Don’t agree. Thought he started the season fairly well (from a very low base), got injured and regressed again when he returned - all goes back to how he quickly loses form and confidence, another aspect of a player that, for me, won’t be ‘high level’ - then improved with the pressure off in a few dead rubbers.

Yes, with those basics. The fact you also realise that at least half the time he struggles with said football principles means he’s a long way off. I’n not expecting world beaters at Ewood these days, but I think I can still spot a top talent, watching BB week in week out for three years I am not seeing a ‘high level’ player. But again, I’ll be delighted if season 4 becomes the one he finally emerges, can only be positive for all parties.

Personally not sure there’s a cracking player ‘in there’, or at least one that will ever emerge. What do you see that I’m obviously not? Hope you are right, but his struggles with the basics of the game at 22 (not 17) is not a good sign that he’s going to kick on.

Define ‘cracker of a player’? He’s yet to stand out in a middling Championship team after three seasons here. Still struggles with the basics like controlling the ball, shooting, heading etc. He loses form and confidence very quickly. Obviously 22 is still young and he can improve and maybe the fourth year of his deal will be the season he finally hits his straps on a consistent basis (AA is an example of how younger players can step up), but let’s not pretend he’s been anything but average at best.

They are spending a lot of time promoting the new online video service though, anyone would think they are happy enough to have folk getting their Rovers fix away from Ewood Park...

Go for it. But if a large percentage of fans don’t agree, in fact they think the owners ‘put more money in than Jack’, then it won’t work. Indeed it will be the protestors themselves that will get the ire. A totally different situation to where most Blackpool fans were in relation to the Oystons.

Declan Rice ‘looks established as the first choice midfield pivot’ according to today’s Times. So ‘defensive’ or ‘holding’ midfielder are expunged from the coaching badges course now, I take it? Will keep consultants at St George’s Park in work, I suppose.

We seem to go round in circles with this. Need to step away from our brfcs echo chamber. We won’t get a protest a la Blackpool under the Oystons, because a lot of the remaining engaged fanbase don’t have an issue with the ownership and not much of one with TM either.

Pick up a few Indian wickets and then go out on a high. Think of your final Test bowling averages fellas!

The classic 80s yellow and blue Perspex as ‘awful’? Sacrilege!

Just the four right backs...

They may notice them, but will anyone be held responsible? Nobody usually is for failure at this club.

Interesting, that’ll be the first time they aren’t running the club’s media output since before Radio Rovers, so nearly 30 years.

Good. So who’s running it, The Yardley’s CREATV?

Oh many of the ‘badly advised’ crew will, my point is of the ones that don’t, the vast majority won’t see it as any kind of protest against the owners, as away from here I just don’t see any anti-Venky sentiment, in fact the very opposite. Its all very odd, most can see the club is a shadow of itself, but woe betide you point the finger at those holding the reins for a decade.

Bit odd that we received an email from the EFL, about what is to them another organisation’s platform, but Rovers haven’t accounted anything themselves?

There are a plethora of reasons they won’t come back; it’s because they are out of the habit, its boring down Ewood, sick of the manager’s tactics, ‘we’re crap’, ‘too dear’... of course, a lot of that comes back to the owners, but they don’t see it that way and many will go out of their way to absolve Venky’s (and inexplicably TM himself) from any responsibility.

Tip offs from the club on transfer gossip is right up Sharpe and the LTs street, easy copy to fill the sports section in the close season and keeps the relationship between the two parties warm... ... but proper journalism to get to the bottom of a potentially enormous plan with long lasting implications to sell the training ground? Wouldn’t touch it with a barge poll. ‘Local, campaigning journalism for 125 years’, ay?

And for me it’s why the club is facing an existential threat. With a fanbase that just doesn’t realise/accept the club is in peril, coupled with the nefarious characters running the place and the big demographic change in the town since the PL days, I’m currently struggling to see a Blackpool-esque renaissance if we did fall down the leagues.

Those numbers certainly aren’t dwindling. I rarely come across a Rovers fan away from here that thinks anything but ‘badly advised’ and how they are now the best thing for the club. Almost a Pavlovian response to their name being brought up.

Indeed. ‘The club’ talks of ‘increasing revenue’, something you would think is more vital than ever right now, of course, they tinker round the edges; like having a half dozen folk in Blues Bar on a Friday afternoon. Yet, the real revenue drivers, like ST sales, they instead put up two fingers and circle the wagons to keep their cosy set up in place, ‘they’ know full well that keeping the status quo this summer could well lead to a 1960/2012 esque collapse in crowds, but they obviously couldn’t care less as the betterment of BRFC is seemingly not the priority. Just like in 2012, actually caring about the feelings of supporters, and the increase (or at least steady stream) of revenue that comes with engaging them and respecting their views is never the plan here, neither is reacting to, you know, results on the pitch. Summer 2012, after 18 months of farce, appalling results, and the throwing away of PL prestige and riches, when the club was warned that not changing manager would see thousands walk away, they inexplicably kept Ke*n in position. That showed me that this club is not normal, it is run against the principles of professional sport at first team level, I.e putting a management team and squad together to win as many matches as you can, and a decade on nothing has changed (well the administration of it hasn’t, the club as a whole sure has and what a sorry state it’s in).

He was never going anywhere whilst under contract... operation new deals all round will the Coventrio’s priority now.

According to Paul Hirst in the Sunday Times, City lost because Gundogan was the ‘sole pivot’. You idiot, Pep!

Waggott is right, they aren’t inexperienced. They choose to run the club in this dysfunctional way, why? is the question.

The fantastic campaign of Rev et al, should only be put on a shelf for now, not dissolved. We need to be ever vigilant with these spivs.