4 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

no reason to lie and been open and honest from day 1 of his appointment. People just looking for things that aren't there

Correction : People not just blindly believing every word uttered by someone at Blackburn Rovers, (particularly after thirteen years of bitter experience).

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

as soon as a PL club reaches our valuation they are gone. 

Who was the last player we turned down a bid from PL where the player wanted to go? 

Wahlstedt was first choice to replace Kaminski as GB said in his post Transfer interview. 

Wahlstedt is 24 years old, Swedish international and was playing regular first team football so isn't he ready? Surely Hilton isn't ready given his lack of first team football or regular football over a number of season but people are serious thinking of playing him? 

Wahlstedt has made a number of good quality saves but has made a few mistakes. He is learning about the Championship and I think will turn out to be a good signing overall. 

We have turned down offers for players when the logic would’ve been to accept an offer. This has ended up in players walking away at the end of their contracts, and has cost us millions.

We needed a sale, and I have already agreed that it is difficult to keep a player once a Premier League club is interested.

We don’t all take everything said by the likes of Broughton as gospel. I expect you held Paul Senior in similar esteem.

Walhstedt has played one match for Sweden, and on current form that will be his last.

I didn’t even mention Hilton.

Watford’s keeper had an absolute blinder on Saturday, but had he made the mistakes that Wahlstedt did, all those saves would’ve been forgotten.

Good saves do not mitigate for catastrophic errors.

For whatever reason, Wahlstedt hasn’t been reliable and would’ve been dropped at most other Championship clubs.

Granted, the injury to Pears has meant that hasn’t been possible.

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

Kaminski was sold cos a PL club wanted him who could pay bigger wages and offer him what he want PL football. 

On Wahlstedt, we scouted him for months and he was our first choice to replace Kaminski. Also far too many people are writing him off already. 

I agree that it is difficult to keep a player once a Premier League club becomes interested.

However, we know from previous experience than Venkys can be stubborn b*ggers when they want to be, (which has been more of a hindrance than a help).

It was widely reported at the time that we needed a sale to balance the books.

There were a few possible candidates, but Luton met our valuation, so Kaminski ended up being the one.

Whether or not Wahlstedt  was our first choice we will never know, but he met the model of trying to “add value “ (sigh).

I think the plan was probably to have Pears as first choice for a good while, but you need two decent, oven ready keepers at this level of football.

Being generous, like a few of players who have played for the first team this season, Wahlstedt isn’t ready, should’ve been a work in progress and third choice, at best.

Kaninski was sold because we needed to bring money in, (useless owners).

Unfortunately, our DOF brought in a young replacement ,based on this fantasy of selling every player for a profit.

Not worked out well, has it.

53 minutes ago, Waggy76 said:

That's what saved us in Saxton's last full season... Collapsed around December onwards and won a couple at the end ...

We had a few no - nonsense old bruisers back then.

If we didn’t have a decent cushion from the bottom three I would be seriously worried, because this squad is so physically and mentally weak, (add to that a dodgy keeper).

Still need to pick the likes of Rotherham off, or otherwise we could still get sucked in.

It’s a long season.

2 hours ago, NeilInBristol said:

what was the project exactly?

to get us relegated?

It’s a smokescreen for having zero ambition - keep promising jam tomorrow.

JDT believed it when he joined, but now knows it’s bullshit.

I suspect Broughton knew it from the get - go, but it’s a nice little earner.

Any supporter who has witnessed the last thirteen years at Blackburn Rovers, (other than the incurably naive), knows it’s bullshit.

10 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Broughton also said in the summer that experience was needed and wanted.The owners put a stop to Batth and probably any other player over 30 we showed an interest in.

It's new owners we need not a new manager.

Maybe so, but I have major doubts about Broughton and his ability to do the job. He’s another typical Venkys appointment.

We don’t have a manager, and that’s not splitting hairs, it’s a fact. 

