The Summer Transfer Window (Press Submit)

[Forever Blue]

12 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Looking at the photographs of pre season training I haven't seen McFadzean or Fleck on any of them. I wouldn't have thought either will have too many offers from other clubs which leads me to believe that they can't agree terms with McFadzean and Fleck can't prove his fitness.

I think Jackson said Fleck has joined pre-season to prove his fitness, but that Fadz hasn’t cos no contract agreement as yet. 

[Forever Blue]

57 minutes ago, KentExile said:

The most worrying thing for me is that despite the club stating on 18th May, over a month ago, that contracts have been offered to numerous youngsters, not one of them has yet been confirmed as having signed. 

"Isaac Whitehall, Jalil Saadi and Alex Baker have all been offered new deals with the club, whilst the following scholars have been offered their first professional contracts: Lewis Bell, Rhys Doherty, Solomon Honor, Adam Khan, Matty Litherland, Paul Murphy-Worrell, Junior Nsangou, Brandon Powell and Zack Stritch."

And the club have not even announced the youth intake for this season, which in the past had normally been done in May

2023 Youth intake - 15th May

2022 Youth Intake - 23rd May

Does this mean that Rovers  are not even offering terms which are acceptable to players wanting their first ever pro contracts or even scholarship terms?  Or just that communication from the club to the fans has sunk to new levels?  Either way, its not good.

All good questions, which all could have been asked at the WATR AGM. 
 

And still no head of technical. 
 

At least GB and JDT held the club to account. The impression I got from Gestede was that he wasn’t going to do that. 
 

I wouldn’t be surprised if the budgets that Pasha went to India to agree a week or so ago are still not agreed. 

Edited Friday at 06:37 by Forever Blue

[lraC]

Maybe the money to get these over the line, is in an Escrow account in India. 

Edited Friday at 06:37 by lraC

[arbitro]

35 minutes ago, Forever Blue said:

I think Jackson said Fleck has joined pre-season to prove his fitness, but that Fadz hasn’t cos no contract agreement as yet. 

I read what Eustace said but my point is that from the photographs it doesn't appear that Fleck is there. There was a story that McFadzean had been offered terms so if true he could have turned them down and is looking else as he hasn't been on any photographs neither.

[KentExile]

8 minutes ago, arbitro said:

I read what Eustace said but my point is that from the photographs it doesn't appear that Fleck is there. There was a story that McFadzean had been offered terms so if true he could have turned them down and is looking else as he hasn't been on any photographs neither.

It is possible that Fleck is not fit enough to even do light running outside on grass at this point and is still in the gym (or having a summer of massages indoors with the phsios) away from the cameras.

Edited Friday at 07:18 by KentExile

[Forever Blue]

13 minutes ago, arbitro said:

I read what Eustace said but my point is that from the photographs it doesn't appear that Fleck is there. There was a story that McFadzean had been offered terms so if true he could have turned them down and is looking else as he hasn't been on any photographs neither.

They’re probably in the arrivals lounge waiting for Pasha to return from India bearing budgets. 

[Rover8T4]

2 minutes ago, Forever Blue said:

They’re probably in the arrivals lounge waiting for Pasha to return from India bearing budgets. 

Spot on. Nothing will be done until budget is received. Renewals will be the first sign of this, Or swag renewing the fancy coach for another season, Or swag getting another pay rise

[tomphil]

55 minutes ago, lraC said:

Maybe the money to get these over the line, is in an Escrow account in India. 

The budget for this season is whatever is left after running costs are deducted from the instalments received and pending on the Wharton/Kaminsky/Raya sales i'd say.

[RoversClitheroe]

2 hours ago, KentExile said:

Isaac Whitehall

Definitely training with the first team for pre season.

[martonrover]

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

Looking at the photographs of pre season training I haven't seen McFadzean or Fleck on any of them. I wouldn't have thought either will have too many offers from other clubs which leads me to believe that they can't agree terms with McFadzean and Fleck can't prove his fitness.

