3 minutes ago, S8 & Blue said:

Currently playing -

Raya, O’Connell, Hanley, Tarkowski, Judge, Nyambe, Trav, Mahoney, Lenihan

 

Off the top of my head. Well above the average academy output surely.

You seriously can't credit our Academy with Tarkowski who, if my memory is correct, left us at 13 or 14 !!!!

And out of that lot, you've one PL player - O'Connell who I think we gave away to Brentford for a box of crisps without having even given the lad a single chance (if I recall correctly).

Is that 9 players then in 10 years or more !?

1 hour ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

Callum Wright a couple of years ago. Everton were also after him but he went to Leicester for a rumoured £1m. 

If you didn't know about the one we've actually sold you're not going to know about the ones rumoured to be interesting other clubs FFS!!!!

FFS, I thought I'd missed another Phil Jones type sale !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can dress it up any way you like but, IMO, we are not producing quality young players who are smashing down the doors to our first team.

We have Lenihan aged 26 and Travis going on 23 who are decent Championship players holding down places.

As far the rest, let's wait and see.

IMO, our Academy over the years has under performed.

21 minutes ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

Leicester signed one a year or so back. 

What's PL interest got to do with being good enough for the Championship. Hopefully you're aware they are different leagues. You also have no idea what interest there is in any of our players, You just stick to pronouncing imminent Administration/Liquidation every summer ?

We sold a player to Leicester?  Sorry, but can't recall - who was it?

As for PL interest, don't recall seeing or hearing about a single offer from a PL club for any of our Academy players - think that's a decent gauge of interest.

At least get your facts right.  If you can find supporting posts (covering say summers of 2017, 2018 and 2019) of me "pronouncing imminent Administration/Liquidation every summer", I'll buy you a pint or whatever your tipple is.  

2 minutes ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

Butterworth, JRC, Buckley, Travis, Nyambe, Brennan, Wharton, Carter, Vale.  I'm sure there are more that I'm not aware of (a young full-back called Garratt is meant to be very good). All potentially capable, by the looks of things, of playing in the league we are currently in. 

I realise your relentless negativity won't allow you to take any pleasure in anything Rovers related but those young lads will be the mainstay of the club over the next few years. I very much doubt there will be a club in our League who has as many Academy graduates as part of the the First Team squad as we do.

I only wish there was more to be positive about!

Out of those 9 mentioned, I think there will be only 1 regular starter (Travis) under Mowbray with JRC, Buckley and Nyambe in and out.

IMO, we are not producing 'cordon bleu' but 'bread and butter' at best.  This is evidenced by an apparent lack of any PL interest in any of the 'quality' players you refer to coming out of our Academy. 

1 hour ago, Bohinen 22 said:

Armstrong, until Dack is back, is our best player. Play him through the middle and play with some genuine width supporting him. This false nine crap doesn’t work. We are not City and we are not Barca from six years ago.

Too right.

Same with all this possession stuff Mowbray now bangs on about.  We haven't got players good enough.  At times yesterday, I think it was embarrassing watching us p1ssing about at the back and that's against the mighty Fleetwood).

27 minutes ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

Looked good to me too when he made his debut at Ewood. The Academy is producing some quality players, and a lot of them. Can't remember as many good ones coming through since the days of Duff, Dunn, Johnson etc

Who are these 'quality' players you refer to?

We have produced no one remotely approaching the level of Duff, Dunn, Jones or even Johnson.

Lenihan is 26 and a decent Championship centre half - think he might get ripped in the PL.

Travis is coming up for 23 and a good Championship player - not sure he could step up to the PL.

Nyambe is another approaching 23 and can't even command a place in our team (though accept in part that is down to, IMO, our idiotic manager).

Couldn't watch the whole match but from what I saw:

• Not looking good for Fisher - no surprise he couldn't even make the break through at lower league level on loan
• Eastham more confident but IMO, too short for a goalie
• Dolan has that spark - a spark Gallagher and Brereton don't have!
• Chapman has a spark - Mowbray needs to give the lad a REAL chance as I've been saying for months

1 hour ago, Trinidad Rover said:

What is going on with Mulgrew? Nowhere near the squad for the friendlies today and no rumours or links to him moving on. Big chunk of the wage bill being wasted.

I do not blame Mulgrew one little bit.

Waggott and Mowbray gave him a lucrative contract through to 2021 - that is where the blame should lie.

IMO, we have seen £millions frittered away on nonsensical contracts including extensions for likes of Hart and Smallwood to cover the extended season for 2019/20.

IMO, it really does beggar belief and it's little wonder we are seemingly up financial sh1t creek without a paddle.

