of the £40 million+ to recruit ready made Championship quality players like other clubs do after selling assets. The owners and their stooges have different plans. Their choice.

Depends on whether the player is as good or better than Batth. If not it's a poor result. Age is immaterial at a club where contracts aren't handled properly as they will simply walk elsewhere, even if we get some cash it doesn't come back in. Someone younger than Batth on a longer contract but who costs more and is inferior or takes half a season to settle in isn't a good move.

Usually around this time that we start to hear about how Batth's girlfriend/wife/great uncle has family in the Derby area and he wants to go and play there as he will be closer to home.

I'm not sure I attach any importance to his age. He was a rock for us for most of last season, and deserves another year. Making out like he is no great loss, not important or that it is wise to get shut just because he's 35 is in my opinion foolish. When you are working with our pitiful budget going for tried and tested in their 30s is important and sometimes the best way to recruit the experience needed as Eustace recognises.

I believe 'they' - chief Venky stooge and his dogsbody - never wanted the likes of Batth, McFadzean or Weimann. They were very much Eustace signings, he wanted experience and eventually demanded it last summer threatening to walk away if he didn't get it. So I don't think chief Venky stooge will be making much, if any, serious effort to keep those players here now Eustace has gone. It will of course be dressed up as part of a project, wanting to lower the age of the squad, wanting to build value in the squad, and certain people will lap this up and convince themselves that it is all part of a plan. In the end they are just making it up on a whim and the minute another club comes along with a comparable or better offer we step aside.

Wonder when Marinakis will be sanctioned for invading the pitch at full time to confront their manager. He wasn't there in an official capacity - he isn't on their board of directors, isn't on the coaching or playing staff and I don't think is even technically an owner any more after he divested his shares to get around the UEFA multi club ownership rules. So presumably he will be treated as any other civilian would for invading the pitch at full time - banning order or fine / prosecution I would expect. Surely all are to be treated equally.

So by my count Sunderland the 25th different club that has won promotion to the Premier League, some more than once (Dingles done it 4 times) since we were removed from it by these owners, and since when we have managed to avoid so much as a top 6 finish at this level in return for their 'investment'. It's almost impressive.

There were claims that Eustace was at the end of his tether last summer and ready to walk, and the stooges buckled and allowed him to bring in Batth, Weimann and McFadzean to give him the experience he wanted and ensure he didn't quit. This time around we've heard Gestede's textbook talk about developing players and the younger end of the scale. I suspect Ismael has less interest in experience and is going to be less forceful when it comes to signings. We ain't giving them a pay rise when a year older and the stooges will fancy not paying them from June to August and then hope they renew at the last minute.

If it wasn't for Venky funding we'd go the same way as Derby you know

They're after more free credit by dripping Nixon stuff. Close to, aiming to, trying to, talking to, will be sorted soon honest, all meaningless. We've heard it dozens of times before. All that matters is actually getting pen to paper on a proper contract extension. Brittain, Travis, Tronstad, Hyam, Dolan, Carter and Batth needed them months ago. I suspect some are already too late now and the others we are rapidly running out of time on as agents and rivals get busy. Rovers will not be getting a shred of credit from me for claims of being close to something. I've seen this one before and it ends with 'admin errors' or 'changes of heart' or something unforeseen changing the situation. As I've said many a time. Feeding Nixon and the rest talk of trying is free, easy and meaningless. Actually getting stuff done, deals complete is tricky and costly. We're good at the former, and have totally failed on the latter.

So much for trampoline payments creating an impossible barrier to promotion That could have been us today rather than Sunderland but of course we preferred to sign Forshaw and Woodrow and force our manager out to Derby instead.

Waggott's season ticket deadlines and dates was a warning sign for me. Get the cash in early before people see what unfolds in the summer. Now that 90%+ of that cash is banked they can crack on with stripping the squad of saleable assets with minimal impact on ticket income.

Unfortunately I feel that even if the current administration was removed by way of Pasha and his chum Rudy getting the boot, and I think that is highly optimistic as unlike Waggott and others Pasha is and always has been a Venky man, and even if after that the owners decided to bring in a competent and trustworthy group of people to run the club, their track record suggests that at best this would be merely a temporary reprieve before they changed their minds, funding, budgets, whatever and the whole thing comes crashing down again due to their decisions and policies. It isn't ever going to work on a medium or long term basis. They just won't allow it.

