Which utterly brilliant manager will we be delighted to welcome next?

[Miller11]

13 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Great post overall, but you seem to have an unbelievably rosy view of Steve Waggott. I don't know what his secret is, but he seems to have this remarkable knack of convincincing people who have met him in person that he is an all round good egg who has the interests of the Club at heart.

I'm simply not having it. The crap food is symptomatic of his apparent penny pinching attitude but is a relatively minor issue.

It's under his stewardship that affordable seating was scrapped.

It's under his stewardship that prices were raised by up to 25% during a pandemic for a season where no-one could attend.

It was him that was involved in Coventry City's attempt to flog their training ground when he was there. You can't put any blame on our owners for that. Therefore it defies logic to think that it wasn't him that was the driving force behind a similar attempt here and indeed he openly  admitted that he was the one driving the idea. The scheme here was based on the fraudulent premise that a Category One Academy could be housed in a facility and on a site half the size of the existing ones. I wonder how much he cost the Club with the aborted scheme once a few inconvenient home truths were brought to light?

Prices continue to rise, every pricing initiative that comes out of the Club is a near disaster and remedial steps to mitigate the damage are only taken once people like those silly posh QEGS lads running round in their rolled up trousers with their secret handshakes, or yourselves on the Trust, take them to task. Why can't anyone at the Club get something right first time round for once?

He had essentially one job to do this season just gone - get Lenihan, Nyambe and Rothwell signed up to new contracts. 100% failure rate in that respect seemingly.

The managerial search has been an absolute embarrassment and seems to have been designed to put off any better candidates. With the benefit of hindsight it would obviously have been far better to replace Waggott before Mowbray and have someone vaguely competent conducting the search.

In summary, everything he has touched since he's been at the Club has been a disaster. But it's OK it seems because it appears he's extremely attentive and wants to help. (But never does.)

Are you really reading that post as a glowing endorsement of Steve Waggott? Re-read that first paragraph objectively.

I completely share your opinions on the failings and have voiced similar (although I think the Brockhall scheme was a lot more nuanced than you do).

Where we disagree though is the idea that simply replacing Waggott would bring about any sort of meaningful change. He’s kept his job longer than any other person they have appointed in a similar position because he doubtless knows which side his bread is buttered. While we aren’t happy with him, Venky’s clearly are.

[tomphil]

Is he the reason they don't do the odd quid a kid games anymore ?

Don't recall any of those for a while but maybe this guy is ahead of the curve trying to empty Ewood and get the next gen signed up to watch on their phones.   After they've watched Liverpool and City of course.

Or maybe he's just another useless out of touch prick whose paper qualifications defy his actual lack of proven track record ?

I remember using Hull City a season or two ago as an example of why our crowds weren't that bad, looking at a club from a far bigger city. Who'd gone from 20k gates to around half that under stupid ownership, all makes sense now if they employ plumbs like this one.

[Mattyblue]

Just now, tomphil said:

Is he the reason they don't do the odd quid a kid games anymore ?

Don't recall any of those for a while but maybe this guy is ahead of the curve trying to empty Ewood and get the next gen signed up to watch on their phones.   After they've watched Liverpool and City of course.

Or maybe he's just another useless out of touch prick whose paper qualifications defy his actual lack of proven track record ?

I remember using Hull City a season or two ago as an example of why our crowds weren't that bad, looking at a club from a far bigger city. Who'd gone from 20k gates to around half that under stupid ownership, all makes sense now if they employ plumbs like this one.

The only club in the country to scrap season tickets and concession tickets (and their crowds obviously collapsed accordingly) and we go and headhunt their head of commercial!

A club with a death wish…

[RevidgeBlue]

28 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

So why hasn’t such an incompetent individual (nefarious too, as he wanted to flatten Brockhall) been sacked?

Fair point.

[Wheelton Blue]

16 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

 

Was this chap an employee of BRFC? 

If I'd been the club owner or MoD I'd have sacked him on the spot

Everyone who works at Ewood has to be a fan. 

They don't need to be a fan, but they need to work in the best interests of the fans.

[Upside Down]

2 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Let me get this straight, the Head of Commercial at a football club, thinks there is ‘nothing special’ about the club he is bloody lucky to have a senior role in, the most successful town club in the country no less, founder members of the FL and PL etc etc. He also thinks kids aren’t interested in going to matches, but are more interested in that new pyramid scheme known as NFTs. Those that do go, once they’ve sold their ape on Twitter, presumably, he wants to charge full whack to at 5 years old. He also thinks fans won’t go to games at all in the near future…

The total farce that has been the last two summers of ST sales now makes perfect sense… ‘if only we had a clue’, ay!

They won't be going if prices continue to trend the way they have been.

[AllRoverAsia]

10 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Fair point.

There is still a lot of demolition work and new housings builds to do.

[Danny O.Brien]

35 minutes ago, lraC said:

My son and daughter grew up in Bolton and my grandson is growing up in Preston. All are Rovers fans. 

I'm married to a dingle and season ticket holder. When my son was born just over two years ago, i said he either comes the rovers with his dad or I'll leave you both 😂.

[OldEwoodBlue]

40 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

So why hasn’t such an incompetent individual (nefarious too, as he wanted to flatten Brockhall) been sacked?

Oh thats bleeding obvious.