Jackson reported that a deal had been agreed in principle with McFadzean.

The likelihood is that it's awaiting approval from the owners.

"We didn't want him anyway".

[JHRover]

4 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

We don't agree yet again. 

You want a massive squad overhaul. I want around 7 née signings. 

Who says there is 'no Cash'?

I say there's no cash, or rather I should say there's very little.

I've no doubt that we will spend SOME cash, but that isn''t something to be excited about when it will be at a level insufficient to get the quality we need and will probably be limited to more along the lines of O'Riordan, Edun, Pickering, Wahlsted. Young project signings brought in from lower leagues or abroad for a few hundred grand.

As usual we will only know when deadline day is past but I've got history on my side, including January just gone.

But my prediction is that we will get the traditional 3-4 loan signings and then maybe another couple of relatively cheap cash signings and that's your lot.

A couple of million when we've brought in £25 million+ and are likely to bring in another £15 million+ really won't be acceptable.

 

 

[Mercer]

4 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Who says there is 'no Cash'? 

 

2 hours ago, KentExile said:

The most worrying thing for me is that despite the club stating on 18th May, over a month ago, that contracts have been offered to numerous youngsters, not one of them has yet been confirmed 

 

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

which leads me to believe that they can't agree terms with McFadzean 

When a business is struggling financially, there are warning signs.

The  contracts for youngsters and the McFadzean issue are, to me, just two of a number of warning signs.

I think the alarm bells are ringing and the warning lights are flashing.

Sadly, those expecting Rovers to spend £7million, or even £1 or 2million, are living in a fools' paradise.

IMO, all the signs continue to point to a need to 'sell to survive'.  I think there is far more to the Indian court hearing in late August than meets the eye and it is a very serious existential threat to Rovers.

[Forever Blue]

Alarm bells ringing! warning lights flashing! existential threats!

High drama!!

[Upside Down]

11 minutes ago, Mercer said:

 

 

When a business is struggling financially, there are warning signs.

The  contracts for youngsters and the McFadzean issue are, to me, just two of a number of warning signs.

I think the alarm bells are ringing and the warning lights are flashing.

Sadly, those expecting Rovers to spend £7million, or even £1 or 2million, are living in a fools' paradise.

IMO, all the signs continue to point to a need to 'sell to survive'.  I think there is far more to the Indian court hearing in late August than meets the eye and it is a very serious existential threat to Rovers.

It's a threat to the ability of the owners to carry on whatever scam they've been running here.

BRFC will survive. Bring it on.

[Mattyblue]

We’ve been weeks from collapse/admin according to Merce for about ten years… my prediction? August will come and go, and nowt will have changed (and that incudes the standard shite window).

[Forever Blue]

1 minute ago, Mattyblue said:

We’ve been weeks from collapse/admin according to Merce for about ten years… my prediction? August will come and go, and nowt will have changed (and that incudes the standard shite window).

I think they’re currently trying to decide how they can get away with blaming our lack of transfer activity on FFP.  It’s going to take some doing this summer.  

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, KentExile said:

It is possible that Fleck is not fit enough to even do light running outside on grass at this point and is still in the gym (or having a summer of massages indoors with the phsios) away from the cameras.

Of course it is. However he got injured in February and if he still isn't for that in itself is a worry. Technically they are both contracted to Rovers until Sunday.

Edited Friday at 08:41 by arbitro

[Forever Blue]

I thought it interesting that Eustace put on record that he thought we needed 4 or 5 quality players to be competitive. That is clearly his assessment of the squad. He also said we were low on numbers. 
 

Eustace doesn’t strike me as anyone’s fool. His expectation must be that he’s going to get those players and that he expects there to be a budget to do so. I don’t think he would have said it otherwise. 
 

The alternative view is that he’s already frustrated by what he’s seeing develop and he’s making it clear exactly what support he expects. Ergo those comments were aimed at the club in the same way JDT used to make barbed comments. 
 

I certainly don’t see Eustace as a ‘yes’ man. 

