[Archived] Do we really have the look of a Promotion Club?

[TBTF]

With just about 3 days to go before the window shuts and admittedly quite a bit could change in that time ie we could have another 10 Portugese no marks coming in, has all the bluster of big budgets and a Promotion or bust strategy really got the look of coming to fruition?

The Summer has seen the incoming of a Childrens TV entertainer appointed as Global Advisor, a mass scrap between various members of the Rao family culminating in Kean being allowed to remain in charge, 5000 ST holders walking away alongside main sponsors and Boardroom changes that hardly change the world or more significantly the powerbase at the Club.On the playing front, quantity rather than quality describes our squad with all kinds of riff raff coming in .The overhead of the Club assuming no major departures has to be now running at a massive loss with only parachute money to really talk of as our income and yet there is still rumour of a £7m bid for Jordan Rhodes.

Somehow we have managed 7 points from 9 (could easily have been 9 or easily just 2) and the standard of our play , let alone entertainment can only be described as miserable.We are now out of the Forfeit Cup and face 2 difficult away games.If there is any more activity before the window shuts you would expect it to be losing our ''better'' players rather than the dross we have recruited.

To all of us it looks like an internal battle between the King of Bluster(Shebby) and the King of Ludicrous Statements (Kean).One party fed by the Brothers Grimm and the other with a line to Mrs Doubtfire.

So how much further forward have we gone? Does this look like the get back at the first attempt kind of assault we were led to believe?

We look to be in as much disarray as we have ever been in except this time we wasted a large amount of cash.So just who has provided this cash? Almost certainly not the Venkys though they may well have run up Club debt (even in Indian Banks the clubs assets will inevitably be used in a train crash )and certainly will be doing over the course of the season to keep this large scale fiasco on the road. We do not look organised enough throughout the Club to even threaten promotion and yet we were told it was ''Promotion or Bust''. There is total silence about the reason Venkys are still here and Shebby 's attempted answer on Talksport last week was as clueless as it was laughable.There appears to have been no contact with any of the parties who have tried to get involved -the BRSIT/IlliasKhan/2 Ian's have all gone very quiet .

Sadly i really fear we are on a crash course to disaster.

Can somebody please lift me out of this doom loop and tell me what we have going for us and where in the name of god there might be a happy ending?? It all looks to me to have gone a whole sight worse since May if ever that were possible!!.

[majorstyre]

cant offer any scope for hope

we have the look of a club on the edge of a cliff-edge

having watched the 2 home games, we have been battered in both, yet somehow have got maximum points

away, well again according to reports have been battered again in both, and got what we deserved...

the problem is, as long as we have a manager with the technical garbage that Kean has, we will struggle

we are in a false position in the league, and it is only time before we are found out

[DE.]

There is absolutely no way we will get promoted. Not a chance. We've been extremely lucky in all three of our league games, for despite playing woefully in all three we've somehow managed 2 wins and a draw. That streak of luck will not last, and I fully expect Leeds to put us in our place Saturday. The best we can hope for under the hairless wonder is mid-table, we've probably got enough quality to avoid relegation for now.

With a different manager we could be vying for the higher spots in the league, but we all know Kean is going nowhere.

[eire3382]

As things stand right now we haven't a prayer of getting close to promotion sadly.

[yoda's brother]

is it a trick question

[RoyRover]

No. No we don't. We have been terrible so far and have somehow managed to get 7 points, mainly because of the incompetence of the opposition. There's no way that will continue. It would take a person of epic delusion to argue that we've played badly and won, so imagine what will happen when we play well. The thing is that we have never played well under Kean and it's not going to change now. We had a distinctly average Championship squad when we were in the Premiership and despite adding Murphy, Etuhu and Kazim-Richards to the ranks, we have also signed a lot of bumph. Oh and one of the worst managers in football is in charge. I will be genuinely surprised if we make the top 10.

[T4E]

More to the point - if we get promotion, then what? We will never compete in the Premier League and we'll end up at best in mid-table obscurity, which will only lead to the same apathy amongst the fans that brought Venky's to town in the first place.

Why bother?

[yoda]

More to the point - if we get promotion, then what? We will never compete in the Premier League and we'll end up at best in mid-table obscurity, which will only lead to the same apathy amongst the fans that brought Venky's to town in the first place.

Why bother?

mid table obscurity in the PL, mmmmmmmmmmm, think I would settle for that over what we have,

The previous mid table obscurity brought us a cup win I seem to remember

[braddock]

A team with quality in certain areas who are getting results without yet getting out of first gear. Yes, I'd say we do have the look of a promotion club.

