JHRover

Meite, Ramsey, Grant, Bowler Also experience signed from abroad

Cardiff turned a bit of a corner now and on a good little run. Amazing what happens when you invest and sign some proven quality.

Its a losing battle. Unlike most other clubs that have been run into the ground by negligent / dodgy owners, where the fanbases of those clubs were united in wanting rid of the orchestrators of their misery (Blackpool, Portsmouth, Coventry, Birmingham, Newcastle etc. etc.) here we have the opposite effect. What we have at Rovers is an extreme case of stockholm syndrome / indifference. It seems to me judging by the people I sit near and the comments online that the fanbase is predominantly made up either of people who think Venkys are either good or at the very least indispensable and then a large number who simply don't know or care about what happens at ownership or board level. It is a fascinating situation in many ways, it seems purely through the passage of time and payment of bills they have attained respect / gratitude / appreciation from the majority. That's the losing battle part because if that is all it takes to overcome and make up for everything they have done and continue to do as owners then there is no hope. It is almost beyond belief that we are now roughly 8 years on from when the shadow man started effectively running the club on behalf of the owners in which time there has been no interview, no forum, no investigation of him or his background by media, a couple of photographs and minor references on official media. This might be of no importance to some but it is important to me. I long since concluded there is no hope on this front with such a large number of people signed up to the Venky appreciation society. So the only way of dealing with this is to reduce my financial and emotional investment in this because ultimately it is doing me no good at all to carry on. Every week I find myself getting very angry at fellow supporters. Reading comments after the game blaming JDT for the state we are in yet not a single mention of the real problem at the club and the second the subject moves to the owners they are 'off limits' as far as criticism goes. People quite happy to spend their days lambasting JDT and the players for in game failings but completely unwilling to discuss or criticise the architects upstairs.

Of course we shouldn't be daunted by playing Ipswich or Coventry. A side fresh out of League One and a side winless in 5. But playing the way we are particularly defensively we are going to face problems. A lot of it comes down to experience and know-how. Starting games at this level with teenagers across the pitch and having kids on the bench to turn to when struggling it is a big problem. One that was warned about but in the fervour to 'give the academy lads a chance' has been overlooked.

Clearly the way to do this, if cost cutting is the primary concern, would be to stick the Cardiff fans in one side of the JW lower tier, close the Darwen End, let home fans have the rest of the JW stand and the BBE. This is something I could understand even though my season ticket seat is in the area likely to be allocated to away fans. Opening even a quarter of the DE for the sake of 300 or so away fans would be daft from a financial and logistical point of view. But even if the gate is a poor one there will certainly be more home fans wanting to go in the BBE than there will Cardiff fans coming. So surely the numbers say shut the DE first. Trouble is the only language people like Waggott understand is that which ruffles their own feathers. He's got away with everything in his time at Rovers because there has been barely any scrutiny or discontent. He has only to deal with a handful of supporters at the forum meetings and friendly in-house / local media. I bet he can't believe how easy it is to do these things and get away with it.

The thing is I gather that the current 'effort' has cost the club thousands of pounds to install. Not only that but the moment we play a side with 5000+ fans, which Waggott will be hopeful of, those bin liners are going to need removing, and then relaying again afterwards (or chucking in the bin). It must be a time consuming job to pay people to go up there and cover thousands of seats up (even if you aren't bothered about it being off centre). I've no idea how many Sunderland have shifted but expect they will be touch and go for the upper tier, so if they need removing for tomorrow night then the display will have only been in place for 4-5 home league games. Surely it wouldn't have cost that much more to simply purchase white plastic seats and pay someone to do the job properly, in doing so it would look better, it would be permanent and allow use of the upper tier without the pain of removing and replacing it? How many would be needed? 1500 or so in an area of 3000 seats? How much would they cost per unit? I'd be surprised if it was more than a couple of quid per plastic seat when buying in bulk. It just screams typical off the hoof short termism like everything else down there. It is almost as though he doesnt have the authority to do anything of permanence so instead has to resort to these plastic temporary ideas. It just looks naff and causes more problems in the longer run.

