January Transfer Window.

[RoversClitheroe]

6 minutes ago, JHRover said:

This is one of my theories. Broughton can claim until he is blue in the face that O'Brien wouldn't have broken the fabled 'wage structure' but I simply don't believe that. Even if he was 'only' on £30k a week at Forest and even if we were 'only' paying half of that it would still make him one of our biggest earners, placing him in similar territory to Dack and Ayala. Nothing the Club has done in the last 3-4 years suggests those sort of wages are on offer these days.

So on that basis even if we go with those low figures it is clear this would have placed strain on the wage structure. I don't think it is therefore unreasonable to suggest that either the owners, money men or Waggott intervened to stop the deal going through in time after Broughton had done the leg work in getting it all agreed. 

It certainly wouldn't be the first time that we are told money is available and business can be done, but then it doesn't actually materialise.

I can't disagree with any of this

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Its quite simple Exiled...when the manager needed backing from a position of strength he/we got fook all.

Caused by sheer and utter incompetence.Sick to death of it all.

But your quite correct,been a shit show from day one of their tenure.

 

 

Edited February 4, 2023 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Exiled_Rover]

2 minutes ago, roverandout said:

Doesn't that suggest we had our house in order before Broughton arrived for the last couple of years 

No, that suggests that we were spending well beyond our means and it wasn't sustainable.

[Penwortham Blue]

2 hours ago, BankEnd Rover said:

A Win & good performance on Monday would be a perfect reaction from all this. No way I believe because we’re playing Wigan it will be an easy game. There are no easy games. A win will be a statement that the players are in this, dispute the incompetence of the powers at be.

The pie eaters effectively relegated us from the EPL and we seem to have struggled badly against them ever since.

[Mattyblue]

Just now, Exiled_Rover said:

Then most fans you speak to are fools. This hasn't been a well run club since Williams left.

Away from brfcs, I haven’t detected much issue from fans with how the club has been run post L1 promotion. I’d be very surprised if anybody else on here had picked up anything different.

I hear that ‘our shit fans’ are to blame for our struggles far more than the likes of Waggott… though the tide may be beginning to turn again.

[Gavrover]

1 minute ago, RoversClitheroe said:

I can't disagree with any of this

I think this is exactly what happened, the evil overlords definitely scuppered the deal last minute after putting the player though Medical, media, contract negotiations. No way they would have just said ‘no we can’t afford him’ earlier in the day. They were adamant they would waste the player, his agent, Nottingham forest and as many people as possible’s time just to make it look like it could have happened… 

[Exiled_Rover]

2 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

So playing devil's advocate, do you think £900k in wages plus no doubt a hefty loan fee for O'Brien for 5 months would have been "managing it wisely" either?

Broughton has just said that it wasn't O'Brien's full wages, or anything close. I doubt there was a loan fee too on top of the '£10m on promotion clause'.

That said, no I don't think it was a wise way to spend our budget - but JDT has clearly told him that he doesn't think A. Wharton and Garrett are up to the week-to-week rigours of a Championship season just yet or he'd clearly be playing them.

Like Thomas, he's much better than what we've currently got so I understand why the offer was made, but personally I would have moved heaven and earth for a striker that's going to score you 10 goals between now and the end of the season as that's our glaring weakness and where you'd get the most bang for your buck.

[Sweaty Gussets]

Blackburn Rovers to hold internal review into deadline day failings | Lancashire Telegraph

Broughton says Rovers will look to address the latter, but conceded the situation could damage the club’s reputation when it comes to transfer dealings.

He added: “Of course you worry because ultimately we’ve let down two other clubs and we’ve let down two players with the process. Once the external factors become public there will be some sympathy towards that.

“But like I have said from the outset of this conversation, there were internal factors that were under our control. You can’t give other people the ability to rule something out unless you have done absolutely everything in order in your own house. That is the only bit we can control.”

Broughton said he couldn’t disclose the mitigating factors that Rovers referenced in their statement until the appeal had been heard, but would in due course.

Broughton said he couldn’t disclose the mitigating factors that Rovers referenced in their statement until the appeal had been heard, but would in due course.

“I don’t know if we’ll go public and write something on that but I’m very happy to come and have that discussion again and tell you exactly what the two circumstances are and hopefully once you’ve heard that side of the story, you’ll have some sympathy for us,” he explained.

“But it is really important, we are not looking for sympathy here with this case, there are internal factors with that and the buck stops with me.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unless the 'external' factors impacted the ability to send a form off in time then all this is just face-saving, and the complete opposite of taking responsibility. 

Hollow words.

The transfer window was a disaster without the LOB/Brierley cock-ups. 

BRFC's reputation is shredded. 

How someone isn't losing their job over this is beyond me.

 

[Exiled_Rover]

3 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Away from brfcs, I haven’t detected much issue from fans with how the club has been run post L1 promotion. I’d be very surprised if anybody else on here had picked up anything different.

I hear that ‘our shit fans’ are to blame for our struggles far more than the likes of Waggott… though the tide may be beginning to turn again.