That doesn't mean we'll get it though, and it doesn't mean we can't also be viewed in other ways such as falling overachievers etc, but right now, as things stand, it's certainly possible.

[philipl]

Braddock- the message board's very own Steve Kean

[Nobert]

A team with quality in certain areas who are getting results without yet getting out of first gear. Yes, I'd say we do have the look of a promotion club.

That doesn't mean we'll get it though, and it doesn't mean we can't also be viewed in other ways such as falling overachievers etc, but right now, as things stand, it's certainly possible.

I sort of agree that playing badly but getting results is usually the mark of a team that will do well, but I disagree that we have much more to give. With a real manager, proper owners etc. our current squad would probably get to the play-offs, but since Kean is a complete fool, The Raos are frankly care in the community types and the real owners are parasites I doubt the team can play any better. We'll be found out in the coming months soon enough, and then you'll disappear until a flukey win against Chelsea in the FA Cup or something.

I know you're either a dingle, optimistic to the point of mental illness or on some mild altering substances, but the reality is that we are falling down a black hole made by Venky's, Kean and other shady parties' making.

[Brfcrule1]

TBTF the only chance we have of getting promotion is if coco gets struck down with lightning but that is about as likely as Gemma Atkinson waking up next to me tommorrow morning!.

[OsloRover]

Yes, I think we have a chance.

- The teams we have played so far have been awful and so are 90% of the others

- On paper we have probably the best defence not to mention goalkeeper in the league.

- Etuhu/Murphy/Lowe/MGP are decent in the centre, if Nzonzi somehow stayed it would be good enough I think

- Bruno is a legend

- Leon Best when fit will smash in lots of goals, but we need one more star up front up until then

- A lot will depend on the wingers and attacking midfielders and I feel this is our main weakness.

So, if we could get a striker(Rhodes would do nicely) and convince Martin and less importantly Nzonzi to stay the squad would definitely be good enough to push seriously for promotion.

Not sure the tactics will be helping us though :|

[yoda]

A team with quality in certain areas who are getting results without yet getting out of first gear. Yes, I'd say we do have the look of a promotion club.

That doesn't mean we'll get it though, and it doesn't mean we can't also be viewed in other ways such as falling overachievers etc, but right now, as things stand, it's certainly possible.

those rose tinted (sorry coco tinted) spectacles must be expensive

[TBTF]

Yes, I think we have a chance.

- The teams we have played so far have been awful and so are 90% of the others

- On paper we have probably the best defence not to mention goalkeeper in the league.

- Etuhu/Murphy/Lowe/MGP are decent in the centre, if Nzonzi somehow stayed it would be good enough I think

- Bruno is a legend

- Leon Best when fit will smash in lots of goals, but we need one more star up front up until then

- A lot will depend on the wingers and attacking midfielders and I feel this is our main weakness.

So, if we could get a striker(Rhodes would do nicely) and convince Martin and less importantly Nzonzi to stay the squad would definitely be good enough to push seriously for promotion.

Not sure the tactics will be helping us though :|

I was actually trying to widen this discussion to look at us as a Club and where we think its heading rather than purely the team side of it.

I agree generally that we should have a squad capable of going up and actually a half decent side with pace in it would walk the division.

But we have supposedly had a Summer of rethinking, adjustments being made etc etc to organise ourselves for an all out assault on returning at the first attempt.To me we have wasted a load of cash, we are running at a huge loss and we are hardly the shoe ins for promotion that the club seem to be thinking we are.

In fact it looks as shocking a club now as it ever has and having paid off the Barclays debt we surely must be racking up debt at the Indian Bank and i fear for where we might be as a Club come next May cos i doubt we will be planning trips to Old Trafford again.

And there seems no way of bringing any of it to a head -they are draining the life out of us and the Club an no promotion at the end of this season might just be the end of the road.Or am i just going too far????

[John]

Reading between the lines, this season could be crucial for their ownership - in the Talksport interview, Keyes asked Shebby if it was promotion or bust and the lack of reaction (to the question) suggested that if we don't go up, they could walk away.

[TBTF]

Reading between the lines, this season could be crucial for their ownership - in the Talksport interview, Keyes asked Shebby if it was promotion or bust and the lack of reaction (to the question) suggested that if we don't go up, they could walk away.

Well thats sort of my point but what financial state will we be in by then? and they can't just walk away if theres a debt mountain can they? It fine talkning about Shebby/Agnew /Kean and who can do what etc etc.

