Always seemed a bit of reluctance to play him from the bald rat, must've been on massive appearance wonga or something. Should have been our second tier version of Roque because he certainly still had quality.

I think Allardyce was having a pretty good hint early on as to why the club wasn't learning season after season that you have to invest when you are in a position to go up. Rudy's dumb answer was basically oh well that wasn't the plan. Big Sam was more or less saying i'd be pushing the owners for investment in Jan so why aren't you/your mates doing so ?

And all that would be far more acceptable and understandable if it was being done with less wealthy hands on ownership who had an interest in and cared about the club and fans. People who have no choice but to run it like that but are genuinely following a long term plan to try for the Prem or seek extra investment to do so. Non of which applies to this lot, the ownership and fans are back to just providing a platform for a set of individuals to profit from the club whilst feeding their own egos and ambitions regardless of where we end up.

Eustace wanted experience and a bit of quality to help push for promotion and obviously prevent the previous seasons near relegation happening again. Which was caused in part by filling the squad with kids and bringing in poor cheap back up players to develop who offered nothing when called upon. So what do the 'powers' inside the club do ? Give him a few token signings then insist on the 30% youth pathway being re-implemented to which Eustace obviously wasn't onboard. So that was probably the beginning of the end for him as he wouldn't comply to the Suhail cheapo project. Rudy has let the cat out the bag there quietly if you listen closely to that interview then he says they wanted someone for the 'project' long term, so they hire a guy with more clubs than Rory under his belt. Grow another team over a few seasons, sell it, pay down borrowings and % for snouts in the trough and go again, their gravy train continues whilst fans are expected to pay towards it yet expect nothing but having a team on the pitch.

When Rovers were a really potless outfit in the 80's they were known throughout the game for the top notch Northern hospitality and boardroom spread that put many bigger clubs to shame. They also managed to produce a matchday programme regularly voted the best in the league. Now under these people the programmes were completely ditched a few years ago and the hospitality for visiting press is virtually non existent. As pointed out it quite rightly sums up the whole operation and embarrassing it's pointed out on a podcast.

Same as Mowbrays final season when sitting near the top as the window opened in January it was obvious promotion or play weren't part of that plan. They'd slashed the budget and started to transition to youth, he scrapped his ridiculous possession football that saw a good squad limp to 15th and there was suddenly a bit of freshness around the place. What happens in Jan, oh bring in a couple of squaddies for peanuts, another 'development kid' and ignore the managers call for trading a saleable player and bring in much needed firepower. Cue the first weak crumble away, i blamed TM for the poor window but now i'm not so sure although he has to shoulder some of it but there was clearly nothing coming from above to encourage a top 6 finish other than 'as you were'.

The main takeaway from that is he is as green as the grass and just reading from a very well briefed script. Clearly Eustace didn't think much of him he tried to wriggle around that one then tripped himself up a bit. In the style of the Pheonix club clairvoyant i'm getting the words 'Agents vehicle' again. A mere coincidence that there is now a lot of wheeling and dealing going to be done and short term contracts handed out from season to season and hey presto a new gang suddenly forms inside the club !

He's an arrogant entitled tosser that much has been clear a while, Rudy Gestede is here for Rudy Gestede nothing more. They look at fans as irrelevant just turn up pay your money and applaud politely at all times and swallow what you're given whilst we play real life footy manager and fill our pockets. The line about we are going to spend to go up and then spend to win the Prem FFS !!!! Who the hell do they think they are talking to.

Which again points to it being done on purpose and the court case is nothing more than a convenient distraction providing the perfect excuse. These people are billionaires regardless of the court case relating to one of their companies big Barry could chuck in a few million any time he felt like it but they never do that because it's all ultimately run through the VH group accounts, or as some would say their massive borrowings. He could set up a separate business to run Rovers and even temporarily transfer ownership whilst the alleged restrictions are in place if he chose to but again it would need personal finance instead of bleeding the main company. If you listen to a few old Mowbray interviews he knew the downscale was coming a year or two before it did the hints are all there. They've permanently pulled the drawbridge up and there is only one way the club is going over the next few years unless they drop it again or sell to appropriate buyers. By then Swaghail and co will be long gone having bled the carcass dry but for now keeping the club purposely hovering around midtable being primarily a selling club trying to breed its own players good enough to play a season or two and punt on, even at youth level, is a handy niche for them and their agent pals. The owners ? They just aren't bothered as long as their logo flashes on all these televised games and the phone only rings when it has to.