We're going to face a full summer of this sort of thing, especially with a relatively new manager and Gestede in place. Most of it is self inflicted due to our recruitment and contract policies. But we all know from experience that little of it will come fruition and we will be scraping around at the 11th hour. The fact we seemingly want to keep both Batth and Weimann yet haven't got either over the line tells us where we are on summer business.

This guy has by most accounts been involved in various capacities since before the wretches even completed their takeover. Two relegations, three near misses, collapses in attendances and income, losses over £200 million, negative publicity, chaos, humiliation, yet it appears he has even more power now than ever before, the latest move being to oust Waggott leaving his little gang in control. It's going to take a lot more than a couple of dodgy interviews or banners at Ewood to shift this bloke unless he gives up of his own volition. The intriguing part will be if he is shifted who the wretches get to replace him because they ain't giving that job and the direct line to just anyone.

Expect PR overdrive in the next couple of weeks with stories of how Waggott was a problem and poor old Venkys have decided to address it. No mention that they employed him for 7.5 years . The operation now will be to shield the Indians from hassle or attention so looks like Rudy or AN Other are about to be thrown forward as the latest human shield. Broughton was doing that quite well until he actually wanted to do his job and build something which was no good at all to these people. Paul Senior another, skilled in talking and putting on a show to distract from the Venky shitshow, only lasted a few months however, then they hit the jackpot with Uncle Tony. Who's next...Rudy already starting off on the back foot after the laughably bad interviews a couple of months ago.

Leicester haven't yet rejoined the Football League so I can only assume the authorities will threaten them with rejection and expulsion into non league. Of course not, they'll be welcomed back into the Championship, allowed to use their parachute money to run a massive wage bill and be favourites for automatic promotion again, just like last time. The system is a joke and ripe for abuse.

It seems to be a new word that has sprung up in recent years. Fair enough communicate with supporters who ultimately pay people's wages and fund the club but not sure who counts as a stakeholder who isn't a supporter.

I think at best we are getting a Broughton type external appointment - someone relatively inexperienced who would love to add Blackburn Rovers and Championship to his CV who would probably have good intentions, come in and realise what a joke the club is and be gone again within 12 months More likely is they let the 'search' drag on for months, this will be an excuse for another botched summer, with ultimately the remaining trio filling the void and curtain twitcher consolidating his power.

What is a stakeholder?

Is this the excuse now for why we can't sort contracts and bring in new signings, because we are awaiting a new CEO? Sounds like a typical Venky Rovers excuse.

I see this as the age old Venky distraction tactics. We saw it in full effect last season after the January debacle. Attempts to blame Broughton, Cheston and Silvester for the shenanigans, so they left quickly under a short club statement and then they can claim to have learned lessons and that action is being taken. The latest chaos with the dismal interviews, then stooge 1 being forced out of the shadows and now the negative publicity with the ladies team and presumably dismal season ticket sales so another scapegoat needed. Only we are running short on options there so bring forward Waggott's retirement. They're playing games and sadly people will fall for it again. Nothing really changes until the owners and their main stooge are gone. Until then they'll just keep on shuffling and distracting.

Prospective CEO when realising that he will have no line to or communication with India, like Waggott will only be measured on how much he cuts and saves, has to employ work experience blokes in senior positions at the Club, oh and has to take orders from the curtain twitcher who sits below him in the club pecking order yet has contact with the owners. Yeah on second thoughts you can stick your job. They aren't looking for a CEO they are looking for a figurehead to provide legitimacy and act as a shield.

Prospective CEO when realising that he will have no line to or communication with India, like Waggott will only be measured on how much he cuts and saves, has to employ work experience blokes in senior positions at the Club, oh and has to take orders from the curtain twitcher who sits below him in the club pecking order yet has contact with the owners. Yeah on second thoughts you can stick your job. They aren't looking for a CEO they are looking for a figurehead to provide legitimacy and act as a shield.

Even if by some miracle they decided to replace Waggott with a competent external CEO rather than promote the work experience guy from within, ask yourselves who is going to come in and work at an organisation whereby Pasha is technically subordinate to the CEO but practically is the head honcho as he is the only one with a connection to India and has their ear. It's just a ridiculous and laughable situation. Unworkable even if they decided to recruit a proper CEO, which they won't because those cost and will need assurances. Easier and cheaper just to muddle on with the chuckle brothers and hope it works out ok. Unacceptable in professional football.