Mattyblue

If I was absolute elite, and Rovers weren’t, I would go to the place where I would win most medals. I would then end my career at Rovers. Why did a famous Evertonian leave them as a young player for United? To win things, as unfortunately he knew it wouldn’t happen there, he then returned at the back end of his career. Eminently sensible and rational - but of course football is tribal, emotional, not always rational, so players won’t always make the best decision for their careers.

You are conflating two things. Of course he would enjoy/have more pride in playing for Newcastle, however for his *career* as an elite sportsman it was the wrong move at that time - as his medal haul proved. He should have gone to United/Barca/Inter and ended his career at Newcastle, ergo scratching both itches.

Must have hit Swag’s bonus already…

Both of those things should have happened. Shearer and R9, Sherwood and Zidane lining up in Champions League final…

I’m glad he didn’t, would’ve made me sick seeing him in a Sharp emblazoned shirt… doesn’t mean it wasn’t still the right career move.

Career wise he was a fool, the guy was probably only behind Brazilian Ronaldo as the best striker in the world, he should have won a bagful of trophies. Doesn’t mean that he didn’t enjoy being at his home town club, didn’t make good money. But it was a waste, just like Kane.

He was a fool, heart over head, one medal for one of the players of his generation- should’ve gone abroad or United.

93-97 Flowers was top class, went very quickly downhill after that.

That was Shearer for me.

But as Andy said on the Tugay thread, Brad played twenty five years in the top flight, nearly a decade of those for us. SRJ, as good as he was for the Rovers of that era spent his career (aside from a dozen games or so at the back end of his career) in the second and third divisions.

We had so many loanees between 2012 and about 2017 that I literally have no memory of watching.

Crowds, that’s all it ever boils down too.

We all know about our demographics and geography, however we could always still compete with a lot of sides when it came to crowds regardless - but now we could well be 23rd in the average attendance list of the second division (only probably Rotherham lower) next season. We are now a top half third division club gate-wise, despite spending pretty much two full seasons in the top 6 of the Championship, nothing more then needs to be said about the rank incompetence of the commercial operation of this football club, nothing more needs to be said of how utterly out of touch they are. Yet, nothing, ever changes.

Flowers was superb in his first three seasons or so, his form dropped markedly towards the end of his time here.

It’s just moving deckchairs around the Titanic, a 12,000 crowd in a 31,000 ground will always look sparse whatever jiggery pokery you engage in. He’s put more thought in to closing stands and moving the remaining hardcore in to more camera prominent areas than actually, you know, trying to increase the numbers…

Wasn’t the real point of ending the Riverside as a cheaper option so that post camera move it would coax people towards the other stands? Which has ‘worked’ as the Riverside is now notably quieter. So I just can’t see them reducing prices in there, out of sight, out of mind and all that…

Chadster would still buy one.

Wouldn’t touch the price structure?! Shows how long you’ve been away, it’s ridiculous pricing for a demographic like ours and the sales are showing just that. So out of touch.

Believe Barnsley already have too, Mellor…

Reading between the lines of the FF minutes, more that Swag reckons lowering ticket prices doesn’t work all round…

Is he though, particularly when it comes to STs? Or is he just set an arbitrary figure from the owners to hit (which would’ve been the same even if Rothwell et al had gone for a fee)?

To choose Reading, a midweek red button game in March as your *one* tenner offer for the season and then when the ground shockingly isn’t packed for it, use that as a rationale as to why cheap tickets don’t work shows he’s a cynical/crafty fecker too.

I think it’s as simple as he knows he probably will hit his targets at these prices, but he isn’t in sure he would if they are lowered - ergo he ain’t taking that risk (especially when you imagine his bonus is tied to it). Why go into bat for lower prices when he knows he’s off in the short to medium term - ‘build and protect the health of the fanbase in the long term? Why bother myself with that? I’ll be long gone’.

I’d say that’s doing a disservice to amateur football clubs, many of whom put on a far superior matchday experience… largely because they are run by people who actually care.

It’s all very opaque, where does that Suhail fit in this decision making structure, for example? But then opaque is probably just how they like it…