[Archived] The Gary Bowyer Thread

[tomphil]

You could be right, but why now? They turned down £10m+ for Rhodes not so long ago and dug their heels in over Gestede in January.

As far as Rhodes goes it was banded about on another forum that the final instalment to Huddersfield was due to be paid up and when it was the sell on % clause expired or reduced or something. No idea if it's right or not but it first came from the Huddersfield end. Under that scenario there'd be more coin on the accounts if he gets sold now so it might make sense.

[Rover_Shaun]

More relevant here

Quite a lot of fans (not necessarily members here) at the start of last season thought Rovers, with a bit of fortune, could make the playoffs. Instead the team looked disjointed and defensively bereft.

Now comes the kick in the nads. If Bowyer can do so badly with that team just how badly will he do when all the half decent talent is stripped away?

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[Mattyblue]

Since relegation it has been pretty obvious that the current situation was certain to happen without promotion. This is why I have been so aghast with the sucession of unproven managers we have had since Kean finally buggered off.

Your best chance of promotion is when you still have the infrastructure, the players, the ability to pay decent wages etc, so to waste the last two years on Gary Bowyer is just ridiculous.

Pepole talk about how Venky's have pumped money in, kept the club afloat etc etc, but with a youth coach who is proving the old Peter Principle theory as manager, the cash has been completely wasted- appointing a proven manager would have been a drop in the ocean in comparison to the untold millions that are being frittered away as we list under Gary Bowyer.

Bowyer is obviously now in situ to manage our decline, FFP and to sell players on for a profit (without even touching the club's overall debt)- a bizzare pyhric victory for all involved- yet with a proper appointment in the dugout, we could have had a chance to wipe it all out in an instant.

I just cannot understand the rationale behind any of their decisions, and to see our best players flogged off, whilst Bowyer is seemingly stronger than ever is just a slap in the face and sailing periously close to the Kean era in its bizareness.

[Athlete]

Since relegation it has been pretty obvious that the current situation was certain to happen without promotion. This is why I have been so aghast with the sucession of unproven managers we have had since Kean finally buggered off.

Your best chance of promotion is when you still have the infrastructure, the players, the ability to pay decent wages etc, so to waste the last two years on Gary Bowyer is just ridiculous.

Pepole talk about how Venky's have pumped money in, kept the club afloat etc etc, but with a youth coach who is proving the old Peter Principle theory as manager, the cash has been completely wasted- appointing a proven manager would have been a drop in the ocean in comparison to the untold millions that are being frittered away as we list under Gary Bowyer.

Bowyer is obviously now in situ to manage our decline, FFP and to sell players on for a profit (without even touching the club's overall debt)- a bizzare pyhric victory for all involved- yet with a proper appointment in the dugout, we could have had a chance to wipe it all out in an instant.

I just cannot understand the rationale behind any of their decisions, and to see our best players flogged off, whilst Bowyer is seemingly stronger than ever is just a slap in the face and sailing periously close to the Kean era in its bizareness.

Cracking post matty IMO Bowyer is a pupett

[Gamst]

Seeing so many of our players linked with transfers to prem/decent championship sides reinforces what an abject failure last season was. Should have been in the play-offs with the squad we had and the goals our strikers scored. GB has to take a decent portion of blame for this failure. With a fire sale possible and embargo restrictions on incomings, failure last season is looking very damaging/irreparable to our future prospects.

[gumboots]

I think we know that's your opinion. You've posted it in every thread I read

[JBiz]

, failure last season is looking very damaging/irreparable to our future prospects.

You can't blame last season or the season before on what's going on now.

The 125m seeds sown by criminals 2010-13 are directly responsible for our demise.

[yoda]

You can't blame last season or the season before on what's going on now.

The 125m seeds sown by criminals 2010-13 are directly responsible for our demise.

What's the answer ?

[Gamst]

You can't blame last season or the season before on what's going on now.

The 125m seeds sown by criminals 2010-13 are directly responsible for our demise.

Naturally GB and last season is not to blame for our predicament, I was not suggesting that at all. However, in isolation, last season was a failure and given the predicament we are in (thanks to the mismanagement you are referring to), it was a very damaging failure.