15 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Bizarre, you're taking like we're bottom of the league. He's exactly the right man for the circumstances, because he plays good football and gets enough wins to keep us safe in the upper half of the Championship.

Who knows, with a bit of luck, we might even be challenging for PO's again come May like he had us doing last season. 

I like JDT, and in different, more favourable circumstances, he would thrive.

I have stated that I don’t blame him, but fear “the project” is on a permanent downward trajectory, which is not his fault.

4 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

 

Tomasson's still got it all to prove, flexibility and more pragmatism on tactics, knuckling down when it gets tough, closing out matches. Knowing how to win when not playing well. It's not all about the beautiful game, the stuff you can't buy and is not the fault of the owners

Said it before, whilst I certainly don’t blame him for our current situ, Tomasson  probably isn’t the right man for the circumstances.

The lack of finances lend themselves to a wheeler dealer in an orthodox set up of a manager, rather than a Head Coach under Bodo Glimt’s former youth guy bringing in lightweight, young players in this pretence that we are building for the future.

Being linked with a failed loan for a 22 year old from the MLS says it all.
We are trying to play fantasy football on a few bob. It’s going to end in failure to some degree or other.

To be fair to Tomasson, he asked for experienced players in the Summer and after the game yesterday, again stated that the squad is too young.

We need a few wise, older heads who are men, not boys.

We all know that it’s not going to happen.

3 hours ago, MarkBRFC said:

Don't blame anyone. When we go behind at Ewood you might aswell go home.

Since we have been back in the ground after Covid, Rovers have gone behind 21 times at Ewood.

We have won 2, drawn 1 and lost 18 of those 21 games.

1 point from losing positions in the last 16 games we have gone behind in at Ewood.

A pathetic mentality around the club.

There’s a spare seat between myself and another season ticket holder.

It’s usually empty, but yesterday a guy sat there who admitted to only really having a passing interest these days.

He was fully engaged in the game and didn’t have unrealistic expectations.

To get him, (and other folk who don’t usually attend), to return anytime soon, we could really have done to hold on for the win, or at least a draw.

It was great to look across to the Riverside and see it well populated for a change.

Fair play to all the people who helped set up the day off the pitch.

As for the current state of play, I really fear for us in the next couple of games.

I think this is the most lightweight squad, physically and mentally, that I’ve ever seen at Rovers, and a dodgy keeper just adds to the problems.

Hopefully, the flat track bullies will ride again soon, but this could get pretty grim.

38 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Even if Wahlstedt is absolved of spilling the ball centrally for the second, he is at fault for his weak punch.

It's beyond fantasy that the goal wasn't his fault.

He punches when he could just as easily catch.

Yesterday was an accident waiting to happen.

A loan move for a young player in America = more pointless nonsense.

Suggestion for the Mods - insert "tits" between "going" and "up".

 A tale of two keepers and a much stronger bench.

It's futile until these owners leave.

Happy Christmas.

12 minutes ago, Gav said:

300k catchment area 👍

In United and City’s backyard.

2 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Well they get 18/19 k every home game anyway so hardly groundbreaking given they have over 15k ST holders.

Adult ST behind goal like BBE was about 299, ours 429.

Not rocket science.

Agreed, but that is still great support for League One .

A key factor is that Bolton’s supporters clearly have faith in their club’s direction and level of ambition.

6 minutes ago, Stonesrick said:

It maybe that as a result of Szmodics running himself into the ground he has picked up a virus which has left him fatigued, which is quite common.

It also gives JDT another opportunity to make his point to the hierarchy about out threadbare squad.

Agree with the second bit, and it had crossed my mind.

Don’t think so re - the first part. If he was ill I think they would  have just come out and said so.

4 minutes ago, Silas said:

Fair enough, hadn't considered off field issues, and was taking it at face value.

I've had a crap week though, and seeing Markanday and Ennis on the teamsheet a few pages back has sucked all the Xmas cheer out of me.

