Simon Garner will be in Blackburn next weekend (20/21 April) to meet Rovers supporters and sign copies of his new book, One Last Shot 📖 

On sale now! Only at www.simongarnerbook.co.uk

Hi all - as said earlier in this thread, Simon's got a new book coming out this year. If you want to be among the first to know when it's available to preorder, you can sign up here: Simon Garner Book

It'll be a great read for anyone whether you have or haven't read his first book which came out in 2003. More stories and great memories, as well as guest contributions from loads of other players and managers giving their memories of the legend.

40 minutes ago, Richard Oakley said:

Of course, there is. Why are you trying to spin that there is no story? How would you react were another journalist to tell you there's no story behind a piece of information?

I'm sure there are people on this board who have provided information to the journalist you tried to airbrush away - this story, that is. They will also have provided the LET with information. What Peacocks said and the material submitted to the committee is now a matter of public record.

Will this scandal force the football league into action? It has already placed us under a transfer embargo, after all.

I haven’t tried to airbrush anyone away. Rob’s a Rovers fan. I offered to put a piece together about the letter and, as I know what will ‘make’ in the LT, would have angled it along the lines of ‘hundreds/thousands of Rovers fans have signed a letter raising concerns at plans to sell part of Brockhall etc etc etc ...’

They have stated today they are no longer pursuing those plans.

32 minutes ago, Ulrich said:

Seriously who is this Dan Clough "a positive period for the club, I like Waggers?".  1 relegation, millions spunked on rubbish strikers, the ground is a mess, shafting fans with increased prices, selling the training ground, god dam awful football and I could easily go on.  Get your head out of there ^*£^£"^$(!^(

I believe it’s been a positive period for us generally in comparison to the preceding years under Venky’s. Certainly up until the end of January. Pre-lockdown, which let’s face it hasn’t helped the situation over the past year, the club felt more connected to the fans (in my opinion) than at any other period since the takeover. And you can’t exactly blame the chief exec for relegation, signings you’re not happy with or the style of play ...

15 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Holy crap.

There was no sign whatsoever of a u turn when the Club ran their initial consultation period!

Only when the issues were a little more out in the open and obviously couldn't be answered!

Dan messaged me pretending to be sympathetic as well.

Was merely offering to help you spread publicity about the letter by putting something together for you to send to the LT. Planned to do it this weekend but now it’s been shelved there’s no story there for them unfortunately.

54 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

You might have missed the discussion about the LT on the other thread.

We didn't think the LT would want to run it voluntarily as a letter for fear of falling out with the Club so offered to put it in as a paid for banner ad with a QR code linking to the ad which is also a lot less unwieldy than a multi page letter.

So far the LT have declined to run it.

I would think (as ex-LT reporter myself) they may be more open to a story about ‘[insert number] Rovers fans have signed a petition raising concerns ... etc etc’ rather than publishing the letter itself. Especially if that number becomes quite significant.

4 minutes ago, Blue blood said:

Well your second reply is more substantive than the first Will tackle each in turn: 

First comment - there are always ups and downs. 

Well yes, there are but that's not the whole story is it. How big is the regression? Why the regression? the context is hugely important. Is it because of factors in or out of our control? 

Using education as an example, as that's my background, if we have a bad set of lessons I'd look to the reasons why we delivered a bad set of lessons/or lesson  If it was stuff we did wrong, then that's not good, and needs to be improved. If it's basic stuff i or a staff member was getting wrong we would put them on an improvement plan. On the flip side it could be because of factors out of our control - maybe the kids haven't had any behaviour management, or it's the last day of term, or something bad has kicked off in the playground. Equally the severity of the problem also makes a difference. If it's a safeguarding issue for example then that is very serious and can't be wiped off as you have ups and downs. 