[den]

Since relegation it has been pretty obvious that the current situation was certain to happen without promotion. This is why I have been so aghast with the sucession of unproven managers we have had since Kean finally buggered off.

Your best chance of promotion is when you still have the infrastructure, the players, the ability to pay decent wages etc, so to waste the last two years on Gary Bowyer is just ridiculous.

Pepole talk about how Venky's have pumped money in, kept the club afloat etc etc, but with a youth coach who is proving the old Peter Principle theory as manager, the cash has been completely wasted- appointing a proven manager would have been a drop in the ocean in comparison to the untold millions that are being frittered away as we list under Gary Bowyer.

Bowyer is obviously now in situ to manage our decline, FFP and to sell players on for a profit (without even touching the club's overall debt)- a bizzare pyhric victory for all involved- yet with a proper appointment in the dugout, we could have had a chance to wipe it all out in an instant.

I just cannot understand the rationale behind any of their decisions, and to see our best players flogged off, whilst Bowyer is seemingly stronger than ever is just a slap in the face and sailing periously close to the Kean era in its bizareness.

Good post Matty. That is indeed the situation. Still people scoff when it's suggested things will get worse. Not being the best you possibly can be - in football - inevitably leads to decline. There's no such thing as stability.

I'll add a bit more to that. TRYING to be the best you can doesn't guarantee success, so what happens when you don't try?

[JBiz]

You mean the answer to all our problems? There is no one thing that will fix this club. If posters wish to believe that, that's fine but it's not my way of thinking.

For me, we'd need a complete changing of the guard within the corridors of Ewood, published expectations and respected decision makers brought in to deal with problems- that's the first thing we need.

After that, we'd need patience from the support whilst realities are thrashed out- the need to bring our expenses under turnover is obvious to me, that's in any future.

If any manager then (after assurances, targets, expectations are not met) is replaced, you can have confidence the the next person will be chosen on a professional basis. By someone with legitimate experience and care.

I'd happily watch Rovers at this level forever if I thought everything was being done to TRY and get us pointing in the right direction. I'd get frustrated but that's part of the reason I have time for GB- I think he cares and has the correct intentions.

The problems I have at current are; I have no idea where the owners want to take the club, what happens if they leave, whether the embargo will go, will we lose all key players, what the expectations are, etc..

They are all business problems more than the football side if that makes sense.

Whilst I agree that GB has not been brilliant, I would also say he's not done nearly bad enough to deserve the constant derision from 1 or 2. I also don't think the problem is him being a "puppett". Who's there to pull his strings? Nobody. That's exactly the problem IMO, directors who know sod all, and a chairman 5000 miles away.

[JHRover]

The next few days/weeks will require a great deal of communication from the club as to the future. Communication is extremely important in a world with internet, twitter, messageboards etc.

Anyone with an ounce of understanding of the situation at Blackburn Rovers at present will know that there is a desperate and urgent need for someone 'in the know' at the club - the owners, Shaw, Myers or Bowyer - to take some time to explain what is going on at the club.

This week sees the players return to Brockhall for pre-season. Staff are back at work. July 1st sees a new year in financial terms re. FFP. The deadline for season ticket renewals is on Saturday.

This is a major week in the football club's calendar. A week in which the club should be trying to drum up some sort of excitement ahead of the new season. Keep supporters in the loop as to what is going on at the club, what is being done ahead of the new season. A week where the club should be trying its hardest to ensure as many people as possible renew their season tickets.

Failure to deliver any kind of explanation - never mind one which actually provides us with any information - either means there is a deliberate plan to keep supporters in the dark or means that the key people at the club themselves don't know what is going on.

Was last season a success? A failure?

Was ninth place acceptable to the owners? If so then why the talk about a promotion push? If not then what is going to be done to try and improve?

I really don't know why we seem to have reverted back to the 'blockade' mentality that once existed in the dark days of Kean, when only the manager ever communicated, and even then it was usually the same old stuff every week.

These last two years have been an improvement. Whilst not popular at least Shaw has spoken to supporters via the local media and initially Alan Myers did some good work at trying to engage supporters with the club. Now that seems to have disappeared as soon as things were improving.

