2 minutes ago, matt83 said:

Don’t buy this 30 years old antiquated training ground bullshit. It’s currently the highest category it can be. They’re making it sound like a dusty relic from the 1920s. But why? Ask the question who stands to earn out of this particularly as waggott is claiming any money generated will go into redeveloping the training ground. So nothing suggested will reduce debt or improved the playing side of things. When the stadium is crumbling, £200 million in debt, no defenders would you waste money on “improving” something to the same standard it already is. It’s illogical unless someone pushing it stands to earn out of it. 

How can it be. Anything built 30 years ago is going to need renovating to a level but football has changed massively in that time and 30 years in football may as well be dog years. Remember when Shearer went for 15 million and everyone stood back. Today that's 150 million plus which just shows how things change and that was less than 30 years ago.

I'm not saying it's a rusty wreck but let's remember we had frozen pitches and trained at Ewood a couple of times this year which we all know is not Premier League standard. The proposal mentioned in parts at addressing that kind of thing.

Just now, Rogerb said:

It's a question of trust Southside there is little of that left. How do you feel about the potential loss of cat 1 status?

Of course it is about trust and clearly their is none from the majority. I'm in the minority I know that.

Losing cat 1 status would be a disaster but the club acknowledged that and I don't see that is the intention. I see a proposal that intends on retaining that status whilst generating funds and setting the club for the next 20 years by investing into the infrastructure. 

Time will tell, maybe I'll have to come back cap in hand, maybe I'll get some apologies when and if it happens and we know whether that trust was well placed or not.

1 hour ago, Wovers said:

Don’t take him on, Stuart. Clearly a bit simple.

Simple yes if only you knew. Simple because I see things differently.... 

Just now, Mattyblue said:

Hate change? You’ll find we’d love things to change Southside, as we’ve watched the same shite on and off the pitch for a decade now...

Love change? They propose change and its ridiculed.

As I say I've been on here a week or so and it's toxic. If anyone offers any opinion or perspective from a different angle they are shot down.

I'll say again its a proposal, for me it makes some sense and I don't see much other choices in the world we live if we want to kick on. It needs to kick on on the pitch but it has to have foundations behind it, the same as Mr Walker did before. Again as I said before, Walker carried respect and trust heading in so its recieved positively and was replacing nothing really. No matter what is suggested unless they paid solely from their own pockets, it will be ridiculed. 

2 minutes ago, matt83 said:

Could it not simply be waggott is a chancer who initially blagged his way into a £300,000 a year job through his mate wagga. Then since being at a rudderless football club on decent money, with no leadership from the top, he’s spotted an opportunity to further feather his nest by converting a category one football training ground/academy into a category one training ground/academy. 

If that's your opinion Matt, that's up to you. It's not mine based on some of the points made previously. 

It doesn't matter if I live in Torquay or Blackburn. I'm still a fan and a regular in the days we all could. Where I live has got nothing to do with me giving an opinion.

I am as frustrated as the rest in regards to Mowbray as I've shared so not sure why it makes me "Steve". You contradict yourselves.

My point is the club has stabilised from where it was, plenty of others besides me have commented on that but it's TM that gets the credit as he is the public face. I'm not saying its perfect and turned around but it's in a better state than it was. 

I work in a sector that's full of people who hate change and always want everything to stay the same, much like here. I've achieved a lot in my career but nearly always the change is greeted with resistance and negativity yet through the right involvement and communication I can get people on board and make each project or change a success. The communication ball's up last weekend hasn't helped but from a week on this forum its clear to me that the only thing me "Steve" lol or the owners can do is leave. No matter what they suggest or try will never be right or accepted.

I'm not deluded, I'm not gullible I just agree on the way forward given the limited resources, space etc to make that possible. 

Very little income for 12 months and the club announces these plans and strengthen both in the summer and with a little business in January. Where do we think the money comes from? Alternative is cash in on Armstrong maybe Dack if he finds form and then the daggers will be out for that. Its a similar mindset to a nation that expects a government to have a bottomless pit of cash to support everyone's needs but can never do right from wrong because the armchair keyboard warriors are Pep in disguise, CEO in the making, prime minister in the making. Truth is we know very little, next to nothing of what goes on and yet judge mostly in hindsight based on snippets and rumours. 

If I was Venkys and read some of the stuff on here, I'd pull out and see how long the club stood, hand it over to the fans and let these know all masters on here take the club into Europe. Forget Hughes and Bellamy, we've got Stuart and Wovers!!!

48 minutes ago, booth said:

What were his other options?

Ask his wife. What kind of a question is that? No one on this forum would know or have any business knowing.

12 hours ago, Stuart said:

Interesting perspective.

”I get the negativity but”

”Open minded about the proposal” [in which people who are already billionaires make more money - purpose unknown]

“Mr Walker” 🤔

If this is really about modernising Rovers then I will be hugely surprised. So far the downsizing proposals don’t appear to accommodate local planning issues, let alone ensuring Cat 1 status. The appear to be about freeing up valuable land.

What in particular about the proposals, and the way it was announced, gives you cause to be optimistic about this?

Perhaps you haven't read today's interview or you are naturally anti change? Perhaps you still travel by horse and cart? Maybe even scribe messages into the rocks?

