If we played Gallagher as a centre forward, with JRC on the wing putting in crosses to him, I expect they have their days a lot more often.

Today again showing we have good players who have underperformed this season. JRC looks like a top drawer winger. Gallagher showing what he can do with a decent delivery when he is in the box. As much grief as I’ve give Lenihan over the last 12 months he showed he can defend today. Kaminski with some great saves. When we did the simple things that come naturally to players, we look good. If we lost the stupid, stubborn insistence on playing people out of position to fit in this stupid system a while ago, a point today might have been an important one rather than being irrelevant.

I’d say that’s actually pretty high numbers against for a Twitter poll. You only need to look at where the votes went in the legends 11 poll the club ran a while back to see how much recency bias and shallow knowledge exists on that platform. If/when Rovers Trust poll their paid up members I guarantee the results would be very different.

That’s the Community Trust. Different entity that is run by the club. Rovers Trust is an independent supporters trust.

If there were people out there oblivious to what was going on with the training ground, I’d have pointed them here immediately. However, were you to do that now, anyone reading the past couple of pages would see all the squabbles and nonsense and likely dismiss any of the concerns previously raised. This thread needs putting back on the rails pronto.

It must be Mowbray, being as how he’s such a man of integrity. If there was any interference from the owners surely he would walk.

Plenty of players will feel very aggrieved at being dropped. Dolan and Buckley especially, but Trybull should be annoyed too. Says a lot when nobody raises an eyebrow at Nyambe being dropped to play an attacking player out of position. There is absolutely no good argument for keeping Mowbray on until the end of the season. The players with the expiring contracts who are worth keeping don’t seem to have any intentions on signing new deals. A new manager might change that. Drain the bloody swamp. Hopefully halt the exodus of players, give us a sliver of hope, save Brockhall and respect Jack’s legacy.

Tell you what would be reinvigorating, a message from the club along the following lines... “It’s been far too long since we’ve had supporters at Ewood, and we can’t wait until the start of the new campaign to welcome you all back here. We are delighted to announce our first pre-season friendly against (insert marquee European opposition here) will take place at Ewood Park, and we want to see you all there! Entry is FREE to anyone with a ticket buying history on our database (subject to crowd restrictions and availability, first come first served) and we will be providing free coach travel from numerous destinations to and from the game. This will be the first game in charge for our new manager (insert name of someone exciting and dynamic here) and a chance for you to catch a first glimpse of our new signings a, b and c. We will be launching our new home and away kits on the day, and they will be available to purchase at the Rovers Store and our pop up kiosks around the ground, along with the rest of our exciting new merchandise range. Sign up for a season ticket and receive 20% off the purchase of any shirt. We’ve taken onboard your feedback, and in addition to our improved kiosk catering, we have teamed up with a host of local vendors to offer you a variety of different food options in and around the ground, including this, that and the other. You can also sample a selection of craft ales and ciders at our newly installed beer tents. To really make this a day to remember we will have music from local bands the Illicits and the Ruby Tuesday’s at our stage outside the Blackburn end from 12:00, and on the pitch at half time. Players x and y will be available for photos and autographs from 12-1pm, and you can have your photograph taken with the premier league trophy. We recognise how difficult the last 18 months have been, and how important your support is to us. Season tickets will be available on the day priced from £200 for adults in all areas except the Jack Walker Upper central, priced at £350. We also have our first ever “pay as you go” season ticket where you pay an initial £50 for the season and then just £10 per game thereafter. No commitments or credit checks. We’ve also got a special video message from the owners, where they will outline their hopes and plans for the upcoming season.” What we will get... “Season tickets have to go up to £600. They have been too cheap for years and we need the money. They will be on sale before the season starts. The kit will be out in a few weeks. It’s probably blue and white. Catering is a pain, so unless you buy your tickets a day before, you have to pay an extra 3 quid. We will stick sky sports on at the ground, play Bohemian Like You by The Dandy Warhols, and charge you the best part of a fiver for a flat pint of Carlsberg. #wearetogether

