arbitro

Winning is a great habit to have and winning last night would have given us some momentum going to Millwall which is tough enough anytime. Seeing the players body language as they left the pitch last night told me that their confidence is already affected not just by the result but also by some of their individual performances. One of the best days in my 55+ years of watching Rovers was in 2002 when we won the Joke Cup. Were you there that day?

I just did, I couldn't help it. It's like seeing an advice on the motorway - you shouldn't look but you can't help it. Anyway according to him it's Morecambes fault we lost. They had the temerity to change their shape and match us up. Get a appeal in Mogga, that surely isn't allowed as you are the God of tactics and shape. Actually their manager is a genius because not many of us could tell what tactics we were using. Deary me he is a pillock.

It's nearly 11 o'clock and nowhere can I find details of Mowbrays post match press conference. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it...

Well that was a short honeymoon period after Saturday. I really don't get this not bothered about losing nonsense. Blackburn Rovers are a professional football club and winning is everything but the manner of defeat tonight is what is so frustrating and bloody annoying. Mowbray was summed up tonight by his tactics and formations which were confusing to say the least. We started well, on the front foot and with pace but that died after about half an hour in when some players wanted an extra touch or dwelt on the ball and Morecambe visibly grew in confidence as we dithered. The intensity dropped to almost walking pace at times and we said it was only a matter of time before Morecambe got a goal. We were poor all over the field and pretty much second best all over too. Extremely worrying for me is that Morecambe looked fitter and on the back of a tired looking last fifteen minutes on Saturday that is a massive worry. Well done to Morecambe who thoroughly deserved the win and their supporters were excellent. For us the reality of how badly managed we are is hitting home already.

Some kind words from Armstrong. https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2021/august/-Blackburn-Rovers-will-always-have-a-place-in-my-heart-/

We have had a few players who missed some of the friendlies and training due to injury. I noticed on Saturday that some of these were blowing after about 75 minutes. I would play these players to improve their stamina for the tough season ahead as I fully expect this game to be quite physically demanding.

I'm sorry to see our leading scorer go and wish him well. Unfortunately he is a victim of the overspending that Waggott, Mowbray, Venus, Pasha and Cheston have allowed to move us onto the cusp of breaching P&S rules. At a normal club a new contract would have been sorted out long ago. We will probably be saying similar about several other players soon.

He has been extremely poor in his role as CEO and it appears he has dramatically failed in all of his objectives. The worst thing for me was him trying to sell the STC and, along with others disrespect one of the wonderful legacies of the Jack Walker era. Him and his cohorts have overseen several years of massive losses primarily because they have spent significantly over our income level with huge amounts being spent on wages for no return. I have said before there are posters on this site I know personally who could do his job to a far, far greater standard for a lot less than the reported £300k Waggott earns yearly. I wish he would go and take his co conspirators with him. FOW.

As Bolton have been mentioned several times in recent posts has anybody else seen their advertisement on the LT website? They have a decent sized piece entitled Bolton home shirts for sale with pictures of some of their players modelling them. It struck me that they can sniff the disenchantment this side of Bull Hill and are trying to tap into it much like we did when we offered free transport to Bury fans following their demise (whatever was the result of that btw).

I think anybody who was dissatisfied with the service provided by Sodexho should write direct to Waggott or Danny Davis who is the Sodexho manager responsible for Ewood. I was getting some chips for my granddaughter yesterday and a bloke came to the counter for hot drinks. He was told there was an equipment malfunction and there were none. He really sounded off at the young girl so I had a go at him and told him to take it up with the club.

It's this false economy that riles me. A decent estimate is that we have shaved around £100k a week on the departees from last season. What would the weekly cost of increases for the out of contract players? Not spending £600k yearly on useless directors would be a start.

I thought Travis looking extremely weary aided Swansea in their control of midfield. On several occasions he allowed their midfield runners to go last him unchallenged so much so that Lenihan called him out twice. I would have changed him for Garrett who would have been more suited to stopping Swansea coming forward. Also Nyambe was left exposed when Gallagher went off as neither Buckley or Dolan tracked back to help him primarily because neither are wide players in my view.

