Illuminating table in The Times, between arch rivals, who has had a higher league finish the most times…

Two down, one to go!

So normally these statements will mention other coaching departures, if not all staff, certainly the right hand man usually follows out of the door… yet nothing on the assistant manager/head of football/real estate developer?

Lovely heartfelt message by the owners there, did it arrive by carrier pigeon on the Chicken and Egg letter headed paper?

Course he will. Or a big budget Championship job, he ain’t coming to a club like modern BRFC…

If you say so, Darren!

Edwards will be their 8th (EIGHTH) manager since 2018…

Of course Dyche will wait it out. He’s got a sky high reputation (and that is finite) and has just received an enormous pay off… he’d be insane to come here.

I just don’t believe you on the ‘always comply’ bit, especially at local away games. A group of lads who have had ten pints and a bag of coke each aren’t going to sit down in an away end full of stood up folk just because of your magical cajoling techniques… perhaps you pick your battles 😏

Unlike Williams, Swag has no strategic t interest to build the support, he’s not employed to do so, just to hit whatever short term revenue targets he’s been given. Of course, we see the community work being done, but this is unlikely to lay any eggs (to coin a phrase) in the short to medium term. The results being a dwindling number of core supporters are asked to pay more and more. There is so much you could do with Ewood, with supporters groups, Branch associations, singing areas, safe standing, flags and banners, bars, fan zones (and that is just off the top of my head). Alas, there is no ambition within the club to do any of it, because, well, why bother, I’m hitting my targets, and Ewood is a doddle to manage on a match day…

Yet, we will probably see another summer of terrible season ticket sales. There is a potential crowd revival brewing just under the surface, alas Waggott’s pricing and dysfunctional decision making from the top is determined to nip it in the bud…

It’s now rare to take less than a 1,000 to any away game, north/south, day/night. And that was the case for a season or two before Covid too. The consistently best away support we’ve had for a very long time. P.s. Middlesbrough a similar size town yes, but in comparison to us they have a vast catchment area stretching from North Yorkshire to County Durham.

Whoosh 😁

A statement about what? He has over seven weeks employment left!

I can imagine he’s on a ridiculous wage for that level as he was bought when their owner was throwing big money about…

No football country like this for depth of support.

Not sure it is fake outrage, he has a very high opinion of his abilities, so will be put out that a a man of his undoubted talent hasn’t been offered one as standard. However, he’ll have known all along what a bloody mess the club is, but he was happy to enough to turn the other cheek and sing the owners praises when gainfully employed, so speaking out now is sour grapes (but good to focus the minds of those that hang off his every word to open their eyes to this farcical set up).

As good an explanation as any, Ben. Occam’s Razor and all that. So best ensure any new manger gets a 31st May (or why not 30th April, as the season is always over by then) contract end date.

I didn’t say it did, thought the players did everything they could. They just needed a bit of help. Markanday and Brown had never played a first team game of football (I’m discounting semi pro League of Ireland), Zeefuik is a run of the mill full back, that isn’t a club serious about promotion. The lack of effort was with the owners, just like it has been for 12 years, it’s just much more noticeable when you see the big time slip away.

And there was no middle ground to take between the Bournemouth January approach and what we pursued? And if that middle ground had failed in keeping us second, certainly it could have helped to prevent a fall to 8th in three months…

Always exceptions, but when you have a fairly middling side to begin with, one that is going through an out of character purple patch, you can’t just hope you’ll be another, you need an insurance policy, so you invest in your team from a position of a strength. We didn’t.

The team did, it just needed some January reinforcement, like all teams when battling for promotion, the want of trying was at the top of the tree…

Must be wrong, we were told repeatedly by a certain poster that the Manc lad is only leaving to ‘go back down south’… maybe the midlands is what he meant.

Oh I am leaning that way, but the fact both him and the club haven’t categorically confirmed it with the season now finished says you can’t be certain. Amazing that we are even having to have this conversation, what a farcical set up.

It’s interesting to see every article from Sharpe saying he’s done, was his last game at Brum, TM confirmed his exit etc. But for me his statements have all (purposely) left a bit of ambiguity in them from what I’ve read. Still a fair chance he’s staying…