We’ve had gates pretty much like this for a decade, especially low for night games purely because ST sales are so low. JDT is nowt to do with it, as you know yourself as you often call Swag out for his ticket policies.

Gates are a tad higher that’s a fact, so is not about opinions.

Compared to when? Crowds are no lower with JDT than any other time this past 5/6 years. Indeed they are actually slightly up on where they were when he took over. We know why gates are low and it’s nowt to do with this manager.

Yep my father in law (who has Sky) comes over from Lytham and for the first time since the 1960s he nearly didn’t renew his ST this time due to the ridiculous amount of non 3pm Ewood games we had post the World Cup. Once this new TV deal kicks in what happened with Sky last season will become the norm and our STs at £400-£500+ will look even more expensive than they do already.

No we would not have had plenty more on if we’d have won a couple more home games. It was a red button midweek just before Christmas. As a comparison the season we were second under Mowbray for long periods the standard Tuesday/Wednesday ‘official’ gate was 9k, with probably 5/6k in the ground. Just the way it is midweek. If you honestly think he’s not doing well with this budget, injury list and the resulting bench, then well, not a lot else to say, game of opinions and all that.

I’m afraid it’s just part of the game now. For how long, I don’t know. But who knows it could be a permanent change like when teams first stopped playing with two up top. ‘“Four four two, four four two” would be the chant at grounds, now that formation seems as quaint as when the old timers talk about a player who was an ‘inside left’.

We have 9k ST holders so an official gate of 11k is fine for a midweek in December with red button and a tiny away following. The ‘real’ crowd was so low because a load of ST holders didn’t trap as is often the case for midweeks. Last night meant nothing in isolation. Generally want bigger crowds, sell more STs, simple as that… but obviously that won’t be happening until he finally fecks off.

The crowd last night tells you nothing. We always, always get turnouts like that for midweeks in winter. We have a paltry 9,000 ST holders plenty of who will give such games a swerve, also you don’t get many walk-ons or kids going in midweek ergo far less folk there than a weekend. Generally our gates are a bit up on recent years, nowt to write home about, obviously, but there’s certainly been no drop off under JDT. You keep banging on about ‘PR’, ‘hype’. It’s a results business and he consistently gets them with a squad as weak as this, just look at the bench. You think we should be doing better?

Far fewer bums on seats for midwinter red button games than you see on a Saturday, was ever thus.

We had a 15 year old on the bench, the bloke is doing a fantastic job.

Football crowds are booming in this country from the Premier League to non league at a level not seen since the 1950s.... with an obvious exception..

Eustace plays his cards right and he'll be the new Gary Rowett with a place on the Championship job merry go round.

You said this about his last presser after he’d literally just mentioned him:

Nature of the beast. Some crops have some real talent in them, some not so much. And that used to be fine, just the way it is, not a sure thing that top talent will come through each and every season. But here our whole set up relies on it. Seems a very risky way to keep competitive in a league like this, but we are where we are.

‘Playing well’ = not throwing it in his net every week. You want the best possible results your resources allow? Play your best players.

They were obviously playing within themselves, they looked as if they could step it up whenever they fancied. That’s what having players on the bench on 50k a week can do for you.

Only for the Chadster.

The second one. All players are pretty much foisted on him in this set up, alas this one was more desperate than the rest.

Of course it reflects badly. But if he’s not up to it, he’s not up to it, JDT has no issue in chucking players as we’ve seen throughout his time here, the fact he isn’t doing with this lad speaks volumes.

They were 17 and 18 and still got in the first team in parts of the pitch in which we had options. JDT thought they had it, even at those tender ages. This lad is 24, plays in a position where we are obviously struggling he can’t get on the pitch. It’s pretty clear why JDT won’t play him, he doesn’t think he’s up to it.

Don’t get the comparison? Wharton played plenty last season at only 18 as the manager obviously thought he was up to it. Phillips was even younger at 17, still had a few starts, but unfortunately for him he was behind a load of decent to very good Championship centre halves. We have nothing up front and this lad at 24 still doesn’t get a kick.

He’s been playing in the German fourth division for a fourth division team (Munchengladbach reserves). He obviously doesn’t think he’s a better option as even in these desperate times for strikers, he still doesn’t get a kick.

No idea about the PL, hardly watch it. But there’s a hell of a lot of sides with agricultural at best keepers and defenders in the EFL (and even below that) attempting it.

All clubs are at it with this passing round the back thing, another Pep fad scrambling the minds of the rest of the game. It isn’t some JDT-ball as pretty much any other manager would be doing the same.

If the manager thinks a desperation signing from the German fourth division he was handed on deadline day isn’t up to it then he won’t play him, and that’s fair enough.