arbitro

Mowbrays real strength is how he ingratiates himself on the media and fan base, something like a favourite uncle who can regale the family with stories. The nonsense about cake and chocolate bars were examples of how he really got the media onside and for many of them it distracted from poor results. His working class lad thing was done to death here and frankly it got boring. Good luck to him - he has made a career out of being a level or two above mediocrity aligned with the odd success and continues to gain employment.

Rovers women are signing players.

Good post. It seems to be an obsession for some to blame him when there are so many things wrong with our club.

Another hugely frustrating day at Ewood today. I was baffled when I saw the team line up on the pitch and I'm still at a loss to understand the formation and where a couple of players were actually playing. Pickering at times became a third centre half but also played as a conventional left back at times yet when he went off in the second half of was like we weren't playing with a left back at all. Really strange. Going ahead with a good goal should have been the catalyst to stay solid for a while and defend properly but our ineptitude from a corner was almost predictable. I think most of us saw it coming. Huddersfield played on the break and in doing this exposed us several times and I honestly thought if another goal was going to be scored it would be them. Pears kept us in it and more than anybody we owe him for the point we got. Despite having the majority of the ball we didn't create much and rarely troubled a resolute Huddersfield defence. The normally reliable Tronstad had an off day and unusually for him gave the ball away a lot. Szmodics wasn't at the races today and his brisk walk down the tunnel along with his in game body language gave me the distinct impression all is not well. Two more injuries certainly won't help and hopefully Carter going off was more precautionary but Pickerings hamstring injury looked a bad one. I have been critical of Hyam recently but I thought he was much better today and along with Adam Wharton was one of the better players. Hopefully and hour will have done Gallagher good and we need JRC up to speed quickly as Brittain looks spent in every game. Lastly I thought the referee was poor, as bad as I have seen this season. He missed a clear penalty for us and seconds later have Huddersfield a free kick for a holding offence nowhere near as bad as the one on Gallagher. And the offside fiasco in the first half wouldn't have looked out of place in a Brian Rix farce. His random foul detection frustrated the life out of everyone.

Pears, Leonard, Tronstad, Carter, Siggurdson????

It's a vicious circle as conceding too many goals has a clear effect on confidence of which many of our players are shorn of right now. There is nothing complicated about basic defending but we are all over the place at the moment. If we can get to half time today having not conceded I will view that as a real positive. A clean sheet at full time and I will be delighted. Doing the elementary things (in and out of possession) right is the key though.

I personally think defending set pieces is far more of an Achilles Heel and an area which opponents are targeting. Tomasson spoke last week about players winning personal battles and I agree with him. For example if our centre halves are designated markers from set pieces and their direct opponent wins the header then he has not done his job. Far too many or our capitulations have been because their opponent has won their individual battle all over the pitch. Until we get that sorted out we will continue to ship goals.

Under the errant ones we have suffered two relegations which both resulted in job losses. They were directly responsible for both of them and however this latest farce plays out they are still responsible.

The very fact it has happened should be enough for anyone with a Rovers connection to be worried. It really doesn't matter how long the information has been available - we were threatened with administration - that should be a red flag to him.

I accept what you are saying about people losing their jobs and nobody in their right mind wants that but in my view we need something to happen sooner rather than later. If they do get approval from the Indian judge what about next time and the time after that. Nobody with Rovers at heart can relax and feel confident whilst they are the owners. There can't be any forward planning due to the uncertainty they create. Which all begs the question why they don't test the water and put us up for sale, cut their losses and crawl back under the stone from where they came.

Yep. I'm sick to the back teeth of them and since 2011 we have been lied to, let down and generally insulted by their gross disrespect and arrogance. Remember the 'Respect Jack Walkers legacy' speech from the woman? Administration would just about top that off. And if it does happen the Venkettes would blame the Indian judge and shout from the rooftops 'THEY WERE BADLY ADVISED'.

First mention I've seen of money laundering in any publication. Judge Amit Mahajan agreed to allow the tax bill to be settled, but insisted on a bond for the same amount to be lodged with the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), an arm of the Indian government set up to target money laundering. The bond would be forfeited if it emerged the money was used for another purpose.

Presumably this game was hastily arranged because tonight's under 21 match has been called off. It's strange that we used Man City's Academy but presumably they have under soil heating whereas Brockhall doesn't. I wonder how much that cost though 😂.

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2024/january/17/lead-the-lads-out-against-wrexham-/ Rovers are asking for mascots for the Wrexham match for £150. The caveat is that they have to provide their own kit and can use any one of the three we have. On a related note I have been told that the players have been told not to swap or give away shirts because the club has run out. Perhaps D-Day Read should be looking into embarrassments like this rather than dreaming up schemes to alienate supporters. Is this really what we have become?

A stark warning from Rick Parry about the current state of the majority of EFL clubs primarily relating of the distribution of money from the Premier League but also the general health of many clubs. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/efl-rick-parry-warning-reading-31896728

Sky didn't have a reporter at the game, something which Jeff Stelling criticised them for. They used the footage from Reading to put their story together. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/jeff-stelling-soccer-saturday-reading-31876956

I can give you a few recent examples of a club that didn't. 😆

Ennis was one of the penny wise, pound foolish signings. If he stays here for the duration of his contract and the extra year he will be 29 with absolutely no sell on value. Going of the first six months I can't see him ever being a player who can score goals and therefore won't justify a regular starting place in my opinion. Money down the drain. Compare that to no bringing Baath in who wanted a two year deal and would surely have become a fixture in the first team and given us the benefit of his vast experience. Clearly he wouldn't have any sell on value but would have offered massively more than Ennis can and I'd guess over the two years wouldn't have cost much more than Ennis's four or five years. The policy of Broughton and the owners is biting them on the backside.

Loaning him isn't a great risk. I sincerely wish we had him on loan then we could send him back. As it is we are stuck with him for four years.

I have just been told they only have two admin staff hence the online only. I said to the person who told me that was one of the reasons behind the aborted Digital Day when, if successful they could operate with less staff.

We have also got Ayari on loan. Ironically he limped off just after half time in Sunday's under 21 match.

Tomorrow's Premier League Continental Cup match against Sparta Prague due to be played at the LFA Headquarters in Leyland has been postponed.

As Johnny Nash sang 'There are more questions than answers'.

The HMRC letter is dated late April and was eventually paid but does anybody know if they had to apply to the courts for permission to transfer the money at that time to settle it? To my untrained eye something doesn't seem to be right with the dates as it seems the slashing of the budgets was sprung on the club in July and soon after we found out they would have to get permission to transfer and funds from the Indian courts. If they didn't have to get permission to pay the tax bill in April but paid only when threatened that sets even more alarm bells ringing for me.

Or given Bhaji's alleged penchant for violence he could just have been beaten up.