v Stoke City (a) - 12/3/2025, k/o 20.00

[Torgeir]

Went to bed straight after this one. A real punch to the gut.

Took out the final little hope I had of us reaching the play-offs. 

[booth]

  On 13/03/2025 at 09:40, jim mk2 said:

The owners and Waggott and Co are the ultimate cause of our downfall (as we all know) but Ismael is the manager of the team and is responsible for results and he has to take the blame for the lamentable performances since he came in.

With Rovers in the top 6 when he arrived his job was to coax the team along to the end of the season, not indulge in wholesale disruption to tactics and formations to try to make the team play his way. He's actually achieved the seemingly impossible and made the team worse. 

What he's done is poor management

 

. 

 

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Since late December I've seen equally poor performances against.

Swansea
QPR
Coventry
Oxford
Hull
Millwall
Bristol

We were diabolical. Same sluggish, disinterested performances and having to rely on the likes of Forshaw, ACD and Pears.

[G Somerset Rover]

  On 13/03/2025 at 08:21, Penwortham Blue said:

Four wins in sixteen, two of which we have David Lowe to thank for ! As Spring approaches, the seasonal death spiral is once again in full bloom.

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It’s four in seventeen. Yes it’s that bad. We’d be doomed without that 6 game winning run.

[Mercer]

In reality, think our squad lacks any real quality and depth.  Out of our starting 11 last night, IMO, Pears, Sanderson, Forshaw, Dolan and Cantwell are simply not fit to wear the shirt - that's half the team!

Eustace did a terrific job in getting us into the top 6 with this motley bunch.  He is an organiser, tactically astute and an excellent motivator/man manager as his last two wins with Derby have shown - he is turning the ship and will keep them up.

IMO, Ismael and his side kick Whitehead haven't a feckin clue as evidenced by our performances and their lost at sea looks as they stand there dispassionately in the technical area.

Folk like @chaddyroverscan keep picking their own starting 11's until the cows come home but if the head coach/manager is a dud then all is lost.  Think we now look clueless and even worse, disinterested.

Can only envisage a mass exodus of our better players at the season's end (who can blame them!?) and I think it's almost certain we will be relegated next season. 

Edited yesterday at 10:25 by Mercer

[booth]

Forgot to mention, Cantwell isn't a player for this league. I'm not sure what team he would suit really. He just seems to saunter around and gets involved when he likes and gets pushed off the ball easily.

And Dennis, what a pointless waste of a squad place. May as well kept Sigurdsson.

[Old Codger]

  On 13/03/2025 at 10:27, booth said:

Forgot to mention, Cantwell isn't a player for this league. I'm not sure what team he would suit really. He just seems to saunter around and gets involved when he likes and gets pushed off the ball easily.

And Dennis, what a pointless waste of a squad place. May as well kept Sigurdsson.

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Dennis has to be one of the most baffling signings in recent history. He shows absolutely no interest, no skill, no flair, no ability. Can't tackle, doesn't track back, hasn't a clue where the goal is, doesn't seem to understand the concept of passing to team mates and more than anything else, just looks like he thinks he is somehow way better than everyone else around him (a bit like a certain Cantwell person). And those, ladies and gentlemen, are his better points! 😞 Get rid, I say

[G Somerset Rover]

  On 13/03/2025 at 10:59, Old Codger said:

Dennis has to be one of the most baffling signings in recent history. He shows absolutely no interest, no skill, no flair, no ability. Can't tackle, doesn't track back, hasn't a clue where the goal is, doesn't seem to understand the concept of passing to team mates and more than anything else, just looks like he thinks he is somehow way better than everyone else around him (a bit like a certain Cantwell person). And those, ladies and gentlemen, are his better points! 😞 Get rid, I say

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It wouldn’t surprise me if Dennis was one of the final straws for Eustace. He was probably assured we’d get a forward with championship pedigree in - you can only imagine Waggott giving it the biggun down Brockhall about ‘his’ coup. ‘I’ve even been able to land you Woodrow too!’.

However no doubt a true football man like Eustace would know ED would offer fuck all in the run in after barely kicking a ball for years.

