I agree with your sentiment but I'm not sure about this bit. Football Ventures bought Bolton. When Venkys decide to leave we face two problems. Are there skeletons in the cupboard? The quality) background of the buyer. If Venkys decide to leave I don't think money will be the main issue.

Two points here. If the EFL wish to be taken seriously the decision cannot be rescinded. Either the EFL meant it or they didn't. Rescind this and other clubs will at some point play the same card. Secondly I would suggest none of these last minute, high noon saviours can be taken seriously. If someone had £6m available to save Bury it should have happened weeks/months ago. Wait till beyond the last minute to step in? Nope, a total joke which does nothing more than prolong the lunacy. No one should ever give credit to such individuals, believe a word they say and should always question their motivation.

It's incredibly tough. I saw a statement this week saying collectively the PL clubs made a profit of £304m - this is a poor return on investment. The EFL clubs collectively lost £388m which if we are honest is unsustainable. Looking at Bolton alone if we are absolutely brutal this "business" should have failed years ago. Eddie Davies wrote off the best part of £175m in debt. Personally I can't conceive of that sum and don't know if I would do the same. Financially football in England no longer works. The only solution may be for many clubs to disappear allowing what money there is in the lower leagues to be concentrated with fewer clubs. I've banged on about this for 20+ years. The root of all these problems is the PL and Sky TV. Every issue is traceable to these two events.

The reaction in the Bolton takeover is going to be interesting. If Bolton and the potential buyers felt expulsion was little more than a threat they now know the reality. I know nothing about insolvency other than I believe it is illegal to trade when knowingly insolvent. Surely this puts the administrators in an impossible situation? It's been stated there is no money and liquidation may have to start today. Presumably an administrator dare not break the law so unless one of the "buyers*" stumps up cash to run the club today the liquidation process must start and the weekend fixture be cancelled. I say "buyers*" as I feel it has to questioned whether or not any of the bidders truly want to own Bolton Wanderers? It's very likely Bolton will be relegated so financially it cannot possibly make sense. Alongside all the other questions a big one has to be what is the true motivation behind buying a small football club likely to be in League 2 next season?

I'm not sure I follow this Philip. I presume when a player is loaned out his parent club retains his registration? If Bolton or Bury were to collapse loans would return to their parent clubs and employed professionals would become free agents as their club no longer exists. There could be a question re registration of those players but I'd have thought even the EFL could sort that one! Where there would be an impact is if Rovers loaned to Bury who collapse after he's played for them. It would then be risky loan that player elsewhere as doing so would prevent him playing for Rovers.

I don't feel this is quite correct. A player can be registered with up to three clubs in a season but only play for two. I'm sure there would be plenty of potential loans. I feel the issue is we are outside a transfer window?

Really? How on Earth could I make any judgement when I haven't seen him on the pitch in a year or more? Last time I remember seeing him was in League 1 when he played well. Is he fit? The question I'm asking, which I appreciate you have difficulty comprehending, is how are fans judging Chapman is part of the solution to our attacking problems? What is the basis for this? I could ask basically the same about Adarabioyo, Davenport, Rankin Costello or Butterworth who I haven't seen play - I know they are not necessarily attacking players. The point is why clamour for a player's inclusion without any apparent evidence he would be right for the role? Let's face it few on here go to reserve games so the clamour is based on what? No evidence whatsoever.

@Mattyblue thanks for the earlier response.

Where have I written the player off? I struggle to understand the constant calls for him to play, that was my point. I can't recall seeing him turn out in the last 12 months. I may well be wrong but I don't think he's played a league game in that time. So my point is how do fans know he's the answer? Far from writing him off.

@Mattyblue a couple of your comments on attendance struck me as contradictory. You repeated, as has long been said by many, Rovers attendance as a percentage of population is high. You've also said many times, a point I agree with, much of our support comes from outside of the town and this is where we must look in the future. Plus you feel the percentage of fans with a Blackburn address is at it's lowest level. I feel it is either one or the other and cannot be both. I can only back up my view with real experience but no stats. I live six miles from the ground just over halfway to Chorley. In the days when I sat in Nuttall Street I could leave home at 2.35/2.40 and be in the ground for KO. In our PL days we would leave at 2.00pm and often not get home till 6.15pm. Today we set off at 2.25 mainly because we park on the DE but one of my lads sits in the BBE. The strange thing about today is there is never a queue to get to Ewood but always one to get home along LBR. We're usually in the house around 5.40. My point would be in the PL days the proportion of fans based outside of Blackburn was much higher than credited and it remains so today. Drive along LBR on matchday and one would hardly know there is a game on. The fans who used to stream down to the ground simply are not there. I realise everything I say on this is anecdotal but I feel this high percentage of the town population has been a fallacy for decades. It was a comfort blanket we wrapped ourselves in to defend what some saw as poor support levels in the PL and still do today. I've said it before, I'll say it again. In the '90s 30-40 people from my village went to Ewood. Today I know of four, three of them from my house. There are myriad reasons people have stopped going and frankly no amount of club sales promotion will bring them back. The only solution to increasing support is PL football. This will bring back a proportion of true Rovers plus those who simply want to watch live PL football. That is the point at which careful, clever pricing will have it's biggest impact. Local floating fans who want to see Liverpool, City, Utd, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea and will view a reasonably priced ST as a good way to watch those teams. As for the rest of the PL? Is anyone other than their own support very bothered about Watford or Brighton? In my view we had a lot of floating fans in the PL days, far more than people recognise.