I applaud any fans taking the initiative to try and do things for the benefit of the club. We have some really dedicated, creative and hard working fans doing all sorts of different things. However, it’s a piss poor show that the club offer little or no encouragement or show any willingness to work with fans. The dumbing down and lowering of standards shows no sign of slowing any time soon. Lets look at their recent record... - Poor season ticket sales pre-pandemic, horrific season ticket sales during - Divisive marketing strategies - Failed raffles - Dreadful stadium catering - Prohibitive surcharges on match day tickets - All fans removed from DE lower tier - Families moved out of BBE upper tier - Town centre club shop gone - Radio Rovers no more - Failure to comply with EFL rules on supporter consultation - Legends Lounge gone - Ground in a state of disrepair and filth - Blues Bar shut bar a few hours on match day - Next on the list, senior training centre turned into houses And that’s before we get onto goings on on the pitch, or the £200 million (and growing) albatross. Steve “we’ve done all we can” Waggott is only interested in milking the ever dwindling hardcore. Mike “you should be grateful” Cheston views all of us with nothing but disdain. All the while their “humble, honourable, committed and supportive” bosses continue to leave us serfs with many more questions than answers. But it’s alright, just stick #wearetogether on the end of everything.

This is exactly how I feel. I will be delighted when Waggott finally goes. The man is as useless as he is untrustworthy, and totally out of his depth. Quite a bit of talk about him and his harebrained scheme on tonight’s Rovers Radio show https://roversradio.co.uk/listen-live From 6pm

If Venky’s hadn’t completely mismanaged us for a decade, I doubt we’d be talking about doomsday scenarios. We were about as far from “well and truly fooked” as was possible before they rocked up. Bury is one comparison that everyone seems to like making. It does the club a massive disservice. If the worst came to the worst, why wouldn’t we end up like QPR, Barnsley, Ipswich, Leicester, Rotherham, Leeds, Luton, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Southampton or Crystal Palace? They’ve all been in admin in recent years. The only similarity between Rovers and Bury is geographical. We are an entirely different, and better proposition in every measurable way.

Really interesting. I suppose it just goes to show that there are different outlooks in every fanbase, and that perceptions from the outside aren’t always completely accurate. I’ve also seen they have put out a breakdown of Forest’s recent accounts. They look quite familiar! Interestingly though the Forest owners are seen as irresponsible and bonkers, their input appears to be very similar to Venky’s who are widely seen as supportive and benevolent.

Questions I would like to put to Waggott. 1. In your recent communication you disingenuously stated that the facilities at Brockhall are 30 years old, and implied they needed upgrading. - Specifically, which facilities are “tired” or outdated? - What will they be upgraded to? - If the facilities are not up to standard how did we maintain Cat 1 status? Burnley’s brand new training complex for example is only cat 2. - What “state of the art” facilities are we lacking? - If facilities require upgrading has finance for this been requested from Venky’s and been refused? It would not count toward FFP calculations. - You have made several references to other teams facilities, namely Everton and St George’s park. They are much larger facilities than it would be possible to replicate on one site. Just in terms of pitch space we will be miles behind. Does it not concern you that we will be losing not only pitch space in the short term, but also limiting any potential for future development? 2. In the same document it states: “The club is therefore looking at a plan to develop a new coaching structure – to support and accelerate player pathway through the system” - Please could you outline what this structure looks like? - Is this a plan outside of the established Elite Player Performance Plan? If so, why are we deviating from industry standard? - If not, do you envision retaining Cat 1 status? This seems unlikely given the reduction in pitch space. - Whose vision is this? Who has designed this new structure? - Surely it makes more sense to tweak a coaching structure in line with facilities than to reduce facilities to accommodate a structure? 3. A long term reduction of running costs has been given as a reason for this proposal. - Is this an acknowledgement that promotion is unlikely, or perhaps not even a target? - Surely any savings would be minimal with this proposed scheme, particularly in comparison to the increased revenue a promotion would bring? They would also take years to realise. 4. Steve Waggott has been involved in redevelopment projects at both Gillingham and Southend which didn’t come to fruition. There were also well documented issues at Coventry while he and members of our management team were there. - Ground redevelopment appears to be a recurring theme throughout your career, however your track record appears very poor. Neither Gillingham or Southend have the new grounds you were working towards. Coventry have no ground and an absolutely farcical situation with their training ground. Are you the best person to be managing this project? - Why do you appear to value property deals above fan engagement, or marketing of the club? -Do you or anyone involved in the club have relationships with or interests in property development firms?

Is he just taking the piss now?

His latest line is telling us to “look at St George’s Park” OK Steve, this is from the “about” section on the FA website... Built in 2012 and set in 330-acres of stunning Staffordshire countryside, St. George's Park is the home of England’s national football teams. With 13 outdoor pitches, including a replica of the Wembley surface, a full-size indoor 3G pitch, a suite of rehabilitation and sports science areas, and an indoor futsal arena, St. George’s Park provides world-class facilities for the England teams ahead of international fixtures. I’d add about another 8 storeys to your proposed training Centre Steve. And I await your proposals detailing how you intend to defy the laws of physics to give us enough pitches with baited breath. The higher ups at Gillingham and Southend got rid of Waggott very quickly from roles where he was supposedly overseeing ground moves (neither of which have come to fruition I might add). Hopefully this will just be another in the long list of his failed redevelopment schemes, and he goes away soon.