This time last year we had things like the 'Golden Ticket' initiative, the new Fanzone being set up at Ewood, the bizarre Birdy video, the 'my club' video with the players and some supporters. Whilst these things were small scale and cheap initiatives, at least it showed that someone at Ewood was working to try and re-engage supporters.

This summer has seen nothing.

No doubt the press will get hold of Bowyer in the coming days. Certainly before the first game at Stanley a week on Saturday. But I don't expect any new information. It will just be the usual bemoaning FFP and our pauper status once again. I don't blame Bowyer for that. And I sympathise with the conditions he has inherited from his predecessors. But supporters don't want to hear hard luck stories as the season is starting. They want to hear about the clubs plans for rectifying the problems and how/when that will be done.

Notice that Dougie Freedman hasn't spent the last 4 months moaning about working under an embargo. He knew the situation when he took the job and has got on with it. They have found a way of signing 2 players already, haven't had to sell anyone and have just taken Nicky Maynard on trial.

Meanwhile we've let about 12 go, have added nobody to the squad, and apparently 'have' to sell to comply with FFP.

I bet Forest get out of their embargo before we do and will do it without selling their best players.

[tomphil]

Sadly communication has never been on their agenda and those at the club daren't say anything in the interests of self preserving. Just adds more suspicion to the farcical and seemingly pointless appointment of a communications director, who's now doubling as a commercial director as well apparently. Just why is he here really and who really brought him in ?

The nearest we've ever had to communication was Singh. At least he was out and about and talking to fan groups, the press. Sadly that was also a farce. In some situations with this lot silence is golden but nothing from MD or manager is poor. Jokers the lot of em.

[roverzee]

My view is that he has been instructed from Pune to liquidate as many of our valuable playing assets as he can as quickly as he can.

I think operation 'bail out' is under way.

You could be right, but why now? They turned down £10m+ for Rhodes not so long ago and dug their heels in over Gestede in January.

Why now? Because the last 23 times Mercerman has announced Armageddon, he's been wrong every time.

24th time lucky.

[den]

Why now? Because the last 23 times Mercerman has announced Armageddon, he's been wrong every time.

24th time lucky.

He'll only need to be right once.

[K-Hod]

He'll only need to be right once.

It's pretty obvious to anyone with a basic concept of mathematics that our finances don't look good.

[Mike Graham]

I see that rovers are advertising for a reserve team manager for the ladies team. Great opportunity for GB perhaps?

[barry_]

I for one wont be bothering this season , Burnley at home if its not on SKY and maybe Preston, will be my only games ...

Never in 46 years of going on , have I been so disinterested ...

The Venkys have destroyed Blackburn Rovers and taken away all the hope and aspirations of the fans... Until they leave , we will continue to decline ...

Venkys Out !

I've 'liked' this... but it's not really anything to 'like'. The anguish that this has caused us is horrid.

I wonder if bowyer actually believes he's the man for the job?

[Blue blood]

Since relegation it has been pretty obvious that the current situation was certain to happen without promotion. This is why I have been so aghast with the sucession of unproven managers we have had since Kean finally buggered off.

Your best chance of promotion is when you still have the infrastructure, the players, the ability to pay decent wages etc, so to waste the last two years on Gary Bowyer is just ridiculous.

Pepole talk about how Venky's have pumped money in, kept the club afloat etc etc, but with a youth coach who is proving the old Peter Principle theory as manager, the cash has been completely wasted- appointing a proven manager would have been a drop in the ocean in comparison to the untold millions that are being frittered away as we list under Gary Bowyer.

Bowyer is obviously now in situ to manage our decline, FFP and to sell players on for a profit (without even touching the club's overall debt)- a bizzare pyhric victory for all involved- yet with a proper appointment in the dugout, we could have had a chance to wipe it all out in an instant.

I just cannot understand the rationale behind any of their decisions, and to see our best players flogged off, whilst Bowyer is seemingly stronger than ever is just a slap in the face and sailing periously close to the Kean era in its bizareness.

Great post. What makes it even more galling is even though the obvious has happens it should NOT have happened.