Edited yesterday at 11:07 by G Somerset Rover

[CaptainBeanfart]

We seemed to have one game plan last night; lump the ball forward and hope Gueye could do something. Lost count of how many times we just tossed the ball in the box because we had no other ideas. Ribeiro was the worst offender. It was obviously the game plan because Gueye made a gesture to do it faster on multiple occasions. 

I get the criticism of Dennis because he was awful. But it seemed like he wanted to try and do it himself because he knew that passing it to anyone else would mean it'd get thrown into the box again. On that front, I don't blame him. 

We've scored a number of goals this season from passing moves, so we are capable. Nothing wrong with mixing it up now and again but hoofball can't be plan A. 

Edited yesterday at 11:17 by CaptainBeanfart

[joey_big_nose]

  On 13/03/2025 at 11:03, G Somerset Rover said:

It wouldn’t surprise me if Dennis was one of the final straws for Eustace. He was probably assured we’d get a forward with championship pedigree in - you can only imagine Waggott giving it the biggun down Brockhall about ‘his’ coup. ‘I’ve even been able to land you Woodrow too!’.

However no doubt a true football man like Eustace would know ED would offer fuck all in the run in after barely kicking a ball for years.

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I think the window was not really that relevant, it was being able to commit to offering new contracts to players and being clear on what the funding looked like next season. We could have signed better players - though tbh compared to most Jan windows in the last 10 years this looked one of the best ones albeit a low a bar - and I don't really think it would have made any difference. Eustace was already applying for jobs and had decided to leave. 

The only thing which would have kept him is to provide the quite reasonable financial and planning assurances he was asking for.

[jim mk2]

  On 13/03/2025 at 09:53, booth said:

Since late December I've seen equally poor performances against.

Swansea
QPR
Coventry
Oxford
Hull
Millwall
Bristol

We were diabolical. Same sluggish, disinterested performances and having to rely on the likes of Forshaw, ACD and Pears.

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I was unlucky enough to see 3 of those and although we were poor we weren't disorganised and all over the place.

Eustace had his faults but Ismael appears to be hopeless and, worse, the players clearly don't believe in him

Some will disagree but I think the players aren't playing for him - how were they supposed to make sense of that starting line-up last night? 

[chaddyrovers]

  On 12/03/2025 at 22:17, roversfan99 said:

Any criticism of the manager for his ridiculously slow and negative team selection and tactics? 

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I don't see that team selection as negative at all. I thought he would go 3 at the back to give us a more solid base and not get bullied like we did on Saturday. The team is in a bad spell and we are lacking creative and not putting enough crossing in. Yesterday, a couple of times towards half time, we got into good areas and we need to be more attacking and come the summer, we need some pace in the team. I would have like to see us go to back 4 earlier in the team and I would have put ACD on instead of Woodrow and put him wide left. 

So I will turn it about and what was the RF99 master plan for team selection and formation to get 3 points? It's a simple question so I'm interested what the answers are. 

  On 12/03/2025 at 22:17, roversfan99 said:

Any chance of the play offs?

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always a chance. But we need to get back winning and created chances. 

[rigger]

  On 12/03/2025 at 23:35, StHelensRover said:

In the grand scheme of things, we didn't trouble them, he made a great stop at the end, but he and the other 10 Stoke players watched us pass it round the back and sideways for most of the 99 minutes. He won't have even needed a shower at full-time, none of their defenders will have. 

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Did you not see when he tipped it onto the post in the first half. That was two goal bound efforts that he saved, in a 1-0 match. He gained them three points, and was given man of the match. 

[rog of the rovers]

I agree that Ismael has hardly endeared himself to the fans with his first three games, the tactics and lack of clear plan has been alarming, he has to improve quickly and start building for next season, where survival will be our main priority once again.

However, I do think that the players have to take a huge chunk of responsibility for this recent run of games. Swansea, Norwich, Derby and Stoke. Three dismal performances (one which pre-dates Ismael) in that stretch and lets not forget QPR and Oxford away before that. The performances since Christmas have been particularly concerning.

Would anyone want to commit another 3 years with Hyam? The loanees bar Beck are replaceable. And last night for me was the peak of frustration with Tyrhys Dolan. I like the kid, his personality and as a role model. But I do really believe the best for him and us is for him to move on.