Similarly in football  - why the regression, if it's down to the manager's poor tactics, formations, selections and signings, the he clearly is to blame. If it's circumstances out of his control then less so. Similarly the severity also matters - if we are in danger of being relegated, then we can't be blase about it (I don't think we are yet btw but next season looks grim).  To say it's just natural to have ups and downs is flawed in any business - education, football, it's more complex than that. 

Secondly - we would be champions by now if we always improved. 

C'mon that's overly simplistic too. For starters it's not factoring in that other teams are improving or the rate of improvement. Brentford are a prime example of a club that have improved year on year but because of the level they are at, are not yet world champions. The speed of improvement, and the ability of other clubs to also improve, means it's not a simple case of leapfrogging clubs, sometimes improvements are needed just to keep up. What's the saying about standing still/staying the same means getting left behind?  

 

Hang on so much I disagree with on this too. 

Look at the clubs with a bigger budget - they did under Hughes and Souness, but we still gave them a fight. A bigger budget does not equate success. Also look at how clubs like Boro and Barnsely are doing, a bigger budget even in this league does not equate to success. Likewise look at bigger budget clubs who haven't done as well as their budget in this league and the prem. It's not that simple, or if it is, we may as well just pack it in. 

The realistic expectation is not to do with necessarily getting promotion but a) properly challenging and b) not making stupid arse-ups like the striker at right back, losing 5 in a row, chopping and changing the team and formation each game.  Those I would say are realistic expectations, no divine right to the Prem, just doing things properly and properly competing. 

Were in the league 15 years before Jack. Well yes, but we aren't the same club in may ways as pre Jack. We have bigger revenues, a good ground and training facilities (for now) we are a completely different animal. We can't hark back to the Premiership winning days (nobody is mind) but equally the pre-Jack days are equally an era that doesn't exist. W

Best thing since Venkys - yeah that's a tallest dwarf if ever isn't it? That's not a high standard, in fact there's room to be poor and this still to be the case. And he is - we've the Coventry three trying to get rid of the training ground, the team is a mess, and as for all he has done for us. Promotion from League 1 - yes. Outside of that? He's spunked away most of the budget, he's given us some shocking winless runs, the team is going to dismantle next season (Nayambe, Armstrong, Elliott and Rothwell leaving will be a bad start) he's loaded us with crocks in defence. You could argue he consolidated us as a championship club again, but that was 2 years ago. We've had chances to kick on and challenge for promotions for the last three seasons and he has bottled it. How's that everything he has done? How's that better -than how Hughes and Souness had us punching above our weight? Obviously not a like-for-like comparison, but when you consider what they achieved and punched above their weight achieving, how can you think TM has done a cracking job? I really struggle to understand this. 

 

Can’t say I agree with the education metaphor as in football there are always two teams, so there’s always gonna be a winner/loser (unless it’s a draw obviously!) but in a classroom you don’t have two sets of people trying to win a game!

You put out a very reasoned and fair argument here and I don’t have the energy to continue the debate right now. There’s clearly two sides to this, as with everything, and one argument is not going to change the mind of the other.

I came on here today for the first time in years as I was informed I was being slated for my comments on Twitter. I’ve responded to some but I’m going to respectfully sign out for now.

What does concern me is the constant tearing down of fellow fans for their differing opinions. We’re all (I assume) Rovers fans here. COYB. Enjoy your Sunday.

1 minute ago, Mattyblue said:

End of the day Dan, he gets sacked tomorrow are you really going to think the owners have made a grave error?

I’ll get over it!

Just now, rigger said:

Perhaps I should have worded it: Do you class not losing our sixth game in a row as an up.  

Sorry misunderstood. In that case no, yesterday’s result was massively disappointing.

1 minute ago, Theaxe15 said:

I dare say we are on the cusp of a relegation battle as it is. And if we get fully entrenched into one then I really do fear for us as after watching that 2nd half yesterday, I don't think we'd have the fight in us to survive.

We’ve still got an 11 point cushion but if we do get dragged down there then I would say that’s time for a management change.

