Just had my 'important information' email from Rovers ahead of tomorrows game. "Supporters who are planning on driving to Ewood Park should expect delays upon arrival and exiting the stadium vicinity. Parking for this fixture is extremely limited and supporters who arrive after 11am should expect delays at the turnstiles" They are on another planet this lot. Unless you are fortunate enough to live within walking distance of Ewood Park I suspect you will HAVE to travel by car given it is New Years Day and an early kick off. It isn't some preference people will plump for but the ONLY way of getting to the game for most. I'll be surprised if in reality more than 10,000 turn up for it, they'll announce it as just above to keep it respectable but in practice there will be a lot not going due to NYE, early kick off and tv. If we should expect delays on arrival for such a measly number how on earth do they plan on ever hosting a 25,000+ crowd in the future? Why is parking 'extremely limited for this fixture?' Why will there be delays on the turnstiles for people arriving a full hour before kick off? It's just nonsense. What time would they like people to turn up for a noon kick off on New Years' Day?

My sympathies to any Cardiff fan making this journey. I was unhappy with the early kick off at Sunderland but this is even earlier for a journey twice the duration. Combine with being New Years' Day it is an absolute disgrace and I'd love to know which selfish cretin at Sky Sports selected this and thought it was acceptable.

They've allowed a lot worse including not taking opportunities to take retrospective action. If that is 'violent conduct' we are going to need 2-3 red cards every game. It didn't meet the criteria for violent conduct, IMO, but conveniently there is extremely wide discretion on these things so it means they can accommodate any decision within the rules somewhere.

I thought the performance tonight, first half particularly, was more in keeping with our efforts earlier this season. I thought we did well and thought it was a good game, probably should have had a second through Dack or Gallagher. Second half we got caught out early, but then you really need calm collected heads, Buckley's act of petulance not the first time he's been in trouble and he needs to get a grip. I can tolerate red cards when they are necessary or part of managing a game but when for ludicrous things such as tonight or that one at Derby the other year he needs to reflect on it carefully. By the letter of the law a red which will get the officials off the hook with it but if I had the time I could go through Championship games this season and probably find dozens of similar or worse incidents in plain view of the referee or linesmen where nothing is given. So it comes back to consistency again. Can't argue with Buckley but then I expect to all such acts sanctioned in the same way. We all know it doesn't happen which is the part I can't accept. It seems Eltrincham was the one who gave it, which he did well to see in between his match-long discussion and conversation with Carrick and Woodgate. I wasn't sure the 4th officials' task was to analyse and explain every event to the management team of one club but that's what he was doing. Then when they had a corner and committed a foul at the DE he wasn't even looking as he was too busy talking to Woodgate. No doubt in my mind influenced by their theatrics after our first goal. A frustrating one as at half time I felt quite good about things and confident of getting back to winning ways. Where do we go from here? Well we've three 'attractive' looking games now - Cardiff, Rotherham, Bristol City - need a good chunk of points there or excuses will be thin on the ground. End of the day though we can all see that reinforcements and options are needed - a look at the bench tonight shows how limited we are and it would be negligent of ownership and management to not bring people in quickly. The existing players deserve help and yes we are in a good position to approach the 2nd half of the season from. I doubt we will get such business because the owners don't know nor care about where we are or what we might do, that's where the problem starts and ends. And if the owners won't back the Club (they didn't last January) in this healthy position with such a glaring need for options then are they ever? The project has been broadcast time and time again as one that revolves around developing players and using the academy. Most people seem happy with that. Don't think you can really be too surprised then if experienced tried and tested pros aren't added to the squad or the young lads fall away as the season goes on.

He just knows that the Club never wanted it. It was never his job to deliver and it was never the reason he was brought in. I think JDT would have come here wanting promotion, as would a Carvalhal or Farke in the summer, but a few weeks or months working for this mob will have got the message home that they've no intention of going for it. The proof will be in January. Yet again there will be a loan or two at best and all the talk will be of projects and FFP whilst rival clubs will go out quickly into the market and strengthen with players able to hit the ground running. They will think they sound clever but will ultimately look stupid as we blow what remains our best shot at promotion since we left the PL.

