One thing though is that Ipswich and Luton are outliers By and large, parachute payments are strangling EFL clubs. Since their introduction the league tables suggest that you are far more likely to go up if you are in receipt of them. The simple fact of the matter that you receive 5 times more money than everybody else means you are at a competitive advantage Again though, they exist solely to prop up the unsustainable Premier League. It isn't addressing the problem, it is just making more clubs part of the 'winners' group, whilst making it even more difficult for everybody else

The only way around this is an effective Football Governance Bill. In particular, the "fit and proper" test needs to be changed to cover 3 years only, with re-testing mandatory It just seems a really unfair situation in that your financial performance is reviewed in cycles, which may mean you are penalised on the pitch, but effectively the people in charge of the commercial operation are not reviewed. This season it became abundantly clear that, for a period of time, the Rao family were not fit and proper owners according to the FA test. They were not allowed to fund their business without third party clearance. The club may say that this is now over, however the Rovers essentially lost a season of its history, and could have suffered a relegation because of those problems A similar situation lead to Tony Xia selling his stake in Aston Villa. The Chinese govt got involved and the rest is history. Here, the owners were very clear they had no intention of trying to move the club forward, and instead settled for a season of barely treading water whilst they fixed their own problems. We aren't even any of the wiser of whether it is resolved yet. It could be another season where a town club thousands of miles away in England suffers because of a tax dispute with the Indian government... A really bizarre situation. Globalism at its worst The FA really need to get a grip. But I am starting to think HMRC doesn't want any true football reform. Their tax receipts owing to the English pyramid must be huge. Why change something that is working so well for them? It seems like a real easy win for any government to try and tackle this, but at the moment they are just skirting around the edges

That's a good point EA I guess it all depends on what sporting directors he has in the background. In the modern game, they are the continuity and the head coaches come and go I think the signings they make show they are going in the right direction. Some very good loan signings, and the players they bring in permanently all have potential for re-sale. I think they bought Philogene for around £4/5m which is a bit of a steal to be honest. He's a good player and you can imagine they'll at least double their money on him eventually My eyes are green with envy looking at Hull atm. Which is something I never imagined I'd be saying

This is exactly why he was sacked Hull City had a great squad this season. Make no mistake about it. I always had them down as dark horses for automatic promotion. I'd say their owners consider Rosenior a failure given the backing he received. You can add Aaron Connelley to that mix too, whilst for 6 months they had Vinagre in at left back I think you would back someone like JDT to get promoted with the squad they had. In January they also signed Billy Sharpe and Ryan Giles The new Hull owner is something we can only dream of. Ambitious, thoughtful of the supporters. And when people ask "who would buy Rovers" - just think about Hull fecking City for a moment.

You make a very good point about the manner of our wins Matty I was always more confident going into the games like Southampton than Bristol. JE develops a siege mentality. They love that down in Brum - the idea everybody is against them. We picked up 7 pts from the top 4 under JE and that’s no coincidence. Eustace doesn’t have the players he needs to break down lesser teams. It’s quite basic instructions really - beat your man and put the ball in a dangerous area. I hope people get their wish this year for the famed “pacey winger” we’ve been asking for. When Eustace has those players, his attacking side will become much better. Ultimately he has to do better against the teams around us because banking on sneaking away wins does not get you promotion The whole “he’s like Kean” is and always will be spoken by people who are quite unhinged when it comes to JE. It is quite ignorant really, considering all Kean is “alleged” to have done here. Eustace is a principled man and is nothing like Kean One thing I’d like is for him to move to Blackburn. He’s still in Lichfield. And since JDT has left I believe others have also moved from Blackburn. Something like 3 of our first team coaches don’t live in the area, with at least 2 in the Midlands. I don’t think that’s right

I’d be getting rid of McFadzean. The bloke has a history of losing. He’s just not good enough

Yeah, McGuire would sign for us if he had the opportunity. Take a look at the history of some of our top players recently. They almost all have had good moves Rovers are being increasingly seen as a stepping stone. It’s a worrying trend for me

You are making up that he was happy playing for draws and then using that as the crux of your argument That is very weird behaviour in my opinion

