Makes a change

Yes the 31,000 (with potential for more) seems a complete white elephant now, but it was built on the proviso that we would spend the 90s growing and remember Blackburn itself was demographically different with a massive support within the town boundaries that doesn’t really exist now in large parts of it. By 1996 time you could see it bearing fruit with coaches coming from all over and clubs like Burnley/Bolton/Preston/Blackpool floundering in L1/L2, Accy in the Northern Premier. Even clubs like Man City were weak. Which would have meant even with the town itself changing, we would be covered long term by a branch network all over the north west. Alas, that calamitous relegation in 1999 (yes we came back in 2001 but much weaker, as the game was rapidly changing, growth of the southern clubs, Abramovich and so on), Jack’s death and the relative renaissance of other local clubs meant, we threw away a once in a life time chance to be the go to club outside Manchester and Liverpool. Yet, even up to 2011 we were averaging 25,000 crowds due to switched on executives who did everything they could to protect PL status and understood our demographics and priced games accordingly. Alas, this lost decade, 10,000 fans long out of the habit, a conveyor belt of carpetbagging executives who seemingly know little of how our fanbase is made up, neglectful owners, plus rapid demographic change, notwithstanding the as yet unknown pandemic impact, tells me we never even get back to 2011, never mind those halcyon days of the 90s

Doesn’t impact FFP as it’s infrastructure, and as they never refuse a cheque, I’d expect spades in the ground anytime now...

Good thread on this already. Like I said on it, a replica of West Brom’s West Stand would be ideal...

Today’s Times: 12th September aim for new season with 30/50% ground capacity. So 10 to 15,000 for Ewood, which would always be fine for us anyway. Any chance of STs any time soon?

End of the day if football hadn’t have become the financial loony bin it now is, especially in the Championship then a progression of L1, 14th, 10th would be fine, build again and improve it. Make it 6th in your 4th year with players that are ever more experienced and settled, adding others as you go. However, with FFP, ‘slow builds’ are very difficult to enact as we now have a boom and bust model in which if you don’t get promoted in your 3 year cycle and you have a wage to turnover ratio like we do, then you have to downsize and are back to the start.

‘You’re all ridiculous... but err you are entitled to your opinion and I don’t get personal, remember’ Welcome back Paul

Well nobody was comparing them as styles of goalkeeper, so you’ve gone off on your own tangent. Walton as Brighton first choice? I suppose they could get relegated at some point.

As will every other major league because of FFP.

Exactly!

So it’s took you until July to realise he has been playing wide? Thought you watched a lot of football?

But you said Bayern were dominating because of fan ownership, obviously not the case.

I wasn’t comparing them as styles of goalkeeper, just they both cost us a load of goals - you know, probably the most important comparison for a ‘goalie’.

Sorry, you don’t sell your own young keeper full of potential for a pittance, then bring in another young keeper who’s no better (worse) on loan. Too important a position.

Bayern’s dominance is nothing to do with fan ownership, German football has always had a version of fan management. Bayern are dominating this past few years because of CL money and the globalisation of the game promoting big brands - like Juventus and Real Madrid/Barca

Walton was poor to begin with, improved in the winter, has been even poorer since lockdown. Apart from Steele, I can’t remember a Rovers keeper gifting so many goals in a season. We can’t make this mistake again in such an important position (or perhaps don’t sell your keeper for F all in the future) ‘He’ll be number 1 for Brighton next season’, indeed

Great for the richer clubs and their deeper squads... so that’s it decided then.

Remember reading that he’s been spending extra time at the training ground with Damien Johnson working on his weak points, I.e crossing.

‘Playing between the lines’... a midfielder passing to an unmarked forward. What an idea!

I was being a little facetious (I think )

Wasn’t BB scouted by Mowbray when he saw him stroll past Feeney and Williams near his technical area at Forest?

Speaking of Neil Yardley, was I the only one that thought his commentary last night was much better without his sidekick?

And that’s fine blue blood (and Sparks) But where the other two going? We are stuck with them on lengthy and lucrative contracts, so Samuel will be the one going, you’d imagine, along with DG, unfortunately in Graham’s case.

Most folk are seemingly expecting a close season like every other in this league. Surely it won’t be? For a start it will presumably be shorter and who will be forking out big fees and offering multi year contracts for Championship players?