It's because he is doing exactly what the owners have tasked him with.

[tomphil]

11 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

The only club in the country to scrap season tickets and concession tickets (and their crowds obviously collapsed accordingly) and we go and headhunt their head of commercial!

A club with a death wish…

Look at the stupid ticket pricing for matches last season then the climb downs plus some of the idiotic 'bundle' deals.

If the club want cost cutting they should start with this berk, only in this stupid industry do people get employed to sit there and come up with ideas that go against everything that is actually needed.  He would perhaps be better suited working for the Govt than what used to be a big club in a small town but has now very purposely been shrunk to match its surroundings.

[RevidgeBlue]

25 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

The plan seems plausible based on Broughton’s interview. The big question is will he have the autonomy and power to execute it?

Big assumption there on the strength of one interview that Broughton will automatically be a huge success and is the man to transform our fortunes and will only be thwarted by machiavellian owners.

He might be a success but could just as easily turn out to be a liability as an asset.

Still doesn't do any harm to get your feet under the table ASAP with whoever is in Authority at Ewood at any given time does it?

[RevidgeBlue]

5 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

There is still a lot of demolition work and new housings builds to do.

That's the worry. Won't feel secure on that front until Waggott has gone.

[AllRoverAsia]

Broughton has no experience in the role of DoF. None. He will have to learn on the job.

We may as well have given it to DJ.

He will have been appointed as he's available, cheap and beholden.

Good luck with that one.

IMO, before some dip gets in ....

[rigger]

I am more worried about our off-field problems, than our on-field ones.

[AllRoverAsia]

The manager debacle, the inexperienced DoF, the state of Ewood, STs etc etc and now the tosser of Commercial.

I swear that if you set out to deliberately destroy a club it couldn't be done any better.

[OldEwoodBlue]

Before Waggott we had the slimy used car salesman Paul Senior.

When asked directly about the same topic (ticket prices and attendances) he said they couldn't and wouldn't devalue the product.

Different bloke, different style, same direction, same tasks. And after Waggott under the same owners we will get.... the same.

[matt83]

5 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Broughton has no experience in the role of DoF. None. He will have to learn on the job.

We may as well have given it to DJ.

He will have been appointed as he's available, cheap and beholden.

Good luck with that one.

IMO, before some dip gets in ....

Listening to his interview Gregg “the vision” Broughton sounds no different to any of the other snake oil salesmen we have now and before in my opinion. Doesn’t even talk a good game just nonsense about visions and his time at a club that no longer exists and a club that had 3 relegations. My job is to implement the will of the owners tells me all I need to know about this bloke.

[Parsonblue]

10 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

That's the worry. Won't feel secure on that front until Waggott has gone.

Steve Waggott cannot do anything without the owners permission.  The training ground will only be built on it that's what the owners want.

[Mattyblue]

Just now, Parsonblue said:

Steve Waggott cannot do anything without the owners permission.  The training ground will only be built on it that's what the owners want.

That’s blinding obvious, but he just won’t have it.

[tomphil]

5 minutes ago, OldEwoodBlue said:

Before Waggott we had the slimy used car salesman Paul Senior.

When asked directly about the same topic (ticket prices and attendances) he said they couldn't and wouldn't devalue the product.

Different bloke, different style, same direction, same tasks. And after Waggott under the same owners we will get.... the same.

They shouldn't overvalue it either in an area like this which essentially is the point they've gone beyond now to a lot of people.

[AllRoverAsia]

1 minute ago, Parsonblue said:

Steve Waggott cannot do anything without the owners permission.  The training ground will only be built on it that's what the owners want.

I can't speak for Rev but I know that and it doesn't alter anything.

Get it?

[RevidgeBlue]

1 minute ago, Parsonblue said:

Steve Waggott cannot do anything without the owners permission.  The training ground will only be built on it that's what the owners want.

Do you not think they were sold a shiny new vision of something that couldnt actually be done in practice though?

If it was what the owners wanted why do you think it was scrapped when it was? Would have been nothing stopping it getting to the latter stages of the process at least.

[RevidgeBlue]

4 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

That’s blinding obvious, but he just won’t have it.

And you won't take on board my point that the owners were probably sold a pup by Waggott initially but if we accept that "He can only do anything with the owners permission" it is most likely that it was they who nipped it in the bud.

[SuperBrfc]

8 minutes ago, matt83 said:

Listening to his interview Gregg “the vision” Broughton sounds no different to any of the other snake oil salesmen we have now and before in my opinion. Doesn’t even talk a good game just nonsense about visions and his time at a club that no longer exists and a club that had 3 relegations. My job is to implement the will of the owners tells me all I need to know about this bloke.

My first thought upon seeing the interview was, that's another yes man in the building.

He might have plans and want to make changes, but these owners don't allow anybody to get ahead of themselves. He'll do as he's told.

[Mattyblue]

5 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

And you won't take on board my point that the owners were probably sold a pup by Waggott initially but if we accept that "He can only do anything with the owners permission" it is most likely that it was they who nipped it in the bud.

That’s just complete speculation from you, could be true, could be a mile off, so why would I take it as gospel? And even if true not sure how it is painting them in a light other than incompetent and owning a business in which the tail is wagging the dog at best, nefarious at worst.

Edited June 12, 2022 by Mattyblue