Utterly frightening. Is this what football really is? A front for other interests? It does make you wonder what motivates ex players in particular. We hear often about players struggling financially when they finish playing, and how precarious a job football management is. I expect they have to make money how and when they can. It might even be possible to feel sorry for them - but not at the expense of our beloved club.

With there being some similarities in the phasing (due to also overstaying their abilities) I reminded myself of the circumstances of Bowyer leaving. He was removed in November 2015 after a run of W5D6L5, sat in 15th, 4 points outside the bottom three. That’s a run that would delight Mowbray and his fans and would be spun as stability - with all kind of tropes and euphemistic language to support it. So we can expect Mowbray to get the full window and one-third of next season at least. If he stays in the top half the gig will rumble on. It doesn’t appear that Waggott will be retiring any time soon, as was the rumour, so the trio of self-preservation (got to hand it to them really, they do seem to have absolute loyalty to each other) will also ensure nothing happens to change the manager position. With all of his so-called, and self-proclaimed instilling of loyalty, insistence on having the ‘right characters’ (for dressing room and sub bench harmony and subservience rather than getting results), and doing things ‘the right way’, it would be easy to be seduced (as the media are) that we have an absolute diamond in charge. The trouble is, football is, and always will be, a results business. Nobody likes to play well and lose. What people like even less is to play badly, mind numbingly at times, and still lose. But here we are. That said, after defeat to Burnley at the end of October 2015, Bowyer finally took on the fans with this pearler: "There was a lot of emotion attached to Saturday's defeat," he added. "It's nearly Halloween and you see people coming out for the ground you haven't seen for 18 months. "They'll probably go back in and hide under the stone for another couple of games, but that's just part and parcel of football." So maybe if Mowbray just avoids that faux pas he will keep the fans on side and continue to avoid the axe regardless of results, form, league position and matchday income.

His inability to organise a team to win games of football.

With Rotherham and Wycombe both relegated, Mowbray is now the longest serving manager in the Championship. Sixth in the EFL 72 overall. And that’s with relegation on his record, whether he likes it or not, and the two worst runs of form in decades which would have seen him sacked at any other club at this level, let alone one that needed promotion. Such a shame we ended up with owners so rich, so negligent and so arrogant that they allow themselves to be exploited time and time again. At this point, comparisons with Kean are fair. Both are unable to deliver on the field, both have divided the fanbase, and both are more than happy to bare-face the fans while talking Venkys coin while watching the team struggle. If rumours are to be believed the players have also seen through him. We have a huge rebuild ahead, just as we did after Kean has finished overhauling the squad. “I won’t walk away” - Steve Kean, Sept 2012 “I don’t want to be a burden on the club, if I’m the problem then that's no problem, the owners have to tell me. Other than that, I love the game, I've been here before, I'll keep going.” - Tony Mowbray, Feb 2021 Would a Kean have got away with resetting the clock after nearly four seasons: “I’ve talked about the journey, this club needs rebuilding and four years in, I think we had to restructure and I think we’re 31 games in to being a team that can try and get out of this division by playing a brand of football that allows you to dominate games, a bit like Watford could, like Brentford can do, Swansea can do it, they dominate the ball and look like they can win football matches.” The difference is that the number of Rovers fans prepared to make excuses and put up with the bullshit now make up a larger proportion of the fanbase.

VAR needs scraping. It is not consistently referred to.

I think you’re spot on. VAR is corrupt and an external actor decides which decisions to refer and which not to. Needs to be three referrals by each manager, not somebody who is not accountable.

Can’t say I’m too upset but VAR is destroying football.

Bet they didn’t dare go to VAR then.

Agreed. I’m more concerned our Plan A was to offer him a new deal.

If we are stuck with Mowbray then the wage for Bennett would be better spent on a new pitch. I was a huge Bennett fan under Lambert and he has been a loyal servant but his playing days are at an end. We did the same with Mulgrew and Graham. Kept them past their sell by date and then their best before date and then when they have been on the side for a while and just watching them go off. “We’ve no money”, they cry. Because we don’t sell players while they still have value!