It has always been the case since the Rao's showed up on our doorstep A step forward is usually followed with 5 steps backwards All the way back to the days of Big Sam, the same trend has followed. We went through 3 years of relative hell from the sacking of Big Sam to the start of Gary Bowyer's days. Say what you want about Bowyer, he brought about a period of calm and improved us on the pitch. We had a competitive squad. When he was sacked and replaced with Lambert it finally felt like "game on"..... Then it all came crashing down again. Owen Coyle. Mike Cheston and the exceptional candidate etc etc... Fast forward and Mowbray came and left us in such a good place. Some people don't like Mowbray but for me he's been our best manager since Mark Hughes. You felt like we were moving forward, especially considering JDT followed and our continued push to play offs, cup runs etc. The tide was turning............... And then bang. The Rao's strike again I actually think this latest sham is a gut punch too many. Maybe I am too cynical. But the mood is far different from the relegation season under Coyle / Lambert / Mowbray. There was more positivity that year even though we went down. This year, this time, it is one too many fuck ups, and I think we will struggle to both generate interest next year and to compete. That is of course unless Venkys suddenly decide they want to stump up some cash. They have form for delivering once in a blue moon. Yet whilst they are here, you can't help but feel you are a day away from disaster

The kind of posting I’m here for Love it 😂

There's no solution. You just have to wear them in. Eventually it does stop. Somebody I know recommended lightly scratching them and apparently that works. The area of the tongue that is impacted isn't visible so you won't see the scratches. Seems silly to me though

You can't blame Broughton for the last bit Matty. The bloke probably knows that at any point the rug can be pulled. He's at risk of sounding stupid...twice He has an impossible job to be honest. Since GB has come we have come close to landing two very good signings. For whatever reason they haven't been allowed to be finalised. I know some blame Broughton but I certainly don't. We were never close to signings like Lewis OBrien or McGuire before him. Perhaps that is because nobody was trying that hard. Yet now they have a person who seems to be actually trying to 'push the boat out' we are seeing incompetence that is suspicious at best

The players had thrown JDT under the bus The reality is that none of them are fit to lace his boots. It speaks volumes of our "senior council" that they were prepared to be so blatantly lacklustre under him. Was it Callum Brittain who had a veiled dig after the Stoke game? JDT had only just left and he was ready to start the blame game There are a number of players I'd be looking to move on if I were Eustace. I'd start with Callum Brittain and Dom Hyam who, in my view, have been quite stand out in their poor attitudes We have lost too many big characters in recent years. What we have replaced them with are either young lads, or are just not comparable. Losing Kaminski, Ayala and Dack in one window is tragic

Nor will any club All that will happen is that staff get paid more, with the biggest beneficiaries being the players

That squad looks so bad when it is all out in front of you We need a goalkeeper, right back, 2 central midfielders, 2 wide players and a striker. That is assuming we keep Szmodics, if not put another attacking midfielder in We could also benefit from a better centre back and left back. But we can't be greedy now..........

That interview about "no pressure on Jon to get in the top 6"; "it is just about staying in the league" It was a car crash moment. Steve Waggott's "I don't sweat" moment The level of ambition at any business is determined by those at the top of it. They are happy to wallow and so we wallow

Last night was grim Right now, the Rovers squad is as weak as it has been since our last Championship relegation. And there are real parallels between the state of our club then and now. Off field disruption and a chronic lack of investment, coupled with the fallout between an ambitious manager and the club But when you look back at our last 3 / 4 windows, you could really see this coming We have lost Kaminski, Ayala, Brereton and Bradley Dack. I actually think the loss of Dack was the worst thing to happen to the dressing room. He was clearly a very big figure; he played with a smile on his face too, and that is infectious. Same with Brereton, who seemed a very happy figure, and the harmony of that dressing room just appeared to be perfect. The social media antics whilst obviously a bit staged, showed a very real chemistry between players Mixed in with the leaders like above, you'd have Travis & Szmodics; before that, you had Bradley Johnson and Lenihan. We have lost some massive players recently and we haven't replaced them with like for like players In the window where you lose Ayala, BBD, Dack and Kaminski, you are expecting players to come in who can fill that void. Instead, we have asked existing players to step up, like Dom Hyam, Sam Gallagher and Sammie. Only Szmodics has done, but I do worry at times about his temperament; unlike Dack, he doesn't play with a smile on his face, and is that following through to the dressing room? I can't remember players who were at that "senior council" meeting (farce). I'm sure it was Hyam, Sammie, Sam G and Ryan Hedges. Compare that with what we have lost - it is night & day. This vacuum of leadership we suffer with at board level has once again permeated the playing staff. Last time that happened, we went down I am starting to think that the success of this club depends entirely on appointing a manager that keeps his dealings close. We cannot operate with a DOF as they are hamstrung at board level. Really, we want to be turning back to a Mowbray type figure, who can work with the constraints of distant owners, and who is happy to operate at all levels of the club so that at least they have oversight from the person responsible for the playing performance