Rovers had / have a large number of fans outside the boundaries of Blackburn with Darwen. Has been the case for a long time and I imagine has only increased in the last 20-30 years both with the PL days and the migration of people out of Blackburn to other areas. An outsider like Waggott won't understand this, he seems to believe that all our fans live in BwD and that areas outside of this, Rossendale, Ribble Valley, South Ribble, Hydburn, are nothing to do with us and do not deserve or require any effort to be made. There is also a belief down there, which I know from speaking to employees about this, that Rovers are not allowed to promote themselves in areas deemed to be other clubs' territory. Whether they are being told this by the authorities or simply using it as an excuse to limit their efforts or avoid upsetting rival clubs I don't know, but it certainly tallies with the non-existent attempts in these areas. Negligence in these areas probably something you can get away with in the PL but not in the Championship.

No normal Championship club would shut their home end and definitely wouldn't for a match against Championship opposition. No normal Championship club would significantly increase the price of their season tickets in the middle of a pandemic and cost of living crisis. Most have reduced or frozen prices. No normal Championship club would spend thousands of pounds to have white plastic bin liners placed over seats to spell out lettering. Most would pay a bit more for real white seats and do it properly/permanently. No normal Championship club would cut their transfer and wage budget overnight in the middle of the summer. No normal Championship club would conduct the business we have done in the last two January windows when well placed and in with a real shot at least of the play-offs. No normal Championship club would employ Steve Waggott as CEO. We aren't normal and won't be until these awful owners depart.

He's systematically cut, reduced and hollowed out the club on a step-by-step basis since his arrival all those years ago. Each year that passes by he unearths another little scheme which in the immediate short term might save a few quid but anyone with an eye on the bigger picture or the longer term wouldn't entertain it. The CEO of the organisation should be a strong leader who innovates and grows/develops the organisation. He does none of this, he just sits behind his desk thinking of new ways to try and cut costs every year, with zero regard for the impact it has on the fanbase, individuals, the team's performance or the reputation/image of the Club he 'leads'. Therefore, this is just another example of how he isn't really a CEO. He's a pretender, occupying an office that he shouldn't and wouldn't hold had he not had the good fortune of the worst owners in football giving him a job. Of course this all starts and ends with the repugnant Venkys who could remove odious people like Waggott in seconds if they had any interest. But of course they don't. There are only a few things they want from a CEO. A yes man who won't rock the boat, who will tolerate their mental ways of operating, who will cover for their nonsense with the fans and media, who will ensure compliance with regulations and who will save them some money. Hey, it beats 'consultancy' work at Southend United and Gillingham and working in Charlton's Community Trust. Another one promoted way above and beyond his station by idiots who prefer those who talk a good game rather than those with track records of achievement. It's clear to me that JDT has sussed him out. Took a few months but he knows what he's dealing with and he's worked out that Broughton is another mere pawn in this sorry regime. Unfortunately for us Waggott will hang onto this particular gravy train for as long as he can, by which time JDT will be long gone and he can oversee more hollowing out of a once great club. I wonder what will be left by the time he has finished. I hope the fans give him hell but don't expect they will or that he will be bothered by it. The only occasion I've witnessed any sort of vocal opposition to him in 6 years now was the first half away at Watford last season which came soon after the January calamity.

Seeing that charlatan on the Ewood pitch with Coar collecting an award commemorating 5000 league games made me feel sick Should be nowhere near the club IMO never mind the public face of it for such a historic occasion.

Trying to think of other areas we can make savings. Maybe we could write to Cardiff and ask if they'd like to kick off at noon instead? Gets them home afterwards nice and early, means we don't have to let any fans in and don't need to switch the floodlights on. Or how about we just forfeit the cups like Kean used to? Savings galore with less fixtures to play. How about we shut the shop and ticket office on the night so we don't have to worry about employing staff to man them for 4-5 hours?

Inconvenient for the 'natural level is mid 2nd division because that's where we were in the 80s' brigade.

Now come on, they're marking this milestone by releasing a commemorative mug (produced and sold via a third party company). We've done all we can. Anyone wondering what grand plans there will be for our 150th anniversary in a couple of years' time need only look here. What we will have is some tacky overpriced memorabilia (mugs, t shirts) and these video clips with ex-players. Low cost and low risk. Forget about the Club actually incurring expense or doing something large in scale.