Personally I think the letter is poorly written. Not because of grammar or formatting but because there is no clear message in it. It neither calls for change nor backs the manager. It talks about being confused (is that an attempt at rapport?) by a convoluted decision making process but does not add clarity or simplicity. It squeezes in Brockhall between the pandemic and the super league, trivialising it as an issue. It says the Trust are concerned and confused by the things happening at Rovers but then says they will maintain their support of wider football matters, with the 50+1 model - something no owner would vote for and would have to be imposed by the government. Are these two things linked? It says it is not protesting but wants the club to engage fans at a local level. Why would this letter do that? In trying so hard to find a tone that is respectful and culturally submissive, the message has become cryptic and unclear, and English is my first language. The removal of CEO and manager is necessary for any progress (under their tenure) and they need to accommodate this and then address it. If they don’t so then they do not value this club. If that’s the case then why are they still here - this is the elephant in the room IMHO. Ultimately, open letters are not aimed at the recipient but are really aimed at getting other people onside. Has this letter done that? I’m not sure it has. What is the alternative? I’m not sure of that either, particularly when the owners don’t even acknowledge that we exist, but my gut feeling is that it needs Pasha to abandon his current allegiances in the UK and to recognise that it is the fans who have the long-term interests of this club at heart. If Venkys don’t care about Rovers then we are a dead club walking.

Not sure if I’d call it succinct - how far did you scroll down? It’s Lancs Live - pretty sure it’s the online version of the Citizen (I.e. more adverts than actual news). He seems to be teetering on the edge of berating Mowbray but stops short of doing so. Goes into quite a bit of game analysis but then seems to think Mowbray should be given the Summer to mould the team to fit his style. It’s as critical a piece as I can remember reading so I don’t want to be too disparaging. I just fear when the wind changes direction temporarily, and we win two or three games, all will be forgiven, only for us to go on another dreadful run as he tinkers with the starting XI game after game.

It’s like 2013 all over again. We continue to have a divided fanbase without enough people in any of the factions to make any real “noise” in any particular direction. There are barely enough people altogether but we shoot ourselves in the foot by having different groups doing and saying different things. We have action groups, a Trust organisation, and a fans forum all with their own agendas. Meanwhile, BRFCS, the place where all of these fan groups converge and speak to each other (but don’t), doesn’t want the hassle of being part of a coordination effort but stays on the fence and plays courtyard. Opportunity missed. The upshot is that we stay divided and the different groups stay separate, with separate, inconsistent aims and we rumble on - losing a thousand fans per season. Steve Waggott is happy to meet with all of these groups separately too, playing into his hands, divided and conquered. Is there anything, anything, that all fans actually unite on, or even have a majority view of? Venkys? Split Mowbray? A relative majority wanting change but have given up Waggott? Investing in a new pitch isn’t he? No? Oh well, FFP… or something. Presumably, all we really agree on are the name, Blackburn Rovers, the location, Ewood Park (I think), and blue-and-white halves. We are a fanbase lost.

It’s also disingenuous. Any fans under 30 don’t have any experience of 1995. But why should we not have expectations of getting back to where we were under Hughes? Burnley are doing it. Mowbray is actively preventing that happening, simply because of his own lack of ability: recruitment, tactics, selection policy, man-management, motivation. All of the things you need from a manager are lacking.

Such integrity. And so lucky to have owners who buy into his ‘vision’.

Let’s hope that’s all he’s got.

“After assessing their left-back scenario and seeking cover for Harry Pickering next season, Rovers performed a U-Turn on Amari'i Bell and offered fresh terms but it's acknowledged that the 27-year-old would rather seek opportunities elsewhere than stay on at Ewood.” Ouch. Can we sink any lower?

Belated thanks for the reply. That wasn’t my question though. I know the attraction for the site, even though it takes away from the user experience, it was more that I cannot fathom clicking on any of these ads and giving someone any payment details. So much malware, spam and viruses out there. It would be interesting to know how many BRFCS users have bought anything by using the ads.

Serendipitous indeed! That’s a great thing you are doing. Cheers. Interested to know about your patrons scheme…

You are right, we won’t agree but it’s an interesting topic though. Armstrong gets more minutes, takes more shots and has more goals than anyone else. The latter being a consequence of the former. Gallagher playing as CF and being given the same freedom would bring similar results IMHO.

Very good of you, I had honestly forgotten. Nightsafe is a local charity helping homeless and vulnerable people in the town. They would be grateful of your donation I’m sure. 👍🏻

