[Archived] The Relegation Thread

[Mattyblue]

“David has always been put on a parallel with a young Wayne Rooney and you can see that when you see him play.

"He can score all types of goals, not just nice build ups and a tap in.

“He can create a goal for himself, score from outside the box, he can chip them in, pass them in, smash them in.

"We don’t mind how they go in because that is what we need at the club, a natural finisher, and that’s something he is. "

Steve Kean.

[onlyonejackwalker]

Might as well start this thread now because Is anyone in any doubt that we are now in a relegation battle for the next 8 – 9 months ?

Steve Kean last season presided over Rovers' worst series of results in decades and he has carried on this season in the same vein.

To me, the issue is clear: if Kean remains as manager we will go down. With the right man in charge, the season is young enough and the squad in my opinion has enough ability for Rovers to survive but, as it stands, we appear to be this season's West Ham and looked doomed.

Would love to be proved wrong and this thread closed by Christmas, but it's Rovers for the drop, with QPR and Wigan to go down with us.

Seems like you were pretty accurate way back then Jim! Not that it was hard to predict after all that had gone before, but good shout anyway.

[den]

“David has always been put on a parallel with a young Wayne Rooney and you can see that when you see him play.

"He can score all types of goals, not just nice build ups and a tap in.

“He can create a goal for himself, score from outside the box, he can chip them in, pass them in, smash them in.

"We don’t mind how they go in because that is what we need at the club, a natural finisher, and that’s something he is. "

Steve Kean.

You can see how it came about though Matty.

JA - Keano?

SK - yes ma wee laddy?

JA - you know how you've been looking for a striker, well I think I've found us one!

SK - yeah, who?

JA - a young lad called Goodwillie.

SK - never heard of him J. Is he any good?

JA - well look here, I've got a piccy of him - looks good, eh?

SK - oh I don't know. He's only playing in Scotland. I'm not sure J.

JA - well look again. You know how that Wayne Rooney is a short, stocky kind of lad?

SK - yeah?

JA - well he's the same build. With your top coaching skills Stevie, you can have him playing like Rooney in no time at all.

SK - Ah, I'm still not sure J.

JA - well look at it another way. We'll get him for a small fee and you know what small fees for footabllers mean to agents - yep, big bucks. Me and you could do really well out of this. That'll pay for a few wee drams to see you on your way down the M6 eh?

SK - you know J, I'm feeling a lot more positive now. Really positive, but what about Mrs D, will she pay out?

JA - what the hell does Mrs D know about football?

SK - great J. Let's go for it. Oh, this so positive, I think the Champions League is back on.

Two days later....

JA - Steve, you know you're looking for a centre half?

SK - yes J?

JA - I've seen this young lad that looks a lot like chris Smalling, Myles is his name.

SK - that positivity's spreading again J. How much?......................

[T4E]

the only difference being we don't have Jack/The Trust prepared to bankroll £40m+ to get us back up this time as we did last time.

You'd need to reduce the wage bill by 50-60% to fund the club on parachute payments at the minimum and have a injection of capital of £10m on top of player sales and we'd still be in big trouble if we didn't get up in two seasons.

I think people are forgetting that even with parachute payments our turnover would be reduced by £25m+ a season.

Did we really spend that much last time?

[Audax]

Southampton, 2nd in League I last year, in 1st in the Championship most of this season, newly promoted clubs in PL this year have done "fairly" well, it makes you wonder.

[cn174]

Did we really spend that much last time?

I can't remember to be honest and I don't know if the money would be that comparable anyway. But as a recent comparison, Mike Ashley spent £39m in addition to the parachute payments to get Newcastle back into the Prem two years ago. Like that's going to happen!!

[phili]

I can't remember to be honest and I don't know if the money would be that comparable anyway. But as a recent comparison, Mike Ashley spent £39m in addition to the parachute payments to get Newcastle back into the Prem two years ago. Like that's going to happen!!

