New ground for us, and a famous old one. A bit like when we drew Celtic in the UEFA Cup and Williams asked for a smaller allocation (2,700) because we would’ve had to pay in advance for more and he thought that would be adequate. So what happens? Thousands descend on the ticket office and they even had to open up the Blackburn End concourse! Typical Rovers fans!

Only kids kits, I presume?

Thought I’d go to a Boro forum to see if there’s any gossip up there about Assombalonga... there isn’t! But I did spot this thread. Some fella from Darwen Cricket Club saying there are ‘new drinking restrictions around Ewood’... ergo the only place for a pint is his club. I’ve not heard anything? So is it just a canny bit of marketing from DCC aimed at visiting fans? https://www.oneboro.co.uk/forum/topic/8430-blackburn-away/

I assume most of the stand behind the goal will be empty, so no idea why they don’t give a few hundred more...

J*B’s info is new. Arguments right now over transfer policy. So nothing has changed with the TM/Venky dynamic is the thrust.

From on the record ‘I have to slow the owners down’, and J*B ITK post stating it is the owners still pushing TM to spend.

Rangers sold out with over 2 weeks to go...

He largely did play the 3 games last season, to be fair...

Yes it is. And that’s what everyone is saying... apart from you know who.

Indeed it isn’t. But spending two thirds of it on a kid of nowhere near the level required says promotion isn’t a priority but this holy grail of young English players being sold for profit. The clues are there with the constant talk of ‘moving away from the benefactor model’ Yet, we all know this club will only ever do that in the Premier League or a totally stripped back operation in the lower leagues. Never in the Championship.

No, just Biz.

They aren’t rumours. They are Mowbray on the record. If we don’t advance as a side this coming season, it will probably be Dack’s last, maybe Lenihan too if he improves further. Plus next summer an over the hill Mulgrew still under contract and a main striker hitting 35. The ‘slow build’ is then completely moot and we have to start again from scratch. It’s a nonsensical strategy in this league.

Mowbray must be the most moral manager in the game or extremely secure in his long term position. Championship managers have the shortest lifespan in football. Nowhere else do we hear them saying ‘I’m holding the owners back’ ‘Slow builds’ are a fools errand. ‘Events, dear boy’ and all that.

Also very 90s, how baggy? Don’t get me wrong I loved that kit (well apart from getting relegated in it), but you won’t be seeing those designs any time soon!

Indeed, but you yourself still don’t trust them to not pull another stunt, by the sounds of it...

‘Keeping budgets back’ is a very risky business at this club as these owners quickly change tack. Think back to the optimism around 2014, and then a year later anybody worth selling had gone. ’Slow builds’ rarely work in this division as players age, often quickly - e.g Mulgrew, players are sold, some young players don’t develop as expected and so on. Successful clubs build and re-build quickly, with loans a big part of it. It’s a cutthroat League. If the budget is there, spend it. Or you’ll be out of a job (normally, but this is VenkyWorld).

What isn’t fantasy is that Mowbray is on record saying that he had to hold Venky’s back on spending. Can’t say I’ve ever heard a manager anywhere say such things. This latest ITK tidbit from J*B only adds to the seemingly very odd set up at this club.

Nobody has said it’s rubbish...

I like it. Traditional Rovers kit and back to normal. Look forward to seeing the lads play in it. But I do get what JH is saying. It’s £50, but not dissimilar to our last few (last season aside), so I doubt i’ll be buying it (if that’s ok with you, unsall).

Way to pop his balloon CLB!

Big Dogg said a few people wanted him because of what they saw in a Rovers shirt. He offered very little and couldn’t get in our third division side. What he did three years ago at Huddersfield doesn’t come into it. Not that it matters as we obviously weren’t interested in him, and quite right too.

What’s that got to do with what we saw at Ewood?

Be interesting to see if club crowds now rise. An average of 800 a match in the Super League last season...

It was baseless, because there was nothing remotely in his game that said he could step up to top half of the Championship... as just proven.

Ha was that aimed at me? You’re an angry bugger these days I felt that did need pointing out because it was a beyond daft thing for fans of a club with supposed aspirations of the top end of the Championship to be coming out with. (Though obviously a sign of desperation).