Definitely need a centre back as we only have Mulgrew and Lenihan who are natural there, bar Downing who isnt good enough and should be moved on. Williams and Rodwell are naturals in other positions. We also need a right back as Bennett is a weakness when he covers there, and we havent seen Reed there (apparently very good at Norwich at right back) but hes first choice in the middle. Beyond that, would love a natural winger, suspect a striker will be more likely but Brereton should be used there. Downing should be moved on, and Nuttall, Travis and potentially Davenport if fit again should be loaned out to League 1 clubs.

Darragh MacAnthony has to be the most unprofessional chairman (Peterborough) around. I'm amazed anyone would work with him. Pandering to the fans and calling the teams performance "a shit show", amidst giving random fans information on player wages (confidential surely), transfer negotations etc. Some will defend it as open and honest but it is the unprofessional, undermining ramblings of an attention seeker.

Out of all of them hobbies that you list, and again its critical to realise than not everyone is like you. Following Rovers is by far your costliest hobby. Watching TV and occasional meals and nights out are nowhere near on that scale. The whole discussion in on how the club can increase attendances. The 800 figure is irrelevant in terms of knowing how many extra fans would choose to come last minute or be more tempted to do so should the surcharge be dropped. For example, if a game was £24 without the surcharge, and this isnt a totally fair scenario I appreciate as there are concessions etc. It would take only an extra 100 walk on fans on top of the current 800 to break even on the surcharge, which certainly isnt an unrealistic number in my opinion.

It is an expensive hobby. Even for us, if you dont think spending over 300 a year solely on tickets for home league games, thats before away tickets, travel etc is a big expense then you obviously have far more money than me. Football is an expensive hobby. I never denied any of that but the fact that the players are fully committed is a minimum requirement, and not a reason alone for the crowds to come back. Mowbray is doing as much as he reasonably can but ive never doubted that he hasnt. No one that I have seen has mentioned a lack of committment from the players or manager as a reason that they dont go. I meant that it is irrelevant in that we might get 800 walk ons now. We dont know either way whether that would stay at 800 or say increase to 1000 if the surcharge was removed. Thats the important stat, not how many walk ons we have with the surcharge. So we dont know for sure whether the surcharge is reducing the attendance or contributing to it and if so, by how much. I think we all know it wouldnt be a massive number but we need as many fans as possible. It would suit you or more likely it would be easy for you to relate to as you have kids on your own yes. I said that because you struggle to empathise with anyone with any personal circumstances different to yours. I never said your ideas were bad on this suggestion, in fact getting kids into the habit is an idea i agree with you on. The only idea i shot down was the weekend ticket as like I explained I suspect that the main people taking it up would be current full season ticket holders so in essence they would be downgrading.

Mulgrew is our most consistent player for me. Bennett has dropped below 7 out of 10 quite a few times recently and at the moment for me isnt doing enough to justify a place either at right back or at the wing in the starting 11. That said, as long as hes not guaranteed a place every week, this is undoubtedly good news as he is an important player to have and its good to see how much he gives and how much he cares.

It is a very costly hobby full stop. It is my main hobby so I can justify it, I also have no kids to pay for. Your random hypothetical scenario is obvious but these fans who could add say an extra few hundred-couple of thousand potentially onto our gates are obviously people who do have other things to do, or do not consider it ther primary hobby or avenue to spend their money. As much as Mowbrays doing a good job, effort and hard work is a minimum requirement, and that "they try harder than they used to" is hardly going to get fairweather fans into the stadium. Everythings relative, we are in a far worse position than say pre Venkys but better than under Coyle etc. No, neither of us know whether that number would go up without the surcharge, the amount of walk ons with the surcharge is irrelevant.

Im not justifying it in that it doesnt need to be justified. You get fairweather fans at every club, I dont understand why you seem to think thats a problem. Or something you are seemingly quite bitter about. Attendances vary on the success of a team. We still would like them fans to come back if possible. I never said that hoardes of fans are claiming to not want to go because of the surcharge. Im saying its a potential and marginal additional barrier for those weighing up the idea of attending last minute to not go. One that doest need to be there and one that you dont agree with anyway!