The evidence suggests otherwise. If the project claimed by the Club was indeed to become fully self sustained then there would not be situations occurring where £10 million+ worth of players, including academy graduates, walked out of the door for nothing to rival clubs. Yes that one again because it simply doesn't stack up. If the project claimed was to become fully self sustained then we would have a club shop stocked with products for Xmas shoppers to buy rather than no replica kits in October and a shrug of the shoulders 'no can do' attitude. We lose so much money BECAUSE of their management, their management has made this worse, not better. A few years ago we had 11,000 season ticket holders, despite the standard of football staying largely the same and a promotion since then we've lost another 3000 or so. Why? Because of mismanagement. Local clubs are proving that better numbers are attainable where there is an effort.

All seems a bit odd for a club hard up, desperate to increase revenues and facing a perennial battle to reduce reliance on owner funding and comply with FFP regulations.... You might expect that at the very least they would ensure that there was sufficient stock available in the shop to sell in the build up to Xmas. If this was the first time this issue had arisen it might be excusable, If it was May and not November when the issue arose it might be excusable. But when it keeps happening and it is the most lucrative time of the year heads ought to roll. Once again, I keep saying it and will keep on saying it because it shows that the Club isn't really serious about it but if FFP was such a problem and those running the club were determined to try and deal with it this issue wouldn't occur. It seems to me that having realised they are missing out on cash they have fast-tracked through this 'retro range' in a desperate attempt to provide would-be customers with an alternative product to buy when they turn up at the club shop and find no replica kits to buy. It just smells like everything else down there - the bare minimum done or committed to. Whether that be effort, tickets, stock, it is so typical of the Waggott regime. Put the minimum amount of effort in, do nothing that might end up costing the club but in the process reduce your capabilities and potential. So we don't get matchday programmes any more - the excuse being it isn't commercially viable (non league clubs think differently) We don't get a town centre shop any more - the excuse being it isn't viable. We don't get a Darwen End home section any more - the excuse being it isn't viable. We don't get sufficient stock even in popular kits - the excuse being it isn't viable. We don't get competitive or reasonable ticket prices - the excuse being it isn't viable. Meanwhile one thing that is viable is meeting Waggott's 6 figure salary for 5 years in a row. Then we see Preston and Bolton putting our gates to shame and doing all the above. How strange. Almost as though the bullshit that Waggott comes out with in these meetings isn't true.

They get worried and have to issue warnings to supporters if we get anything above 15,000. They'd have a breakdown if we ever got over 20,000 on never mind close to 30,000. I don't think they want it. The decision makers are quite happy with the 'optimum number' of 11,000 home fans paying top end prices and then a few bumper away followings to cash in on. Easy to cash in on away followings - those fans will turn up and pay without the need for Rovers to make any effort. Getting more home fans in on a regular basis however does require effort and imagination.

Chaddy if you want me to have the same opinion as you on things such as FFP you're going to have to do better than rely on articles from 'Lancashire Live'

I think JDT will be going through the process of 'Venkification' - the realisation and acceptance of how these clowns operate and the gradual destruction to ambition and excitement that comes from it. He probably came into this club as an outsider very excited about the 'project'. A good club, decent season last year, good academy, and most importantly a sniff of getting to the PL. Unfortunately after a few months working here it will become clear that there is no genuine plan or indeed desire to improve or advance the club. Just a collection of people on easy street collecting their wages and happy to bullshit their way through the years whilst the club goes nowhere. Mowbray was one of them, I had hoped his welcome exit would see a significant change. I still hope that between them JDT and Broughton have the ambition and drive to not be held back by the rest of them but it can't be easy. I am worried that we are hearing more and more Waggott/Mowbray speak these days about how massive the opposition are and how we are little old Rovers. Music to the ears of the deadweights around the place but not what I want to hear.

Once again we will see Venkys' true intentions this January. For the second season running we will go into January in a very strong position in the table and in theory in a good position to go out and add to the squad. I expect we will see a repeat of last January with minimal cash spent and a few loans to shuffle things around. That tells us all we need to know, because engaged and ambitious owners would ensure that the Club did whatever was necessary to seize advantage of this position. Then we will get the usual codswallop - can't spend due to FFP, multi-year project blah blah whilst rival clubs just get on and do it. They've already laid the foundations for a quiet month I think they need to be considering terminating the loans of Hirst and Mola. It makes little sense to me to keep either until the end of the season unless there is still an intention to keep either permanently, which is worrying if the case.

If we repeat the first 23 games and lose another 10 before the end of the season and play the same way and have complete no-shows in a few games we will still end up with 78 points and a play-off spot, which will by BY FAR our best league effort since Allardyce's days as manager. We might not of course, none of us can predict the future yet some seemingly want to blame JDT for a decline that hasn't happened yet. Number of times I and others accused Dyche and the dingles of being lucky as they edged teams out not playing well. All the talk of 'style' is the sort of stuff Mowbray used to try to get credit for whilst we plodded along in midtable. Results results results.

