v Reading (h) - 23/10/2021

[bluebruce]

1 hour ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Bournemouth and Brentford were the two teams in question to be fair - it wasn’t a “why would you choose Rangers over the premier league” question. Despite the fact that Brentford are having a good start to their premier league campaign neither they or Bournemouth should be more attractive to a footballer than a huge club like Rangers. Aston Villa or some such club then fair enough. 

It basically was that question though. The future may change, and no decision will be made until at least January, but as things stand Bournemouth look odds on to go back up and Brentford are comfortably midtable. So if it's the same picture by then, it's Premiership vs Rangers and I think that's a no brainer. Although even in January and several points clear, Bournemouth would be a gamble. Brentford could put themselves clear enough to be more or less safe by then though, but if they sink a bit then that's a gamble too.

Sorry but no argument on earth is going to make me see Rangers as a 'huge' club for as long as they stay stuck in that league. Big yes but not huge. I don't care if they get gates of a million each game. It's a league of third rate football sprinkled with a few European games for the big boys. In terms of ambition, I don't think going there shows more than going to the Prem. And again it's likely to pay less, which dictates 90% of transfers.

[J*B]

5 minutes ago, J*B said:

Depends which week you look at. Posters are up this season and bans are way down on previous years. Can’t work that out. Visitors where blowing my mind for a long time… then I realised there’s a tonne of Chilean fans viewing whenever Brereton has a good game and that’s skewing the numbers. 

For example, this happens when Brereton scores a hat trick…

How this isn’t being seriously monetised by the club is beyond me. Quite frankly, I think BRFCS is earning more from Chilean fans than Rovers are. 

[Boroblue]

32 minutes ago, Gav said:

We have thousands of fans that don’t currently have season tickets….

This site in no way represent the Rovers fan base at large, it doesn’t even come close.

 

Opinion 

[Wood26]

10 minutes ago, J*B said:

I know you’re not mate, it’s just led me to an interesting thought process. How many Rovers “fans” would you say there are left? I honestly think sub 25K nowadays. 

Maybe slightly higher. When you think of the attendance at the Oxford game plus the following of southern fans. QPR the other night for example heard a lot more southern accents and the atmosphere in our end was notably subdued which I also link to being more non regular away fans then usual lot on a Tuesday night in London.

[mr bishi]

49 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Didn't see the game today, see they are now doing full game replays so will watch it back. 

But Dolan for me is going to have a very good career. Reminds me of King - someone who has his faults but can score and create so will kick on. A player who can do that well while still so young is very rare.

I know it means nothing in the grand scheme but transfermarket have him as the most valueable under 20 contracted to a championship club.

[Gav]

10 minutes ago, J*B said:

I know you’re not mate, it’s just led me to an interesting thought process. How many Rovers “fans” would you say there are left? I honestly think sub 25K nowadays. 

It’s hard to say with any certainty.

But I’m confident, if we ever get back to the Premiership, you can guarantee we’ll get 17k home fans midweek and 20k+ for Saturday games, if Venkys are a distant memory.

Keep the faith.

[Tom]

Dolan is an absolute menace and a delight to watch

The bit of skill in the second half where from nothing he dropped a shoulder, nutmegged their lad and pulled back to Poveda was glorious.

My lad comes to games with us, he’s never fully got into it, he’s 10 now but watching Dolan gets his attention.

On that point I feel for the youngsters in the stands, I was spoiled as I started going in ‘91 but there was always a decent atmosphere, chants to go along with for most of the players.

It seems these days the majority of chants that do occur are aimed at Burnley or the opposition (seriously “28 shags his mum” is about as witless as it comes) and don’t get me started on the Nyambe chant.

 

[Wood26]

19 minutes ago, J*B said:

For example, this happens when Brereton scores a hat trick…

How this isn’t being seriously monetised by the club is beyond me. Quite frankly, I think BRFCS is earning more from Chilean fans than Rovers are. 

I been trying to think of ways how we could monetise the Diaz wave. I would be really interested to know If there was an uplift in Ifollow subscriptions for people in Chile to watch him play.

Spurs get a big following from Korean fans because of Son, but I guess that’s London and probably not many Chileans In Lancashire.

I know we released that Diaz t shirt, but Chileans probably have their own version anyway.

We released our limited edition third kit, didn’t have any stock, and then when we did, didn’t have any letters to have his name on the shirt anyway.

So it seems all  we will do is post pics of him on Insta. A Spanish Rovers social media page may be a good start.

