Jon Dahl Tomasson - Officially No Longer Our Head Coach

[Mashed Potatoes]

12 minutes ago, DE. said:

You do wonder why they even bothered giving him the job in the first place. Since day one he's had more ambition and expectation than the owners or indeed the majority of the fanbase can muster. It was never going to work unless, by some miracle, he got us up in his first season. He might have managed it, too, if he'd been backed last January. Instead since then he's been systematically undermined to the point where he would have every right to walk. 

And yet to date he has never gone on this walk.

[SuperBrfc]

I can understand what Groundhog is saying to some extent about him losing respect for the manager, in that it could be seen as a "shitty" thing for JDT to walk away now and 'leave the lads in the lurch', so to speak. I respect the opinion, even though I disagree.

I'm looking at it completely the opposite way though and not necessarily from a team point of view. JDT will always have my respect because he tried to raise the standards of this football club. An ambitious man, a winner, who was not given the tools to get Rovers back to where we belong. He wanted promotion, while the CEO was telling him it's alright just to avoid the drop.

JDT is the only manager under this regime, imo, who had real ambition for the club, had genuine respect for the fans and is on our wavelength in terms of how many of us view the club. He has batted for the fans time and again and shares our frustration. We want Rovers to win, JDT wants Rovers to win, but the clowns above him are not arsed. 'Win' does not mean individual games of football. It's more than that.

The hierarchy he is working under has treated us like a tinpot outfit for years on end. Lowering the standards every year, lowering the expectation every year, to such a pitiful state, that random kids on loan are now being celebrated as good business. Anybody who questions any of this is a "hater" and "not a real fan" according to the wider support.

This is the state that a top 10 Premier League club and it's fanbase has been reduced to by these dickhead owners and their stream of yes men. JDT has seen through them, like a lot of us, which is why I will always respect the man. Him walking away now only increases that respect for me.

This shell today is not Blackburn Rovers. It is not the Rovers that JDT knows from his playing days and beyond. It is not the Rovers that many of us know. I do not see people like Waggott, Silvester, and the rest above them as being Rovers. Never! They work for the club, yeah, but that's where it ends.

I think this is where most of us differ with the "just back the club" crew. The latter think that criticising the above named is an attack on the club and makes us "dingles" or "haters" or whatever. They can think what they like, but those people are not Rovers people. What have they done to warrant our respect and support? What are they doing to push the club on?

Look at what JDT's call for ambition has been met with. Cutback after cutback, woefully inadequate transfer windows, an Indian High Court case against the owners, and finally his star midfielder being swiftly moved on to pay the bills! There can be no blame on JDT for walking.

He's not the best manager in the world, that's not what I'm saying. He has had certain howlers which are hard to forget such as the Burnley, Preston, Rotherham and a few other embarrassing defeats. His in game management is questionable at times, but he is a real one.

That's why I will be gutted when he does go. One of very few real ones, in 13 years of fakes.

[RevidgeBlue]

1 minute ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

And yet to date he has never gone on this walk.

The situation re the finances is moving on all the time and seemingly deteriorating rapidly.

He didnt walk and did give them a second chance after "the project changed" and they let him down in summer. Eminently reasonable many might say.

Presumably he consented to the sale of the star asset so he could have funds to revamp the squad and it would appear the goal posts have been moved for a second time with no worthehile permanent transfers now allowed.

What would your view be IF he makes that walk next week?

[Old Codger]

Anyone with an ounce of grey matter can see that JDT is a man of integrity who has been sold a pup in order to bring (and keep) him to the club. Anyone who can't is a buffoon and a cnut.

[NeilInBristol]

Has the club ever blocked a manager from speaking to media?

[rovers11]

JDT to leave after the QPR game must be pretty short odds. It's not worked our for him this season and hes probably become too outspoken for the boards liking.

He'll go on to today very good things if/when he manages a club with far better plays than we have. 

We're a shambles right now.

[roversfan99]

His reputation will go up with many should he leave out of principle. Lambert's did with people then forgetting he wasnt a good manager, and he repeated the trick a couple of times more. Tomasson isnt perfect and there are question marks over him but hes far better than Lambert.

That being said, the Venkys apologists will no doubt turn it onto him should he leave. Not that he will or should care.

[RevidgeBlue]

1 minute ago, NeilInBristol said:

Has the club ever blocked a manager from speaking to media?

Not that I recall.

Mind you - managers giving press conferences wasn't a thing in the 70's and 80's.

Some of Jim Iley's would have been a hoot.

[Waggy76]

I think , Venkys will be attempting to agree an  NDA with him ...If speaks up , the whole House of Cards could fall...

Sing JDT Sing !

[RevidgeBlue]

Just now, roversfan99 said:

His reputation will go up with many should he leave out of principle. Lambert's did with people then forgetting he wasnt a good manager, and he repeated the trick a couple of times more. Tomasson isnt perfect and there are question marks over him but hes far better than Lambert.

That being said, the Venkys apologists will no doubt turn it onto him should he leave. Not that he will or should care.

The LT website is an extremely strange place. Some outsiders perceive this forum to be extreme that one is equally extreme but at polar opposites.

On there JDT is a worst manager/coach in the world who never stops whining, the owners are brilliant and Mowbray is still widely regarded as the Messiah.

I'm sure a fair proportion of the posters are Club plants as we undoubtedly get on here at strategic times of year as well.

