Riverside under the drip

The latest little insights from the Ewood Express this time around: More comments than usual of: "They're soooooo bad!". What is the point of trying to attract fans if they watch us play rubbish? Of course they won't give up the glory hunting if watching that dross is the alternative. The legends game afterwards was actually more entertaining for them. They couldn't distinguish current Rovers players from old ones as they had never heard of any of them (several asked me if Shearer would play as they know him from TV) so they enjoyed seeing us create and score more. The 45 minute wait between games was taking the piss for primary school children after getting bored in the first game. THE BIG ONE in terms of a shambles: No running water i.e. no flushing toilets or running taps for hundreds of little germ factories. The club couldn't even provide basic sanitation in our own stadium. Ludicrous...

Sorry but this bit tickled me (in a very gallows humour way). There is literally no-one else sat within 10 seats to right of left and 3 rows forward and back of my mum and I.

What I find most extraordinary about the whole farce is the immediate (factual) pointing to the river levels as if that absolves us of all responsibility for our own ground. Random football fan/website - "What a joke that Championship Blackburn can't keep their pitch drained in this day and age!" Ultra-defensive Rovers fan - "I think you'll find it's not our fault because river levels..." This argument completely ignores the absurd point that our drainage system will only work during those periods when rain is not heavy enough to fill a small river. Now it could have cost us valuable points. Just perhaps we need a new system. Wonder if they'll stump the necessary cash...

That's just a Plymouth shirt. If there's a link to the town, I fail to see it. 2 down, no purchases for me yet...

Honestly, I thought the pink one was top notch. It was clearly the popular choice around town this year. As a XL wearer away from Rovers kits, I needed 3XL which I then took into town to get shortened and the fit was worryingly fine. I may be 'big' but I'm bloody well not 3XL big! I would have got a home shirt this year if it had been very '150th' themed. I may or may not get an away as it depends on the design. Any special one-off 150th bonus shirt would need to be football style (in material) rather than the cotton rugby jersey for me as I don't like heavy fabric.

I'll be honest, this little spat appears to be quite personal to you. Your position is clear. You don't like fans questioning the status quo and you have a real problem with fans who actually stand up for the club at their own expense (time, money and mental). Glen Mullan (who I've never met but seems a reasonable, passionate bloke who does all he can for Rovers) can do as he likes and certainly doesn't have to justify his actions to me or you.

The ONLY reason I will go next year is because my mum would like me to go to keep her company. I look forward to serious protests and imagining the creatures in the directors' box squirming. I can only pray that we are closer to the end than the beginning now that people are getting energised.

Easter is coming up. There are many things egg-related in the shops which wouldn't be a danger to complain about but would be the same theme. Should someone want to disrupt games, of course...

Give quiche a chance but the abbreviation is a bit of a drawback... 😉

Not in my experience. The numbers involved are so much lower, any fan likely to give up on the main team would not be the sort to attend these games in the first place (generally speaking). Lots of those who attend youth games are actually family members of the players or other age groups and their families too along with scouts etc so would not be boycotting (for want of a better word).

I think the trend seems to be that we're a novelty to be explored. The vast majority are not going to get their families to take them. Full stop. Many parents have even asked where they're going and who is playing when they drop them off! The goal is to get them to consider us as a form of weekend entertainment when they enter late teens. That does seem to be happening anecdotally (at least to me)...

Not been on here since as I was out most of yesterday and it was a late one back getting kids home. Our Ewood Express kids had the time of their lives and were chanting "We Won!" the entire bus ride back. It was a timely reminder that our pre-occupation as adults with the misery of what was and what might be never gets into a 7 year-old's head. They joined in with the thunder claps even though they got words wrong for most of the chants; they jumped up and down; they panicked whenever PNE got in our half and they generally enjoyed their night out. What I noticed was that our trip was open to Y3-6 but mostly got taken up by the Y3s and 4s (half and half girls and boys). The older lads have already been lost to the 'big clubs'. Obviously some of them just enjoyed the experience and ate their snacks with their friends but some were really into it from start to finish. I know one lad said his family got tickets to the Wolves game. It really is beginning to work...

Thanks for that. It never once occurred to me that the name being mentioned all the time wouldn't be a goal-scorer. Personally, I think goals FAR outweighs any other issue and width is a distant second even though at this point they're all really glaring needs. No-one could possibly accept no more strikers surely?!

It's an interesting (ish) thought experiment to guess what could be the bare minimum we get done that will get people congratulating Waggott/Venkys and saying, "See they have backed us after all!" My guess is one youngish forward prospect with no goals (Kargbo or someone similar) and a last minute loan midfielder (another Clarkson, Morton type). Neither would solve our glaring weaknesses of reliable goals and pace down the wings. Both would have numpties telling us all to stop criticising and 'give the lad time' as if we've got that luxury. It's beyond pathetic that a couple with slight potential would probably keep the masses happy when 5 or 6 guaranteed first-team starters are needed to keep us going IMO (GK, possibly LB for the long-term, CM, LW, RW and #9 striker).

We're on the Ewood Express again for this so there'll be a bit of excited noise up in the top of the BBE. Our lot are a bit of a jinx as we lost to Bristol the first time they came, the Blackpool game got cancelled due to the FA Cup and we drew with Plymouth last season. I don't hold out much hope but at least some little people are buzzing about it...