Edited October 23, 2021 by Wood26

[Mike E]

28 minutes ago, Tom said:

Dolan is an absolute menace and a delight to watch

The bit of skill in the second half where from nothing he dropped a shoulder, nutmegged their lad and pulled back to Poveda was glorious.

My lad comes to games with us, he’s never fully got into it, he’s 10 now but watching Dolan gets his attention.

On that point I feel for the youngsters in the stands, I was spoiled as I started going in ‘91 but there was always a decent atmosphere, chants to go along with for most of the players.

It seems these days the majority of chants that do occur are aimed at Burnley or the opposition (seriously “28 shags his mum” is about as witless as it comes) and don’t get me started on the Nyambe chant.

I can relate, I was raised on Duff/Dunn/Jansen.

Then it became Pedersen and Bentley with Tugay in between.

The ballers make a real difference, and Dolan is a baller (as is Buckley imo).

[47er]

46 minutes ago, Boroblue said:

Opinion 

The only way we'll know is if the club is run well and everyone is seen to be pulling together. There are actual fans who attend, supporters who would if the product was worth buying in their opinion and "latent" fans who would be tempted by an enjoyable experience.

What would be the number of fans we'd "allocate" to Bolton or Blackpool? If the question popped up a while ago we wouldn't have said near 25000 but now? It all depends on circumstances.

I agree with Gav on this one. There are many Rovers fans waiting for someone with a clue to "tap them".

If Bolton and Blackpool can do it so can we---always, of course, with the right leadership.

[47er]

17 minutes ago, Mike E said:

I can relate, I was raised on Duff/Dunn/Jansen.

Then it became Pedersen and Bentley with Tugay in between.

The ballers make a real difference, and Dolan is a baller (as is Buckley imo).

Sad for you---if only you could have been raised on Duggie!

A more sublime childhood is impossible to imagine!

[Wood26]

6 minutes ago, 47er said:

The only way we'll know is if the club is run well and everyone is seen to be pulling together. There are actual fans who attend, supporters who would if the product was worth buying in their opinion and "latent" fans who would be tempted by an enjoyable experience.

What would be the number of fans we'd "allocate" to Bolton or Blackpool? If the question popped up a while ago we wouldn't have said near 25000 but now? It all depends on circumstances.

I agree with Gav on this one. There are many Rovers fans waiting for someone with a clue to "tap them".

If Bolton and Blackpool can do it so can we---always, of course, with the right leadership.

If Mowbray got sacked I don’t think it would make the slightest difference to our attendance. Any “fan” not attending because Mowbray is in charge would soon stay away again the second we lost a game.

If Mowbray some how got us into the play offs, watch all those “fans” come out the woodwork for a play off semi final.

[Mike E]

14 minutes ago, 47er said:

Sad for you---if only you could have been raised on Duggie!

A more sublime childhood is impossible to imagine!

Dougie is why my dad converted from Rangers to Rovers aged 11.

His dad was driving them to Blackburn from Cheltenham (lived in Glasgow originally, moved for work). As a side note, my dad cried while driving through Darwen and was assured 'Don't worry lad, we're going Pleckgate, much nicer'.

Grandad checked the footy schedule in the paper, to decide whether to take my dad to Rovers or Preston. Rovers were at home that day, and my dad fell in love with Dougie.

Thankfully he was able to tell Dougie just that story at the first HOF event. I remarked to Dougie how I felt similar about Duff. Dougie replied 'Good player was Duff, but I'd have put him on the ground standing still.'

[47er]

3 minutes ago, Wood26 said:

If Mowbray got sacked I don’t think it would make the slightest difference to our attendance. Any “fan” not attending because Mowbray is in charge would soon stay away again the second we lost a game.

If Mowbray some how got us into the play offs, watch all those “fans” come out the woodwork for a play off semi final.

I certainly wasn't confining my speculation to Mowbray! However, getting into a debate about who is or isn't "a real fan" is

a waste of time. If we "somehow" got into a play-off semi final wouldn't you want thousands of extra fans to cheer them on? Couldn't you predict at least some of them might come back?

There is so much more choice for people to spend their money on now. In the 50's people rushed home from work, scrambled out of their work clothes, gobbled dinner down and got the bus to Ewood.Other than the flicks or Mecca there wasn't much else.

Not true anymore. Clubs have to work hard to attract fans and retain them. Since Venkys turned up, all the club has seemed to do is alienate them and we've lost thousands and are still losing them.

Bolton and Blackpool have shown you can turn it around but it will never happen with Venkys , Maggot and Mogadon.