10 minutes ago, J*B said:

Because it’s not 1989 anymore and that’s not how football clubs operate. 

None that you know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just now, J*B said:

It’s totally unrealistic to expect the club to come out and say 'financial circumstances mean we will be restricted to free transfers and loans'. 

Why?

Historically, pre JW, supporters were often told there was little or no money and we would be mainly operating in the free transfer market. 

So some on here now think Rovers have a budget as we appear to have agreed a fee of about E500k for a goalie from Genk and everything in the garden is rosy.

A budget can take many shapes and form and some posters need to curtail their excitement!

Mowbray might have been told he's a net £3million to spend on transfer fees and wages have to be held at 2019/20 levels - IMO, very unlikely and I'd give this option no more than a 1% chance.

Mowbray might have been told he's to bring in a net £15million in transfer fees and wages have to be cut by £5million from 2019/20 levels - IMO, and I've i've said this for weeks, very likely and I'd give this option a 90% chance.

Rovers have to be honest with the fans.  At the end of the day, Rovers will want season ticket sales, replica kit sales etc.

They can't go round telling fans what the budget is exactly and I'm pretty certain no one poster has requested this.

However, they could say 'we have a competitive budget which we believe will allow us to strengthen the team and look to push on' or they could say 'financial circumstances mean we will be restricted to free transfers and loans'.  To say absolutely nothing is, IMO, crass, but unsurprising, management from Waggott and Mowbray.

The weeds outside Ewood, as some have posted pictures of, is an absolute disgrace and, perhaps, IMO, sums up our incompetent management team who don't really give a jot.

17 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

1.3 budget left from January, plus wages off the wage bill from Downing, Graham, Samuel, Smallwood, Leutwiler, Hart plus loans from Walton and Adarabioyo. Which I reckon is around 3 million(60k a week)off the budget IMO So there is 4 to 5 million budget. 

 

and strip out all the lost income from March onwards and going forwards and there's your 'budget' gone!

If only life was that simple Chaddy!

3 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

You have no idea that's where the money came from. 

It's been reported for a couple of weeks we had a budget. Just people aren't willing to be patience and get it time to get the players in. We probably have 4 or 5 millions as football budget to be spent on the players. Whether 5 or 6 free transfers or a couple of deals around 500k plus wages, then a couple of free transfers. 

If FFP rules are being relax then it gives us more space. 

IMO, utter b0ll0cks.

My wife's working to a budget.

She's just bought herself a new car and some new clothes, however, we've ended up with £2,000 more cash because she's sold her premium bonds!

So the question is, which players or players will be sold to finance the acquisitions!?!?

4 hours ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/transfer-news/blackburn-rovers-gent-goalkeeper-transfer-18806650

It's understood Kaminski is seeking a new club after being dropped by Gent manager Jess Thorup following a catalogue of errors, 

It's the hope that kills you.

Never heard of the lad never mind seen him play.

I'll reserve judgement - at least he has some decent experience and pedigree.

The errors are a worry - bit like a golfer or snooker player with the 'yips'.  Once these errors start, things seem to go from bad to worse and goalies can fall from grace pretty dramatically as seen with Hart and De Gea.

4 minutes ago, Kamy100 said:

The Westwood link fits with what I have heard that there is little money to spend, his transfer fee would be free/nominal and Rovers will be enquirying as to how much of the wages Sheff Weds would be willing to pay, if it is a reasonable amount then that would be considered a "value for money" signing and would likely be authorised, there have been signficant savings made on wages given the players we have released/not renewed.

The positive of this situation is that it will give some of the academy players a chance, this current crop of players in the under 18's/under 21's is one of the best bunch that I have seen in my time following the club, there are players that could make the jump to the first time, it is about getting the balance right as you need the right blend and to complement them you need good quality players proven at this particular level.

IMO, you also need a football manager who knows what the feck he's doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 hours ago, JoeH said:

Don't know full fixture list but just found out who we've got first day, a tough fixture.

Full list is out at 9am for anyone who still has any kind of excitement about the season!

Feckin hell.

Think Mowbray will be cr@pping it for all it's worth following his 'Barcelonaisation' of Donny in the mickey mouse something cup.

8 hours ago, Miller11 said:

Venky’s continuing to put the money in makes perfect sense!

They run a conglomerate worth upwards of 2 billion. Part of that conglomerate, and that value is their £200 odd million shareholding in BRFC.
 

They liquidate Rovers tomorrow, that wipes £200 million plus off the value of VH group.

We need a £10 million signing, they move some money around, send it over to Rovers account, and in a month or two convert it to an extra 10 million shares. They lose nothing.

