Andy

I actually noticed whilst driving past the stadium yesterday that they've replaced the 'Welcome to Ewood Park' sign above the JW/Darwen End corner entrance.

That's this year's maintenance budget blown.

I have a league match with my U11 side in the morning and, genuinely, I am more invested in that than the Rovers game.

I'll probably catch Rovers on (entirely legitimate, of course) telly when I get in, but my weekend mood will be defined by how my twelve 10-year-olds get on just before.

We're going for a 3rd consecutive league win and playing Dingles 🫡

13 hours ago, neophox said:

Boggan, Joseph or Tyjon in the matchdag squad.

Agreed - you cannot convince me that Gueye is going to perform better than any of these.

On 17/12/2025 at 13:40, JHRover said:

Some of this, I think, comes back to the strange obsession some people have with the period of say 1975-1989. A 15 -20 year block of our history (similar to the Venky era) yet for some reason, perhaps because it immediately preceded the Walker revolution, some people fixate on this spell as being representative of what Blackburn Rovers is and can expect to be as a club. 

You rarely, if ever, get people referring back to what the club was in the 40s,50s, 60s and often these people are keen to remind us that it isn't the 90s or 00s anymore, that we've no right to rely on that 20 year block as a benchmark or standard as it isn't 'normal'. But why is 1975-1989 'normal' but the 50s, 60s, 90s, 00s not normal?

A lot of it of course is because people can clearly remember the 70s and 80s and consider what is happening now to be simply a return to that. But by the same token I could refer them to the decades before then.

Sadly I think a few are still in this 'I was there before it was good' mentality - that because they followed Rovers before the Walker glory days that this gives them more perspective, knowledge, understanding of what BRFC really is than those who decided to or were of an age to start supporting the club when the times were good in the 90s and 00s. 

Well the same people ought to know that taking our history as a whole it is certainly more than being a struggling second division club with 4-figure crowds. Because aside from the Venky created sham we have now and a period when English football was on its knees in terms of crowds and stadia that just isn't accurate as a reflection.

But with the willingness to accept it and convince themselves it is the best we can expect it is little wonder the club drifted in the wilderness for the best part of 30 years rarely getting anywhere. 

Whatever the truth of it nothing and nobody will tell me that I should accept something that clearly isn't good enough. The disgrace of a regime and ownership that occupies the club today certainly isn't good enough and need to be reminded of that on a regular basis.

Appreciate this is going back a few pages (I'm catching up), but I've been saying this for a long time - just not as eliquently,

Historically Rovers are a very successful club and have spent more time in the top division than any other.
A rough period in the 60's/70's/80's doesn't change this - and it certainly doesn't define 'our natural level' in the football pyramid.

I definitely agree with the 'I was there before the JW era' attitude with some, almost like it's a badge of honour instead of it simply being defined by when you were born.

3 hours ago, TheRoversGRL said:

Blackburn Rovers Coalition have released the following statement. 

 

I'm a fan of that; to the point and with purpose.

Though it's hard to see them doing anything other than ignoring it.

On the general point / club video though, why are they making an issue out of a non-issue?
It makes it sound like players/staff have been personally abused.

All that has ever happened has been criticism of performance, as absolutely should happen.
Can anyone, anywhere, point to an incident where anyone at the club has been unfairly targeted or abused?

1 hour ago, scotchrover said:

Does anyone else feel like the dam’s about to finally burst?

Suhail’s supposedly nowhere to be seen. Bob Coar’s apparently running the club. League attendances are unofficially down to around 6000 with an unofficial boycott clearly happening. The club releasing a video asking people to stop saying nasty things. Venky’s no longer sending funding over. 

I hope I’m right. 

I've been saying the same recently.

Might be way off the mark, but it's feeling like the end game in a lot of respects.

Miller was signed to be our RB, I think - and to cover at RCB when playing 3 at the back.

If we can either get one of our CBs fit enough to play more than a few games and/or we buy a new chap in the transfer window, I think Miller goes to RB.

3 minutes ago, London blue said:

I said it at the time and I'll repeat, the club's currency is secrecy and deceit.

I don't think anyone should be to blame for formulating theories when a lack of information is provided.

Yeah, this.

Even when something highly likely bollocks, such as the Cantwell thing, the combination of silence from the club and the history of malfunction enables conspiracies to be taken as truths.

Can the club come out and quash every rumour? No, of course not.

