Mattyblue

Possession equals entertainment?

The town of Blackburn would never fill the ground, it was about growing the club across the region. We had a chance in the 90s to permanently increase our fanbase to a level in which as a PL club filling the ground week in week out was a reality. Indeed in the late 90s it was bearing fruit, coaches coming from all over. Alas, relegation, and the rise of other clubs meant our time at the top was short and we never recovered.

The upper tier would do.

I think he’s done fairly well and I’m certainly not clamouring for his sacking. Yet, if we are down the bottom 6 next season, then for me he should go. That’s football, no sentiment, all about what’s best for the club. He’ll be pushing 4 years in the job (a long stint by modern standards) and things can go stale, players stop listening and all the rest of it. However, part of me would be thinking what clown they’d replace him with and I’d be erring to keep him on. And that’s not normal.

Sam’s removal was part of a cataclysmic event that we still haven’t got close to recovering from a near decade later. He continued to manage at the top level for years after. TM is a solid enough Championship manager. There are many out there of his ilk, at this level if the team stagnates or declines, you roll the dice, that’s the Championship. The fact you think a Steve Evans type would get appointed (and you’re right, they might) so we need to keep TM just in case the fools do something ridiculous says more about the club then the fact we’ve got a gem of a manager ( to turn a phrase) we need to cherish.

Personally don’t think he’s close to Big Sam’s class, his removal was a disaster for this football club, would TM’s? But probably the best we’ve had since relegation (not sure if I’m trying to damn him with faint praise or not with that statement).

I actually don’t mean the Screen Grabber. But some of the other ones (you’ll know who I mean as it’s re-tweet central).

Sam aside, of course.

Bennett gets no grief at games, I’ve not known a manager as backed as TM since Mark Hughes. The internet is not real life and it annoys me when narratives are then spun in column pieces and by prominent Twitter fans that Rovers supporters are a mob of foaming at the mouth abusers. Absolutely not the case, in fact I’d go as far to say we are more patient than most.

Chaddy - perhaps you could you post a weekly pre-approved list of topics?

Cheers chadster. However, the ins and outs of Watford’s last promotion campaign ain’t my strong point, alas. What I do know is they ain’t bigger than Blackburn Rovers.

How would I know that? Just stating a fact that plenty of similar and smaller clubs than us have had recent promotions. So why be so defeatist? Especially when you believe we have a top manager.

Oh I agree. My point was to rebut the idea that we are somehow a plucky Third division club done good, due to one season down there in 8 with a big budget.

They do now obviously! I’m talking about how they managed to get there in the first place if they are ‘small clubs’?

We’ve been in this league for 8 years apart from one (where we kept a Championship budget) and strolled to promotion.

Plenty of PL and recent PL clubs are equivalent clubs or smaller. All getting similar crowds to us when in the Championship. Burnley, Watford, Bournemouth, Fulham, Palace, Huddersfield (their crowds doubled when cheap tickets were introduced). Brentford and Preston are in the top 6 right now. For a supposed positive fan, you are being very negative about our great club.

That may just be something most clubs in this league haven’t had the luxury to spend on two players in 6 months? So the ‘little old Rovers’ routine doesn’t wash.

And the £12 million?

I know they are too 6, as they should be all being equal. Budgets are important, but not everything, as the table proves. Our budget is certainly competitive, £12 million on two players would come in handy for two thirds of the sides, you’d imagine....

They are in a relegation battle. Mani was taking about budgets and seeing it a wondrous thing that we kept it to 1-0 yesterday. PNE’s budget is one of the smallest, Stoke’s is massive and look at them both.

The ‘attendance’ will be 11,000 on Tuesday. Near freezing and blustery is the forecast, so a real crowd of 7/8 (thousand, not hundred).

Then great, I look forward to it.

And? He can’t have both?

Stoke have the biggest budget in the league and they are trying to stay out of the third division. It’s not as simple as you seem to make it, otherwise why bother competing? As you can see throughout this league with some of the clubs towards the top and bottom, and the one above with Sheff Utd riding high.

No idea why I expect it? Because it’s the very least he deserves, and the fans, you know, the lifeblood of the club expect it! A club in tune with its fanbase would’ve have been proactive. You happy with a training pitch in Langho then? Probably, we certainly aren’t a football club that I can recognise in that famous quote of Bobby Robson these days.