Wouldn't have minded either. I'm not sure whether to recognise it or not as I have strong Republican views. UK Republic that is though I'm certainly in preference of US Republican politics over Democrats and certainly idiot liberals. Maybe I'll just use the "sir" prefix if I mention Ferguson in the same post as a way to take a "not very veiled" dig. Since you're being so blase about it I'll go one further shall I? How about a dig at...erm...Fred Walker! Apparently Jack turned down a knighthood as far back as the 70's because Fred wasn't offered one. Probably because Jack was the talented Brother and the one with the sales skills whereas Fred was a glorified health & safety floor supervisor. To be fair I've never heard any cases of Walkersteel (the original not the pale imitation Howard Walker lent the name too) being sued on injury malpractice, etc. I'm pretty sure even back in the 60's and 70's there was a bigger market for industrial accident lawyers even if people were not generally quick to sue on more trivial matters. I've also heard that Jack was the one pushing for the sale and driving it forward. Fred probably wanted to wait (or just let his Brother do all the real work) but the consensus at the time was Jack got the better end of the deal. Not to mention there was a steel recession not long afterwards.

Exactly. There's still stuff for Mowbray to prove when it comes to the building blocks for the future. People can argue if they like about tactics, etc but most of the key squad members were inherited. Chaddy's typically naive to say that he has 100% faith but for me it's one of the remaining question marks. Of course there's only so much anyone can do if there's limited backing (and at most it's not gonna eclipse most of the league like last year) but some managers make the most of what they get. Some even do better with lesser budgets. Let's see how Mowbray answers such questions with his actions. Dack obviously was a success. Smallwood worked out but the others were loans (in Downing's case he performed well but you can hardly see it as some genius astute move because the loan was last minute) or signings which were inconsistent or fizzled out a bit. As for Nuttall I don't think Mowbray intended to play him last season. He signed more cover as soon as he could. With Chapman he probably used his contacts at Middlesbrough though not saying it isn't logical. I'm not going through each individual case but 100% faith at this point is ridiculous. Not to mention impossible anyway whoever the manager is.

Asked if anyone at Stoke mentioning Lenihan now that Rowett's gone there. Not yet but of course he's only just taken the job. I guess it depends because what his former club needed isn't essentially what Stoke might need.

So hypothetically if Rovers drew Canvey Island in the FA Cup and their fans started having a go would you react to them? You can call it arrogance if you want but at a club like Blackburn Rovers the fans need to carry themselves a certain way.

Trust is trust. Waggott probably hasn't been lied to by Venkys...at least until the recent visit where odds of that have probably increased. I guess he will find out in the next couple of months. To me it makes no difference whether it's liars in India or liars in Jersey. Liars are liars and distance isn't a factor. All it does is prevent an owner from being more "hands on" and "micro managing" in which case they need to choose the right people and preferably insist on that style of management. Waggott must know also that the trust has to be there on both sides given how Venkys have been misled by others in the past. So far he's done nothing to warrant such suspicion (and nor am I saying he will) but they have put their trust in him clearly. Of course Waggott has to be able to trust people inside the club itself and watch out for snakes like Agnew lurking. Pasha's probably only around to be their "eyes and ears". If he wasn't a fool perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Apparently Terry has requested a contractual clause (or at least a verbal agreement as Bruce has outright said they would agree to it) where he won't be expected to face Chelsea if promoted. Not quite sure exactly how that worked for the FA, League Cup, etc this season had they drawn each other. As long as there's an "out" (for instance Villa needing to beat Chelsea in a vital game) I kinda agree with Terry at his age refusing. People laugh at anything that isn't quite normal but why should he be expected to play against Chelsea? If Villa don't like it then they don't have to sign him do they? OK Terry's an egomaniac (almost surprised he didn't have his own parade when Chelsea cancelled because of the safety advice after Manchester Arena bombing) but like I've said at his age what's the problem? Funny too seeing a few United fans saying they hope Villa lose today mainly because of Terry being there. Sums them up considering Bruce won titles there and it's laughable to call Terry scum when Giggs displays similar behaviour. As someone else pointed out if Totti, Maldini, etc had insisted on such a clause (obviously not for games against Chelsea) the reaction would have been different. Just because Terry's vile does not mean everything he does has to be treated with sneers and contempt.

