They need to bring in players to replace the goals of Dolan and Wiemann to a squad that was already short of them. They need at least 2 players capable of hitting double figures. Plus CB, CM and that's before likely outgoings. 

Since the end of the season they're down 4 forwards - the above + Woodrow & Dennis. They've brought in DeNeve.

Regardless the impact of the 2 loan forwards, they were bodies in the squad and would have been expected to contribute more. 

54 minutes ago, Giant said:

What a load of gonads. Brittain won’t play because he wants to talk to ‘Boro. Until they meet Rovers’ valuation he has no right to talk to them. I hope Venky’s do the usual and make him see out his contract. 

Narrative leaked to say he's refused to play. Who's to say Rovers didn't pull him out so they can bank the transfer money...? 

Fans lap it up, it's all the players fault, we tried to keep him, bla bla bla... 

They've already got his replacements in - new guy and the young lad who started today. They'll net £2.5m+ whilst splashing out a few hundred grand and paying a much lower wage.

Anyway, that's for a different thread. 

We have again reached out to the club today, however given the radio silence since SW left I think it's accepted we'll likely have the same again. The consensus is we may be waiting until the new 'CEO' is appointed but we'll keep pushing in the meantime. 

It's a much changed board - previously I believe there were 10 members and as above, 2 of those have departed with 5 new supporters joining. That, along with a change at the top will see a lot of new ideas discussed. We had a very encouraging meeting last night, there's a lot of enthusiasm on how we can make WATR better for it's members. 

If anybody has comments on what that would/should look like, do feel free to reach out - either here or to me personally.

I expect we'll start communicating more over the coming weeks.

A post by Travis saying she'll be missed and Rovers advertising her job isn't enough confirmation? She's gone...

9 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

That's why clubs have they phases tho to get people to buy early and not later in the summer. I have been saying this for days and people buying early is providing these clubs with cashflow over the summer when there is no match day revenue 

It might be something they have though off but think people wouldn't go for it. If some people would be happy to pay the amount for ST over 3 months instead of 6 months. 

You sit here and do plenty of complaining about certain things but do nothing about it. Why don't you tell the club and management how you feel? 

Obviously not speaking for Mattyblue but the people at the club just do not care/want to listen.

The coalition attempted dialogue before the Watford game with regards ticket prices and contacted the head of marketing expressing concerns over pricing. The response that came back was pretty much 'not my job'. When asked who was responsible and would she provide contact information for who was, she said no she wouldn't pass on internal email addresses.

It was also highlighted that the pricing for the Sheffield Weds midweek game was £5 up on the club's own policy which caused no reaction.

They are arseholes.

It's not going to happen but let's not forget there's the £500k-£750k they got for JE to use if they wanted to sack him. Use that and go grovel to Gary O'Neil..

21 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

They'd have been better to just keep shut. They've called the bluff of the fanbase one too many times and I think this time it's not going to work.

Out of curiosity, how did you do that? I'm not in any way a tech person.

Someone in the group spotted it first, I then put the statement through a paid tool I use daily - https://quillbot.com/ai-content-detector and followed up by putting it through 3/4 others - a search for 'check for AI' pulls up a number of free tools.

We've run that statement through a couple of tools to check for AI content - around half of it was produced by a ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or similar. They couldn't even be arsed to draft a proper response...

At £499 and £23 > £69 for me I think they can keep it...

Edit, just looked and it's £101 more than what I paid last year. Bunch of c....

I get the impression all these hangers on just turn up every day, go through the motions then bugger off home. Succession planning? No chance - that would require some work. They're reactive rather than proactive.

Looking online and it seems Ismail's preferred formation is 3 at the back. Not sure changing the tactics at this stage of the season and given where we are in the league is a good move. Also read this:

"But Ismael is no stranger to working with meagre resources. Indeed, he turned Barnsley into play-off contenders on the back of a net spend of just £800k. Even at West Brom, he was forced to operate under a tight budget, operating mainly in the loan and free transfer market"

That last line sounds familiar...

Also:

On 10/02/2025 at 17:22, JamieUK said:

Calling it - Valerien Ismael. French, been out of work for a year and shit. Ticks the boxes for a Gestede appointment.

🤐

Briefly reading up on Wagner and his style looks to fit better with the players here: https://www.pinkun.com/news/23422545.norwich-city-tactical-analysis-david-wagners-impact/

For me these last 12 games need to be about pushing on with what the team have done well at so far, and guiding/motivating them over the line. If the choice is one of these it seems obvious Wagner would be the better option.

Pay peanuts, get monkeys...

Or, pay league 1 wages, get league 1 football...

Gallagher MK II for me. Both show a lot of promise but often don't deliver.

I expect he'll leave to a similar level of club as Gallagher went to and we'll bring in a replacement for a similar amount with more end product.

I'd keep him - he's a decent squad player but think we can do better.

To get compensation don't we need to offer a contract on equal terms to what he's on? Wouldn't surprise me if they cock that up..

I'm next to the center seats and the only 'coach' I saw today was Paul Gallagher... I did also spot Waggott on the phone as everyone was leaving to go inside at half time.

The contracts thing is just bizarre. It's as though they do not understand that assets under contract increases the value of the club.