None of the measures Waggott has introduced since his arrival nearly SIX years ago (almost £2 million down for the service) has led to any improvement or growth at the club. Even though (no thanks to him) most of the last six years the club has been on an upward or at least steady trajectory footballing wise. A promotion, positivity returning to the Championship, now fresh off two serious play-off pushes. Yet I get the impression that none of that comes into his thinking. He isn't here to improve, grow or progress the club. He'll point to little schemes he's overseen and probably roll out some massaged figures showing what a great job he's done. He'll say how season ticket sales are higher than the season before he arrived (under the wretched Coyle) so all's good. He's got a few million extra from JDT's cup runs to use towards his figures and will probably collect a nice bonus off the back of JDT actually taking the cups seriously unlike his buddy Tony. Fundamentally though all he's here for and all he knows is how to squeeze and cut. Drag the club down to a level more in keeping with his dismal footballing CV working as a 'consultant' in the lower leagues and with crisis clubs. He's just not an operator that suggests PL or Championship standards and his record proves he's done next to nothing to move the club forward. Just manage a hand-to-mouth existence, celebrate meeting bill payments on time and paying for the grass seed when it arrives and collect a share of the spoils each summer. Make no mistake, the BBE will be shut now for all home cup games bar those against PL sides. The decision has been made (another without involving the fans, contrary to their disgusting claims to consult with supporters on major issues). Just like they took no fan input on board when shutting the town centre Roverstore, when ditching a matchday programme because they couldn't be arsed putting one together, like when they shut the DE and BBE upper to home fans, closed down Radio Rovers, hollowed out the club in the name of saving a few quid. I can think of a quicker way to save a decent wedge. Axe this CEO. We could afford a new signing then.

What about those people who have paid for membership and access to the Blues Bar at half time in games? Will provisions be made for them to travel from the JW stand to Blues Bar and back again? Or is this another occasion where the club take people's money and then don't provide what was promised?

I wasn't really referring to the last year or two, but was going back to 2018-2021. I was told, by many on here, that our choice of path was absolutely the right one, completely sensible and sustainable and it would ensure that we would be in a strong position down the line, blessed with assets of value and in no trouble with FFP rules. Fast forward and that simply didn't happen. Most of the assets we had we lost for nothing, and I am also being asked to accept that selling off Brockhall to a different company was a necessary and proportionate measure to ensure we steered clear of trouble. I was also told back in 2018-19 that all these other clubs going out spending millions and paying big money were headed for an iceberg with FFP because it would catch up with them. Well it didn't, as the number of punishments handed out has shown. Nor have those clubs been forced into selling off land or facilities to comply or are claiming 'geopolitics' forcing budgets to be slashed. Of course you are right. They have all sold players as is reality of life in the Championship. We did it too with Armstrong but that doesn't appear to have achieved anything, as we didn't reinvest at the time and still sold Brockhall. I agree, hopefully moving forward with GB it will be different, but last time around it was supposed to be different and in the end it wasn't. I tend to believe that the reason the earlier mentioned clubs have avoided any issues is because they are all owned by local supporters, genuine well meaning businessmen who are determined to try and be successful for their clubs - Gibson, Coates, Lansdown. Whereas ours, well, I think it is fair to say are not.

I doubt that. They'll just find some other way to sink us like they always do. I remember after promotion from League One we were told that we weren't going to go daft and spend big money to try and bounce to the PL. We were going to be sensible and structured and invest correctly, in doing so avoiding FFP issues and building something that would enable us to be well placed medium term after all these other clubs had suffered through overspending and FFP trouble. Fast forward just 2-3 years and we've let a raft of said assets walk away for nothing, nobly claiming we had no alternative, and into the mix have had to sell off our training ground apparently to ensure compliance. Not many clubs have done that. I was told that the likes of Stoke, Bristol City, Middlesbrough, spending millions a year and huge wages, would get their comeuppance under FFP whilst we would be sat pretty with a solid base. As it turns out none of those clubs have faced sanctions, despite spending and losing a lot more than us, whilst we have effectively sanctioned ourselves, be that due to 'geopolitical issues' affecting the owners or due to imposing harsh cuts and restrictions allegedly to achieve FFP compliance. This is just more of the jam tomorrow talk. Expecting us to believe that a bit of pain over the next 2-3 years is going to lead to a big bright future where we cruise along and all these rival clubs get crippled with FFP issues. It won't happen. We will get to 2026 (assuming we survive in the Championship until then) and it will just be more of the same - claims we have to sell assets and make cuts to comply, rapidly changing situation with the owners in India, cashflow problems, profits taking a hit. They treat the club with neglect and contempt and decide budgets and 'strategy' on a whim. I firmly believe we now have the shadow man and Waggott doing what they think is best with whatever budget India decides to hand down each year. Broughton and JDT are mere pawns in that, brought in under the impression there was a plan and ambition here and now realising that these owners have neither, just make it up as they go along depending on how they feel each summer.