2 minutes ago, renrag said:

27 actually

Cheers - didn’t have time to look it up 

1 minute ago, rigger said:

we are on a one game unbeaten run 

You asked me if I would class not losing in six games an ‘up’. My answer is yes. I didn’t say we were on an unbeaten run.

2 minutes ago, rigger said:

Personally I would get someone in who would MAKE results change. Also your quote about being a second division side. What you missed was that :We where a competitive second division side. 

Not every year. We nearly went down in 91. Plenty of struggles during the 80s.

1 minute ago, rigger said:

You mentioned ups and downs of football. Our ups at the moment are governed by the depth of our downs. Do you class not losing 6 in a row as an up ?

Who wouldn’t class a six-game unbeaten run as an up?

1 minute ago, Blue blood said:

Well there's few enough of us, so these days so that's a start! 

How on earth can you be happy with TM having witnessed Hughes and Souness doing well with us? Or even Big Sam? Having witnessed Williams running of the club, having seen jokers like Ince potted when they are out of their depth? Genuine question - where are the standards? 

Because times have changed. Souness days were some of the best I’ve experienced (missed a lot of the Hughes time as was away at uni). But we were a Premier League club back then in a different era. The game is different now. Look at the clubs in this league who have bigger budgets and far better squads. And I’m not saying we should never be back there I just don’t think it’s a realistic expectation right now. We were a Second Division club for what 15 years before we went up in 92? And yes I’m sticking with Mowbray because after all he’s done for the club - he’s the best thing to happen to Blackburn Rovers since Venky’s walked through the doors 10 years ago - I just feel he deserves a bit longer. If we get sucked into a proper relegation battle then yea sack him but as things stand we should give him more time, support the team and hope results can change.

57 minutes ago, roverandout said:

Thick fuck

Cheers mate.

28 minutes ago, Blue blood said:

Is he a Rovers fan. If so the 87 means that he would have seen and appreciated both the Souness and Hughes years so would have some idea of what proper standards are at Rovers. 

As for his logic - my word. How do you get to be a journalist with that kind of thinking? 

Yep I’m a Rovers fan. Get to be a journalist by studying three years for a degree and completing a postgraduate certificate. Funnily enough they don’t ask for your opinions on football in any of the exams.

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

Another one who won't have paid for a ticket in years along with Dunn, Myers etc. Earning a living out of the game distorts perceptions.

I wish! Never had a freebie from the club in my life.

Then you weren't looking. The Club President, Keith Lee, and his wife were there. I saw a few others too, whose names I can't recall.

I noticed the flowers were blue and white too...

Ha. I stand corrected.

Can't see how this is an odd place to put this thread?

Jack and Fred when they owned walkers steel were putting money into rovers long before jack bought it, it included the walker steel stand being built and players like ardiles a d Archibald being signed,

Walker steel was built by both brothers and the success of that company and the ultimate sale which gave jack a

personal fortune was down to both of them not just jack.

Many cogs build empires and Fred's input in walker steel, lead to rovers being on the footing it was prior to the sale.

I agree, and was saddened to not see a single Rovers representative at his funeral

I went and watched Lincoln play Chesterfield and then Stanley - they were rubbish!

Heard loads of stuff about what has happened but think the outcome is for the best. Lincoln is a ###### hole and their fans are absolute idiots.

Sure Ian Pearce will go somewhere else and get some more experience before going back into management!!!

Went to uni in Lincoln, it certainly isn't a shithole - granted the area around the ground is hardly the best in the city, but that isn't a true reflection of the place.

Their fans are tits though. Worked as a steward in the away end while I was a student.

critism (where's the spell checker when you need it!)

'criticism' - I'm here

I want it

I just got a DVD of the Full Members Final 1987 off Ebay. Only a VHS - DVD conversion but if someone can tell me what to do I'll stick it up on youtube. If possible can I chop it up as it would take ages to upload the whole thing, if that's even possible!