He's possibly on the B list of a play off club. If we miss out we'll sign you for next seasons promotion push but if we go up sorry we'll be signing from our A list. So it might be a long wait but then again it could just be down to seeing what next seasons budget actually is here and getting owners approval to offer him better terms. That's unlikely to happen until the annual summer Venky HQ meeting anywhere between June and August 🤨

I don't think it's the actual aim i just don't think some of them way up in the top offices care if it happens because it will present other opportunities that are already known. Such as owners getting away with sponsoring club annually for less money rather than the benefactor model, downgrade academy and fit everything onto one site - already mentioned a few years ago. Then flogging off whatever they can to pay for it all and take their commission. Already tried but thwarted. Listen to Suhail words in the interview about everyone expecting us to be relegated last season, they absolutely know running with the model they now do it's a massive risk and it's inevitable sooner or later. So why do it ? Why not manage upwards and tell the owners we really need a bit extra to strengthen and guard against the drop, instead it's just a shoulder shrug and a prayer or two then wing it.

The previous 30% youth policy under Broughton, under money saving instruction from his bosses, nearly got us relegated and they had to get Eustace in to stop that rot. If Ismael doesn't get some backing he'll finish the job but i remain convinced some inside Ewood would be more than happy with a new low level low cost league 1 BRFC.

Kean never being anywhere near any kind of job in England since here as always struck me as a bit suspect and he even bolted Scotland once he'd landed a job back there. Must be some tax dodging reason or something seeing as so many in football bought his victim card but no one has had him near any level of English club. Dodgy b'sard.

Not defending them for 1 sec but the questions have been answered albeit by the billy bullhitters classed as CEO & COO. The fraud squad over there haven't turned anything up yet other than miss spending money sent for the football club on personal property. They CAN send money but don't want to because of the alleged pound for pound guarantee. Unless the investigation suddenly blows up then we have to assume it's nothing other than them being clueless on certain things as usual. The focus at the min is on this end and those who are seemingly now running this club into the ground bit by bit.

The Ewood bean counters will be happy with a million in compen and the saving of not having to hand out a shiny 3 or 4 year weekly double figure contract. Win win for them then they can put five grand a week towards a young loanee. They are gaining a lump sum instead of committing several mill over a contract and they have a small wage to reinvest. It's the stuff CEO & COO bonuses are handed out for !

Absolutely must keep this fella but i dread to think what terms they might offer him. Here Danny 1 year with a year extension but your wages are halved.....

Oh aye he'd be aware of it no doubt but probably not daft enough to get mixed up in it if indeed anyone else actually was of course.

Doubt he had anything to do with the Brockhall stuff there were/are others in up to their necks in that and he didn't strike me as being interested in anything other than the football side of things. However the whole Hedges thing was a bit ropey in my eyes.

Mowbray certainly provided a great front of house shield for everyone else, something he was more than happy to do. He did well out of the club it was good for him and he was decent for it on a number of levels. Everyone has a shelf life though and in the end they shafted him as well by the looks of it.

Big Val's Blue & White army.... 👊

Probably also collecting a nice loyalty bonus as they exit the departure lounge. The people running this club cannot get anything right can they, the sales of the likes of Wharton and Sammie just cover the shitshow and allow it to keep rolling along.

Don't see the point of the safe standing proposed by these clowns unless it's nothing more than a bit of fake virtue signalling. Either do it properly with at least 1500 in the middle across the back or don't bother as it'll have very little impact on the atmosphere.

Definitely has a touch of the Sir Bobby about him personality wise in that he absolutely lives and breathes the game. Not many would go again after such a serious bout of illness but footy is his life that's why i hope he carries on but somewhere that is more suited to where he's at both as a gaffer and personally.

Just like for years we were calling for an early bird discount then when they knock 30 quid off it's on the back of the worst season in years to a backdrop of more budget cuts and player sales. Then they look around in bewilderment because sales don't fly. Complete idiots.

Those kind of keepers are gone its been a dying art to command the box for a few years now. One after another we'll say the same things but i'm encouraged by what iv'e seen from Toth so far, he's certainly better than Leo.