Obviously in real terms the club is not worth north of £200 million, but it has that value to them. This isn’t food off their plates, rollers out of their garages or the chains of Balaji’s neck. It’s certainly not altruism either. It’s common sense for billionaires.

That said, it can’t carry on indefinitely... and then being able to find an exit strategy that doesn’t cost them seems impossibly far away. God knows when, why or how breaking point will arrive.

The Rovers has barely any value to them. 

Forget the near £200million cost of acquisition and operating losses.  A fair market value will have factored-in huge economic depreciation.

I've been involved with some big companies and the usual approach to under performing / loss making 'associate' companies is ruthless.

10 minutes ago, A Northern Horde... said:

Absolute disgrace..does anyone give a toss anymore down there?

I would sack someone for that level of negligence,no way acceptable!

?

and to think Waggott is likely to walk past it every day!

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

Didn't I answered this sort of question before about Marshall age! Do you think my answer has change?

and what is that based on that Fox is better than Bell and Williams? Fox was part of the defence that conceded 7 against us. 

Well you will only know whether we signed better than Fox and Chester after the Transfer window closes

 

On that basis, you wouldn't want any of these five (Stegen, Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba) who were Barca's defence when Bayern stuck eight in.............!!!!!!!!!!!!

9 hours ago, Exiled in Toronto said:

 

It also seems borderline fantasy to me that if £11m hadn’t been committed to (not spent yet by a long way), then there would be £11m sat in the bank to buy better players this summer. Whatever cash has already gone on those two either would never have been sent over, or the other payments would have been reduced by the same amount had they not been signed.

The point is if that transfer and wage commitment had been spent more wisely we might have achieved promotion, been in the play-offs or, at the very least, been a far stronger football team.

Instead, IMO, a £20million+ transfer and wage commitment has been spunked up the wall.

That is not fantasy but stone cold reality.

1 hour ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

I think it's a very dark time for a lot of clubs, especially if they can't get fans back soon. What's your prediction for this summer? I'll be amazed if we don't sell a big asset from the playing staff. 

According to our last football club accounts, wages and operating costs were running at almost £3million per month.

Since March, we've virtually had no income.

VLL made a £4million share issue in June which was probably to keep us afloat.

To stay in business for the rest of the calendar year, I would think we need at least £20million (April to December).

We may see only limited income streams until 2021.

IMO, it would be no surprise to see the sale of at least one, most likely two, of our 'prized assets' just to keep the club in business for the rest of 2020.

50 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

You say this every year, so I suspect you’ll be right eventually......

I think it's fair to say we have been desperate financially for a big part of the period under the Venky's - they've now tipped in approaching £200million to cover the acquisition and keep the club going given horrendous losses.

As each year passes, our financial position  has got increasingly desperate - just look at the auditors' qualifications in the accounts.

IMO, it was inevitable we would reach an eventual  tipping point.

Who knows what the Raos business  psyche is but I can tell you in decades of experience, operational or otherwise, as an accountant across business, commerce and practice, I have rarely come across anything like it.  I am just surprised it has taken so long to get to what seems a now critical situation.

What a feckin desperate mess I think we are in.

Bottom line.  We are here in this position because IMO, we have a very poor CEO and football manager who both must take full responsibility, particularly for the £millions, IMO, squandered on transfer fees and wages and senseless contracts.

As I posted earlier today, I think the picture is far darker than the one Kamy painted. 

4 hours ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

Firing people who are on fixed term contracts does not cut costs because the club will have to pay up what is due to them until the end of that term.

I think it's clear you have little experience in company reconstructions and negotiations.

There are ways and means............................................!!!

5 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Mowbray doesn't know his budget yet. I think that is fairly apparent at this point. 

Think because he hasn't got one!

Posted before, IMO, the bottom line is we need between £15 and £20million from net transfer fees and wage savings.  Seen or heard nothing to suggest otherwise. 

8 hours ago, Kamy100 said:

There is very little money to spend.  I have heard that Venky's will continue to fund the club (to meet current liabilities) but they want to reduce overheads as much as they can with money spent on transfers being one of the key cost reduction areas, even if we sell players, some of that money will be used to reduce overheads.  

This has been coming for a few years, there had to come a time when the Venky's made the decision to reduce spending, the hope is that they can transition to this new model of working in a controlled way but I very much doubt that will happen as I have little or no faith in the executive structure at Ewood to be able to successfully manage such a transition.

No surprise to me.

I've been posting my thoughts, in line with what you say and even more, for a number of weeks now.

Sadly, IMO, the picture is very much darker than the one you paint.