End of the day the manager can't really win with his team selections. If we do what has worked in the previous rounds and go with the same side that did well in getting to this point there are accusations of not bothering with the cup or playing our second string. If he'd have dropped them all and gone with the same side as at Norwich he'd have been accused of risking our league form for a 'pointless' cup competition and not rewarding the youngsters who had done well previously. There are lots of people who talk about giving our youngsters an opportunity to shine and develop in proper games - so I'm not going to criticise the manager for doing just that. Personally I've no issue at all with the team he put out and I've no real problem with the performance. They were the better side overall, they bloody well should be with the money spent and side they put out. Despite that I thought we settled down after a dodgy first 25-30 minutes and for the middle third were ok. Their 2nd and 3rd goals came from little - a misplaced pass into nowhere from us, a 15 yard wall set for the free kick and inexplicably not giving us a free kick but hey ho that's no surprise in these sort of games. I then look at the remaining sides left in the competition. Am I bothered we aren't in the draw? Not really. I know the money men would love a 'big tie' and it would be a good experience for the players but as a supporter I don't feel like I'm missing much not getting a game against United, Liverpool, City etc. Whoever it was at Rovers who decided to refer to the game as a 'potential giantkilling' on the website before the game needs a dressing down. I think that sort of language is a disgrace especially when we are talking about a club we were well above this time last season, but fits in well with some of the defeatists down at Ewood. As with everyone in the Championship it is about the League and focus on that.

As I said last week the Carabao Cup draw pitting us against Forest at Ewood was made on 10th November. No announcement about tickets was made until 25th November, then it was 15th December before the website, twitter or any other media channel of the clubs made any reference to the game. Since then there have been a few reminders. That does not suggest a club keen on getting as many people as possible to the game. It suggests a club that couldn't care less and is run in amateur fashion. Only yesterday an advertisement appeared aiming to 'cash in' on the Forest fans by opening the Legends Lounge. £10 a time to include a first drink. So basically £10 for your first pint and £5+ thereafter when you can go into a pub 5 minutes away and drink at £3 a pint. If there was strategic thinking the Legends Lounge would have been advertised weeks ago, but in typical Waggott fashion it is last minute afterthought aimed at cynically grabbing extra cash from a suprisingly large away following. Unfortunately he will probably use a poor turnout as evidence that pricing doesn't really matter - cheap tickets yet a small home turnout will be used to justify why he doesn't cut prices for league games.

So i've been back through the last few weeks and can confirm that today's announcement on the Riverside being closed shortly followed by a ticket price reminder are the first posts by Rovers about the Nottingham Forest game since the tickets were first put on sale on 25th November. This means that since the draw over a month ago there was one tweet on 25th November announcing prices and then today's reminder. Now when Waggott is sat in his office baffled by poor sales figures perhaps one thing he should be asking is whether 1 reminder in a month is sufficient marketing or promotion for a cup clash against a PL side. I'd suggest not - it is the bare minimum effort and therefore no surprise to see a poor turn out. Maybe one day they'll try and push sales and market things but until then we will be held back.

I see they've now taken the Riverside off sale which looks to be an embarrassing acceptance that we aren't going to sell remotely enough to justify opening it. Not sure what happens to those who have already bought tickets in the Riverside. See the Forest goons are lauding their support. I must have imagined the last 10 years when they've maxed out at about 2000 coming to Ewood in the league. Rovers now have this hidden away on the website with a poster "Affordable Premium Football". I'm not sure what that means because the Carabao Cup isn't Premium but usually a chance for sides to make wholesale changes and is "affordable" here suggesting that all the other games we charge more for not affordable?

Where are the FFP obsessives when this sort of thing is going on? You'd think a club hard up and desperate to boost revenues would at the very least ensure it had stock to sell in the shop in the lead up to Xmas Conclusion? As I've been saying for years, FFP is a convenient excuse for not spending, but there's scant evidence that it is taken seriously by the club when it comes to trying to deal with it.

I think it is all just a way to get messages back to the money men in India every now and again. If those writing the cheques each month are satisfied that value is being generated in the players and that if we don't get promoted it isn't too much of a problem because the value of the squad is increasing then it vindicates positions and spending, meaning they get another few years in place to keep going. It's the never ending project which keeps people like Pasha and Waggott well renumerated for years on end whilst the project actually achieves nothing. Because we don't have what it takes nor the determination to get promoted (our transfer business last January and this will show that) but also because when we do finally get value into players we neglect their contracts and they walk for little/nothing.