Some clarity on the expiring contracts would be nice. Nyambe’s in particular. Do we have an option, and how has it been allowed to get to this stage.

I did forget Coyle. I’m certainly not planning on sitting idly by while Waggott sells of the training ground, but I don’t think a boycott is the right way for so many reasons. It would be extremely poorly received in my opinion. There people who are keen to get back in Ewood after the pandemic won’t be put off by anything. I’d also expect a significant number just to drift away. As I’ve mentioned, plenty of vocal support for Waggott’s hair brained scheme away from this board. I’ve been trying to point out the glaring issues with the proposal on social media and on Rovers Radio. I think the best way that supporters can try and combat it is to work with local Brockhall residents.

If only! The words “state of the art” have got a lot excited. Plenty of fans now happily trotting out rubbish about our facilities being “30 years old”, “tired”, “not fit for purpose”, “outdated”, “behind the times”. In the eyes of many, Venky’s can do no wrong. Apparently, “Their only mistake was trusting the wrong person”. By extension, Waggott is viewed as a savvy operator, doing an excellent job in trying circumstances rather than the disingenuous serial failure who is in way over his head that he is in reality. To be fair to him and Mowbray, they did a great PR job on Friday. There are only 5 people who have had anything to do with Rovers in the last decade who deserve anything other than blind praise in the eyes of these people. Steve Kean, Jerome Anderson, Danny Murphy, Jason Lowe and Paul Lambert. Shebby Singh gets a bit of an eye roll, but that’s it. It’s astonishing.

Link to the plans here

I really don’t think there is any valid reason to stick with Mowbray at this point. Poor, disjointed performances lacking any proper game plan or idea are the rule rather than the exception, and in reality that’s been the case since at least the return from the first lockdown at the back end of last season. We are now regressing rapidly, and with our upcoming fixtures a relegation battle could well be on the cards. There are two main arguments you see in favour of keeping him. By far the most popular is celebrating his limited successes and the stability he has brought. Even if you take all that at face value (which we shouldn’t), how does that equate to him being the right man going forward? The more time goes on, the further in the past these achievements are. Little mention of the present, because it’s shit. Then there’s the whole “Do you trust Venky’s to find anyone better?” No, of course I don’t. I’m unwavering in my criticisms of them. I fully expect them to dip back in to the HSH scrap heap and see who else comes out. I doubt I’ll be overly inspired by who they do choose, but that doesn’t mean someone underperforming at the level Mowbray currently is should stay here indefinitely. It’s odd that many of the people using this argument are the same people who are really critical of anyone who dares suggest Venky’s are anything more than benevolent saviours, duped by the evil Jerome. There’s not even so much an acceptance of mediocrity anymore than an embracing of it. The dumbing down looks to continue for some time to come. On of the main reasons I personally want Mowbray gone is that the serial failure that is Waggott will hopefully piss off too before he flogs swathes of our training ground and drives away any more supporters. I accept we are stuck with Venky’s for the foreseeable, but we shouldn’t ever stop asking questions of them, or demanding better.

Milk the hardcore and make no attempts to reengage or grow the fanbase has been Waggott’s tactic from day one.

I’ve bitten today at “The worst thing we ever did was win the Prem.” Disgusting.

We’ve also got a show today at 1pm https://roversradio.co.uk/listen-live Plenty of talk about Waggott. It was recorded before Mowbray’s Coventry address, which seems to have overtaken “I have a dream” but narrowly trails to “we shall fight on the beaches” in the list of greatest ever speeches... so not as “positive” as some would like. Right, I’m off back to Twitter to argue with people who believe winning the Premier League was the worst thing the club ever did. Honestly.

The below from Rich Sharpe suggests that there is an acceptance of this state of purgatory for a long time to come. Surely the best way to address the day to day costs is to increase revenue into the club. Obviously having a proper crack at promotion would be the best way, but increasing commercial activity would also help... another part of Waggott’s remit he’s completely failed to deliver on.

Let’s not forget his other crackpot scheme... ”Knock the Riverside down so we can build a hotel like we had at Coventry” He’s completely and utterly out of his depth.