Difference being is that was 1 season for Newcastle in the championship, but they still had to get rid of their big big earners etc. Also worth pointing out they kept their matchday and corporate income etc intact which is something like £40m+ compared to our £8m.

We'd have lower season ticket sales, not sure if we'd get a sponsor etc. If we go down we'd definitely be in administration so that would be a points deduction, so would wipe out a promotion charge back next season. If i owned the club and relegation is a certainty, i'd pop us into administration in March and have everything sorted out by May so that we are out of administration before we enter the championship and therefore no points deduction for next season and we can try and get up at the first time of asking but i can't see that happening.

Optimistically i'd say we'd be down for 2 years if we get relegated this season but could be more and if we are not careful we could be in league 1 before we know it, ala Charlton. I think roughly we are doing a charlton pretty much.

[m1st]

Totally agree. If you take away our reputation as an established PL club then there is nothing to separate us from all clubs in medium sized towns around the country. Step away and view without bias...what do we have left to separate us from the rest?

There isn't a chance that we would come back up. I think we'd settle to become a Championship/League One yo-yo club eventually, with other town clubs like Huddersfield, Preston etc.

Dead right, LeChuck; it hurts to say it, but we'd go back to being what we've been for much of the period since the end of World War Two [and therefore the lifetime of the club's older supporters, like me], namely 'a Division 2 [a.k.a. "Championship"] team'.

As you imply, when looked at dispassionately, no club has a divine right to be in the Premier League - ask fans of the two Sheffield clubs, both currently fighting for promotion from League 1 and each with the same sort of traditions as we have. Or those of Coventry City; currently bottom of the Championship in a city of over 300,000 people.

Regardless of what it does to Steve Kean's position as manager, staying up this season is an absolute must. We just have to hope that everything else will sort itself out over time, but considering relegation as a positive really isn't an option.

Let's hope you're right, LeChuck.

In our 18 seasons in the Premier League, Rovers have almost always "punched above their weight"; now thanks to the disastrous decisions made by our owners, the club seems to be imploding.

Relegation can never be a positive; but being realistic, it may be our only option, especially in view of the fact that Bolton have just gone 2-1 at Everton as I type this.

[jim mk2]

Bolton win puts us rock bottom. Still, I'm sure Kean can find a positive angle.

[DE.]

4 points from Anfield and Old Trafford and we're still bottom - says it all.

[Jock]

Bolton win puts us rock bottom. Still, I'm sure Kean can find a positive angle.

Yeah just proves what a disaster it was againt WBA and Bolton at home. I cant understand peoples obsession of beating Manchester United when we cant beat the teams at the bottom. The likes of Wigan, Bolton, QPR will always pick up points. Will Rovers with the LIAR incharge???

[John]

Kean will be sleeping fine tonight and he is richer than he has ever been in his life, him and his agent deserve every penny too.

[broadsword]

Imagine if we'd only got a draw at Man Utd.

[thenodrog]

Optimistically i'd say we'd be down for 2 years if we get relegated this season but could be more and if we are not careful we could be in league 1 before we know it, ala Charlton. I think roughly we are doing a charlton pretty much.

I'd settle for doing a Charlton at the moment. Pessimistically I'd suggest that under this shower we'd cease to exist within two years.

[jim mk2]

Kean will be sleeping fine tonight and he is richer than he has ever been in his life, him and his agent deserve every penny too.

Yup, the longer he can keep up this charade and the monthly £xxs,xxx pay cheques keep rolling in the better off he and his family will be and he will never have to work again.

Meanwhile, hardworking fans struggling with mortgages and low pay and many of them unemployed will be left to pick up the pieces of a shell of a club that has been well and truly screwed by good old Steve.

Pleasant dreams.

[DeadlyDirk]

Yup, the longer he can keep up this charade and the monthly £xxs,xxx pay cheques keep rolling in the better off he and his family will be and he will never have to work again.