Given everyone and their dog has avoided ffp the fact we haven't adds to how suicidal and inept those running the club are. We really are our own worst enemy. Talk about throwing every lifeline away - that's Rovers.

[RevidgeBlue]

I've 'liked' this... but it's not really anything to 'like'. The anguish that this has caused us is horrid.

I wonder if bowyer actually believes he's the man for the job?

Not sure why you're "liking" a post from someone who's stopping going after donkey's years.

A post from someone who said "I'm really not looking forward to next season but I've just been down to renew because now is the time when the Club needs my/our support more than ever". Now that would be a post to applaud.

Sadly it seems to have become fashionable and de rigeur on here not to support the Club due to dislike for the owners. Wish we had another 20k fans with the stickability of Parson. (even though I disagree with him about the need for a change of manager)

[Rover_Shaun]

I've 'liked' this... but it's not really anything to 'like'. The anguish that this has caused us is horrid.

I wonder if bowyer actually believes he's the man for the job?

Managers have inflated ego's. Lee Clarke said he took the Blackpool job because he believed he could turn it around. So yes Bowyer would say he is the right man. Just like certain bald scotch t*** would still say he is the right man.

The only ones who's opinions count are the owners and they are as thick as they come and cannot see beyond the smoke and mirrors. The only ones benefitting are the schadenfreude dingles.

[Leonard Venkhater]

I've 'liked' this... but it's not really anything to 'like'. The anguish that this has caused us is horrid.

I wonder if bowyer actually believes he's the man for the job?

Absolutely, Barry!.It really touches a nerve for me too.. Oh for the days when I had trust and I knew that those running the club had proper football aims.

Is GB the man for the job? I guess he feels like one of those obscure cardinals, suddenly thrust into the limelight after the papal conclave. Even Pope Benedict stood down, though.

Sorry, this situation is just so bad that I am falling into ridiculous comparisons. Well at least Pope Benedict gave it a right good go!

[Rover_Shaun]

Did Pope Bennedict turn out a profit?

Thats all that matters. Winning? Being competitive? Get to fck.

[gumboots]

Not sure why you're "liking" a post from someone who's stopping going after donkey's years.

A post from someone who said "I'm really not looking forward to next season but I've just been down to renew because now is the time when the Club needs my/our support more than ever". Now that would be a post to applaud.

Sadly it seems to have become fashionable and de rigeur on here not to support the Club due to dislike for the owners. Wish we had another 20k fans with the stickability of Parson. (even though I disagree with him about the need for a change of manager)

I'm getting a bit tired of people saying the club needs our support more than ever. When have the owners or those in charge at ewood in any way suggested that they value and need us? They can buy and sell players to make money without any support from me.

I'll be there when I can, most probably but stop using non renewal of season tickets as a yardstick. It's not. There are all sorts of reasons why people aren't renewing and not all of those who aren't renewing are turning their back on the club. It's different for each of us. Changing circumstances and my upcoming redundancy/retirement are as much a part of my decision not to renew as the boredom of last season, frustration with team selection and countless other issues. A season ticket is not the be all and end all. I went for years without having one but was still at every match I could manage.

[Leonard Venkhater]

Not sure why you're "liking" a post from someone who's stopping going after donkey's years.

A post from someone who said "I'm really not looking forward to next season but I've just been down to renew because now is the time when the Club needs my/our support more than ever". Now that would be a post to applaud.

Sadly it seems to have become fashionable and de rigeur on here not to support the Club due to dislike for the owners. Wish we had another 20k fans with the stickability of Parson. (even though I disagree with him about the need for a change of manager)

Nowt to do with fashion, in my opinion. Not sure about de rigeur either, although I do get that frustration and anger probably generate more exciting prose than good old loyalty etc.

I happen to think that loyalty and love of the club are shared by people on both extremes. Yes, I love Rovers, but I am sick to the stomach about what is going on.

Right now, I don't think it is good for my mental health to put myself through any more of the Indian charade and denial.

OK so some guy in a suit might stand in the dug out and eleven men may even have the nerve to wear that famous blue and white shirt, but it just doesn't feel like Blackburn Rovers any more... A lot of that is about leadership, hearts and minds and belief-the very things that have been arrogantly p***d down the drain....