Miller11

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.

I’m going to wait until the end of the season before I decide. Could be anywhere between a 3 and a 9. As a slight aside though, I’m really sick of seeing people justifying our current collapse by saying “we are overachieving”. Bollocks. Just because people thought we might struggle this season doesn’t mean it would have been remotely acceptable to be in a relegation battle. Our aim should always be to get back into the top flight, and as supporters we shouldn’t accept that being one of the 26 best teams in the country is completely beyond us. It just goes to show how badly run we are that so many people are now really happy to accept mediocrity. Some even embrace it. Waggott, Mowbray and everyone else make enough excuses of their own without us doing it for them. Injuries, FFP, parachute payments, referees or anything else aren’t the issue - being badly run from the top down is. We could have had the one single acceptable season since Venky’s came along, but it seems like we are going to throw the opportunity away.

I don’t think we have much choice but to go to a back 4 now. Ayala hasn’t trained since the West Brom game, looks like he’s decided he’s not playing for us again this season. Nyambe is more than capable of playing right sided centre back but unfortunately we don’t have another competent right wing back. Having said that I fully expect James Brown and JRC to both start against Coventry with Nyambe on the bench though. It would be typical of Mowbray.

I’m amazed any of them still are. Their website currently looks like this… Not what I’d expect from a company entrusted to broker deals worth millions.

Here is the HSH list… Steve Cooper Mark Robins Craig Bellamy Gary Holt Sami Hyypia Gregory Vignal Tony Pulis Graham Westley Micky Mellon Dave Challinor Dean Keats Fabrizio Ravanelli Paul Jewell Tony Philiskirk Rob Edwards And our previous three managers too, obviously.

That certainly killed our momentum. For me February was the turning point. As soon as the January window shut and he got his squad rejigged a bit, it started. The tombola came out player wise, and his stubborn head came out in terms of formation. While that phenomenal run was over in January, we were still looking pretty good. The Swansea game was a different story, dropping Brereton and Khadra to the bench and starting Giles and Hedges up top and Zeefuik at left back. Again he was stubborn and didn’t make a proactive change - the subs only occurred after they went down to 10 and shut up shop. We followed that up with a defeat by Forest, where he dropped Nyambe for Zeefuik for no reason. Nyambe put in a MOTM performance next time out against West Brom, but then got subbed off for Dolan against 10 man Sheff Utd who promptly went on to score the winner. Gallagher for whatever reason only set foot in the box about twice all that game, and has hardly been back in it since (Cardiff aside). He’s doubled down on the false 9. Pushed the midfielder forward more, and the strikers wider. It’s like he’s trying to prove he was right not to bring a proper forward in, except it’s completely failing and he just looks stubborn and stupid.

Couldn’t agree more. If it needs “freshening up” at any point we can switch Khadra for Dolan.

Can’t really understand what you are saying here. Are you saying you wouldn’t play Nyambe? If so that seems madness.

Whether we play 4 or 5 at the back at least we have Nyambe - our only competent right sided player back available.

I really don’t understand the clamour for either Dunn of Johnson. Dunn has failed miserably in every post playing role he’s had. I get the love for his playing exploits, but the free pass he gets for backing Kean and turning on the fans is more than reward enough for that without giving him a job out of sentiment. Johnson’s playing career with us was completely unremarkable, a bit like his visible contributions to our coaching staff. I do believe he was and is a big proponent of the possession based crap we had to endure last season. I don’t think he has anywhere near the presence or personality to manage us in the short term. Any new man should be allowed to pick his own staff. That’s essential if we are to attract anyone half decent… not that Venky’s will care about that.

I think we ought to be looking for a long term appointment - someone who might give us a hope of playoffs, but also someone who could take on the massive rebuilding job if we don’t. Johnson and all the rest of them would be out of the door too… a new man with his own staff. I wouldn’t let Dunn anywhere near.

“You have to drive the guy next to you on and that is what football is and some of them have fallen a bit short in that area” Like you were doing when you were sat sulking like a mardy teenager all second half on Tuesday Tony? Maybe they are learning from you eh?

This season had to be the culmination of the fabled journey. It’s been evident for a while that the squad will break up this summer. A big slice of good fortune, the unexpected rise of Diaz, some momentary excellent form, and an unexceptional Championship gave us a chance of promotion. Unfortunately it’s also been a season of record losses, record barren spells and typical horrific runs. He stumbled across something that worked, but couldn’t wait to deviate from it. Bollocks Buckley has played as a false 9 all season, he looked great as an attacking midfielder who closed down high up the pitch, but pushing him on further and further forward, and the strikers wider, has resulted in disaster. Its starting to look like sabotage at this point. No wonder people theorise that the club don’t want promotion. If Venky’s gave a toss he’d be gone before he set foot on the bus. Someone else might give us a slim chance of playoffs and we absolutely have to go for it - next season, and the foreseeable future looks horrific without promotion.

I’m having to listen to the radio today. It sounds pitiful.