I struggle with the constant calls for Chapman. I can't recall the last time I saw him turn out at Ewood. How can anyone think or be sure he will help to solve some of the attacking issues we currently have??

I'm not sure Cardiff are promotion favourites but will be in and around top six once they get going. Other than this I feel you're 100% right with these comments. We do currently have a problem scoring but it will come. Over the season so far a lot of progress has been made. Following the first day defeat we had people calling for the manager's head less than an hour after the game. We then list at Fulham. This week we have 7 points from 9 and I'd hazard a guess if it had been two home wins and the draw at Hull the general mood would be better. The defence has been improved. We started with two defeats and have solved that problem. Next job is to get the offensive players in to form. 0 points from 2 games is relegation form. 7 from 3 is at least top six. Now we wait to see how form develops.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to those stats. They are simply wrong. First half we had at least three on target which took slight deflections to go for corners. If you're a Cardiff fan that's good defending. Second half we hit the post and I think the Cardiff keeper saved one. Cardiff hit the post in the first half and Walton made one good save. The reality is if it hadn't been for deflections, very slight ones, Rovers could have been 2-3 up at halftime. Second half both teams dropped a gear and played poorly. The sides were very evenly matched and largely cancelled each other out. When Dack and Graham came off I'd have put Gallagher in the centre and Armstrong wide. Rothwell was anonymous.

At the ground I'd put it much closer 55/45. We've had the chances to be 2-3 up but deflections, or good defending depending on your point of view, have kept it level. This is a very close game, too close. I don't feel at all relaxed.

It's because Bennett is the current punchbag/scapegoat just as Williams has been in the past. Undeserved in both instances in my view

Not especially though I thought Danny took a very good penalty yesterday. Anyone can analyse things to death. It's boring. Watching football is exciting and it's time a number of people remembered that. Excellent game yesterday. Rovers dominated for long periods but the last 10-15 minutes had me on the edge of my seat. Too many forget this is what it's all about and content themselves with the pay back on expensive pies. So what? If we don't sell pies then we don't sell them. Who cares? It's about football. Nothing else.

Football used to be about putting one in the onion bag........... Today for some "fans" it's about statistics, statistics and ????? I know which was better.

Exactly right.

Basically more interested in singing at the away support than supporting and watching Rovers. I find that astonishing. If you crave an atmosphere create one by supporting the team.

No it doesn't offend me at all. It is though just conjecture. From another view we have our manager saying how difficult it is to loan PL players as the PL clubs expect their wages to be paid in full. On that basis there is no reason why Rovers would not expect Wigan to pay his full wage. If £1.25m is the going rate for a CB in the Championship it's a good deal for Wigan as they have no transfer fee, agent's fee or signing on fee to fund. Plus they can send Charlie back at the end of the season. Win, win.

You bet? Is that the extent of your evidence or argument? The figure isn't even mine, it's conjecture posted by someone else.

I think I did know Charlie was given a new contract last winter. I hadn't thought of his departure in these terms and I certainly take your point. For me his decline as a player has been rapid, as quick as the speed you suggest above. Earlier in this thread it was suggested Mulgrew was costing £1.25m per annum. I wonder if the scenario is Mowbray has decided the new contract was a mistake, there was a routine falling out (it must happen) and then an opportunity arose to shift £1.25m off the wage bill. It's a shame as Danny and Charlie are easily my favourite players. Proper footballers.

Yes we will see what happens and you may well be right about something being amiss. Yours is an opinion I would always take note of. As you know I take a three month break in the summer! ? I do feel it's very early days to judge. I've only seen the Charlton game. When the added time went up my immediate reaction was "don't make me watch another six minutes of this."

I've now read the speculation surrounding Mulgrew's departure. Have we got any facts or figures on how many other clubs and players were involved in last minute deals?

I'm sorry to see Charlie leave but have felt for a while his time was up here. It's possible he will enjoy a new lease of life at Wigan. He wouldn't be the first player to experience this. As for the circumstances of his departure? I don't know about these so can't comment. What I do feel is an entire squad does not turn on a manager overnight and over a single incident. If Mowbray has lost the team, which I don't believe, this is something which will have built up over months. I feel last season could have been much better and we seemed to lack the ability to push just that little bit further. That was last season. It counts for nothing now. What matters is Saturday and the next 44 games. We've lost two matches, this is a long, long way from the crisis some would make it out to be.