And I've really rooted for Markanday. Thought he could be a Championship Salah. 😂😂

Yes, with all the good work being done by the supporters groups, I was looking forward to seeing more occupied seats and a better atmosphere.

The Szmodics news has deflated my anticipation.

We need an unlikely hero or two tomorrow 🙏

1 hour ago, Silas said:

Am I the only one throwing my toys out the pram about Szmodics?

If the fans have put all this effort into getting a good crowd in the stadium, seems a bit of a gut punch to then not let them see The Championship top scorer in action. 

Particularly for such a poxy reason. Couldn't care less about the sports science. 

Rest him the next 2 games if need be. You've got 'new faces' here, and the idea is to entice them back.

I'm in a full on strop about it. Particularly when you have people like Shearer ridiculing game fatigue recently. 

Edit for reference:

 

 

I suspect there is more than meets the eye to this story.

Perhaps Szmodics has approached JDT and requested to be left out.

He’s recently withdrawn from the Ireland squad for family reasons. 

…….and tomorrow’s match is brought to you in association with the number zero.

37 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

Lots of parallels with the rail industry

RMT union leader Mick Lynch and disability and passenger groups led a successful campaign against the rail ticket office closures, forcing the government to tell the train operators to withdraw their proposals

Ministers are preparing to allow private train companies in England to make greater profits if they succeed in boosting passenger numbers . 

In other words, give Maggott an incentive to get more bums on seats at Ewood and it might make him think and work a bit harder and boost his £300k salary 

Another parallel - the government doesn't give a sh*t about the railway, in the same way that Venkys don't give a sh*t about Rovers.

54 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

We have seen shambolic window after shambolic window, a bottom half budget and as a result a small, inexperienced squad.

So guess what we’ll get plenty of beatings from these kinds of parachute clubs.

It is what it is, I’m not going to hand wring after such games. On the flip side we could well have a decent Christmas period with the games we have coming up against ‘normal’ Championship sides.

The problem is, having a small, inexperienced squad could really come home to roost during the busy Christmas period.

I fear it could be a horror show.

Thank goodness this is a free midweek.

19 minutes ago, aletheia said:

As to the notion that JDT has run his course and it’s time to look elsewhere. I see it. Get in a seasoned pro who will buy experience and toughen up the team

I still think he is doing a good job, under the circumstances. Today was a reality check.

I mentioned a few days ago about a seasoned, wily wheeler dealer being better suited to the constraints we are working under.

At a club that was skint but well run, that could work with the right appointment.

Alas, this is Venkys Rovers, and we will continue with the vanity project, with an inexperienced DOF signing random players, (and not enough to mitigate for all our injuries), and chucking them at the Head Coach.

Even if we did go back to a more old fashioned structure, ie a manager, we would no doubt make another terrible appointment.

6 minutes ago, Cherry Blue said:

This season is all about financial stability and it stinks. High price ST, closure of BBNEND partly due to a out of his depth CEO, the mismanagement of Rothwell & Raya resulting in a crap transfer window that saw the embarrassing O'brien episode, arrival of unfit Ennis & signing of Leo. We have to put a 15 kid on the bench and field a wafer thin knackered first team that only suits attendances of 8,000.

We have owners who don't know what they are doing so how long will this go on? Is the writing on the wall? January transfer window approaching but with no money this season will end towards the championship bottom with no investment for next season. 

Pretty much sums it up.

Fortunately, we are comfortably placed in the table, for now, but the writing is firmly on the wall for the not too distant future.

10 minutes ago, BlackburnEnd75 said:

We've got some winnable games coming up

Watford aren’t going to be short of confidence after today.

Thank goodness we won on Tuesday.

Surely even the most optimistic will now realise the play offs are a pipe dream this season.

I hate to think where we’ll be this time next season.

Can we have a Chaddy and Mercer podcast, please? I’d definitely subscribe.