No problem with players being signed up. The issue here was they were handed out far too early in the season, when we were on a decent run of form/full of promotion momentum. In the new year, as form dipped, it was clear Mulgrew, as an example, was struggling at this level. Therefore signing him up to 2021, on presumably some of the biggest wages in the club, months previously was a ridiculous state of affairs. Why the rush to sign up Evans/Smallwood/Bennett/Mulgrew so early before they’d had chance to see if they are up to the required level? I doubt clubs were falling over themselves to check their availability in September. Very poor planning and as said on here, ‘we’ll pay for it in the summer’.

The fat new contracts for Evans et al biting him on the arse, as expected. If only ‘negative brfcs’ had just ‘trusted the manager’ when he was doling them out.

It’s everywhere in England, east Lancs isn’t as bad as many places, and getting worse. A coulple of generations and I fear for local football clubs.

Bell certainly was an obvious weakness to me. Looks a long way from a Championship standard full back. Lackadaisical, seemingly can’t stop crosses being put in on his flank, not great on the overlap and poor in possession. Lets hope he improves because I doubt a left back is being brought in.

Let’s be frank, we don’t need a membership scheme as for home games supply always far exceeds demand. We don’t need it for away games in this league either as the vast, vast majority of matches reach general sale (Luton might be an exception this season), every game did last season. Surely it would be easier just having tickets at say £25. Instead of ‘£28... but £25 if you are a member. £28... unless you buy at one minute past 12.. then it’s £31. Just a mess and all pointless with 20,000 empty seats.

Great scoop, Tyrone! https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2019/july/rochdale-friendly-called-off/

2003.

We sold 8,500 the summer they appointed Coyle and that remains our lowest figure for nearly 30 years - despite the rubbish Waggott is coming out with at the moment about not selling 10,000 in this league since 2012. Be some disaster if despite all the good will around the club in comparison to the Coyle era, our sales drop back to that nadir.

Yeah we went to Bray. Great trip. Remember thinking it was weird seeing all the locals drinking cider with ice from these big bottles. About a year later every bugger back here was supping Magners!

Who’s worried? They’ll just make themselves look sad.

For you obviously, but I know a load going up there that will be replacing ‘Blackburn Boys’ with something else...

Always m1. Especially when to non Rovers fans. ‘I support Blackburn’ sounds like nails down a blackboard to me!

It will be as bad, if not worse the other way, ‘Blackburn Loyal’ ‘f the Pope’, ‘fenians’ and all that bollocks. Both ‘sides’ with zero connection to Glasgow or Northern Ireland for that matter. All pathetic. Get behind the bloody Rovers!

’Second club’s’ is all a bit odd to me, and a bit cringe when they are old firm teams, but good luck to you!

Think you are giving the club far too much credit in having a coherent, long term plan myself, but that’s your prerogative...

Do we? Why because a load of folk think they are their ‘second club’ because they wave Union Jacks about?

Who’s called who a name? ‘Thin skin?’ ‘Trump’ I don’t rise to the personal stuff you like stirring up with posters like blueboy, so don’t bother. Good, I’m glad you think that it was a flawed policy, and thankfully Waggott/Mowbray/owners or a combination do too.

Hilton was brought in for the U23s, so has no relevance for this discussion. Rodwell was brought in on a short term deal. Just like you I have no connections and never said I did. It’s an online forum and IN MY OPINION, I’m glad we are SEEMINGLY moving away from predominantly signing young English players. Poor value for money and extremely risky in terms of return in investment and as a club you chase your tail, never progressing, as you wait for said players to develop, your top players move on and you are back to square one. Only ever want the best for my beloved Blackburn Rovers, so frankly I’m not particularly arsed if a fella called ‘Biz’ on an obscure forum for football nerds think that makes me ‘arrogant’.

Where’s the conspiracy? Dysfunctional club still dysfunctional is the crux of it.

We hope they become ‘first team ready, top level Championship players’ one day, so ‘spending £10 million’ doesn’t equate to it not being a slow build as your post suggested at all. Just that young English players cost a premium in the market. As I’ve said, glad they’ve moved away from ‘plan A’, many of us knew it was a daft plan to start with.

The club is obviously burnt by the twitter storm last night. ’Liking’ the Tweet from the leader of a group that used to be a thorn in the club's side and I thought existed to rail against this stuff. All very Animal Farm.

Because they are developing players, fairly obvious no?

Leeds and Sheff Wed have very well established membership schemes, so yes away fans are charged £40, but their fans, as ‘members’ pay nothing like it. 1875 is sill an unknown to many of our fans.

Biz. I’m not sure what you are even carrying this on for. I’ve told you that I’m glad the club is now thinking of the ‘here and now’. But the policy of signing predominantly young English talent has obviously been changed, if that’s ‘bungled’ or not, time will tell. A stupid policy to start with, for me. But it’s about time, and hopefully this is the last we will be hearing of the nonsense ‘slow build’.

Yes it is. Because we needed a Johnson last season. However, the £7million for BB would not have been available for a couple of established, older Championship players. As that was not the ‘model’ all that time ago. 6 months later it’s ‘here and now’. Which is fine with me, as this club cannot ‘slow build’ in this league, but let’s not pretend we are operating like a club with a coherent plan.