I hope they're purposely doing it with the intention of selling, thinking they're leaving the club up shit creak. But again, if they're wanting as much back as they can, an established squad of Championship players on long term contracts will demand more. It's more likely however that they're clearing the decks and preparing for a long term stay in the lower leagues with lower costs.

Anyway, that's for the other thread..

Next manager can't be Richie Wellens. It needs to be somebody to inspire the players to keep going. They need Championship experience and to have a similar style of play to what we have now. Status quo with a new manager bounce to keep the momentum. Yes to Warnock, yes to Cooper. Neither will happen so of the names being linked I think Edwards is the best of a meh bunch. I've mentioned his name earlier in the week but my choice would be Gary Rowett - always seems to have been there or there abouts with Millwall. No chance of that one either given he's not long arrived at Oxford (where he's averaging 1.82 points per game (5 wins, 5 draws and 1 defeat)).

Surprisingly, West Brom are evens to win tonight. I would've expected them to be much shorter.

4 minutes ago, yeti-dog said:

All 3 of them must have photos of Waggot in a gimp costume with a Thai ladyboy sticking a cucumber up his arse 

It's the only possible explanation I can think of!

I heard George Boateng walked in as the photo was being taken.

If the caretakers somehow manage to pull off a win tonight, I think I'd be tempted to stick with them and see how Saturday goes.

With the underwhelming names being linked I think we'd have a better chance of the play-offs with a siege mentality of us versus them than bringing in someone new to change the dynamics of the group. I wouldn't have been against playing hardball and putting Matt Gardiner and Keith Downing in charge until the end of the season either. For me we need more of the same that's got us to this position.

After seeing Rob Edwards stats (thanks who posted those), he's not as gloom and doom as I initially thought. If it is to be an external appointment and not a 3 month proper go at it he seems a sensible choice.

1 hour ago, Paul Mani said:

Yeah, I’m not saying he’s anything special but my overriding feeling is that he was getting a lot out of the Millwall squad and I couldn’t understand him leaving, wasn’t there a disagreement?

He called their fans thickos! Kind of made it untenable after that...

Finishes of 21st and 8th in the Championship. The one from there that would've been a sensible appointment is Rowett but we're 6 weeks late.

Calling it - Valerien Ismael. French, been out of work for a year and shit. Ticks the boxes for a Gestede appointment.

1 minute ago, Blackpool_Rover said:

Can anyone paste the paid article on LET with 'details on why he left'?

 John Eustace has said his goodbyes and left Blackburn Rovers after agreeing to become the Derby County head coach, The Lancashire Telegraph can exclusively reveal.

The Blackburn Rovers head coach took training at lunchtime before holding crunch talks with the board. That meeting did not give Eustace the assurances he desired and he is now in the process of finalising a move to the Rams.

The LT can reveal that Eustace asked Blackburn Rovers for a new contract and assurances over investment in the squad to continue their push at the top end of the Championship table. However, Rovers refused to extend his deal and provide those guarantees.

As a result, Eustace has said his goodbyes and will leave Blackburn Rovers. An announcement over his future could come today (Monday) and in all likelihood, he will be unveiled as Derby County manager before their match against Oxford United on Tuesday night.

 Whilst Derby County are in a far more perilous position, Eustace is understood to have taken a long-term view on the project on offer at Pride Park. The Rams have shown willing to back the head coach over an extended period and, even if they're relegated, he believes they have an infrastructure that can be successful over several years.

That is a damning indictment on the Rovers board and the perceived lack of ambition at the club. Though the team sit sixth in the table, they have invested circa £2.5million in the last two transfer windows, having recouped around £30m from the sales of Sam Szmodics and Adam Wharton.

 Matt Gardiner and Keith Downing are expected to depart with Eustace. Damien Johnson and David Lowe will likely charge of Rovers' trip to West Brom on Wednesday night, as they did prior to Eustace's arrival, a year to the day.

On top of the football project, a move back to the Midlands appealed to Eustace. His family are still based in Birmingham whilst he has been living in a hotel in Blackburn for the last 12 months.

Blackburn Rovers fans have fairly questioned the timing of Eustace's departure. For a head coach that constantly preached 'togetherness' and unity, they feel somewhat abandoned with the club still having a good chance of the play-offs.

But the fact he is chosen to swap a promotion battle for a relegation fight is a reflection on those calling the shots at Ewood Park. Eustace's stock is at a career-high and yet he's opted to move 16 places down the Championship table.

It is undoubtedly a huge risk from the 45-year-old but he will back himself after keeping Blackburn up last term. Derby perhaps have less quality in their squad than Rovers did but there is not the same level of toxicity and disconnect between the boardroom and the stands.

Rovers will now search for a third head coach in two and a half years. The next incumbent is likely to be out of work and someone who can slot into their current model.

59 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

when I looked at the director box I see Gestede and Owen sitting on the same row and next to Pasha, Waggott and another people

That's bollocks. I sit 15m away - They're never together.

Fun fact...

There are 2 stickers including one of those in a restaurant in the middle of Lapland... 👀 !

https://postimg.cc/BLWh8LdZ

Given they're supposed to be working together / the face of the board you'd expect Gestede to sit with Waggot and co at matches as you'd see at other clubs. He doesn't - there's no united front, they're all in it for themselves.