I just dont understand your attitude at all. Every team has different types of fans, regardless of ownership, success, whatever, they have fans who are season ticket holders and go barring exceptional circumstances like you and I. But they also have those less interested, less loyal, however you want to put it. "Cannot be arsed" is such a strange thing to say. Supporting a football club should not be considered a chore or an obligation, nor does anyone have to justify attending. Its a very costly hobby so unless you are dedicated like you and I then I can see how it would be difficult to justify such an expense. Its up to the club to draw as many people in as it can. It can either turn its nose up at those who it feels make excuses not to go, who dont consider Rovers their primary hobby/a critical part of their life, or even those who have become less inclined to intend for whatever reason. Or it can empathise, and do what it can to get them in the ground, as when they are in they are just as needed as the regulars. I feel like the principle of a what I consider to unjustifed increase on match days (something youve also acknowledged is unnecessary if im not mistaken so im not really sure where the conflict of opinion lies!) may have a marginal impact, without proof either way, on drawing in more walk ons on match days. I appreciate that we are reliant on our revenue but I believe that some of the decisions made by Waggott including surcharges are potentially reducing attendances and therefore potentially revenue so im not sure how that comment is regulant.

The fact that it happened in 2 seperate areas of the ground is an even bigger scandal. I dont understand why you are looking down your nose at those who are "trotting out excuses." The club needs to remove these "excuses" wherever possible because they surely realise that the fans they are targetting are not the hard core regulars, but that doesnt mean we should look down our noses at them as if they are expendable. Its not going to cause a sudden hike in attendances, no one has claimed that but all of these different things only have the potential to cause marginal increases. If removing any excuses could cause even the most modest of potential attendance increases then it shouldnt be dismissed.

@blueboy3333 has repeatedly asked you for quotes backing up your claim as to Waggotts reasoning to the surcharge, which contrast Chestons reasoning from the fans forum. His reasoning which has correctly been pointed out by @Oldgregg86 as a load of rubbish. In regards to your initial point, no one has mentioned anything about sudden demand. We are talking about marginal boosts to the attendance. Most may decide before the day of the game but that still leaves some that dont that may be more reluctant to attend with the price increase in place on matchdays. Your posts have a frustrating inability to look at anyone in any position other than your own, as shown by the fact that you have rubbished a cash turnstile partly because you never buy tickets using cash. Your desire to get the kids into the ground is again one that would suit you, that said I must say that it seems like a very logical step to improve attendances so fair play. And Rovers themselves should do research towards why lapsed ST holder have left, the LT article was just a few carefully selected few paragraphs showing a few different reasons, the club needs far more than that.

We surely dont need any more central midfielders anyway.

Why keep using the word excuse? Casual, potential fans who dont need to go or see Rovers as an important priority dont need to justify their lack of attendance. It is up to the club to remove these excuses wherever possible. The club needs to embrace that fact. Agree with many of your other points though. Especially in terms of lapsed season ticket holders.

The whole point that people are making is that we need to remove as many potential "excuses," not that people need to justify their attendance. We are season ticket holders but the people this will most affect are people who arent regulars, who do have other things to occupy their time if Rovers isnt an attractive enough proposition to them, therefore the club can either turn their nose up at them or embrace that fact and try its best to bring them back in. I appreciate your point about surcharges being in place to allow the club to predict attendances for various reasons but that then implies that if there was a sudden demand on a match day and loads of people decided on the day to try and get a ticket, then that would be a bad thing logistically. In which case the number of fans in the ground clearly isnt THAT important to the club. The club should do everything it can to get as many people in the ground WHENEVER they decide to attend, even if it is last minute. They then should think of ways to deal with any logistical issues that come with that, ie the contactless season tickets they are bringing in to help with queues for the bars for example. A very good idea.