Nobody that sits around me (or rather noone around me that engages in conversation!) thinks we're a well run club - far from it.

[wilsdenrover]

28 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I genuinely don't understand the backlash to this particular transfer window / fuck up.

Don't get me wrong, it's bad, but anyone with eyes can see that this club has been on life support for a decade. 

We had 9 Academy graduates in the starting 11 and on the bench against Birmingham in the FA Cup at Ewood. Find me another Championship club that does that - without the Academy we'd be in League 2 / liquidated already.

I think it’s because you can’t look at any one issue in isolation.

As every one of us is very aware, this isn’t the first mistake they’ve made…

Edited February 4, 2023 by wilsdenrover

[oldjamfan1]

4 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

BRFC's reputation is shredded. 

How someone isn't losing their job over this is beyond me.

 

Someone may very well be losing their job over this mate. We don’t know about any of that yet and rightly so, there is due process to go through.

Edited February 4, 2023 by oldjamfan1

[Mattyblue]

Just now, Exiled_Rover said:

Nobody that sits around me (or rather noone around me that engages in conversation!) thinks we're a well run club - far from it.

Didn’t say people think we are ‘well run’, most folk I speak to have had no particular opinion on Waggott, Cheston, Pasha or anybody else. And the ‘owners are putting in millions’.

There has obviously been no groundswell of anger in the ground against any of them (Venky’s included) for years.

 

[bluebruce]

23 minutes ago, roverandout said:

That would only make sense if the club had a history of spending beyond its means. When was the last time rovers splashed out any serious money?

We've been losing about 20 million a year, nearly every year since relegation. As sad as it is given how paltry our spending is compared to many, we definitely have a history of spending beyond our means.

[Exiled_Rover]

Just now, wilsdenrover said:

I think it’s because you can’t look at any one particular fuck up in isolation.

As every one of us is very aware, this isn’t the first mistake they’ve made…

To quote the great Diaz after he choked out McGregor: "I'm not surprised, mofos".

If you've been paying any sort of attention you can see that it's a horribly run club - I've come to expect this level of incompetence... but then I've always been more perceptive than most.

[bluebruce]

7 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Blackburn Rovers to hold internal review into deadline day failings | Lancashire Telegraph

Broughton says Rovers will look to address the latter, but conceded the situation could damage the club’s reputation when it comes to transfer dealings.

He added: “Of course you worry because ultimately we’ve let down two other clubs and we’ve let down two players with the process. Once the external factors become public there will be some sympathy towards that.

“But like I have said from the outset of this conversation, there were internal factors that were under our control. You can’t give other people the ability to rule something out unless you have done absolutely everything in order in your own house. That is the only bit we can control.”

Broughton said he couldn’t disclose the mitigating factors that Rovers referenced in their statement until the appeal had been heard, but would in due course.

Broughton said he couldn’t disclose the mitigating factors that Rovers referenced in their statement until the appeal had been heard, but would in due course.

“I don’t know if we’ll go public and write something on that but I’m very happy to come and have that discussion again and tell you exactly what the two circumstances are and hopefully once you’ve heard that side of the story, you’ll have some sympathy for us,” he explained.

“But it is really important, we are not looking for sympathy here with this case, there are internal factors with that and the buck stops with me.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unless the 'external' factors impacted the ability to send a form off in time then all this is just face-saving, and the complete opposite of taking responsibility. 

Hollow words.

The transfer window was a disaster without the LOB/Brierley cock-ups. 

BRFC's reputation is shredded. 

How someone isn't losing their job over this is beyond me.

 

So he says twice that everyone will have sympathy, but we're not looking for sympathy.

[Sweaty Gussets]

29 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I genuinely don't understand the backlash to this particular transfer window / fuck up.

Don't get me wrong, it's bad, but anyone with eyes can see that this club has been on life support for a decade. 

We had 9 Academy graduates in the starting 11 and on the bench against Birmingham in the FA Cup at Ewood. Find me another Championship club that does that - without the Academy we'd be in League 2 / liquidated already.

So you admit it's bad but you can't understand the backlash??

And using whataboutery as an excuse isn't acceptable.  They had to process an transfer application for a loan and a transfer. They failed. That has nothing to do with the last decade. We've completed plenty of transfers in that time.

We are now a laughing stock. 

[Exiled_Rover]

18 minutes ago, rigger said:

Hence my point of going direct to the owners. If you have a problem with your boss, you go to their boss.

So you want him to publicly commit to seeking out and replacing those responsible for this error (it can only be one of the aforementioned two people) and then go behind their back to the owners to make it happen?

That's simply not realistic. At best the Club Secretary will be quietly replaced / sidelined (if he has any sway in the building) as someone more competent is brought in to handle the administration of the club.

[Irish_Rover]

10 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Away from brfcs, I haven’t detected much issue from fans with how the club has been run post L1 promotion. I’d be very surprised if anybody else on here had picked up anything different.

I hear that ‘our shit fans’ are to blame for our struggles far more than the likes of Waggott… though the tide may be beginning to turn again.