Exhibit A - Cantwell feeds Dolan running through the centre in the 6th minute (0-0)

Loses out to the defender

 

Below is another at 0-0 Rovers on the counter attack with 4 on three, what happens next?

 

You may feel this it nit picking but we know how crucial the first goal is at this level. This is twice before Stoke City scored!

Gave the ball away on several occasions before and after that. One leading to a Manhoef shot which was blocked.

I do give Dolan credit for the cut back for the Cantwell shot, but we need more and more often!

[sharpysharps86]

Complete and utter crap again by the looks of it. What a start Ismael is having. Had it not been for a very late equaliser and arguably lucky draw against Norwich then it'd be 3 defeats from 3.

I must admit, I've become so disengaged in the last couple of months that I barely followed last nights game.

Next season will be an almighty struggle by the looks of it. Relegation feels inevitable, and as many others have said, the club has been 1 bad managerial appointment off relegation for some time.

Defeat against Cardiff and it could get seriously toxic at Ewood.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

  On 13/03/2025 at 11:49, chaddyrovers said:

I don't see that team selection as negative at all. I thought he would go 3 at the back to give us a more solid base and not get bullied like we did on Saturday. The team is in a bad spell and we are lacking creative and not putting enough crossing in. Yesterday, a couple of times towards half time, we got into good areas and we need to be more attacking and come the summer, we need some pace in the team. I would have like to see us go to back 4 earlier in the team and I would have put ACD on instead of Woodrow and put him wide left. 

So I will turn it about and what was the RF99 master plan for team selection and formation to get 3 points? It's a simple question so I'm interested what the answers are. 

always a chance. But we need to get back winning and created chances. 

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I missed last nights game as I had a very boring lecture to attend. Looks like I was the lucky one ! What I don’t understand is on Saturday we started out with a back four. Kargbo gets injured and we immediately go to a back five with wing backs. I thought that got us back into the game to a certain extent. However because the wing backs ( Ribeiro especially ) failed to get forward our attacking threat was minimal. We had no goal threat what so ever in the second half. 

I fully expected us to revert to a back four last night given we were playing Stoke and not a good side like Leeds or Sheff Utd. I don’t understand why we went to the back five again. . Reading the reports on here last night was just a repeat of the Derby second half.

I hope we go to a back four again on Saturday against Cardiff. Unless there’s a big improvement I can’t see beyond another lack lustre performance leading to another defeat. Then the knives will really be out.

Edited yesterday at 12:32 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[USABlue]

We have a man at the helm who will relegate us next season.  Another waste of space in the technical area.  Hiw dies he pick Forshaw iver Tronstad.  This guy is a loser.

[TimmyJimmy]

  On 13/03/2025 at 11:39, jim mk2 said:

Some will disagree but I think the players aren't playing for him - how were they supposed to make sense of that starting line-up last night? 

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Beats me how players can have such an attitude.  For almost all of them this season was for them a one and only career opportunity to become a Premiership player, a remote possibility I grant you but strange stuff happens in the play offs.

How can it be that players can 'cut their noses off to spite their faces' and think, you know what, this guys useless and I can't be arsed to put a performance in today.

For me there's only one answer, they're just not capable of performing above a mediocre level and don't have the fitness to get beyond Christmas each year. JDT said as much when he took over, fitness had to improve. It hasn't.

As long as we have the Venky handcuffs on and a 'board' (I use that term tongue in cheek) comprised of training scheme go-fers who spend all day looking around for left handed screwdrivers we are dead in the water as a club.

As said above, we are now Blackburn Venkys FC, whatever thats supposed to be but whatever it turns out to be it's not a football club anymore.

 

[jim mk2]

  On 13/03/2025 at 12:38, TimmyJimmy said:

Beats me how players can have such an attitude.  For almost all of them this season was for them a one and only career opportunity to become a Premiership player, a remote possibility I grant you but strange stuff happens in the play offs.

 

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Players down tools at all levels at the game when things aren't right on and off the field. I was involved in it as a player

Buy yes agree, some of the players plainly aren't up to it. Fitness is another possibility.  