So a few snippets from what I've seen and heard (Not gone through the full interview yet): 1) The budget was slashed mid-transfer window with zero warning from India, torpedoing Broughton and JDTs plans. 2) Broughton tried to warn the owners that this would quite possibly lead to JDT becoming disillusioned and leaving the club, a travesty after an excellent first season, the owners don't seem to have taken that on board and don't care. 3) Despite claims to the contrary he has confirmed that there was an embargo on signings in place, which was so strict that it even prevented us signing Batth on a free/low cost short deal from Sunderland even though JDT had identified him as what was needed in defence. I ask again why this is better than being under an EFL imposed embargo for breaching FFP rules (where you can sign players within certain parameters). 4) 'Geopolitical issues' keeps being repeated by Broughton and the local media as the 'reason' for this chaos but none seem willing or able to actually spell out how geopolitics are affecting Rovers' transfer plans. A tax/financial investigation isn't geopolitical, unless the suggestion is that this is motivated by political reasons.

So in the absence of Waggott there was no owner, representative or board member at the meeting? In which case this does not qualify as a 'consultation meeting' with fans under league rules, which must be attended by at least one of the above.

Yeah. Strikes me that the people in India either aren't happy or confident in how money is being spent over here and they are deploying their trusted man to have a look at it. Depends what for though. At one end of the scale it might just be a case of 'appoint' him to the board to tick boxes, give a certain impression to the authorities or so he can 'oversee' future transactions more easily. At the other end of the scale they are moving into a new phase which requires a more 'hands on' approach from India to cut costs....

'Geopolitical Issues' claxon Fair play to Gregg, he does his bit and I believe his best in fronting up, dealing with the press and trying to provide clarity and reassurance. Can't be easy when working for absolute loons and liars. Once again I think this is exactly how they've designed it. Brought in a new face with a good grasp of the media to take the questions and stick whilst those in India and in the shadows carry out the next phase of their 'project' in hiding.

Yeah I don't think this milestone is anything to be particularly proud of. These days of course if you are a PL mainstay you play less league fixtures than a perennial Championship / League One club. Preston have played more league fixtures than us, but that's only because they've never been in the PL so nothing really to shout about. It doesn't mean much.

Waggott demonstrating his imagination and ambitions for the club there. New stand? Will look into it Sensible proposals to try and increase catchment area and numbers turning up? Will look into it Refurbishment of Ewood / pitch? Will look into it Any degree of ambition, forward planning, growth, improvement met with vague future considerations and possibles, 'Will look into it' Meanwhile he is very effective at doing things the other way - cutting, shutting, downscaling, reducing. He has no problem at all with finding ways to do that. Those schemes don't need 'looking into' they just happen. Making us one of the few clubs around not to bother with a programme. One of the few clubs around to have zero presence outside of our stadium e.g. in the town centre or across our catchment area. One of the few clubs to not bother arranging supporters coaches. One of the only clubs to stick bin liners over seats to make lettering rather than pay for some new white seats. Absolutely tinpot. Cheers Venkys and Waggott. What isn't tinpot is his salary.

Interesting but probably not good news despite how they are trying to spin it. Quite why they feel the need to suddenly bring in their head of finance to the club suggests something isn't right or they aren't happy with things. Clearly this is linked to the 'geopolitical issues' they have been referring to this summer.

Or hopefully it is binned and replaced with proper lettering with white seats. The current bin liners over the seats routine just another cheap Waggott stunt that reflects poorly on our club IMO. I'm not aware of any other club in the leagues or even non-league that decides to stick white bin liners over its seats for lettering. Even Accy Stanley have white seats spelling 'Stanley' in their stands.