You've hit the nail on the head there I think. There's a reason why Mowbray and now JDT persist with talk about value, kids and this passing around lark. They are expected to deliver this - it is part of their remit because someone has decided that this is the way to go to maximise development/player value.

No effort being made by Rovers to push this leads to only one conclusion. They don't want a decent number turning up.

I don't mind dull boring football if it gets results. I don't mind getting a goal up and then protecting the lead if it works. I've no problem hanging on at home against Birmingham and Huddersfield if we see it through and win. I've lost count the number of sides that have got out of this league playing that way - Burnley under Dyche the prime example - never won plaudits for their play but ground out results doing just enough each week to get them over the line. For all the talk about nice football and playing your way out of this league the reality is that the route to getting out of it is to be pragmatic, give nothing away and ensure you protect a lead when you get it. That is why I have been so pleased this season with our results when we have got our noses in front. Because it is not to be sniffed at that we never let a lead slip and had won 6 on the bounce at home. I don't accept that is a fluke. This league is too inconsistent for that. But the flip side is there in black and white. To never recover so much as a single point, and rarely even look like scoring, when we go behind in games is very worrying and has to change one way or the other. It cannot be the case that we lose EVERY game we go behind in Sad to see but there are a significant number of Mowbrayites out there who seem to be hoping this goes wrong so they can say it was a mistake to let him go. People who were happy to sit back and relax when he was taking us on annual runs of relegation form and sitting on his arse sulking like a child during games but now want JDT out after 20 games presumably partly because he won't make tea and biscuits and reminisce about the good old days in interviews. I hope he lives and dies by results. Currently after the last 2 games there are problems and he needs to earn his corn by addressing them. We might well slide down the table - let's see, hopefully we don't and we get out of this rut. There are clearly issues he needs to sort and if he can't then the pressure will rightfully grow.

I've long been of the view that Waggott got his job at least in part because he convinced the owners that he would save them money. That his huge salary would be worthwhile because he would save them much more than that each year in cutbacks. I also suspect he is on some sort of bonus scheme for the amount he saves them. Would make sense. This, if true, is likely to be the reason Brockhall keeps getting mentioned. He will have had his eyes on that since the day he arrived. It needs protecting at all costs. He's already taken us down to 8000 ST holders and dropping each year, when he swans off into retirement there's a big rebuilding job that needs to be done but he won't be seen again in these parts and doesn't need to worry about picking up the pieces of his disastrous management.

Last I heard we were short on money, needed to generate as much as possible and needed to reduce reliance on the owners for FFP reasons. Then we find out that yet again we have insufficient stock in the shop and no plan or option to replenish the stock. So the money gets spent elsewhere. Once again what the club say and what the club do are at complete odds. If you need every penny you can get then you ensure you have sufficient stock to last beyond September. If you don't need the money then that's strange but you have no right to use FFP as an excuse every 5 minutes.

Just another in a long, long, long line of reasons why we need Waggott out of here ASAP. Not content with decimating attendances and running the club like a cornershop his piece de resistance is and always has been to get shut of or vastly scale back the Brockhall facility. Nothing - nothing - he has done in 5 years is representative of ambition, investment or growth. It is ALL about cutting, reducing, scaling back and saving. 'Floated the idea'- you don't employ surveyors to draw up plans and submit planning applications if you are floating ideas. It was a clear attempt to get it through on the quiet. Dirty, grubby, underhanded and with ulterior motives. Just like everything else Waggott has done and lied about.

So yesterday, 4 days before the game in Marbella, Rovers finally announce that the Ajax match is open to supporters to attend. I've seen various people who have booked at short notice to go out on Friday to watch this. Yet no mention or information of arrangements for the Hearts game on Friday. 24 hours later, and 48 hours before the Hearts game is played, Rovers then announce that the game is open to supporters, free admission, at a stadium in Coin, about 30 minutes drive from Marbella. A short while later, Rovers provide an 'update' that the game is actually taking place at the Marbella training centre, that it is behind closed doors, but that Rovers fans can attend by registering via a link that isn't yet available. Then on the Rovers' official website there is a similar story but saying this is at the Malaga training centre. I assume this is just someone getting Marbella and Malaga mixed up. What a shambles.