Parsonblue

To be honest I would prefer to see Magloire and Carter being given opportunities this season instead of Ayala.

I watched that 64-65 team and yes it was a cracking side - one of the best I've seen at Ewood. But Pickering wanted away due to the wage situation at Ewood. Local businessmen who had limited finances were suddenly thrust into a situation were it was impossible to compete with the big city clubs in terms of wages. The likes of Bill Bancroft and Bill Fox did a great job - often under appreciated at the time I admit - to keep us competitive on little or no money. John Williams and Tom Finn ran the club superbly on limited finances compared with other Premier League clubs. The owners made mistakes when they first got involved with the club and whilst one could understand initial mistakes the fact that ten years later the club continues its downward spiral suggests that they still haven't a clue how to run a football club. Throwing £20 million a year at it and not coming close to getting anywhere near the play-offs, let alone promotion, is not a sign of good ownership it's a sign of complete incompetence. After 60 years of supporting this club I feel totally despondent about the future of this club. I've renewed my season ticket more out of habit than anything else. For the first time in more years than I care to remember I will not spend money renewing my away travel season ticket - partly due to Covid and partly due to the mind-numbing football that we play. Our squad this season is weaker than last and frankly if we finish fourth from bottom I will view that as an excellent outcome. As many on here will tell you, I've been one that has been prepared to give the owners time to get it right but, sadly, I've come to the conclusion that they will never get it right because they just aren't interested in the club.

At the end of the day all roads lead back to Venkys just have they have for the past decade. Every decision they have made has taken us further and further away from where we want and need to be. If the owners were unhappy with Mowbray they would get rid of him. Clearly, as he is still here they are content for him to continue.

Why are they going to sort it out now Rev? It's been ten years and counting. The names change from time to time - Shebby, Hunt, Senior, Shaw etc/ Kean, Berg, Appleton, Coyle - but club continues it's never ending downward spiral. To change things they have to be interested and that's something they haven't shown since they bought the club. As for the today the main plus for me was being able to go to a football game with friends and enjoy a social occasion. As for the game I thought Barnes and Carter looked good at the back, whilst Butterworth and McBride showed promise up front. The predictable was Johnson and Vale coming off injured.

I've heard that a negative lateral flow test is required for Fylde on Saturday.

After ten years of their ownership we are now more of a League One set-up than Premier League. One might have thought that at some point during the last decade they might have asked themselves why the club has never been near the top six let alone challenging for promotion. One would have thought they might have asked themselves 'what is it that we are getting wrong and how can we change things for the better.' Sadly, we don't seem to have reached that stage and next season will be more of the same and although I've renewed my season ticket, I'll take fourth from bottom now as a result!

Clicked the link but its just the old site that comes up.

My point Rev, is that they are still making the same mistakes as they did ten years ago. They may well stump up another £20m p.a. for the next ten years and we will be no nearer the Premier League than we are today. They've been changing managers and CEO's for a decade and we are still light years away from where the club was when they bought it. Yes we need change at every level but that isn't going to happen until those at the top - in India - start to get their decision making right and from what I can see there is no sign of that happening. PS - Hope you and the family are keeping well during these difficult times.

Which is why the problem remains with the people who appointed Waggott in the first place and who are happy for him and Mowbray etc to continue in position. No wonder the owners are happy to keep them in position to attract all the flak and take it off them. If the owners didn't like the job he was doing they could remove him - in the same way they've done with other administrators they've employed. Clearly they must be happy with the way things are going or they would act.

Agree. You can't compare the present crop with these players. I'm just glad I was able to see all of them performing for Rovers.

I'm sorry Rev but I simply don't believe that the owners were not involved in the attempt to sell the training ground. It couldn't be sold without their approval or knowledge. It's fantasy to believe otherwise imo.

To be honest Rev we are this point in our history because our owners can't hack how to run a football club. They have been here ten years and still haven't a clue how football works or how a football club is run. If the manager remains it's because the owners are happy with him to remain. When they are not they will appoint another who will operate within the boundaries that they set. Since relegation from the Premier League we have had a variety of managers and none have been able to get us anywhere near the play-offs - something that Don Mackay was able to do on next to no budget whilst Bob Saxton had us at the top end with no money. The common dominator with regard to ten years of failure remains the owners. Sadly, Blackburn Rovers are just another example of how football has evolved over the past twenty years or so. So many clubs are now just one part of a portfolio of billionaires who operate on a global stage. The football that I first grew in love with sixty years ago has gone forever at the professional level. I suspect Accrington Stanley is the closest I can get to it in this area.

I must admit that my decision, like many of my generation I suspect, will be based on how safe I feel with regard to Covid-19 and what arrangements are in place with regard to what happens if grounds are closed again. There are so many unknowns with regard to next season with regard to social distancing, lateral flow tests, etc. that I would need far more clarity before making a decision. I certainly don't see my away travel season ticket being something that is going to be renewed as I don't believe away fans will be allowed in grounds during the first half of next season. The past twelve months away from football has totally changed my attitude to the game in so many ways. From going to two or three live games every week to none was a shock to the system. However, you realise that it's the social side that you miss and not always the 90 minutes of dross that is put in front of you. Over the sixty years I've followed Rovers, the manager, players or staff has never come into my thinking with regard to renewing a season ticket. Rovers has been my club, the club that generations of my family have supported that my friends all support. Turning away from it would have been unthinkable to me - now not so much. When I look at what is happening in India at the moment, what has happened throughout the world during the past twelve months, you realise that football really isn't that important in the scheme of things. It's why I can no longer get really worked up about the shortcomings of the manager. Yes he's reached the end of the line but then I think Venky's must surely have more important things to address with their wealth in India rather than worrying about where we finish in the Championship.

