47er

Obviously going to be an avalanche on the day the season opens! 😢

Because its runs and time we chose not to accept and can't get back.

No! Not me anyway.

True-- so why waste it with a reckless declaration?

As feared, the Aussies are going o get a first innings lead, possibly a sizeable one. From there we will be attempting to save the game, with plenty of time for the Aussie bowlers. Bazball won't be much use in those circumstances. TBF this is more a criticism of the Captain rather than the methodology. We should never have declared. As for the wicketkeeper, we have a long unproud history of omitting the best in order to give us another batter----right back to Jimmy Binks of Yorkshire in the early sixties in my experience!!

For "loathe" read "lost"!

New Zealand?-we drew the series. We lost the 2nd test by one run after dominating the game. Don't get me wrong, I'm really enjoying how we play these days. By contrast Australia seem staid and boring. I'm just saying that sometimes you have to to use some common sense and be adaptable.

I guess I love it when it works! I think its more appropriate against a weak side---which Australia are not!

Reckless and unnecessary, as Jim said. Still, one wicket down, let's hope for the best!

One was Root though? Farm the strike and all that.

this

Its a 5 day test Gav! What's the point of winning the toss and batting if you are not going to get the best outcome? Another session, quite possible with Root playing so well, and we could have put ourselves in an unbeaten position. Great way to start the series. As it is the Aussies could get a 1st innings lead with the pitch playing as it is. They would never have let us back into it, that is absolutely certain. It may well turn out that we win but that doesn't validate the decision.

Crawley proving us wrong Jim!

Thanks for that. 2477 new tickets easily achievable and I think we'd get more. But it takes vision and hard graft, not least in winning over the owners so I won't expect it to happen.

I used to be an enthusiastic supporter of English clubs playing in Europe, going as far back as United and the Busby Babes! These days I don't feel any pride like I used to that an English club has won it However I never bother watching any European games anymore. Couldn't care less about it. Might as well work out the relative bank balances at the start of the season and give it to the wealthiest.

My opinion remains that knocking £100 off season tickets would result in a substantial increase in buyers and that we would sell another 3000, maybe more. Bolton and Preston's experience are not irrelevant to this discussion, on the contrary. And, as others have said, we have our own experience with low prices. Equally confident that this at face loss would be at the least counter-acted by increased sales. But I do agree with you that we are not likely ever to find out!

Exactly! If the average price of a season ticket was £400 and we sold 9000 that would total £3.6M if the average price was £300 the total for the Club would be £2.7M, a loss of £900000. So it would take 3000 new season ticket holders to make-up that difference. With a well-run promotion campaign and a few good signings, does anyone really doubt we wouldn't achieve that or better? A similar reduction in walk-on prices would also assist and we would have a vibrant Ewood Park once again. I realise that my calculations are not scientific and that it would take a far more able (and motivated) mathematician to work out the exact cost based on actual prices but surely Gav you get the drift? Its not like trying to get a doctor's appointment is it?!!

If only the players would agree to play for free for a season!! 😂

Ridiculous. More expensive than Leicester,Sunderland and way more than West Brom! Where on earth is the sense in that? Driving fans away.

When you argue "fair" its not an absolute. You can only judge the fairness by comparison with clubs around us who live in the same economy. On that basis its not fair at all and the low sales prove it.

Unelected, unrepresentative, more interested in their own "status" than standing up for the fans. That, at least is the impression they've given over years. Enables the admin to pat themselves on the back and think they have a continuing dialogue wth the fans, that's the problem. They don't.

Good sense of humour there Matty!

Better than that imo. Career ruined by the decision to pick that Aussie keeper instead, which I thought was daft. Top class for 6 years! I'll take that!

Flowers? Was the England keeper after all!

Sign him up as our goal-keeping coach!