tomphil

Some will only go if the team is doing ok, always been the case. Others, like me for a few years, an ST just doesn't make sense i couldn't justify it. So constantly going down this route is only alienating more and more people. We will now hit the period where more fans aren't going than are and that's a serious issue. Even good form won't get many back in at those walk on prices. Such short sighted lazy thinking.

So he's said we are following the Norwich, Sheff Utd, Preston, Brentford, Swansea now Barnsley models over here. Yet he gets on Chilean tv and thinks it's safe to chuck Burnley in now.... !!! Like a cat chasing its own ###### tale he is.

It's bullshit in any language.

It's like the owners, manager, directors etc take the easy option first time, every time and to hell with it. Whether it comes to funding - yeah just sign off the usual budget and do what you want with it. Signing players - just look at what our mates have for us or what's around at the last min then try and fit them in the team. Tickets etc - well whoever wants to come will come and pay the going rate, balls to the rest. Absolute tinpot outfit.

They had a business plan after the audits remember. It delivered promotion, they wanted to invest big whilst they could but good old Tone advised slow build and investing in these types instead. Iv'e always been convinced there was a good pot of money available to him for the team then. This is where they advised it to go though and i'm convinced those at the club if the not the owners thought they'd cover it from future sales.

I remember going down early one freezing miserable morning to queue for tickets. Can't remember what for but maybe a Burnley away fixture or something, anyway the queue was snaking all along the back of the BB end before the windows even opened. Just after they did John Williams turned up happily walking down the throng chatting to people. He was unimpressed at everyone lining up in the dank weather outside so ordered the doors open to the concourse. Not only that but next min he asked for them to sort someone to open a kiosk and get the brews on the go. Can you even begin to imagine that now ?

No doubt hes been asked so he wasn't going to say no but it's a painful scenario. You can imagine this is how he babbles to the owners, make it so technical that no one can understand. Therefore they just assume you do and go with the 'expert'. A great opportunity for self promotion here though, big Sam would be proud. TM will be strolling around Chile soon with 'I made Ben Brereton' Tee shirt on. Waggots delighted that a gap for shirts and tv subscriptions might have opened up in a foreign land, to replace lack of fans here. Boosting income tha knows !

Interesting stuff i'll take it on board. In regards to perceived arrogance that's nothing more or less than frustrated fans. Wondering why he looks like a 7 million kid with potential now again, maybe like he did at Forest but rarely if ever has here, so far. Next season is a huge one for Ben and Rovers so lets hope he finally steps up and the manager allows him to. As for posting on here it'd be nice if you were regular but you need to get rid of that chip on your shoulder in regards to how you think English fans dismiss someone from Chile opinion. We are all just fans hanging on to the words and actions of 'pros', however very often they are proved wrong and fans proved right. Just the way it is.

Front loading, it happens. Investing up top in the early stages of the next FFP cycle is what it was. They know the absolute only way to balance that out is either promotion or a big sale or two. Maybe they bought into the fantasy Mowbray would deliver the prem but neither has happened. So now we are where we are and everyone knew it was coming. Shambles.

This is the football industry and managers and ceo's etc are playing with other peoples money. Daft stuff happens all the time there's a truck load of stuff at this club over the last 10 years that doesn't appear to make sense.

Maybe we are being a bit harsh on the manager, maybe his talent is getting a tune out of forwards who are decent with the ball at their feet. Pity about the midfielders and defenders though that make up the majority of a team. All about individuals at Ewood though.

Sadly it would only turn out to be big Barry's arse.

It isn't on Rovers it's on Mowbray the buck stops with him in regards to Brereton. He now, predictably has popped up and seems to be implying he's responsible for Ben hitting it off in Chile. Odd when like you say he hasn't hit it off here really in 3 years under the manager who bought him. And coaches him daily yet the min he's away he looks right in place. Tony Mowbray ISN'T Blackburn Rovers fc although you'd be forgiven for thinking so at times. By the way what is your connection to him ? Because there obviously is one unless you are just obsessed like.

No because i think it was a rhetorical question when he was waffling. Along the lines of 'have we got Brereton in to eventually replace Dack and maybe play a different way' Iv'e always been surprised more didn't find it odd that after spending no big fees for years since Rhodes they suddenly went out and splurged on him. Then Gallagher followed and those 2 added to Armstrong tallied to roughly the figure being touted for Dack. I think there was a bit of a plan in place there a few years ago following the audits. Sadly football rarely adheres to idealistic plans.

Iv'e come to the conclusion Tony is woke because things he's said clearly and on record in the past regularly get cancelled !

Agree, his skills are poor but he's got all the attributes of an old school battering ram striker. Needs balls and crosses banging in front of him, he also has the workrate to harry center defenders all day. Truly wasted being shunted wide right/left striker and general carthorse up and down the flanks.

I'm happy he's doing better and i'd expect him to have a good season next IF he's used properly. However i'd still snap the hands off anyone who would pay 2 or 3 mill for him after this tourno. That could prove top be the best bit of business in the entire summer. A few quid towards easing embargo and maybe help the finance men tempt Armstrong into signing a better deal for now. And it's another enigma off the books before he starts costing big wages.

What do agents do then when their client is up for contract renewal ? That's right, exactly the same thing. Wouldn't be doing their job otherwise.

His agents, probably the ones that got him here for 7 mill in the first place, seem to be doing a stirling job of ramping up his next contract offer. Either that or he really wants out.

We'd be told the owners are aware of the form and disappointed with results. Then we'd win the 6th game 5-2 and be told the owners still like and trust Mowbray and haven't considered his position.

Because as was the case in later GB years and Coyles stint they are scrimping on a month or twos wages. Yet a year or so ago good old Tone was handing out monthly extensions to players he wasn't using and had no intention of. Stinker.

Trouble is when he finally got around to signing first team ready players they were either varying levels of not very good to start with or decent but always injured. Exhibits - Ayala, Trybull, Johnson, Holtby, Douglas - throw them in whichever category you want. Notable exception was Downing but he was only bit part used really and the frozen out after they got him back.

The player(s) to replace Armstrong are already here, money wise, in the shape of Gallagher and BB. Any hole in the squad he leaves will be filled by a cheap punt like the ones we've been linked with. You cannot just take one of them and plonk him in expecting him to pick up the mantle. Very unlikely to happen, more likely is he'd be the new bench fodder instead of Ben. So we need a style of play that allows Gally and BB to play in their best positions and get the best out of whatever their abilities offer. Possession football isn't it.

It looked decent enough on paper to be honest i think most were pleased. However it took the 2 of the 3 outfield players an age to get to grips with how we played. Branthwaite never did really and Pears was clearly just another old boys act who, if the rec team hadn't got Kaminsky, would probably have been number 1 !

That's always been a valid argument, the only conclusion is so much of Vs annual share issues goes covering what was wasted in the past and is still being wasted. Also we've no idea who's really on the Ewood payroll and what gets charged to the club.