[RoversClitheroe]

1 minute ago, Forever Blue said:

I thought it interesting that Eustace put on record that he thought we needed 4 or 5 quality players to be competitive. That is clearly his assessment of the squad. He also said we were low on numbers. 
 

Eustace doesn’t strike me as anyone’s fool. His expectation must be that he’s going to get those players and that he expects there to be a budget to do so. I don’t think he would have said it otherwise. 
 

The alternative view is that he’s already frustrated by what he’s seeing develop and he’s making it clear exactly what support he expects. Ergo those comments were aimed at the club in the same way JDT used to make barbed comments. 
 

I certainly don’t see Eustace as a ‘yes’ man. 

He can't not be a yes man.

Anyone who's a yes man stays here for years and is usually a Waggott pick.

This man came in and said he always admired the squad and thought it was fantastic.

He nearly got us relegated as he's a shit manager.

[K-Hod]

36 minutes ago, Mercer said:

 

 

When a business is struggling financially, there are warning signs.

The  contracts for youngsters and the McFadzean issue are, to me, just two of a number of warning signs.

I think the alarm bells are ringing and the warning lights are flashing.

Sadly, those expecting Rovers to spend £7million, or even £1 or 2million, are living in a fools' paradise.

IMO, all the signs continue to point to a need to 'sell to survive'.  I think there is far more to the Indian court hearing in late August than meets the eye and it is a very serious existential threat to Rovers.

Are you just going to keep saying this until you’re eventually right? 

[chaddyrovers]

38 minutes ago, Mercer said:

 

 

When a business is struggling financially, there are warning signs.

The  contracts for youngsters and the McFadzean issue are, to me, just two of a number of warning signs.

I think the alarm bells are ringing and the warning lights are flashing.

Sadly, those expecting Rovers to spend £7million, or even £1 or 2million, are living in a fools' paradise.

IMO, all the signs continue to point to a need to 'sell to survive'.  I think there is far more to the Indian court hearing in late August than meets the eye and it is a very serious existential threat to Rovers.

Another one of these suggestion which must be 5 or 6 times you mentioned these tipping point, none right so far. Give it up please, it's getting embarrassing now

 

[BankEnd Rover]

My mind would be more at ease if the club just communicated with us , do we have money to spend or not?…Like riddlesdale at Nobbers, he’s clearly communicated that they have a decent budget, “better than last season”…They think they have it bad!!!

Maybe it’s because they still don’t know which is beyond mental but not surprising.

 

[Moptop1]

43 minutes ago, Forever Blue said:

Alarm bells ringing! warning lights flashing! existential threats!

High drama!!

And so this seasons drama starts… 😂 

[JHRover]

23 minutes ago, Forever Blue said:

I think they’re currently trying to decide how they can get away with blaming our lack of transfer activity on FFP.  It’s going to take some doing this summer.  

Indeed. They lied about Indian tax law changes and hoped to get away with that one until the investigation into the owners got out of the bag and have since had to admit that it is actually their conduct which has attracted investigation and with it restrictions.

They have since tried to claim that this is all fine and not causing a problem for Rovers. I'm not convinced by that claim at all but that's what they are trying to make people believe.

They have relied heavily on the FFP excuse over the last 5 years or so but when you've brought in such a huge amount of cash it becomes nigh on impossible to use that one to not spend any money.

In between those excuses they've now exhausted the admin error/rogue secretary/unfortunate chain of events excuses which have, quite fortunately for them, torpedoed efforts to spend money and sign some quality.

So as you say the go-to excuse, tried and tested, is FFP. I imagine we will get talk of cycles and saving money for future years to ensure compliance.

[Mercer]

8 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

Are you just going to keep saying this until you’re eventually right? 

Let's get this clear.

IMO, the Blackburn Rovers business, even for a football club, defies all conventional logic in terms of funding, operational management and decision making.  Eventually, the deck of cards will collapse and if my thoughts and feelings are correct, there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth when the facts emerge.