Meanwhile over at Deepdale....

[JHRover]

13 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

On crowds of 10/11,000 you could argue that relegation battles should be the norm,  a situation we need to be mindful of. 

Though Brentford seem to be defying logic on that score.

Ultimately though it comes down to investment not crowds, although it could be argued that those clubs that attract the rich benefactors are usually those with bigger crowds or potential for bigger crowds. Bournemouth/Watford/Fulham the sort of clubs that don't get big crowds yet they chucked a fair bit of money at it and succeeded. Bolton/Preston have no money or at least owners who won't put serious money into buying decent players so will likely struggle irrespective of whether 10,000 or 15,000 turn up to watch. Brentford very much a special case as their model is so unique that they manage to improve and recruit exceptionally well despite having their best players poached each year.

Suppose we're sort of the middle ground. Our owners won't spend on the level some will, yet it seems they have more ability or willingness to spend than people like Anderson at Bolton, Hemmings at Preston or whoever is running Wigan these days. I don't know whether we should be grateful for that or not. I'd like to think had we done what PNE did last season and gone very close to the play-offs that Venkys would have chucked some money the manager's way to try and go one better this season but it seems for whatever reason that hasn't happened at PNE.

Hemmings is another 'billionaire' on paper yet it seems most of his wealth is tied up in property etc. He's also knocking on in his 80s so he and his family probably have one eye on what is going to happen after he goes. Davies at Bolton and Whelan at Wigan and even ourselves with the wretched Walkers - examples where popular owners when they pass away or prepare to do their families aren't as keen on funding the football club afterwards.

Edited September 21, 2018 by JHRover

[Gone to seed]

17 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

On crowds of 10/11,000 you could argue that relegation battles should be the norm,  a situation we need to be mindful of. 

Though Brentford seem to be defying logic on that score.

Doesn't seem to hold Bournemouth back much either...

[only2garners]

Brentford are owned by Matthew Benham, who made his money from online gambling and is a fan. they will also be moving to a new ground next year. Bournemouth have been majority owned by a Russian with plenty of money.

[JHRover]

10 minutes ago, only2garners said:

Brentford are owned by Matthew Benham, who made his money from online gambling and is a fan. they will also be moving to a new ground next year. Bournemouth have been majority owned by a Russian with plenty of money.

If they go up they'll have to move to a new ground in the summer as they won't be allowed in the Premier League at Griffin Park. As it stands they are due to move into a new 17,000 seat ground in 2020.

[chaddyrovers]

56 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Apparrently one was Armstrong but I hate when managers and chairmen come out and say stuff like that after the window.

Its just empty words, if they were serious about spending that money then they would have gone elsewhere. 

All being said, whilst Preston may struggle to recover enough to linger around the play offs, they will be fine and have a good squad at this level. Struggling with injuries, suspension and loss of form but it will change.

I rather a manager came out and talk about the deals didnt happen. 

I think they are missing Bodin and Maguire. Always expect them to struggle but stay up. 

Neil is decent manager for them

[Exiled in Toronto]

3 hours ago, JHRover said:

They won a solitary FA Cup in 1938, other than that their other 3 major trophies were way back in the first couple of years of the Football League.

They very nearly won both the league and the cup in the early 60s when it was Finney and ten others

[LeftWinger]

6 minutes ago, Exiled in Toronto said:

They very nearly won both the league and the cup in the early 60s when it was Finney and ten others

Did they get some 'Nearly Winners' medals? ?

[Mattyblue]

The Premier League isn’t a normal league so crowds don’t really come into it. 

However, normally if you have the lowest crowds in the league you’ll be towards the bottom - though there are exceptions every year. Accy Stanley as an example.

[4000Holes]

2 hours ago, renrag said:

It was 1953 when they finished second to Arsenal on goal average. In 1958, when Rovers won promotion to the first division, they were second by a distance to Wolves. They went down in 1961 when Finney retired and have never been back since.

They lost in the cup final in 1964.  If we had not had an away day at Oxford, we would and should have won it that year.  We were a much better team than West Ham who won it.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

17 hours ago, 4000Holes said:

They lost in the cup final in 1964.  If we had not had an away day at Oxford, we would and should have won it that year.  We were a much better team than West Ham who won it.

Yes, you're right. Most of the really big teams had gone out early on in the draw. We were playing brilliantly and scoring goals for fun. That was the season I genuinely thought we were going to make it up for the 1960  Cup Final and Wolves. Then we had this really easy draw at newly admitted Fourth Division Oxford ! We were never really the same again after that. Pickering was allowed to leave shortly after that game and then it was a slow downward spiral.

[den]

29 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Yes, you're right. Most of the really big teams had gone out early on in the draw. We were playing brilliantly and scoring goals for fun. That was the season I genuinely thought we were going to make it up for the 1960  Cup Final and Wolves. Then we had this really easy draw at newly admitted Fourth Division Oxford ! We were never really the same again after that. Pickering was allowed to leave shortly after that game and then it was a slow downward spiral.

Bring back a few memories for you Tyrone. 

 

[Waggy76]

44 minutes ago, den said:

Bring back a few memories for you Tyrone. 

 

My uncle went to that game and he was never the same after it !!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

51 minutes ago, Waggy76 said:

My uncle went to that game and he was never the same after it !!

I know the feeling. I was playing that afternoon and after the game we all used to pile into town on the bus. The bus used to stop outside a TV rental shop and we'd all jump off the open platform and watch the scores coming in on the old teleprinter on a TV set up in the window.

When that score came through I said to my mate - " They've got that score the wrong way around ".  Now and then that did happen.

Unfortunately not that day.