I wonder is it just that we now have a generation that is now supporting Rovers and all they have known is Venkys. The team fumbling about in mid/lower championship and League 1 is now what they are accustomed to. They see the reports of Venkys handing over 20m each year for the running costs and just assume they are sound blokes.

They were never aware of a time in Premiership where we more than held our own, were under a good stewardship of John Williams and appointed good managers and made sensible decisions.

We the older fans know we are capable of much better and we have done it in the past. The younger fans today dont and they would nearly see us as being in our natural place

[Exiled_Rover]

1 minute ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

So you admit it's bad but you can't understand the backlash??

And using whataboutery as an excuse isn't acceptable.  They had to process an transfer application for a loan and a transfer. They failed. That has nothing to do with the last decade. We've completed plenty of transfers in that time.

We are now a laughing stock. 

My point is that we've been a laughing stock / basket case club for more than a decade.

This particular incident is just par for the course if you're paying any sort of attention.

[Penwortham Blue]

2 hours ago, Miller11 said:

This suggests that “the project” is a cost cutting one. He’s again played a blinder here to control the narrative - a couple of million more would risk the future of the club, when in reality it’s just another month or two’s standard losses. The “if it wasn’t for Venky’s we’d do a Bury” lot will love this.

Obviously our finances have spiralled out of control since the minute Venky’s came along, and attempts to rectify this are long overdue. But it seems that there will be no gambles or calculated risks, this reads like promotion isn’t wanted until the finances are dealt with, and it could be a long time before we get a glimmer like this again. Of course the irony there is a promotion would solve all the money issues and then some.

He has done his level best with the interviews to accept the criticism and responsibility, whilst at the same time looking to draw in sympathy and suggesting mitigating factors. In doing so, his narrative does nothing to support, the already very slim prospect of a successful appeal. His last point, once again suggests that they were never really interested in giving the play offs our very best shot, where is the aspiration and driving ambition and the drive to take opportunities as and when they present. Rich Sharpe, I bet he wishes he hadn’t committed his thoughts to paper, was right that they weren’t focussed on the play offs. FFS

[Exiled_Rover]

18 minutes ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Its quite simple Exiled...when the manager needed backing from a position of strength he/we got fook all.

Caused by sheer and utter incompetence.Sick to death of it all.

But your quite correct,been a shit show from day one of their tenure.

 

 

If I'm being pedantic the squad now is stronger than it was in December - Thomas is a huge upgrade - but it's not enough.

[matt83]

23 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Nobody in the last decade plus of this nightmare has ever stood up held their hands up and took responsibilty for a cock up. Got to give Broughton respect for that it's not easy sitting there knowing your fans are raging as is a lot of staff and outside the club you are a laughing stock.

The guy has owned and although it doesn't make it right it at least shows he gives a stuff unlike that slug hidden in the shadows.

A small tiny positive is he'd got this player in after clearly seeing we need more in midfield and that's his job so he's done that.It doesn't gloss over the ineptitude but hopefully they'll root that out and boot it out if it was as careless or possibly dodgy as it sounds.

I’ve just listened to that interview. I can appreciate a few things 1 an apology. I can’t recall one of those happening from anyone under the Venkys reign of terror. 2 taking responsibility (although it’s pretty easy to take responsibility when you know there’s going to be no consequences for the thing you’re taking responsibility for). 3 he’s seen issues with the farcical (not that he used that word) transfer procedure and structure they’ve used for the last 10 years.

That said this bloke is well behind now for goodwill and competence. So he needs to be pulling rabbits out of hats just to get back to parity and make up for his poor start.

My gut instinct is he’s just another chancer with a silver tongue saying the right things when actions fall well below minimum standards but he does seem a bit different to the rest in terms of taking responsibility 

Edited February 4, 2023 by matt83

[RevidgeBlue]

5 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

So he says twice that everyone will have sympathy, but we're not looking for sympathy.

Greg "Bullshit" Broughton.

[Herbie6590]

3 minutes ago, Irish_Rover said:

I wonder is it just that we now have a generation that is now supporting Rovers and all they have known is Venkys. The team fumbling about in mid/lower championship and League 1 is now what they are accustomed to. They see the reports of Venkys handing over 20m each year for the running costs and just assume they are sound blokes.

They were never aware of a time in Premiership where we more than held our own, were under a good stewardship of John Williams and appointed good managers and made sensible decisions.

We the older fans know we are capable of much better and we have done it in the past. The younger fans today dont and they would nearly see us as being in our natural place

Spot on…And every year that passes the living memory of what could be diminishes…

[Sweaty Gussets]

5 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Someone may very well be losing their job over this mate. We don’t know about any of that yet and rightly so, there is due process to go through.

I'm aware of that but the noises about 'not pointing fingers' and 'moving on' would suggest that isn't happening...and I bet it doesn't. And it shouldn't be some junior staff member that suffers, the resignation of one or more senior 'leaders' should have already been submitted. 

Meanwhile a young lad can't play competitive football in the UK for 6 months because BRFC are incompetent. He seems to hve been forgotten in all this. 

The club's reputation is in tatters.