Please don't feel the need to question my optimism as some can see the positives and do have an element of trust. Its a proposal and yet you sound like someone who has just heard the club has folded.

Do we really believe the whole stability piece was just Mowbray? Do we think Waggott would come to a club in millions of pounds of debt and slipping into obscurity just to sell off some land for some houses? I think there would be much more attractive options than where the club was when they came in and more importantly where it was heading.

I wrote what I did last night and to me, today's interview only confirmed where my head was with a little more detail. A lot of what is talked about is what many clubs have done other than start fresh at a new ground and base which usually gets criticised as the history is lost etc.

Bernd Storck I tell thee and I'm not his brother, agent etc. 😄

17 hours ago, Stuart said:

Billionaires selling off the Crown Jewels of Jack Walker’s legacy in the best interests of the club.

No, I’m struggling with that one.

Depends how you look at it. I get the negativity because of what has gone on before but they have stepped back and they have bank rolled the club through a pandemic with little income compared to a regular season but the players and staff still cost the same in wages and they have supported in strengthening all of which has been done with no definite end to all this and a return to normality. Why do we think Venkys should treat the club differently to any of their other interests. Is it right to make thousands of people redundant in India in favour of spending 600k on a left back? 

I personally am open minded to the proposal. Yes it's smaller, yes its selling off something that was state of the art 30 years ago but even the great Mr Walker would accept the need to modernise and move forward, its just a shame he isn't still here to over see it and make it happen as he had that trust and status which until the Venkys achieve something significant, most won't accept, some will never accept. If a new state of the art facility can be provided albeit smaller and generate funds its not the worse thing to happen. If Mr Walker was still about and made the same call it would be recieved completely the opposite way around. Yes it was his to do what he wanted with but people would see the positive in it.

Mowbray himself banged on at the start of the season that we should be top 6 which even if that was ambitious, it wasn't ridiculous. I'm pretty sure the transfer window backing was based around a similar commitment. I didn't expect anything in January after the Summer work but to me it looked like he was saying we are nearly there, we just need a bit more. 

I personally think there will be a change as its clear its now out of reach so why waste time with someone incapable. Better to start planning for next year in the hope positive signs with the right coach may convince others to stay or even join.

Venkys still get a lot of stick and I understand that but for me they have stayed away from interfering, they have backed us financially and whilst it's a sour debate, maybe their plans for the training pitches do have the best interests at heart whilst raising much needed cash. Until I see plans I don't have an opinion but they aren't football people and if they are advised it's the way to go whilst supporting the club financially, why wouldn't they listen to the people they employ. 

I believe Venkys will make that change as I think as business people they will recognise and can see a slide and performance drops like the rest of us. And they have seen it before as we have been inconsistent for a long time.

5 hours ago, LeftWinger said:

Not sure you can class 53 games out of 92 as "nearly every game".

Just looking at the stats - he made 39 league starts in 2 seasons in the Championship. He made a further 12 substitute appearances.

Well that he was fit and available for it was nearly every game. He missed at least 16 matches over that same period with a ligament injury keeping him out for 3 months so when you factor in the time to get back up to fitness, it's not bit part as was quoted previously. 

Dack and Travis have played less but would we refer to them in 3 years time as bit part?

I think the market is tricky if you look purely at the unemployed.

Lamport mentioned but he himself makes some strange tactical decisions although does do well with a limited budget and a young team.

Eddie Howe would be an interesting prospect having worked with a tight budget and a decent brand of football at times.

Benitez is a pipe dream but I think a chap called Bernd Storck makes for an interesting read albeit in work but wouldn't be a costly appointment. He has done the impossible many times and proving himself again in the Slovak league with underdogs.

4 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

17 and 22 starts in the Championship.

Not sure of your source but if you include Premiership season I agree. The two years in the championship were 22 and 31 according to my source without wishing to turn this into the Tom Trybull thread. Point is I don't agree he was bit part, he was a key player in their championship seasons but wasn't cut out for the Premier league and thus like Douglas has found himself surplus and back in the Championship only he's not shown us anything either

Trybull bit part player??? 80 appearances in 3 seasons? Bit part in the Premier league but played nearly every game of their league campaign in the 2 Championship years he was with Norwich 

So perhaps all points against us at the moment don't count coz we are in a crisis? We could play that same match against Derby, Wycombe or Coventry now as they were and we'd draw at best.

My point is there was an energy, drive, passion, belief and above all a slickness that even in the closer games teams couldn't live with so yes top 6 was possible but all of that has gone so is it the squad or something else?

Did you feel that way when Coventry, Derby and Wycombe were torn apart or right now following this dismal run? 2 to 3 months ago this team were the top scorers in the league with Armstrong toe to toe with Toney as top scorer which after 3 or 4 games fine, but so far into the season it showed this squad had real promise.

The last transfer window should have strengthened the gaps and with injuries returning it was looking up, plus the run of results where they showed they can grind out a result when not at it and nick a last minute winner like all th ebest teams can do.

I personally think the team has stopped playing for TM because like most fans they can see this opportunity going to waste.

I could be wrong but the players also seem eerily quiet in their support perhaps further enhanced by the lack of commitment through contract extensions apart from 2 youngsters who have plenty to prove at this level