Not much from the "what if" types about Jokanovic compared to the remarks about Warnock, etc. I guess people were happy with Lambert (certainly at that point) but difference is Tan backed Warnock and Khan seems to have learnt from some of his errors. Not quite convinced Venkys have. Of course Jokanovic still hasn't quite been promoted yet. Rather him though with pricks like Terry and Bruce at Villa.

Try saying the nets are unsafe if someone gets tangled up in them. ?

Guess so especially as those gawping at the away fans probably want to sit as close as possible. Obviously it's different with nets, etc when another section has been closed have to assume it won't be netted off anymore.

What a stupid term from whoever first used it in that context. Why would Rovers fans even bother reacting to Oldham Athletic supporters anyway assuming they were trying to instigate something? Got no issue with the JW section (though I'm a bit surprised that the club are happy with it so close to the "family" section being "family club of the year" for what that's worth) though can't see much appeal in staring at away fans for 90 minutes. For some people that seems to be the attraction.

Not sure why they even bothered splitting it into 2 parts. It's not like there's any great depth and the answers aren't particularly interesting (or annoying for that matter)

I guess you can't (unless you can take legal measures forcing young players to sign clauses saying they can't join certain clubs via Rovers but besides me who would make a policy like that here?) but would rather people use any platform other than Rovers. Of course it's not Garrett's fault if he's linked to United but unless he comes out and says he wouldn't go there's always gonna be suspicion. This is why I object when people say the Academy, etc is Jack's legacy. Not if it's used for this sort of purpose because Jack didn't intend for players to be sold on especially not there. Yeah OK things change but it's still not his legacy compared to the stadium (at least when it's not hosting L1 football), premier league trophy, etc. OK some players who didn't quite make the Premier League grade could have been sold for a few hundred thousand but that's different. Know people won't agree with this but I would be happy to miss out on the very best youth prospects. As long as some are signed who have the potential to at least play in Premier League, Championship, etc. It's hard to care when you're paranoid about just being stepped on by people. I guess people will say well they might command big fees but the EPL has tv rights, etc anyway. I would rather the club sign average or good at best players (look at Pedersen, Emerton, etc ok the former was linked to others but they probably watched him closely and realised he wasn't Champions League calibre) with an owner who can be trusted. Then draw interest with more creative marketing, etc. Of course there's mega rich people out there who might want a club but it's harder now with FUP, etc. Look at Milan with their relatively new owners already being stamped on by the filth at UEFA. Of course I wanted the trustees to spend more but that was their damn job not to be influenced by selfish, greedy relatives of the trust founder. Plus a takeover back then seemed more of a way forward whereas now it's one step with the risk of UEFA knocking you two steps back. Unless that changes I would be happy to see an owner come in and spend money on Pedersen/Emerton types, etc who might be around for a long time. Tugay would be another good example (obviously age was main reason there didn't seem to be any publicly known bids for him) as was Friedel though he left eventually. Flitcroft as well though he was signed in 1996 so the club obviously felt he was better than he actually was. Of course it turned out to be a pretty damn good deal in the long run.

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...and people who don't send crass e-mails using charity to try and buy a knighthood.

No. That's another Dave allegedly. Rice is rated quite highly from what I understand. Infact I selected him at a late stage in the season for my fantasy premier league team. Might even do so from the beginning next season.

Don't think "less glamorous" is the right term really especially when there's nothing remotely glamorous about Rowett. At least McCarthy has some personality. "Up and coming" would be more accurate and relevant when arguing in Rowett's favour over McCarthy.

Milan now facing sanctions from the scum at UEFA. Inter's outlook might be a little better having finished within the Champions League places (though I'm guessing they will still have to qualify) and help them keep Icardi as seems to be the main priority. https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/ac-milan-referred-over-alleged-fup-breaches

You mean issues with getting games postponed like cowards? Rowett was manager though and may have been happy with the postponement. If there's mentality issues sometimes it's the managers fault. Sometimes its the owners fault. Sometimes it's the manager, owners and the general fanbase at fault.