I think it’s what I’ve already said. He has been given time and patience and a consistent, appropriate role in the side that others haven’t. He misses a heck of a lot of chances and certainly isn’t a sharp shooter like Rhodes was. I guess your last sentence is part of my own question. Other players have been in and out of the side, rotated even when fit, and have not been allowed to find consistency - if anything they have been played out of position and sacrificed for the sake of Armstrong (and keeping the rest of the squad happy). We stayed up (not the original season target) but if we get £30m for him (we won’t) and it was to be reinvested (it wouldn’t) then it may have been a master stroke. In terms of life after Arma, if Mowbray gives his replacement the same preferential treatment and sticks by him, having him shoot on sight, and helping to make him more consistent at the expense of others then it may well work and we may again see another high scoring striker. I’m not sure it is the best thing for the team though. Some interesting stats (obviously I’m going to be selective to suit my point): Armstrong Shooting accuracy: 45% Goal conversion ratio: 14.8% Rovers scorers 29 = Armstrong 8 = Gallagher 7 = Elliott, Brereton 3 = Rothwell, Dolan, Dack, Johnson 1 = JRC, Buckley, Holtby, Davenport, Williams Rovers second highest goalscorer has 21 goals less than Arma! Armstrong has scored more goals than our next five highest scorers combined and 43% of our total player goals for the club in 2020/21. Shots per Game Armstrong 4.7 Gallagher 1.2 Elliott 1.0 Brereton 1.8 Given how low Armstrong’s conversion rate is and how many shots he has per game compared to others, it could be argued that he has actually held Rovers back this season, hogging the chances while other players have been marginalised. Quantity over quality. We have had a very odd season though, with high goals scored (65 - the fifth highest in the division) and average goals conceded (54 - only three team finished higher than us while conceding more). This is largely because we had a handful of games where we battered teams, scoring 4 and 5 goals. In fact, in our five highest scoring games we scored 23 and conceded 4. In those five games Armstrong scored 12 times including 3 penalties. Hugely inflating his stats against poor teams - so he is clearly better at punching when an opponent is on the ropes. Take out those five games (yes, I know, if my aunty had balls…) but that’s 16 goals in 41 games (still good but nobody is coming in with stupid offers). I say that it is 50/50 with Armstrong having a good season but in a large part due to the commitment and preference shown to him by Mowbray. Will Mowbray be as fortunate again or will he have to change his approach back to his West Brom promotion season. Back then he recognised the need to share the goals around: perennial scorer Kevin Phillips was the stand out with 24 but two other strikers scored 16 each and two midfielders got 10 each amongst others. Or maybe Arma shoots at times when he should pass…? (Which has been mocked previously). Sauces: https://analytics.soccerment.com/en/player/155511/adam-armstrong-1997-02-10/stats https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/158/Show/England-Blackburn Of course, stats should be taken with a huge pinch of salt - for example, on one site, Barry Douglas was our second best player this season - but it makes for interesting debate.

The reason for that is how this manager sets up the team. Nobody else has been allowed to stay King the team as an ever present when they have lost form. Sometimes players have been dropped even when in form. Armstrong has always been given special treatment. (I’m speculating that’s because he sees having a consistent main striker as important and not because of where he was born).

A few years ago we had a manager called Gary Bowyer. He had a few decent players and a goal machine in Jordan Rhodes. In his last full season he had peaked, finishing 9th, and the side was regressing after Venkys turned off the taps. Rhodes’ goals kept us up but things didn’t look good and a rebuild was required. We now have Mowbray having gone through the same phase and has totally relied on feeding Armstrong to paper over the massive cracks that have been showing; cracks in some cases created by him trying to hammer square pegs into round holes. When Rhodes left in January 2016 the squad wasn’t invested in and it struggled to adapt to the vacuum that his departure left. We got lucky with a loaned PL experienced striker and the introduction of a more professional regime under a PL standard management team, we survived, finishing 15th. This Summer we will sell Armstrong. We simply have to. Players come and go and when their stock is at a certain point you must cash in. You are only an injury away from no cash and no player, and then every chance that the player you had is gone even if he stays (see Dack 2020/21). If Mowbray stays then we will likely need another player to step into that role of striker. They will be given 10 chances per game, every game, and will need to take 2 of them. If Gallagher became that focal point and was given 90 minutes every single week - regardless of form - would he get 20+ goals? Maybe, maybe not. But is that even the most effective approach? Teams trying to get promoted tend to have two players scoring goals: one 25+ and one 15+. (Although Watford are an exception due to having a very miserly defence - something Mowbray cannot or will not fix). IMHO Rovers under Mowbray (and Bowyer) is (was) a one-man team. If we don’t replace the striker or the manager then we are in real trouble. Especially given the huge gaps in the current squad and Mowbray’s tendency to bring in squad players ‘to help the lads’.

To be honest I think my affection was aimed more towards Paul Warne. Not often you see a manager choke up and fight back the tears in a post-match interview. Being so close and having it snatched away must have really hurt. Meanwhile our manager is not interested in where we finish.