I predict that the Nobbers manager, a glorified number two, will be the first manager sacked in the Championship. I can see Paul Gallagher taking over too.

It's really good to start with a deserved win with lots of pleasing aspects to admire. No disrespect to any Rovers players but Armstrong would have had a hat trick today and that is what I believe will bite us on the backside over the course of the season. The pressing game won it for us today as Swansea were over playing in the wrong areas time and time again. The work rate was good today as was the intensity with which we played. As I said a win is a win but Mowbray worries me enormously. His changes resulted in players moving about and we lost some momentum with this disruption. It's simple for me, if you are comfortable in the game just go like for like and maintain the control you have by keeping the same system. In my book Mowbray handed the initiative to Swansea who could have stolen a point they didn't look like getting.

An apt description my friend.

It does matter what the gate is Gav. It is probably the truest barometer of where we are as a club. At a normal club low attendances would send shock waves through to the owners and senior management. We get excuses like 'we have tried' as an excuse for ther ineptitude. In fact I would be surprised if the owners had any idea on season ticket sales and attendances.

First day of the season which is normally one of the best days in the football calendar. Every club starts off the same and dreams and aspirations abound but today my feelings are different. I'm going today having bought a season ticket this week but I just feel disconnected from something that's has been a fundamental part of mine, my families and friends lives for decades. There are many reasons for this but the common denominator in these reasons is the owners who have decimated almost every aspect of the club in their decade of destruction and today that will culminate in our lowest opening day attendance in decades. And I still hear of people (I don't know any personally) who believe that they are good for our club. It's incredible to think that lots of fans will be happy with a fourth bottom placing before a ball is kicked. Sad times indeed. I expect Mowbray today to once again be too clever and come up with over complicated systems and tactics whilst having square pegs in round holes. Swansea are in a bit of disarray so it could be a first day six pointer. Wow.

If this was his own work and idea then surely it would have been far better to do it in a video and play it just before kick off tomorrow to ensure more people are aware of it and then a general press release. As it is lots of Rovers fan's won't even be aware of it. They take us for fools and look down on us with some kind of subservience.

Mowbray, Venus, Waggott, Pasha and Cheston have played a huge part in the financial mess we are in. In every year of their tenure we have massively over spent on wages, last year alone it was 187% of the turnover which is upwards of £10m. The contracts and contract extensions they have given out account for millions and we have had the arse end of nothing in return. I would love to know his much his budgets were and by how much he has over spent. And now Mowbray says he has sympathy with the owners. He speaks with forked tongue. There is no accountability amongst the lot of them.

It's strange. I've read this twice and nowhere did I see the word SORRY. The arrogance of the man to try and erase the last decade with no mention of it is staggering. Whoever is advising him should have told him the first step to redemption is to admit there is a problem. To mention Covid is an insult to our intelligence and dilute their mismanagement. Keen to know when they will return to Ewood? Never will be too soon. The patronising oaf can shove his coat of arms up his ample backside.

You missed my point. We have to force the mistakes (just as Bournemouth did) with a really high pressing game. If we stand off they will pass it around for fun. Mowbray has to factor this in to his team selection and tactics.

Out of curiosity I watched the highlights of Bournemouth v MK Dons game from last weekend. Hopefully the new Swansea manager, Russell Martin tries to play the same way as he did at Bournemouth. I really hope Mowbray has seen this and adopts a really high press.

Aya's killers have been sentenced to over 200 years collectively. Hopefully they never see the light of day again. https://www.lancashire.police.uk/news/2021/august/seven-men-jailed-for-more-than-200-years-for-the-murder-of-aya-hachem/

Signing on fees are paid over the period of the contract so I would say that is wages rather than transfer spend.

Mowbray dithered and dallied for ages before creating his European Scouting Network and now Brexit has pretty much out paid to any potential signings for a club of our size. It's another expensive failure and Mowbray is at the wheel again. How much has that bloke cost us with his benevolence to players and other failures.