Coventry have just confirmed on their website that they have been placed under a transfer embargo. It appears that Coventry took up the Government's offer of file company accounts late during the pandemic. However, as the EFL rules don't permit it they have been placed under a transfer embargo. Another example of the EFL not being fit for purpose.

Must admit that I enjoyed that game. Two sides playing some decent stuff. Norwich have a touch of quality about them that the majority at this level lack and no surprise that they will return to the top flight at the first time of asking. I thought we played some decent stuff and defensively we looked better with the two centre-backs and Evans in front of them forming a good defensive platform. Kaminski also looked the part when called upon. Rothwell was the driving force in midfield but we lack that spark in and around the final third. Taking the match on its own it was an enjoyable affair but in the context of the season it shows just how much work there is to do before we can be challenging the likes of Norwich week in and week out. So many big decisions need to be made - starting with the owners with regard to the manager and then with regard to the major rebuilding required to replace loan players and those out of contract and departing. Sadly, I don't think we'll get any positive decisions from the owners anytime soon - and that, at the end of the day, is the major problem the club faces - the lack of decision making on the part of the owners. I fully expect us to drift into the summer before any real decisions are taken.

Club directors are allowed to attend and they are both directors of some description.

I've been to St George's Park to watch our Under-23's. There is no way you could have a development the size of St. George's Park on the present Academy site. The indoor pitch at St. George's Park would cover the present car park and academy building on its own. If you put the present Senior Training Ground complex and the Academy together you might come close to having something approaching the size of St George's Park but not as large. St George's Park is a stunning complex - with a huge Hilton hotel in the middle of it - whilst I suspect whatever Waggott and co are planning will be strictly bargain basement.

Absolutely correct. Diouf was excellent at holding the ball and winning free-kicks to run down the clock. This is what Graham could do and Armstrong can't. We've badly needed that type of player all season to give some variety to the attack and relieve the pressure on a paper thin defence.

Looks a decent appointment by Sheffield Wednesday. Even if he can't keep them up this season - and it looks a tough ask - he looks the right man to take them back up should they get relegated. Notice Lambert has left Ipswich. Not really surprising in view of the failure to get back into the Championship. Once again his vision and that of the owners were apparently different. It will be interesting to see where he turns up next. It's been several years since he last achieved anything as a manager but, as we know only too well, that doesn't seem to matter these days at some clubs.

That's the model that Brentford follow with their 'Brentford B' setup. However, I had a quick look at how they operate pre-Covid and their 'B' team was involved in friendly matches right across Europe. Here they played friendlies against a mixture of League and Non-League clubs and some of the larger Scottish clubs. However, they were visiting Europe two or three times a month to play friendly fixtures. Somehow, I can't see Rovers wanting to go to that expense. Brentford also look at players released from other London academies and pick up foreign players because of their excellent scouting operation. Something we haven't got. With the way we picked up Dolan and Nolan from academy football and have borrowed three Premier League academy lads I do wonder if something is afoot with regard to the academy.

The reason they say these things Joe is because none of them were here 30 years ago to know what went on. But when Dalglish arrived we certainly weren't training at Brockhall. Jack persuaded Kenny and Ray that he would build excellent facilities for them. Which he did. The present academy was actually the first team training ground and that was built first. What is now the Senior Training ground was originally the Academy and that was built later as Jack wanted a state of the art Academy set up. It was Mark Hughes who swapped them around. Whilst I wouldn't expect you to know this, because I suspect you are rather too young, it's sad that the club can't actually get the facts right.

The bottom line is that he was poor. Caught badly out of position on the second and stood off and allowed the player to shoot for the first. Neither Harwood-Bellis nor Branthwaite look convincing at this level at the moment. We are allowing them to learn their trade to improve City and Everton - although one can't see either one making much impact at those clubs. Having supported this club for 60 years I'm appalled that we seem happy to be a nursery club for the big city clubs. Meanwhile players who we have invested time and effort in to develop - like Raya, like Nyambe - are allowed to drift away for next to nothing. Last season we helped develop Tosin so City could sell him whilst we were left with another gap in the centre of defence. But for injuries I'm sure that Wharton wouldn't have got a look in this season and would have been allowed to leave. Fortunately, injuries gave him the opportunity to prove his worth before, sadly, his own injury. It seems to me that when the manager talks about youth development he's taking about developing the youth of clubs other than Blackburn Rovers. I find Mowbray's treatment of both Raya and Nyambe appalling and for the first time in more years than I care to remember I really can't see me wanting to renew my season ticket this summer to watch us because a Premier League nursery outfit.

Well the lad from City proved last night that he was hopeless as a wing-back and had a part in both of Barnsley's goals. I somehow doubt that Mowbray will publicly have a go at him. Same with the centre-half who looks increasingly out of his depth in terms of decision making at this level.

That's why he's likely to be playing in the Premier League next season whilst we continue on the road to nowhere. I assume you have deleted the twelve months watching Walton's error strewn performances from your memory.

Mowbray is doing to Nyambe exactly what he did to Raya. I suspect Nyambe is totally fed up with the way he has been treated and has indicated that the new contract will be left unsigned - hence Mowbray now scapegoating him. I've supported Mowbray throughout his time at the club but, rather like Bob Saxton who did a similar job in the 1980s, there comes a point when you reach the end of the road at any club. I believe he's done a decent job but is not going to take us any further and my worry is that we become a nursery club for Premier League clubs.