Jimmy612

I feel really sorry for the former Rovers players that will have travelled for what is going to be an absolute non-event. There’s some great servants to the club in there, and I’m afraid they’ll be playing in front of about 1,000 people, perhaps max! I just don’t think the day will feel like a celebration at all, which is such a huge shame. But, the club have brought it on themselves. Rovers fans can’t just turn off 15-years off disdain for the ownership. I just cannot see people hanging around for an hour to watch a 40-min game against Old Etonians. It’s not gonna happen.

A disaster if that’s the case. Forshaw and TGH starting on Saturday 😮‍💨

Loads of Labore in that second half, not much Arte! But, this group are really fighting, and after the summer we had, it’s what we needed from them. Bristol were diabolically bad, particularly in the first half, but we can’t keep focussing on how poor the opposition is. The fact is, we look comfortable as a unit in a 3-5-2, we look solid defensively, and we seem to be able to nick a goal here and there. Injuries becoming a huge concern, which I hope won’t be our downfall. Asking too much of Wharton, and perhaps we’ve overdone him. Desperately need a CB or two in January. 14-days since the capitulation vs Sheff United, what a response!

Very impressive 👏 our energy is fantastic in terms of press and forcing mistakes. Far more comfortable with 3 at the back. Well done Rovers 💙

Thought so

Talks of a total boycott are pie in the sky at Rovers at the moment. I might be wrong, but I’d imagine it would have been pie in the sky at Sheff Wed before players and staff stopped getting paid, and a winding up order became a very real prospect. Too many of the fanbase here are satisfied as long as the owners continue to do the absolute minimum and ‘pay the bills’. I would say posters on here are probably some of the most informed regarding the last 15 years. A lot of fans don’t deep dive in to the ownership, the board, the involvement of SEM, the degradation of the playing staff, facilities and general standards. I’d be amazed if most of them know who Pasha is tbh. They go to Rovers for the social element, it’s their routine and they won’t be swayed on that. Every fanbase will be like that. We aren’t some strange anomaly.

I still maintain we won’t get battered today. It usually goes like this… lose a few games, pressure mounts on the manager, fanbase expect us to get pasted, we come away with at least a draw so that they can shove it right down our ungrateful throats. 2-1 Rovers or 1-1. During the Kean era I went through phases of almost willing a defeat, in the vague hope it could be for the betterment of the team if it meant it pushed him over the precipice. As I’ve seen all this before, and knowing the manager won’t be removed, we have to hope this group can string enough points together to keep our heads above water. If we go in to L1, it could be years before we see Championship football again.

Ismael clearly very prickly, but what does he expect? He has the lowest win % of any Rovers manager in decades. Okay, it’s a smaller sample size than Kean, but if he’s scrabbling round for excuses after 23 games and 6 wins, then it’s not a good look. The comments about the squad not regressing are incredibly stupid and shows complete disregard for the fans intellect. He did in a roundabout way allude to it being a difficult season due to all of the upheaval, but that was never once acknowledged in summer when they were telling us all what an exciting transformation it was. The fans knew the potential cost of this strategy, and at the moment, those fears are being realised. I’ve not felt this disconnect with a manager since Coyle. I can’t see him being sacked, I can’t see him walking away, so we just have to hope they can turn this form around. If he did leave his post (applies tin hat), I probably would be speaking to Mowbray about coming in for the rest of the season. He knows the league, knows the club, is a very good man manager and might just be able to scrabble enough points to keep us up. Those of you who oppose this (and I understand totally there will be a few), would you have any other recommendations or thoughts about a replacement? Don’t forget, Rovers don’t pay compensation, so likely would have to be a free agent.

I have a feeling (usually wrong), that we might well pull something out of the fire here. The pressure is mounting big time, and in my experience, Rovers have a little habit of winning a game when managers are under such intense scrutiny. Saints have been desperately poor by their expectations, and I think Still will be dispensed with way before Ismael is. Not sure the Saints players have much respect for him, don't think the fans are having him, and i's a 5-hour journey for them after a midweek defeat. I'm torn between 1-1 and 2-1 Rovers.

That really was an extraordinary time. The Mowbray situation was atrociously managed and very disrespectful to a manager who actually served them very well. Okay, maybe his time was up, arguments for and against etc, but he deserved far more than just pure ignorance. But moreover, I cannot for the life of me work out who within the Rovers/Rao hierarchy decided to pursue a Sporting Director model and found Greg Broughton. It certainly wouldn't have been on the advice of Waggott, Pasha or Mowbray. Are we meant to believe that Madam dreamt up the idea, or did they seek independent advice? i'd love to know how that very brief chapter in the clubs history came about.

The only 'logical' justification for offering VI a 3.5 year contract, is that the board view managers the same as players; taking cheap-ish punts on unknowns (or in this case, those with a tarnished record), with the anticipation of them performing well and getting interest from other clubs. It did actually work quite well with Eustace, not taking in to account it was a very messy affair and probably earlier than they had anticipated. Problem with the above being, when said manager underperforms, it becomes a sticky wicket, and could become costly. I remember @glen9mullan saying in March/April time that he thought there was a 3 or maybe 6 month severance option in his contract, where Rovers could effectively sack him with little or no compo due. If they had any sense (I know), they might have inserted clause(s) which, after, say 12 months he's only due a proportionate amount. In my opinion this is purely academic. I honestly think Rudy is heavily invested in this 'project', and genuinely thinks we'll turn this around. Whether Pasha is as aligned, probably no-one knows, but he won't be wanting to report back to the family that 1. their choice of manager has failed, and 2. it's gonna cost them.

