Miller11

I’m pretty sure the powers that be would’ve bitten their hands off if we were sat 12th in the table. Looks like the promotion push is being taken seriously.

In the space of three months we’ve gone from a team that always looks susceptible to one that seemingly loves defending! Proper team performance that. Class. Mowbray got it spot on too.

We should be defensively solid, but might not create much. Clearly Mowbray doesn’t fancy Davenport at all. Johnson needs a better performance tonight. I’m going for us to nick a 1-0 with Butterworth coming off the bench to hit a screamer.

I cut off my nose to spite my face for far too long. I now recognise that my boycotting served no purpose other than denying me the chance of doing something I enjoyed. I’m glad I came to this realisation because I’m really enjoying this current team, more so than I have since Hughes was here.

Absolutely. Wouldn’t disagree with much of that, except I think it’s a bit of both re optimism/disregard. I don’t mean anything to be a sweeping statement against our younger fans at all, but I would say youth is an understandable reason for some to hold their less angry views. Again, my issue comes from being told by anyone how I should feel when they aren’t coming from a similar perspective. I think modern technology also makes it far more appealing for younger fans to live in the now rather than the past. I grew up having to satisfy my thirst for all things Rovers with old books and programmes.

Not in the last couple of hours on this particular thread Joe, but I hear it frequently… “get over it, move on.” It’s often from younger people, and I’d suggest that is a result of them not having witnessed or experienced the events so fully. I’d be just as annoyed if it was a Chilean who has only taken an interest in BRFC in the last 12 months saying these things, regardless of age, which has happened. Theres people in their 30s or beyond who use the argument too. I can’t understand where they are coming from.

Plenty of people, frequently. I think it’s actually pretty relevant to discuss Venky’s ownership when we are talking about potentially falling foul of FFP rules. Their actions have directly resulted in our revenue plummeting. It was hardly a case of it being dredged up out of nowhere. If you are rewriting history and telling people they should stop being upset at what Venky’s have done, I’d say you were old enough to know better.

I don’t think anyone is having a dig, or isn’t glad they support Rovers, but I don’t like being told to “get over it” by people who didn’t experience it.

I’d hope that it is a focus behind the scenes at Rovers. If there isn’t a private acknowledgement that Venky’s have made catastrophic mistakes that cannot be repeated, it’s a worry. Purely from my perspective, I think current focus is on the green shoots we are seeing on and off the pitch, and I’m daring to be cautiously optimistic for the first time in a long time. When I read comments like “they pump x number of millions in a year”, I know it’s true, but it is always framed in such a way that they are acting in a benevolent manner, rather than paying for their own mistakes and fulfilling their most basic of obligations. I don’t agree with any suggestion “we should be grateful” or that “we are lucky to have them”, and I find any comments about how “We’d be screwed without them” and comparisons to Bury (but I suppose it will be Derby now) disrespectful and ignorant. I tend to just roll my eyes rather than get into arguments about it nowadays, I think there is a lot of wilful ignorance and revisionism about. There’s also a lot of younger fans who don’t really understand the damage that Venky’s have done, with it even become an accepted narrative amongst some that we were hurtling towards bankruptcy until Venky’s came along. As a slight aside, some of the younger fans who tell people to stop living in the past are happy to take any opportunity to gloat about a title win they weren’t even alive for. I’m all for celebrating our illustrious history, but we can’t ignore the mistakes Venky’s have made, even if it’s just seen as a cautionary tale. You are right, we can’t change the past, but plenty of our fans try to reframe it, that sticks in the craw. I’m still not personally convinced that they have learnt much from their previous mistakes, we will see. Hopefully one day soon we can start talking about what Venky’s have done FOR us rather than TO us, promotion would be a start.

