WATR (The Rovers Trust)

[Mattyblue]

This place always forgets that we obsessives on here are the outliers. Most fans just want to watch a game of the club they associate with at Ewood/on a dodgy box/on Sky. 

They don’t give a toss about the off-field stuff - unless they see us at the wrong end of the table and then they will briefly join the dots (until we get away from it).

[den]

I don’t think they helped themselves when they renamed themselves to “we are the rovers”.  It just immediately suggests that they exist to support everything the club does.

[Mashed Potatoes]

2 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Stop going. That’s the best vote of no confidence.

That won't be difficult for a poster living in New Zealand.

[J*B]

19 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

shouldn't we wait until the 4th of February to see what transfers we actually make  

This is one of the most bonkers arguments I see get made on here. There’s 8 league games between 1st Jan and 4th Feb, that’s 24 points. The squad is desperately short and each game we play - see Oxford - with a depleted squad is playing with fire. 

[GHR]

4 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Not happening. They are now too entwined with the club (I say ‘they’, I am referring to the committee, as I’m a member and I haven’t been asked on what the relationship with this ownership should be).

Though in fairness to them, away from brfcs is there much groundswell against the Rao’s at this moment in time? I wouldn’t say so, not even close to where it was 12 months ago and that wasn’t particularly vitriolic.

I am sure there was a very short, very muted 'We don't care about Venky's...' on Saturday. Overheard some old boys - who would have been around in the pre-Jack Walker era - on the way back who were in agreement about Venky's 'making mistakes at the start but put money in now and without them we'd be fucked' angle - so it isn't just from the kids who come from the post-2010 era who are impassive about it all. Join me in weeping.

[Herbie6590]

1 hour ago, J*B said:

This is one of the most bonkers arguments I see get made on here. There’s 8 league games between 1st Jan and 4th Feb, that’s 24 points. The squad is desperately short and each game we play - see Oxford - with a depleted squad is playing with fire. 

I agree…if I’d commissioned an architect to build me a 5 bedroom detached house but when I visited the building site the foundations show the outline only of a garden shed I’d probably not wait for the date upon which the keys are due to be handed over to start raising concerns & forming a judgement on the ability of the architect.

[roversfan99]

After the QPR game the day after the window closes so presumably too late for any deadline day signings to realistically feature. We will have only 15 games left.

Before then we have 3 crucial games, 2 very winnable home games against bottom half sides and an away game at fellow play off chasing Bristol City. It is criticial that we get a decent points haul in those games to keep us right in the pack ahead of the run in. We go into the first of them mainly fearing the worst because our sub par attack continues to misfire and we have gone from having one of the best midfield pairings in the league protecting our defence to most likely a player who hasnt shown decent form in 3 years and couldnt get into a struggling Sheffield Wednesday side and a veteran who couldnt get into Plymouth side.

The 2 main arguments that I see defending the inactivity/business so far are firstly that we are "prioritising" the attack. That firstly assumes that we will get what we need there which is a big assumption and also suggests that we can just live with the issues we have in midfield. To go from one of the strongest to the weakest pairings in the league within a few weeks shows that as has been the case for years, the squad is not strong enough. For most clubs, the timing of Tronstads injury would at least come with the bonus of it happening in January where you can do something about it even if it means a bigger budget is needed.

The second is that you can only sign quality towards the end of the window. Im not sure that is entirely true either.

 

[Mattyblue]

August deadline, fair enough to an extent as there will be 40+ games left (still not an excuse as you want them doing a pre season with the team), however ‘wait until 5th February’ is a cop out from an unserious ‘professional’ football club- and more fool you if you go along with it.

Edited Monday at 14:17 by Mattyblue

[den]

The January transfer window is ideally for tinkering around, bringing a bit more cover for injuries or suspensions, allowing fringe players to get some game time elsewhere. 
 

What’s galling for me and most of us is that the owners and/or Waggott have left us in the position where it’s just as important and urgent as the summer window. There is seemingly no money and no plans to change that situation. 
 

Ever. 

[chaddyrovers]

2 hours ago, J*B said:

This is one of the most bonkers arguments I see get made on here. There’s 8 league games between 1st Jan and 4th Feb, that’s 24 points. The squad is desperately short and each game we play - see Oxford - with a depleted squad is playing with fire. 