Raya Nyambe Lenihan Mulgrew Williams Reed Evans Palmer Dack Armstrong Brereton Subs: Leutweiler, Rodwell, Bell, Smallwood, Bennett, Rothwell, Graham Hope we play this team which is a bit more attacking.

A leader, brilliant on the ball, a constant threat from set pieces and a very underrated and consistent defender. Terrific news.

Whilst I do think that actually playing him in any capacity at a time when we seemingly are trying to bring through a whole new generation and build on the world cup success is a bit stupid, there is far too much disrespect towards Englands record goalscorer. Im well aware of his tournament history but he deserves credit and to be at least somewhat celebrated. Find it totally bizarre that Fabian Delph is going to be captain mind you.

The first sentence is voided by the fact that obviously many people may make a judgement on the day, for example they may have potential other plans. I dont get this mentality that we should be criticising these fans or that they require an excuse. Its not being embraced and grasped that these fans in the main are not hardcore fans that we are trying to tempt in. They are fans who can take or leave attending, but that doesnt mean that we can turn our nose up at them for having such a mentality. For them, a hard working young team and some moderate success wont be enough in isolation. The club need to empathise with that and try and pull them back in at a time when the club is on an upward trajectory. The surcharge is partially a point of principle, but you would naturally be more reluctant to buy a ticket at a higher price that people only hours ago will have paid for the same match. I also agree with @Crimpshrine regarding marginal costing, and am unconvinced that they will actually make any extra money from charging surcharges anyway, for example, if £27 tickets go to £30 then it only takes 1 person being put off to offset 9 buyers worth of surcharges. There is an obvious psychological element too, take the above example, if a ticket was £27 I dont think half as many people would grumble as if a ticket was £30 in general as we saw with the backlash and relatively poor following to Bolton away.

Those defending the club arent embracing the fact that those who may be put off by slight increases, surcharges, memberships, things like that, are not always diehard fans. You say these fans deserve criticism but they will need every possible encouragement to attend. No one has suggested that the team or manager is discouragement to attend in any way so need to mention that either. "Simply cant be arsed" is said as if its an obligation to attend. For people who arent season ticket holders, obviously it isnt an obligation.

It is for a season ticket holder like you and I baring in mind as others have said there wont be a repeat of Fleetwood in terms of demand over supply, all will go to open sale. The matchday price increase shouldnt exist in the first place anyway but thats another matter.

I'd love to know what such a course compromises of ?

I was just making a point to what I perceived to be the pointlessness of this years membership, moneybags. You dont have to apologise for everything Waggott does.

Oh yeah I was thinking of from 5 to 10, from a season ticket holders point of view.

Agreed, dont know if its been mentioned before so apologies if so but didnt 1875 membership double in price?

I wouldnt be surprised if Fulham sacked their manager, acknowledging that it would be harsh based on the promotion. Making that decision cant be based solely on whether he deserves it based on his whole tenure there, but also whether a new manager would improve them. There are definitely managers out there who could fix their main issues without the naivety that Jokanovic is showing. From what ive seen and ive seen them in their last 2 games, they are suffering from being terrible off the ball, inconsistent team selections, being disorganised, lacking fight (Tom Cairney isnt what you want as a captain in this situation) and conceding far too many goals. I think he will need to turn it round very soon. With Cardiff, Warnock would be slightly grating me constantly going overboard on how they are overachieving to be in the Prem at all and that he prefers to be in the Championship. But hes got a Championship squad and arent capable of more than they are doing. They are definitely fighting and scrapping. Hughes has a worse win record than Pelligrino so he has to be on the thinnest of thin ice. Not sure what hes about anymore.

Point A is irrelevant I believe (my understanding may be wrong) as it wasnt deliberate play by their defender, it was a deflection so the point is moot. Correct me if im wrong though. Point B I dont think can be proven 100% either way from the 1 camera angle available. I suspected there was a chance of offside at the ground. Brereton has benefitted from 2 major decisions in the last 2 weeks. Just as Rodwell v Forest and Reed v West Brom suffered from them.