Mattyblue

Yep £7milllion and a 7 year deal. This article from the time is an insight into the inexplicable mess the club got itself in in the late 90s... https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/football/1999/aug/17/newsstory.sport3

Didn’t realise until other day that the ECB are reverting back to the two division structure next season. Due to an unforeseen crisis they’ve actually stumbled across a far better set up, so a big mistake to me, but what do I know 🤷‍♂️

It’s partly because Waggott doesn’t understand the fanbase. He came from Coventry, not a particularly big club, but with a decent sized city and county (Warwickshire) to themselves with the floating fanbase that goes with it. His assumption would’ve been, 28,000 folk here today. Bang up the prices and I’ll still pick up a good few of them. Doesn’t work like that here. Substantial gate increases in one summer have only happened on the back of BIG success (not second in L1) or competitive pricing... but who’s left in positions of power at the club to inform him?

Not saying it is. Results dear boy, results. However, commercial activity and keeping fans ‘in the tent’ doesn’t become less important because the club is pissing money up the wall on a monthly basis.

I got into these debates last summer. not bothering this time, Covid or no Covid, this is the way the club is run. All major decisions signed off post an annual meeting. As we’ve seen with TM being kept on, results and commercial income are seemingly never the priority here. Bizarre, doesn’t make sense, but I’ve stopped trying to think about it.

‘Not far off’ from what? A decent Championship player? I suppose so, but a ‘high level’ player? Still far off from what I’ve seen. End of the day, he’ll be here, he’ll be playing, and AA and his goals in all likelihood won’t be, so we’ve all got to hope you’re right and he steps up.

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.