Yes Josh, I know how many league games they are but normally the first 2 weeks of the transfer window is slow and you see a massive pick up in the last 2 weeks of the weeks. Clubs start making their moves for signings like Sheffield United and Boro are doing 

[islander200]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

Yes Josh, I know how many league games they are but normally the first 2 weeks of the transfer window is slow and you see a massive pick up in the last 2 weeks of the weeks. Clubs start making their moves for signings like Sheffield United and Boro are doing 

Whilst we wait for the scraps nobody else wants on deadline day 

[chaddyrovers]

25 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Whilst we wait for the scraps nobody else wants on deadline day 

So many guesses, instead of waiting to see what happens in the next 2 weeks

[islander200]

13 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

So many guesses, instead of waiting to see what happens in the next 2 weeks

Is it not the same every year?

If we had a decent budget then more players would be in.

We have serious issues with injury and attack not clicking  yet there seems to be little urgency whilst our rivals who don't have the injury issues we have are making moves.

Plus apart from the fact we have made a bid for a player the head coach seems as in the dark as the fan base over when players are going to be signed. 

Get on with it before we find ourselves losing ground 

[chaddyrovers]

2 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Is it not the same every year?

If we had a decent budget then more players would be in.

We have serious issues with injury and attack not clicking  yet there seems to be little urgency whilst our rivals who don't have the injury issues we have are making moves.

Plus apart from the fact we have made a bid for a player the head coach seems as in the dark as the fan base over when players are going to be signed. 

Get on with it before we find ourselves losing ground 

Not really cos we can only register 25 players so its around 2 or 3 signings in meaning 4 or 5 signings. 

Eustace wouldn't go public with the name clearly that right we he knows the name is out there. 

[islander200]

6 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Not really cos we can only register 25 players so its around 2 or 3 signings in meaning 4 or 5 signings. 

Eustace wouldn't go public with the name clearly that right we he knows the name is out there. 

Sheffield United had a 25 man squad in and now are bringing in 5 players 

Middlesbrough had a 25 man squad and are now in for 2 players 

Burnley had a 25 man squad and have added 

Chaddy some of the players in our 25 man squad are not promotion chasing quality, they play minimally and an ambitious club with a decent budget would replace them, and leave them out the squad or sell/loan them

If we only sign 2 players a winger and a striker and ignore midfield and left back we will fall away 

You can't expect us to have as good a second half of the season with two of the better midfielders in the league out and replaced by Buckley and Forshaw 

Surely you recognise that Buckley and Forshaw are nowhere near as good as Travis and Tronstad ffs

Edited Monday at 17:21 by islander200

[K-Hod]

49 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

So many guesses, instead of waiting to see what happens in the next 2 weeks

If we were all to just wait and see, we might not have a board to come back to, if nobody is discussing anything….

[Ghost7]

3 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

So many guesses, instead of waiting to see what happens in the next 2 weeks

2 hours ago, K-Hod said:

If we were all to just wait and see, we might not have a board to come back to, if nobody is discussing anything….

 

The wild thing is this is now the same conversation every winter and summer so it's no longer guessing, or if it is they are now more educated guesses that are nearly always right, people thinking the opposite (that Venky's will spend) is just blind wishful thinking... and there are now zero trends to support that... even if they did miraculously starting spending and showing some interest... you would not expect it, if you had any sense. 

[Mattyblue]

Some folk can’t cope with what they deem as ‘negativity’, so have to ignore all rational evidence and prior experience and just put their head in the sand instead.

[philipl]

If the meeting is after the window closes, they can demand Swag's resignation 

[Mattyblue]

That's no way to talk to a friend.

Edited yesterday at 10:45 by Mattyblue

[islander200]

1 hour ago, philipl said:

If the meeting is after the window closes, they can demand Swag's resignation 

And then venkys replace him with someone as equally incompetent. 

Getting rid of Waggott does absolutely nothing to help our plight

We will only ever get a decent CEO when venkys sell the club.

Somebody decent, somebody competent and coveted wouldn't work for our owners

[chaddyrovers]

2 hours ago, philipl said:

If the meeting is after the window closes, they can demand Swag's resignation 

surely all WATR members should be asked their opinion. 

[Mattyblue]

They haven't asked for mine when it comes to being 'critical friends'.

[chaddyrovers]

yes you mentioned several times 

[Mattyblue]

I've said it twice, once being just now. Check your dictionary for 'several'

Point being, the Committee do not, and have never balloted the membership for their strategic decisions. Current said strategy being 'critical friends' of the club. So flip it round and they no longer want to be friends, as they are instead asking for Swag's removal, presumably they won't be asking the membership about it first...

Edited yesterday at 12:38 by Mattyblue