The real issue we need to be aware of is how this club could quickly unravel before our eyes and once that starts to happen it will go like a runaway train.I don't think we can just assume it will all be ok because of BRSIT/Khan/The Ians .It could be way beyond all of them.

I might be getting out of my depth here -where is PhilipL when you need some intelligent assessment of this aspect of the club???

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Not a chance. Name me a League Club that you'd be confident of playing away at and Rovers actually winning ?

[philipl]

Well thats sort of my point but what financial state will we be in by then? and they can't just walk away if theres a debt mountain can they? It fine talkning about Shebby/Agnew /Kean and who can do what etc etc.

The real issue we need to be aware of is how this club could quickly unravel before our eyes and once that starts to happen it will go like a runaway train.I don't think we can just assume it will all be ok because of BRSIT/Khan/The Ians .It could be way beyond all of them.

I might be getting out of my depth here -where is PhilipL when you need some intelligent assessment of this aspect of the club???

Right now, it APPEARS that all the debt is being born in India with no come back on Rovers.

However, seeing as they have not yet registered the departure of Simon Hunt as a Director and Venky's London's accounts filing is late, it is anyone's guess what the Companies House records would show if they were up to date.

If Rovers are bearing all the costs of this summer's activities then I would say we are going to be in a horribly parlous state if we are not back in the PL next June.

If Rovers are not owned by Venky's then we at least have the good fortune that whoever did/does own us would NEVER dare let us go bust unless they got rumbled which is in itself a terrifying thought.... The ultimate Catch 22 for fans.

[Mike Graham]

A team with quality in certain areas who are getting results without yet getting out of first gear. Yes, I'd say we do have the look of a promotion club.

That doesn't mean we'll get it though, and it doesn't mean we can't also be viewed in other ways such as falling overachievers etc, but right now, as things stand, it's certainly possible.

Send for the rubber bus.............

[tonygreenbank]

I dont think you can answer that question yet as weve only played three league games. 7 points is acceptable at this stage as the team is evolving game by game.I dont think Kean knows his best 11 yet. Ive seen the two home games and certain things stand out. Our lack of pace is a worry as is defensive cover in the event of injury. Our lack of strong wing play is another concern as Lowe and Formica are not the answer there. I like the look of Etuhu and Murphy in midfield and our forward play if Rhodes signs would be formidable. Im still confident that we can do it but I am the eternal optimist. Regrettably I will have to witness this season from afar in cornwall due to relocation but I do hope for promotion the first time round.

[Baz]

We won't get promoted with Kean in charge. For an endless list of reasons...

I'm not saying the rest of the club is bad, but it's certainly behind where we were with the Trust in charge. The academy news is encouraging, however we haven't got the top status yet. The investment does seem puzzling in that after championing the academy players last season, we now seem to be filling the squad with Portugesers, blocking chances for those praised 4 months ago.

[Waggy76]

Sometime after we were relegated in 66 , Carey or Quigley said '1st division football before man goes to the moon '

It took us 26 years , we are on a downhill curve ,which very soon will accelerate in an alarming way ...

If these people (owners who ever they are and kean ) are not removed quickly ,there will be no Blackburn Rovers !

[Jock]

No.

[The Prof.]

A team with quality in certain areas who are getting results without yet getting out of first gear. Yes, I'd say we do have the look of a promotion club.

That doesn't mean we'll get it though, and it doesn't mean we can't also be viewed in other ways such as falling overachievers etc, but right now, as things stand, it's certainly possible.

I'm beginning to feel sorry for you now. Everyone clutches at straws but you seem to be unable to deal with the reality. Our squad is operating flat out. It has very little quality and every injury is a disaster with players played out of position and players having little idea of even some of the basics of how to carry the game to the opposition.

Quality -Okay who? Just tell me.

Murphy? he's 6 years past Shebby's pensionable age and gets forward less than Dunny. Legs must have a million miles on them and he's relied for 3 years on players to cover for him and quick wingers and full backs at Fulham to go forward. Gomez? Was great but again no legs. He needs quick players around him too - we don't have any.

Only Givet, Nzonzi and Olsson are top 3 Championship players and 2 of those are on sale. The squad has the weirdest set of factions I've ever heard about, a few love Keano, half want away and an increasing number arrive from overseas and join the 'How did I end up here' category '- my uncle said I'd be moving to a top club.'

I can't believe your a 'let's just sit back and believe,' not the rubbish we're told.

I don't think you've seen a game recently have you? Look maybe you've overdosed on the teletubbies? LaLa and all that?

Or are you a wind up merchant?