People won’t like this — and this will probably end up on Twitter — but I just can’t see us finishing in the top 6. Last year we fell apart at Brentford, I suspect it will be a case of ‘same again’. At no point this season have we comfortably held a spot in the top 6. I’ll start believing when we are holding on to a top six position and fighting for it. I hope I’m wrong! As a side point, Mowbray is doing very well to keep the team getting results during such an injury crisis.

No way on earth is Johnson going anywhere.

I’m of the belief Tony’s time is up, although I think he’s been a great manager for us. I mostly think time is up because I think all managers have a limited window to be successful in, whether that be Tony Mowbray or Jose Mourinho. If you study the data this cannot be argued for all modern day managers apart from Ferguson who bucked that trend. However, if we finish 9th and say 10 points off the top 6, I do think Tony could argue he would have got the top 6 with Dack, Cunningham and Holtby if there weren’t injured.

He’s certainly posting from Mexico.

For clarification, BRFCS represents the fans that use it. Anyone going to the meeting via BRFCS is only inadvertently representing us in so far as we will lose our ticket allocation if someone goes in and embarrasses themselves. Nobody is under any specific set of rules that they must report back to the forum. Everything ‘on the record’ gets published in the telegraph, everything ‘off the record’ I would suggest is kept off the record. The five tickets we are issued are available for every fan invitation event. I purposely don’t take one because I don’t want to be seen to take any privilege. If you want one for the next event, send me a PM.

Step forward, Breo...

If anyone going to this has any specific questions to be added to the agenda rather than talking points for the Q&A please message them to me.

Well done Phil on sorting this completely remotely! It should now be unlimited, previously it was 40 a day... how wasn’t 40 enough?!

Yeah I’ve found that, plus the reputation and reactions sub menu, but can’t find a way to change the amount you can give!

Places filled! Representing BRFCS will be: Paul Mani Arbitro Doogs Cherry Blue Songman You all need to report to the Jack Walker entrance at 6pm on Thursday 6th Feb. Give your name and they’ll direct you to the meeting. Let us know how you get on folks. I’ll post the agenda in this thread when I receive it.

I need you to reply to my DM! There is an agenda which is sent out in advance. Nothing needs to be submitted in writing.

All places filled. To those going, there’s typically an agenda they go through then a Q&A. Ask your questions away as they do typically answer them there and then. But please remember you’re representing BRFCS..!

UPDATE: I still can’t work out how to do this.

It isn’t - sorry to be clear, this is Thursday 6th.

Can you send me a DM with your full name please. One ticket left people.

Send me a DM with your full name please. Three left...

The next Rovers Supporters Consultation with the club is on Thursday next week at Ewood Park at 6pm. As always BRFCS gets five tickets to these, we have four left, so if you would like to attend and hear from Senior Staff at Rovers, plus have the opportunity to ask questions directly to them, please leave your names below.

I’ve DMd you btw.

I think the next one is Feb 8th. We have some tickets if you want to go. I keep posting it and nobody listens but the money we have spent so far is BASED ON SELLING DACK. We don’t have that luxury now for 12 months.

You’re combining losses and transfer spend. The maximum we can lose is 13m a season and that includes a maximum of 8m investment from benefactors (so it’s actually 5m + 8m). Rovers run at a loss of 13m a season because they’ve been told the owners will always put in their maximum 8m. FFP looks at annual losses, not transfer fees or wages - it’s running costs combined. Next year is already included in the FFP calculator as a projection. This helps us because our running costs for next year are currently due to get smaller. What hampers us is the 12m spent on strikers who as yet don’t score very much and we will need so many players. It’s almost impossible to tell without being privy (and understanding) all the books which are submitted, but as I see it year 1 and 2 are at the absolute limit. Year 3 should give us a little bit more flexibility, but if we assume we aren’t renewing all these contracts (which gives us the flexibility) we need a lot of players. If they spend money I suspect it would be on one player there can’t possibly by the 6m on fees when they’re going to need to sign/loan around 8 players.

Clearly, close enough that we can’t bring in without letting go. Every penny is accounted for due to either big transfer fees (Brereton and Gallagher) or high wages on players not wanted (Mulgrew, Smallwood). We lose a lot of wage commitments in summer - Walton, Tosin, Bell, Mulgrew, Smallwood. That will give us some room to flex, but not one of the players leaving shows any return which is really what we need. While it does release some budget, no club has a ‘transfer budget’ like in Football Manager, they work to a ‘players’ budget which will cover transfer fees, agent fees, new contracts, signing on fees, wages - it doesn’t provide any transfer excess for FFP. We will be judged over our first three year cycle, 18/19, 19/20, 20/21. As it stands we have spent circa 16M in that period (not accounting for any fees over the summer) and brought in circa 4M through sales. That’s +12m going into year three. The owners will give their maximum financial input, but I don’t see how we buy for any substantial amount of money without selling someone. Hopefully United buy King in summer for 50m as I believe we have a 15% kick back in his next move.

I told you the hope, not what will happen!

I haven’t changed anyone’s username. The two posters are 100% not the same person.

Ignore these — what was the guy called that broke into Ewood and provided live updates as he tried to track down the board to give them what for?

The guy that posted the Stanley House guest list because it included Kalinic name - along with room number and Rovers credit account at Stanley House was quite something. Equally the guy watching the first team train out of his office window at Brockhall and telling everyone the first 11 plus subs 24 hours in advance. There’s been some good times.