Meanwhile, hardworking fans struggling with mortgages and low pay and many of them unemployed will be left to pick up the pieces of a shell of a club that has been well and truly screwed by good old Steve.

Pleasant dreams.

Struggling with a mortgage? One can dream! I think I'll be renting for life!

[thenodrog]

4 points from Anfield and Old Trafford and we're still bottom - says it all.

Almost humerous to recall people criticised Allardyces record against the big clubs whilst in charge of Rovers cos he usually managed to come out on top against our relegation rivals. Rem the chorus of boos harking back to the Old Trafford massacre started whilst 3-0 up and cruising to a comfortable win over close rivals Wolves the game after? Forgotten were the 3 wins from 4 matches before the OT debacle.

I'd suggest replacing all the food on the Blackburn End concourse for the last game of the season with large portions of cold Humble Pie.... assuming there is anybody there to eat it of course.

[jim mk2]

You don't understand Gordon.

Those self-same idiots are happy now because Steve Kean's teams unlike Sam's makes a big effort away to the so-called big clubs.

Rule No 1 when you're struggling is not to lose to your relegation rivals, especially at home. Sam understood this but Kean has broken the rule nearly every time.

[Audax]

Rule No 1 when you're struggling is not to lose to your relegation rivals, especially at home. Sam understood this but Kean has broken the rule nearly every time.

Kean's getting hands on experience! He'll know this next year in the Championship League!

(Just some light humour, I hold out hope but wow, now in 20th) but absolutely agree with the thought.

[den]

How can we be bottom when we're better than Wigan, Bolton, Wolves, QPR etc?

Could it be that we're the worst team in this division? - nah.

[Rover_Shaun]

As Kean would positively say "The only way is up!"

[booth]

At the bottom again, well done Steve! I predict the following...

Worst manager in over 100 years (which is more a statement than prediction).

Lowest points to ever end a season with by any club since premier league began (or down there with the worst)

Relegated quite a long time before season ends

The BRFC supporters who still go to games end up rioting

Pundits, opposition managers and some first team players blame the BRFC supporters for the demise of the club

We lose any players worth anything

Venkys keep Kean on next season

Next season begins with the lowest gates since third division times

We are defeated by Burnley for the first time in 34 years due to having a league 2 squad and a charlatan as manager

[Mercer]

At the bottom again, well done Steve! I predict the following...

Worst manager in over 100 years (which is more a statement than prediction).

Lowest points to ever end a season with by any club since premier league began (or down there with the worst)

Relegated quite a long time before season ends

The BRFC supporters who still go to games end up rioting

Pundits, opposition managers and some first team players blame the BRFC supporters for the demise of the club

We lose any players worth anything

Venkys keep Kean on next season

Next season begins with the lowest gates since third division times

We are defeated by Burnley for the first time in 34 years due to having a league 2 squad and a charlatan as manager

Remarkably accurate I would think.

Can you give me 6 winning lottery numbers for Saturday ?

[Audax]

This is my own bit of work once analysing the tables and since the 38 match season was started around '93:

"Clubs with the fewest points in last place: All less than 20 points, 19 points, Sunderland 2003, Portsmouth 2011, Sunderland 15 points in 2006, Derby County 11 points in 2008."

I didn't remember Sunderland as being that poor in 2006.

[purplegrover]

How can we be bottom when we're better than Wigan, Bolton, Wolves, QPR etc?

Could it be that we're the worst team in this division? - nah.

Individually, I reckon we may have some better players than many of those sides - but pulling them together as a team (i.e. the manager's job)is a different battle. A team is not necessarily the sum of its parts. It's how its parts interact to gain a common objective - The league ladder and points tally do not lie. In the end, that is all that counts. Officially, yes, regrattably, we are indeed the worst team right now in the division.

Oh no.. Goodness Gracious Watson. I think I've found the answer ! Shock Horror ! Could it be that...no..surely not...Could it be that...our manager's crap ???