I don't think there's any significant difference between the clubs themselves other than Stoke obviously having financial advantages. Recall Birmingham being criticised for sacking Rowett but he wouldn't commit to them. Of course the issue was that they made a stupid appointment with Zola, briefly hired Redknapp and then appointed the boring Cotterill. From a contendership standpoint Monk at least makes some sense. The appointment may well work but it's typical Stoke really. Boring, unimaginative and won't shake up much. Lambert's not as boring as I initially thought he was (before joining this club) but once again he can't seem to stay on any kind of platform. Wolves wanted something different (and Lambert disagreed on policies) and that worked obviously. Would be ironic if Lambert ended up at Derby County now if he's even being considered. Firing Hughes wasn't a mistake by any means because Southampton arguably had a better squad and managers can be freshened up by new scenery. It must be a bit grating for Stoke and Hughes was lucky to get the Southampton role really. Hughes should have been looking at the likes of Derby now for his next role. Of course Stoke would be a bit hypocritical to say Hughes didn't deserve the Southampton job when they surprised people with Lambert's appointment which hasn't paid off.

Short was signed just after relegation and Gale was considered backup. Moran was already at the club before the takeover. Jack quite logically didn't like signing players over/approaching 30 (as Dalglish found out being so petty about Geoff Thomas) but given Gale was a free transfer an exception was made. Berg was signed back for a fee after Jack died but he was a title winner here PLUS Rovers were trying to get promoted. I absolutely believe Jack only sold him to United because he was approaching 30 (and how many other clubs were offering 5 million with Arsenal having an established back 4 and Chelsea paying a lot for Le Saux) and Henchoz was a younger replacement that made sense. Liverpool and Newcastle were not exactly associated with good defending in 97-98 and probably didn't make a bid. I remember shortly after Jack died that Souness said the club couldn't afford Berg. When the transfer went ahead I assumed it was some ploy to reduce the fee so put my initial worry aside. Of course compared to the later warning signs that was nothing in comparison.

Did Mowbray and Waggott (if latter is married) take their wifes with them? The budget could depend on whether "Madame" takes a liking to them or not. Also have either been spotted with a cat?

Yeah you can only assume without any real evidence it was people who Venkys fought a lawsuit against. . Kean was a far bigger insult not to mention a number of other things appointing incompetent clowns like Shaw and Singh even if the latter managed one major positive result. The Coyle stuff was tedious bullying and a much worse example to set to kids than some people running on a field. I like Bennett but a premeditated cheap shot 15 months in the making is pretty childish. Bowyer hardly ran intense training sessions either but that's glossed over even though it could have made a big difference between getting in the playoffs and finishing just outside/midtable. He's a bad football manager (not a bully like some people if it was Coyle in hospital his negative traits wouldn't be ignored) and since families are so important on here his son seems like a pretty well adjusted, decent young man who works with amputees, etc. FFS the man's been fired what more do people want? Other people have done worse and said some of the same things like defending Kean, etc. No right to lecture other people about petty grudges and their overall qualities as a human being. Once again on Warnock there's suggestions he was asking too much for limited hours. Tan presumably offered more because I can't see him letting someone work 2 days a week. As for Tan he made one error with the shirts but what have Cardiff ever really done? Leeds United did sod all when Revie decided to change their shirts and as far as I know people didn't complain. Some mocked him for choosing a similar design to Real Madrid but besides that what else? Some of the stuff om Tan was xenophobia of the highest order with all the Bond villain stuff. I remember looking at Mackay and just detecting this aura of arrogance. There was something about him I just didn't like and nothing to do with him being Scottish. Of course he turned out to be an even worse person and Tan was right to fire him anyway. Over 10 million on a "project" was how Mackay put one signing. Kean would have been slaughtered for that and rightly so.

Think about the kids who might have been upset if Bolton were relegated. Hope no fans ran on the pitch there either kids don't need to be exposed to such frightening scenes. Speaking of MK Dons Stuart were you one of those praising Robinson yesterday? OK he was protecting his players but having worked there he's hardly a champion of football fans rights is he? As for Wimbledon I can't help thinking no revenge is likely to make up for anything MK did really. Kinda like if Venkys leave it will most likely be their choice rather than hounded out. Blackpool fans have probably come the closest to getting true revenge with the Oystons falling apart (even if it's Belokon really who instigated it) but will still be left scarred.

There was that game when Dickov scored the winner there just after Christmas. Birmingham City lucky Lowe's had injury issues. Besides that I don't really care about Birmingham with all the Savage stuff ages ago and under a previous regime. As for Bolton Wanderers only real relevance is Rovers need to repeat what they have done at the very least having also been promoted in 2nd. Though hopefully without going right down to the wire and finishing higher than 21st. I certainly think that's achievable though can't say I'm as confident as Dack came across yesterday about another promotion next year!

A few people can't stare at the away fans all game from up close. It's not that big a deal. It saves a few minor costs as well.