The club has been in decline for eleven years Rev. Mowbray, Venus and Waggott have been here for nearly five. Venkys have been here for eleven. To me the manager etc are merely a symptom of the problem - the problem being those in Pune who really don't know, nor care about how to run a football club.

And yet our owners clearly think it is if they keep him until the end of the season.

After an 18 month break this was the first long distance midweek trip that I swore I would never do again. Like a fool that needs the drug of following Rovers I crawl into bed at 3.30 am this morning after witnessing another inept performance. I'll readily admit that I was happy with Mowbray for the first 18 months of his time at the club. I felt he steadied a ship that was rapidly sinking. But, like Bob Saxton before him - and I think that are huge parallels between the managers - there comes a point when a change of direction is needed. For me we are long past that point. However, I don't believe that Mowbray is totally responsible for the state this club is in. Those responsible reside on another continent, have little interest in the club and their complete indifference to it is clear for all to see. We are going to lose some of the few decent players we have left because the club refuses to pay the going rate for Championship footballers. So the likes of Nyambe, Rotherwell, Lenihan and Brereton will disappear at some point whilst we bring in more kids like Poveda and Clarkson on loan to fill the ever increasing gaps. Last night's performance was pitiful. I think it was 80 minutes or so before we had a shot on target. Our midfield was non-existent with QPR players able to run 20 yards or more with the ball and challenges were there none. Clarkson looked lost, Danny Butterworth hasn't played any meaningful football for months and then suddenly thrown in and expected to perform miracles with little or no service. The three centre-back system doesn't with Mowbray. It never has and it never will particularly as we don't have the quality of player to make it work. If Ayala ever gets injured we are royally stuffed. Oh for the days of Souness, Kendall or Don Mackay at this level. Guys who knew that you needed seasoned pros who could get the job done. But this is Venky's Blackburn Rovers so we will carry doing the same things year in and year out and nothing will change. For it to change you have to care and in the eleven years they've been here they've never shown the slightest inclination that they care about the club and the community around it. At the moment this club is like a re-run of the late sixties at Ewood with the inevitable relegation just around the corner. The only difference being we didn't have so called billionaire owners in the sixties.

Totally agree about Hilton. The lad looks the best of the young goalkeepers we have and he's built similar to Friedel.

I'm sure his agent would advise otherwise. Every player has a 'moment' and this seems to be Brereton's. Like Armstrong he needs to make the most of it if he has ambitions of playing at a higher level. He's not going to get Premier League football with Rovers that's for sure. Having said that, even if he signs a contract the Rovers will be quick to sell in the summer if the right bid comes along. Sadly, we are no longer a club that can retain players with ambition as our club has lacked any sort of ambition for some time now.

He hasn't looked good in the last two under-23 games. Personally would prefer Carter at right-back and Magloire in the centre of defence.

Thoroughly enjoyable game at York's new ground tonight. First half was a very even affair but Leeds got on top after the break. Then, for some strange reason, they lost their way and allowed Rovers back in the game. The referee and his fellow officials completely lost the plot near the end which resulted in numerous bookings and a red card. The ref failed to notice that he'd booked Miller twice and the fourth official had to come onto the field to tell the ref that he needed to show a red. Quite how Cirino and Leo Hjede managed to avoid getting sent off - they weren't even booked - after their scuffle I'll never know. Instead the ref started waving the yellow card at several players players and as things went from bad to worse the Rovers grabbed an equaliser. It really was excellent entertainment with both sides playing some really attractive football at times. Sam Burns and Joe Ferguson did really well for Rovers and Ferguson looks a very promising right-back. Sadly McBride had another poor game and Jake Garrett struggled in midfield. Bradley Johnson did well in the first half but then gave Leeds a helping hand to take the lead. The Under-23's really do need to sort out the defensive side of the game because they are averaging three goals a game being conceded at the moment. York's new ground is very impressive for a club playing at the level they are. Sadly, I suspect I'll have had more entertainment tonight than I will at Ewood tomorrow.

Hardly news. It's always been the case that the next season's kit is sorted twelve months in advance.

Ged Brennan and Andy Gray coach the Stanley under-23's. I thought I saw Jimmy Bell on the touchline as well. Clarkson played in midfield and looked like a little boy lost against a physical Stanley side. Phillips too, for the second game in succession, came crashing down to earth in terms of how he played. McBride and Brennan were very poor and look a long, long way off being ready for the first team. I think many are overestimating where some of our younger players are at the moment.

Well our present owners certainly don't appear to be Rovers fans. Over a decade of total mismanagement from them and no sign of them improving things at Ewood.

Unfortunately, we don't have a proper and organised transfer plan for any window. We have panic and short term thinking which is why we have so many loans each season. Mowbray himself said you can't build a club on loans and yet that is exactly what we have spent the last two years doing. The reckless spending brought in Gallagher and Brereton - two players who will not give a return on our investment. Relying on the Academy is OK up to a point but how many teams have been built on purely Academy players - United is about the only one I can think of in recent years. You say we have wonderful prospects in our Academy and Under-23's but that is all they are - prospects. I remember when people were talking in glowing terms of players like John Fitzgerald - who cost serious money when we brought him into our Academy - Jerome Watt, Andy Taylor Ciaran Donnelly, Steve Foster etc. The list is endless of prospects who, for one reason or another, don't progress. It's only eighteen months ago that people were saying that Lewis Thompson would be our left-back for years to come but he was released in the summer. The Championship, in particular, is a League that requires some experience and know-how. Saturday was a prime example of how thin we are in terms of players who know how to manage and win a game.

A good point in the end. I thought we looked better after we brought our three subs on. I suspect Championship football is going to come as a shock to Poveda and Clarkson who looked completely lost at times. We desperately need seasoned pros who can put themselves about or we are going to get bullied in this League on a regular basis. I thought we looked better with Buckley and Dolan who at least put themselves about. Gallagher looked better in the middle, worked hard and scored a cracking goal. Brereton was awful and for a so called international footballer his first touch is shocking. I thought Ayala was excellent again in the centre of defence and we desperately need to keep him fit. Eight points from the games we've had is a decent return considering the squad we have.

Do you really believe the club is in better shape now than before these owners arrived? Cost cutting is going on throughout the club. If the owners actually showed an interest in running the club and not simply settle for writing cheques every few months we might get somewhere. At the moment we are run like a League One club rather than a club looking to return to the top flight. Fitting I suppose as the only way we will get out of the Championship with these owners is by dropping into League One.

To be honest Rev, I've been far from impressed by Pickering as a defender.

Must admit that I was pleased last night that I went back on my decision not to do away games this season. Thoroughly enjoyed the trip last night - apart from the journey back and the usual motorway problems that seem to accompany mid-week games. I thought Ayala was outstanding in the centre of defence and totally agree with arbitro that Carter should be retained this season and be part of our squad. Playing at right-back he handled most things thrown at him. Must admit that I'm far from convinced about our left-back who seems somewhat one-paced and rather too easily beaten. It was a good team performance with Travis being an absolute workhorse in midfield. With Buckley and Rothwell not having a tackle between them it's left to Travis to do the donkey work and he covered every blade of grass last night putting in the sort of tackles needed in midfield. Last night showed results are everything. Forest fans clearly unhappy with Hughton - even singing 'you don't know what you're doing' at one point when he made a substitution. Rovers fans cheerfully chanting for 'Mowbray's blue and white army' and the usual 'Mowbray is our king' nonsense. Some things don't change - Gavin Ward is still an exceptionally poor excuse for a referee. Some of his decision making is beyond baffling.