Plus a new manager will be already without Nyambe and Rothwell cos they want to leave and move away from the area. Reason why they haven't sign a new contract That isn’t how your quote read.

And we wouldn’t be if the teams around us had played their games in hand. Besides, we were in the top 2 a couple of months back. This collapse has been unforgivable.

It’s taken over a decade for us to get a decent defence under Venky’s. Despite his “defenders are coming” speech, it’s taken Mowbray 4 years and 9 months. Take Nyambe, Lenihan and Van Hecke away and the age old problem returns. There’s only Wharton left who I am completely comfortable with. As Ossydave states, we are already light on midfielders, and 3 are out of contract. Brereton will surely be the subject of big bids and will be off. But not to worry, we will have at least half a dozen wide strikers! An absolute mess.

Looking at bringing in players who a new manager might not fancy in the slightest, or who might not be suitable for how they want us to play is stupid. Rushing through the Hedges signing was ridiculous for the same reasons. If we are to change manager in the summer we should’ve got rid of Mowbray a few weeks ago and given a new man a head start, as well as a chance to salvage this season. Why would Nyambe want to move away? He’s lived in Manchester since he came over from Namibia as a kid. He’s got family there and is heavily involved in his local church. He has been totally messed about throughout negotiations and wants a wage commensurate with his stature.

The 9 minutes injury time is less of an issue than the 45 minute head start we gave them with that stupid lineup. Also, it’s handy being able to make a couple of subs when your players are knackered with 5 minutes to go. Unfortunately we can’t cos we have to use them to completely reshape the team at half time. I fucking despise Venky’s with every fibre of my being, but this one is completely on Mowbray - much like the rest of our complete capitulation this calendar year. Season over, might as well fuck off on his holidays now seeing as that’s all he’s bothered about.

Just to confirm I’m not advocating bringing him on up front. There’s only one person on the entire planet stupid enough to think of that!

Johnson for JRC Dack for Pickering Brereton for Buckley or Rothwell

Let Dack, Johnson and Travis do the team talk and make the half time subs. Maybe we can salvage something. The actual manager has been a hinderance for too long.

I got as far as the bit where he went on about us being “a young team punching above their weight” Disgusting.

He’s actually said this?!?!? That’s an absolute disgrace if so.

He’s just being stubborn now. Not surprised. Under what circumstances does Hedges get on the pitch today? He’s never getting on before Dack, Dolan or Brereton… and that’s without Khadra, Poveda or Markanday available. Ludicrous signing that seems to be in preparation for the big summer dumb down.

It sounds like this season is just winding down and petering out in his mind. Obviously nobody is really that bothered about promotion. “There’s no offer, there’s no discussions, no conversations, I’m anticipating trying to see this season through and then it’s the summer and I’ll be going away with my kids and my wife and see what life brings next for me.” He ought to be talking about how all his focus is on getting the club promoted back to where it belongs. He should be firing up his players, the fans, and everyone around the club. Instead he’s conceding our season is over and we are losing a load of players. A thoroughly depressing read. His indifference to it all has no doubt contributed to our collapse.

It’s probably a lot to do with youthful optimism, but there was never a point I didn’t believe we wouldn’t be promoted back in 1992. Older, wiser, and a decade of disillusionment later, I can’t see us having enough about us to scrape a playoff place, let alone get promoted.

And this is where we fall at the first hurdle. Incompetent owners employing incompetent people. You can’t just shrug your shoulders and blame everything on rules that everyone has to abide by. Parachute payments weren’t whinged about when we were receiving them, and I wonder if fans of Luton, Peterborough, Millwall and others whose losses aren’t subsidised by billionaire owners complain as much as we do? There’s plenty the billionaire owners can spend on without FFP rules being a factor. Simple things like stadium and pitch maintenance are two of them. There’s no hiding behind the FFP excuse for the neglect in these areas. Keeping the ground neat and tidy would be a start, and doing basic repairs. Maybe if we bothered to do this we might be able to sell some advertising and actually bring some money in to contribute to the playing budget. Instead we have pretty much nothing but Venky’s logos plastered all over the place, because the people those idiots have charged with running the club are out of their depth and under no pressure. They let players contracts run down and sell players on the cheap. Easier to blame it on the fans for not spending, and the nasty rules than acknowledging we are badly run from top to bottom though.

God knows how we will line up. This is in no way a prediction, but I’d go with this: Kaminski Nyambe Van Hecke Wharton Buckley Giles Travis Rothwell Dack Brereton Dolan A couple of square pegs in round holes, though not as many as Mowbray usually likes, but I think we need to get our best available players on the pitch. I can see a draw. We will pick up enough points over the next few weeks so it’s technically mathematically possible for us to make the top 6 on the last day - with a ridiculous goal difference swing, which will be enough to keep a lot of people happy.

If we had adequate attacking options you’d be right, but considering we don’t, plus what’s at stake and how few games are remaining, we’d be mad not to start him.

The mounting injuries are helping to line up the perfect excuse. In 18 months time this season will become “the time we were dead certs for automatic promotion until the unfortunate injury crisis” The toothless performances, stupid tactics and managers stubbornness that have led to complete capitulation will all be forgotten in favour of the Mowbray/Venky friendly narrative.

I hope so.

Ordinarily I’d have to agree with you on this, but there was something very much out of the ordinary that happened in that game. This was 12 months ago: I can’t think of another manager that would get such a free pass for such a disrespectful comment. The sulking we saw against Cardiff, when the team were playing well for the first time in months, is nothing new. It’s also why I think he will be off of his own accord at the end of his contract, and a contributing factor in why I think it’s a good thing.

Don’t forget Waggott has stated several times that he “went to bat” for the supporters when discussing ticket prices with the owners. It’s them who have the final say. As out of touch as Waggott may be with the fanbase, he’s got a lot more idea than billionaires from India.

I’ve just been sorting some boxes of stuff out and found these… I also came across this which I thought was completely lost…

With the opponents in the full red kit I’m guessing it could be Swindon in the league cup 95-96?

I know a few questions got sent in specifically about his involvement at Rovers. Be interesting to see if they are asked!

Waggott thought that by bringing the Riverside prices in line with other areas he could get all the long standing season ticket holders in there to move. He is surprised they haven’t… because he doesn’t get it. He has a dream to replace the stand with a hotel and conference centre. Other members of the Ewood brain trust have their own ideas. They want a council partnership to build a community hub, and another campus for the UCFB - basically overspill for the one at Turf Moor. Again, plenty of grants available. They think the best way to achieve this is to let the Riverside fall into disrepair to the extent it gets condemned, believing the council might then become more receptive.

Some surprising figures there. I suppose that teams in the championship are often in periods of transition, and it looks like there are other “journeys” going on… plenty of toing and froing between (relative) feast and famine. The clear out last summer has evidently trimmed a huge chunk off our wage bill. It looks as though we are benefiting from our heavy use of academy products, and it’s certainly a cost effective way of fielding a competitive team in this division. Makes it all the more frustrating that we don’t seem to have an effective strategy in place to keep them long term or realise a transfer fee close to their value.