I was concerned about this game. Bristol City move the ball quick and they are quite direct. Our team have struggled with that all season. The way Eustace sets up, he wants the opposition to try and control the game from their back line, so that the team can set up their shape and look to win the ball back We just weren't good enough. Probably one of the worst performances this season. It goes without saying, Dom Hyam had a stinker. I don't think anyone covered themselves in glory. The substitutions seemed a bit odd to me. I don't actually think we were terrible in the first half, but were just undone by some rank awful defending. I have to say, Callum Brittain has really irritated me this season, and I am starting to lose patience with him. We've heard from Hyam and Brittain how the fans weren't helping them in their bad run under JDT. Sorry to say lads, but no club in the world will accept performances like that for long The subs ruined the 2nd half. I actually don't know what Eustace was thinking. Maybe a degree of panic? We looked well off the pace, and the opening 15 minutes of the 2nd half went by without much happening. The change of shape and number of changes produced a disjointed and defeated side. Bristol running away with it was predictable This squad is not good enough to sustain a Championship season. We need more depth. McFadzean was never, ever the answer to the lack of experience - in football terms, he's a relegation candidate, and has been relegated 3 times. He's 37 and really, this isn't the fight for him. It should have been Carter every day of the week, who is more likely to have to suffer a League One season if we don't fix up When you look at this squad it is very reminiscent of that Coyle season. Past it centre halves, disappointing loans, no real endeavour or shape. We have lost a fantastic dressing room that Mowbray put together, and those big figures have not been replaced. It is really showing

His best position is on the right. He has a good shot too, so when he can turn inside he can be dangerous At the moment, comfortably in our best 11 for me. Last season, maybe not, but we have such a void in attacking talent at the moment and Hedges stands out for me as one of the best options He's a better footballer than Sigurdson in my eyes

Hedges isn't lacking in talent at all. Has a decent first touch, good weight of pass and can beat a man. His fitness is terrible though Do agree on the game of opinions. When do you reckon will be the next time you have a good opinion of one of our players? 🤣

Hedges is 100% in our best 11. He's probably the best footballer we have now. If he had Szmodics' natural fitness he'd be fantastic at this level I don't think we'll have as much success this game as we did against Southampton. They aren't as slow on the ball, which allows us to get back in to shape. The way Eustace sets his team up suits the underdog more. In games where we should dominate the ball more, the lack of quality and attacking emphasis will show up more Going to go for another bore draw

The rumours at the time was that Cheston had lined up Warnock. He had some annual leave and somebody else hijacked it and appointed Coyle Say what you want about the statements after, but Cheston was probably told what to say

One of the issues at Rovers is that due to the stadium always having room there is little option to sell the match day ticket if they can't attend At Aston Villa, season ticket holders can sell their match ticket through the club for the same price as a walk on. Plenty of ST holders I know are willing to keep paying their full ST even though they know they can't attend. You list it on the website and then get 80% of the match fee Other than reducing prices, there's little else Rovers can do until the demand increases I suppose we could offer a flexi-ticket, where you can choose a number of games per season. We know we are likely not to sell out and so we could do this relatively risk free Family discounts could be good Maybe even increase the children go for free range. All under 15s accompanied by an adult go free. That could help Really, the product just has to improve. It ain't going to happen under Steve Waggott. I think this year will be a disaster

I need to have a proper read, but it's always the same picture How can our revenue have gone up by 26% but we still lose £20m....... As always with this lot, it doesn't make sense

The only way any money is being spent is if the case in India is wrapped up The timing of the court sittings suggest it won't be wrapped up in a time good enough for us to operate "normally" - if such a word ever existed in Venkyland We should be in a good position to spend money. If we ended this year profitable - which we absolutely should do - then that gives us wiggle room to spend