It's quite strange with Rovers, but I can't really remember our players absolutely downing tools during any managerial reign. Even Kean for example - over Christmas 2011 the pressure was mounting, the fans were in uproar, the LET had even said his time was up, and then they drew at Anfield and won at Old Trafford within the space of a few days! During the early days of protests that season, they beat Arsenal and Swansea at home to relieve the pressure. Coyle was a bit the same. Fans could see that over the course of a season we'd go down, but they'd chuck in occasional wins or draws. Beating Brentford and Newcastle in the space of a week in November, two wins on the spin in September as well. This feels like a similar kind of season. We'll have periods of winning and drawing a couple to take the pressure off the manager and the board, we won't play badly enough for widescale fan revolt or disenchantment, but ultimately results over the season might not be enough. Also, such was the scale of the overhaul this summer, a lot of these players are Ismael's signings, meaning we probably won't see any form of mutiny. It might just come down to the simple fact that the squad is poor.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/25462662.blackburn-rovers-team-news-update-moussa-baradji/

Just had a look at XG on Flashscore for the Charlton drubbing. They had Charlton at 1.47 and us on 0.55...

Depends if he went for the pie and pint in Jack's Kitchen before the game.

Anyone hoping VI gets canned has lost the plot, not going to happen. I’ve actually not felt a manager to be this bullet proof since Kean, to be honest… he seems so deeply engrained with the two in charge, there’s no way they pot him, certainly not this season. Don’t forget, this ownership hasn’t sacked a manager since Coyle. This one feels like a relegation season. Not playing badly enough for the screw to really tighten on an underperforming manager, but not picking up enough points to move away from trouble. Always someone else to blame for results… I worry hugely about the signings we made as replacements for key players. De Neve, Tavares, Hendrickson are edging toward forgotten men. Miller is out of position (and is it only me that thinks his throw ins are super average), jury out on McLoughlin. Alebiosu the standout signing so far. I said after the Charlton game, on paper we have a rancid run of games from now until late November. The Championship can toss up real surprises, and one of the games is the currently lowly Sheff United. But at this stage, my instinct tells me we could be deep in the shit by the time the full time whistle goes at the Preston game. Ismael looked pressured tonight to me. Jumping about blaming the ref (again). I wonder whether he’s starting to realise that the exciting summer might not quite be living up to expectations.

Two enormous home games coming up this week. Have to hope for a minimum 4 points. After the international break it’s 6 games in 21 days, playing Coventry, a rejuvenated Sheff United, Southampton, Leicester, Bristol City and then the 150th game vs Derby! That’s a bit of a nightmare run in my opinion, and is followed by Preston, which is never easy. By 21st November I think we’ll have a very good idea of how this new team can deal with the intense demands of the championship, and that’s before we even speak about the brutal Christmas schedule.

This summer I actually subscribed to the LT, and I’m glad I did. I think anyone who opposes this decision should do the same. It’s next to nothing a month and would be, if nothing else, a show of solidarity.

No it isn't. 24th June 2025. It's a shade over 2 months old, hence him speaking about Eustace's departure.

Christ, I can’t be bothered with an English flag being draped over that chair and ‘Now we write the next chapter’, for this utility player from Brum reserves.

Jackson has resorted to updating us on other Championship transfers, whilst pushing his own Gudjohnsen article, which is soundbites from Rovers TV. Tick tock. Looking increasingly like nothing is going to happen.

I can't be bothered going back through pages and pages, but what do you think we need in terms of incomings? think you said you expect two today, what positions would you like addressed?

I named 5 CMs; Forshaw who I don't think can do more than 20mins and I personally wouldn't have re-signed. He's 33, injured and seemingly hasn't had a pre-season at all. Probably useless until at least October. Montgomery who I don't think is anywhere near ready for first team football Tronstad who is first name on the team sheet. Tavares who has flattered to deceive and hasn't really played a huge amount of senior football. Certainly he's never done 35+ games at let's say 60 mins or more per game. Most productive season 29 games and an average of 45mins across those, Baradji - have no idea when he is going to be fit, whether he needs surgery, whether he's actually any good. One injury to Tronstad and one of the most crucial areas of the pitch looks incredibly threadbare. Wingers, you're probably right, we could do with another, particularly given Hedges injury record. Jesus, I'm far from convinced by Kargbo and De Neve, but I don't see Rovers thinking like that. I honestly think they'll look at Alebiosu as another wide option, especially with Miller to come in as right back cover.

Terminate his contract?!? Why would they do that? He's a 27 year old with at least 80-100 Championship games under his belt. And he's contracted till 2027. Surely someone would take a punt on him at £500K or so. His wages won't be astronomical either, will they? I did see a rumour the other week that Broughton did get contracts signed, but went a bit bananas with the wage levels. Be interesting to see what Pears is on.

😂