But their communication efforts seem to be funnelled into a Twitter burner account, a food tec teacher and Mr Red Top Rag Nixon.

Communication is such a simple thing. But get it wrong and you expose yourself to things like this.

I feel like I repeat myself after every home game, but two incredibly poor quality sides hoofing the ball back and forth.

Marginally better when Cantwell and Baradji came onto the pitch, but just not good enough.

1 home win in mid November is beyond awful.

Ohashi really isn't good in front of goal, is he?

One thing I will say, Alebiosu is a better crosser of the ball than Callum Brittain.

Could do with a bit of rain about now.

Really like Gudjohnsen, I think he's the best proper forward we've had at the club since Danny Graham.

2 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

Even Tavares looks confused by his selection.

Might have spoken too soon.

just nipped out to do the school run and it’s pissing down again (Lower Darwen).

Bit of blue sky coming through now, rain was torrential an hour or two ago, but seems to have stopped.

Presuming it doesn't start up again now, there are literally no excuses for this match not to go ahead.

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

We now have a 'rainy season' apparently.

Used to just be winter and a pretty wet part of the world to begin with.

Here's my solution:

Club statement tomorrow from the owners or at least the boss at Ewood:

'We want to apologise to our fans, players, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich Town and the League. What has happened twice this season is unacceptable for a club of our stature and we have a responsibility to take action to ensure it doesn't happen again. 

We are employing specialists to immediately investigate and report on the issues and remedial work that can be completed both in the immediate future and at the end of the season to resolve this issue.

As a gesture of goodwill all fans turning up to the replay will get a free drink/pie/chips and ticket holders for the original game will get free admission for the replay.

Tickets otherwise will be £10 anywhere in the ground.

This club and our fans deserve better and we apologize for the embarrassment this has brought and to the players for their wasted efforts'

That took me 2-3 minutes. Yet it's far more than this lot will do.

I've always been a big believer in communication; at times like this, silence is probably the worst thing you can do.

Be honest, open and have a plan.

All of those things are gaping holes at Ewood these days.

19 minutes ago, JHRover said:

I firmly believe that the owners have absolutely zero interest or knowledge in what is going on at the Club on a day-to-day basis and their little goon in the shadows is quite comfortable with that and running things as his own kingdom in their absence. 

I would be amazed if any of the owners were aware we were playing yesterday, or that the game was abandoned, and much less that this is a direct result of their conduct over many years.

IF the club was to be fined by the League for this then all that will happen is the henchmen from the finance team and Suhail will have to juggle the numbers again, probably cut the transfer budget or wage bill or offload a player in January to cover it from the club's own resources. Owners won't find out about it. No way is he going to ring them up and ask them to cough up extra cash. 

On it goes.

I agree on the owners.

But the bigger worry for me is the people actually left in charge of running the club locally.

Amateurs and non-football people trying to run a club of Rovers' stature.
We've been seeing the impact of this over the years, but we're now at the stage where games are being abandoned due to a lack of action/knowledge/experience/lack of willing to spend money on anything to do with the upkeep of the facilities.

22 hours ago, aletheia said:

Made a good save with his leg right at start of second half -but don't let that interfere with anyone's prejudice. 🙂 

In fairness, I don't remember anyone being unfairly critical of him.

He's just made proportionately huge - costly - mistakes in important games for us, pointing to a lack of general competence as a number 1 goalkeeper at this level.
Just take the single error against Sheffield at home last/previous season in isolation; no professional GK should be making that mistake.

And he's rightly criticised for that.

Had a yellow 'severe' weather warning earlier today, for Tuesday (I live within a mile of Ewood).

The club can't say they weren't forewarned, absolutely no excuses.

15 minutes ago, Tomphil2 said:

I assume you're being sarcastic because if not that is absolute nonsense and the daftest of any conspiracies.

Where's the conspiracy?

That's the exact point that the family stopped engaging / visiting.

By all accounts, they are proud people and see us as underlings who should be grateful to them.
Why's it a stretch for that exact incident to be the point where they said 'right, fuck them then'?

He's made a couple of errors per game, but none have been significant and/or have been punished.

Today's example was the dropped catch, under no pressure.

But, as I say this as his biggest anti-fan, otherwise he's been perfectly ok in the games he's filled in for.

As many have said before, he's acceptable as a number 2.

We are run by absolute amateurs and people who are not qualified to be in the senior positions that they are in.

It's inevitable that things like this will happen - and continue to happen the longer this carries on.

Tin.

Pot.