[martonrover]

28 minutes ago, TommyRovers said:

It's a nothing story. Really really poorly managed. Knowing full well the reaction it would have, its baffling the club handled it this way and didn't let people know through official channels that JDT wouldn't be talking. Jackson's wording hasn't helped things either.

No plans on JDT leaving.

I’m not sure it can be described as a “nothing story” if the head coach has been prevented from speaking to the media, or is refusing to speak to them. 

Either would suggest that all is not well.

[Mashed Potatoes]

1 minute ago, RevidgeBlue said:

The situation re the finances is moving on all the time and seemingly deteriorating rapidly.

He didnt walk and did give them a second chance after "the project changed" and they let him down in summer. Eminently reasonable many might say.

Presumably he consented to the sale of the star asset so he could have funds to revamp the squad and it would appear the goal posts have been moved for a second time with no worthehile permanent transfers now allowed.

What would your view be IF he makes that walk next week?

Obviously he can make that walk next week if he chooses, although I would wonder why he had waited until then rather than going for his walk today. Of course he, or any other employee, who makes that decision, needs to understand that they will no longer be drawing their salary - although any who are on fixed term contracts also need to understand that if they want another job before the expiry of that term then their new employer will probably need to pay up the balance of that contract.

I doubt if he, or anyone else based at Ewood Park, had to consent to the sale of Adam Wharton - that decision was taken in Pune.

Sorry to sound so negative - in many ways I like JDT and I don't blame him for the general air of depression around the club at the moment . But then I don't blame Broughton either who has also had to deal with deteriorating finances and moving goal posts.

[JamieUK]

ignore looks like I've been had 😕

Edited February 2 by JamieUK

[RevidgeBlue]

1 minute ago, Waggy76 said:

I think , Venkys will be attempting to agree an  NDA with him ...If speaks up , the whole House of Cards could fall...

Sing JDT Sing !

Yes, that's the pity of it - if it happens he won't want to,  and shouldn't have to, walk out for nothing.

You'd think he'd be able to name his own price for compensation and an  NDA with all the shite that's gone down since the financial landscape changed.

[Bronzed A Donis]

40 minutes ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

Er, I meant the current regime.

Fair enough, misunderstood

[TommyRovers]

2 minutes ago, martonrover said:

I’m not sure it can be described as a “nothing story” if the head coach has been prevented from speaking to the media, or is refusing to speak to them. 

Either would suggest that all is not well.

Thats my point. he hasn't been "prevented" or banned from speaking. Jackson's wording is horrible. 

[davulsukur]

31 minutes ago, TommyRovers said:

It's a nothing story. Really really poorly managed. Knowing full well the reaction it would have, its baffling the club handled it this way and didn't let people know through official channels that JDT wouldn't be talking. Jackson's wording hasn't helped things either.

No plans on JDT leaving.

It just shows the level of incompetence we have at senior level, that they can't get something as straightforward as this correct.

[Mashed Potatoes]

1 minute ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Yes, that's the pity of it - if it happens he won't want to,  and shouldn't have to, walk out for nothing.

You'd think he'd be able to name his own price for compensation and an  NDA with all the shite that's gone down since the financial landscape changed.

As far as I am aware managers who choose to walk then suing for compensation was something from 15 years or so ago with Curbishley and O'Neill. When Pulis tried it on 5 to 10 years ago he lost. I suspect the wording of clauses in managers' contracts were changed after Curbishley and O'Neill to make sure they would have no case.

[martonrover]

3 minutes ago, TommyRovers said:

Thats my point. he hasn't been "prevented" or banned from speaking. Jackson's wording is horrible. 

So he refused to take part in the usual pre-match press conference ?

[TommyRovers]

Just now, martonrover said:

So he refused to take part in the usual pre-match press conference ?

No. The club have decided not to hold a managerial press conference for the QPR game. He will return to media duties after the game.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

37 minutes ago, TommyRovers said:

It's a nothing story. Really really poorly managed. Knowing full well the reaction it would have, its baffling the club handled it this way and didn't let people know through official channels that JDT wouldn't be talking. Jackson's wording hasn't helped things either.

No plans on JDT leaving.

So whats the full story - why didn't he attend ? I could imagine a scenario where he said he wanted to integrate the new players asap - and was focusing on training - but why not say that ?

[TommyRovers]

Just now, DavidMailsTightPerm said:

So whats the full story - why didn't he attend ? I could imagine a scenario where he said he wanted to integrate the new players asap - and was focusing on training - but why not say that ?

I don't know. He lead training as usual. Club have decided against holding a pre match press conference. 

[booth]

I'm baffled. How anyone can think the owners are brilliant?

I remember during the Kean days you'd get the odd nutjob, but most fans at least accepted they were terrible owners even if they weren't vocal about it. They also accepted that others were more vocal about it. Maybe people who are too young to remember those days could think this is how a club should be ran, but I'm seeing older people defending them.

When you've got Burnley fans saying Venkys Forever, you'd think that would at least make them question their beliefs. Find me a Burnley fan that's ever said Jack Walker forever.

Edited February 2 by booth

[Jimmy612]

Just now, TommyRovers said:

No. The club have decided not to hold a managerial press conference for the QPR game. He will return to media duties after the game.

That in itself is not a non-story. Can anyone remember a scenario like this before?  I find it bizarre that you’re calling it a non story when it’s clearly a very rare occurrence and the club gave no reason for it…

[simongarnerisgod]

2 minutes ago, martonrover said:

So he refused to take part in the usual pre-match press conference ?

it was the clubs decision not to let him speak,not jdt`s,definately something going on