[bluebruce]

11 minutes ago, Wood26 said:

If Mowbray got sacked I don’t think it would make the slightest difference to our attendance. Any “fan” not attending because Mowbray is in charge would soon stay away again the second we lost a game.

If Mowbray some how got us into the play offs, watch all those “fans” come out the woodwork for a play off semi final.

Disagree on the first paragraph. Some are that fairweather, but most of the fans boycotting Mowbray's reign now didn't do so the second he lost a game. They've been worn down by years of his bizarre selections and strategies, as well as the infuriating stuff he comes out with at times, and the club's apparent nonchalance in the face of it all. His not having been sacked yet is symptomatic of how badly ran we are, which is highly dispiriting and keeps as many or more fans away than the lack of top flight football. The club feels like it is on autopilot, with no destination set.

The second paragraph is right, but literally any club in the EFL would get more fans for the playoffs.

[Wood26]

I agree with you both, you both make good points. I feel the fans not attending because of Mowbray is in the lower hundreds. Then there is the ones that won’t attend because of Venkys.

But my belief is the main reason fans don’t come is because they feel like we aren’t competing for anything. I don’t blame them, why fork out money to watch a team doing nothing. I’m sure every other team like us has the same.

My original point was, social media is full of these fans that don’t want to go anymore and it’s them putting us down. Especially on here. 
 

You come on here to Celebrate a win and you got to get through all the “that’s another week for Mowbray” messages for people who don’t go to the game, and probably wouldn’t even if we changed a manager anyway.

Edited October 23, 2021 by Wood26

[Exiled_Rover]

2 hours ago, J*B said:

I know you’re not mate, it’s just led me to an interesting thought process. How many Rovers “fans” would you say there are left? I honestly think sub 25K nowadays. 

Way more than 25k.

Unless I'm running into a very small circle of people when I travel the NW for my job. They're just apathetic after being served 11 years of shite and no end is sight. 

[SBlue]

2 hours ago, Gav said:

We have thousands of fans that don’t currently have season tickets….

This site in no way represent the Rovers fan base at large, it doesn’t even come close.

 

Aye. Outside of this site people watch football for enjoyment 🤣

Didn’t see anything of the game today, but  glad to hear Dolan played well.

He’s starting to put decent numbers together for his age, and the goal was a beauty. Quite the asset on the books, PNE must be feeling sick.

[Wood26]

6 minutes ago, S8 & Blue said:

Aye. Outside of this site people watch football for enjoyment 🤣

 

Imagine that, go for few beers and watch your team win.

Or sit at home refreshing Twitter and worrying about who’s contract is up next.

[SBlue]

2 hours ago, J*B said:

I know you’re not mate, it’s just led me to an interesting thought process. How many Rovers “fans” would you say there are left? I honestly think sub 25K nowadays. 

No way, put a zero on that. At least! We aren’t non-league ffs!

We’ve got fans all over, thousands of exiles like me and plenty that started following us before we were shit.

We still punch above our weight.

This site isn’t an indication at all, I only come on when life’s getting too pleasant just to bum meself out by reading stuff like Lincoln have more fans than us 😉

Edited October 24, 2021 by S8 & Blue

[Bbrovers2288]

A Scottish rover and am always surprised at how many I rovers fans I bump into up here, there is support, just as some have said, there is reasons for staying away just now 

[TugaysMarlboro]

8 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Mowbray was on the radio saying Ayala had been feeling discomfort in his calf for a week or two. He’s sending him for a scan on Monday. That doesn’t sound promising.

Just in time for winter. 

[yankfan]

5 hours ago, J*B said:

I know you’re not mate, it’s just led me to an interesting thought process. How many Rovers “fans” would you say there are left? I honestly think sub 25K nowadays. 

I think Covid has changed sports for across the board. Not being able to go to games, having to prioritize dollars, many fringe fans have found other interests. I’d guess if/when we get further beyond the lock downs more fringe fans will return to sport in general. 

[yankfan]

2 hours ago, Traviscon said:

Just in time for winter. 

Winter is coming 

[chaddyrovers]

9 hours ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Neither Bournemouth nor Brentford can guarantee premier league football. Rangers on the other hand can guarantee playing in front of 50k passionate fans every other week and European football. 

Rangers can't guarantee European football either. Plus playing in PL football every week would test him week in and week out. plus playing in away grounds like Anfield and Old Traffard season in and out

What happens if Gerrard was to leave in the summer and they made awful appointment like before.