I think not yet selling (I won’t use the term cashing in on) Rothwell, Lenihan and Nyambe, plus the loan signing of Zeefuik is Venky’s idea of going for it. It’s about as much concession as they will make. Markanday is the type of signing we’d have budgeted for anyway. If we weren’t challenging for promotion I’m pretty certain we’d be seeing out the campaign with JRC at right back, Clarkson in midfield and Ayala playing regularly with Johnson as the centre half back up. It wouldn’t be too much to ask for a couple more loan/cheap signings though. No need to break the bank, but we do need strengthening to give us the best chance of promotion. Dare I say Andy Carroll would seem a shrewd bit of business right now.

Yeah, no doubt there would be plenty of that nonsense. Hopefully it’d be largely drowned out by anyone with an ounce of pride left in their club.

Nothing about Thais would make any sense at all. It would rightly be met with absolute uproar.

Dack on the bench. If we are chasing it there is not a player in our squad I’d rather bring on for the last 10 minutes.

Surely with Travis and Nyambe back 10 of the 11 pick themselves? Stick with what has been working. I’d give Butterworth a run in Brereton’s place. Dack on the bench.

Ordinarily I’d agree wholeheartedly, but somehow we have a chance of promotion. The training ground sale and Armstrong have kicked the FFP can a fair way down the road, and promotion gives us far better long term benefits than the current trading model.

While it’s not the ideal choice for a sponsor, it’s good that a growing local business wants to be involved with the club. I use vaping products, I know I’d be better off not doing, but they’ve helped me kick a much more dangerous, costly and anti-social habit of nearly 20 years. I am glad their logo isn’t on the kids shirt, and even though I took one, I don’t think they should be dishing out samples of their products before games as was the case a few years back. As usual, people are mentioning Eurogarages, like they always do when sponsorship and ownership crop up. It’s as boring as it is predictable. Clearly they aren’t bothered, unlike the folks at Totally Wicked who have been involved for a few years now. I find the tax avoidance tactics of the Issa brothers more objectionable than anything about Totally Wicked to be honest.

Another awful display by the officials. Have they got so much worse, or is it just that it matters more now? Bit of both I reckon. Bringing Gallagher in instead of Davenport was a predictably bad decision. I actually think Gallagher has some value to us, but not in that role. Travis and Nyambe have come in for varying levels of stick on here lately. Some reassessments needed. Both were sorely missed. Brereton was always going to hit a barren patch, hopefully a trip to Chile helps him get over it. Big questions over who can step up to the plate. It’s blindingly obvious we need to keep as close to our first 11 as possible. Enforced changes we will have to live with, but altering players for no reason, or the system at all will lead to disaster. That said, I think the stick Edun seems to be getting tonight is odd, thought he did pretty well.

I wonder if anyone still wants to tell us Nyambe and Travis are weak links/limited/won’t be missed??

And Dack could slot into the role vacated by Buckley very nicely.

I think there is more to it than just league position. For too long those at the club have downplayed us. We should always be a bigger draw than Barnsley, even if we were in the 3rd tier and them the second. The 2 main signings so far in this window are finally a sign of a bit of ambition From those in power. Hopefully there’s more to come. There seems a bit of a culture change stemming from our recent good run, frankly it’s long overdue. The facilities, history, and general stature of the club have all been way above the the abilities/appetite of the decision makers for far too long. As well as on the pitch and behind the scenes we are seeing the results on Ewood, there’s a buzz about the place. It’s such a stark contrast from the decade long state of malaise and stagnation.

I saw this earlier… thankfully I can guarantee Mr Markanday Sr is nowhere near as big of a wanker as the other ones Dad!

Markanday seems like the exact sort of deal we should be going for at this point in time. Relatively little risk, massive potential. He’s going to be out to prove himself, but we are in a position where we are not totally reliant on him hitting the ground running. Cheaper than Jimmy Corbett 20 odd years ago too. Don’t see anything but upside to this one.

I think it would be good, but not essential to bring in another option up top. I don’t think we need to fundamentally alter the way we play, but the ability to mix things up again wouldn’t do any harm. Lots of people bemoan the fact we don’t get enough crosses in, particularly from Nyambe. Having a player to get on the end of them might be a start.

Time to dig out the old video footage of Tugay taking the throw onto his chest and hooking it down field.

What an idiotic comment.