[roversfan99]

  On 13/03/2025 at 11:49, chaddyrovers said:

I don't see that team selection as negative at all. I thought he would go 3 at the back to give us a more solid base and not get bullied like we did on Saturday. The team is in a bad spell and we are lacking creative and not putting enough crossing in. Yesterday, a couple of times towards half time, we got into good areas and we need to be more attacking and come the summer, we need some pace in the team. I would have like to see us go to back 4 earlier in the team and I would have put ACD on instead of Woodrow and put him wide left. 

So I will turn it about and what was the RF99 master plan for team selection and formation to get 3 points? It's a simple question so I'm interested what the answers are. 

always a chance. But we need to get back winning and created chances. 

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So do you think Ismael got his team selection right or wrong?

And do you think we WILL make the top 6? 4 wins in 16 suggests definitely not IMO.

Limited squad but one that looked confused as to what it was supposed to do. One that lacked any sort of energy in the side and one that had little interest in attacking.

Certainly wouldnt have started Sanderson or Forshaw. Cantwell too. Forget the back 5. Its hard to come up with 11 players at the moment.

[Mercer]

  On 13/03/2025 at 11:49, chaddyrovers said:

So I will turn it about and what was the RF99 master plan for team selection and formation to get 3 points? It's a simple question so I'm interested what the answers are. 

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Ismael is paid some £600k per annum to get results the buck stops with him.  To me, this appointment is reminiscent of other disastrous appointments such as Jim Iley and Owen Coyle where things unraveled at an alarming speed just as they are doing now.

  On 13/03/2025 at 12:19, sharpysharps86 said:

Defeat against Cardiff and it could get seriously toxic at Ewood.

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Unless you were around in the 1960's / early 1970's I don't think you will understand the meaning of 'seriously toxic' - in those days, you had fans on the pitch, massed in front of the directors' box in the Nuttall Street enclosure and outside the main entrance after the match.  Those protests were very vocal and very aggressive.  If Waggott had been the subject of such protests he would have crapped himself and Caley would have been as useful as a penis at a feminist convention.

  On 13/03/2025 at 12:55, jim mk2 said:

Players down tools at all levels at the game when things aren't right on and off the field. I was involved in it as a player

Buy yes agree, some of the players plainly aren't up to it. Fitness is another possibility.  

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You are right.  Our players don't seem fit and are very injury prone with inordinately lengthy recoveries.  As with all aspects of the club, I think our sports' science and medical departments have been seriously dumbed down and the consequences are self evident.

[Mattyblue]

‘Ismael, sort it out!’

’I don’t care about Venky’s’ 

… then leave at 4.40pm is about as ‘toxic’ as it gets at Ewood 

[JHRover]

Many of the players will have knowingly or subconsciously downed tools. For the first 2/3 of this season they worked their socks off, overcame the odds, turned what most expected to be a relegation battle this season into a play-off push, and clearly loved playing under Eustace who had crafted a well coached and well organised unit out of them. 

Whilst they - manager, staff, players - have gone about this season in terrific fashion, showing commitment, dedication, hard work to overcome the odds (odds that these owners have stacked against us to start with) the opposite can be said of the owners and board, who have taken every opportunity available to them this season to prevent a play-off push being sustained:

• An outright refusal to offer new terms to players who have given so much this season, who deserve new deals and to know where their futures lie. The end result is that circa 50% of our squad is due to leave in the next 10 weeks
• The remaining 50% 'lucky' enough to be under contract to 2026 or beyond will know from their agents and mates just what is going on and will be wanting to avoid a similar fate themselves, so will be looking towards the exit door asap
• The ownership and board have created the conditions for Eustace and his team to actively look to get out of our play-off push in February, preferring instead to gamble their careers and reputations on trying to keep Derby County out of League One. I cannot overstate just what an unprecedented and alarming move that was
• Despite all clearly not being well with Eustace for some time, no steps taken by the board to alleviate those issues, improve his deal, extend his terms or at least allow some reasonable funding into January to support him, this equates to active sabotage in my book - they were aware of issues and had multiple opportunities to head off trouble and instead did nothing, allowing it to unfold
• In one swoop demolishing the tight team spirit and bonds built up over the preceding 12 months at a critical time of the season
• A terribly bad transfer window, failing in every conceivable way to strengthen the team. The players will have seen those turning up at Brockhall and would know what was going on.
• Then appointing Ismael to come in with 10 games to go, upsetting the apple cart further.

THEY have created this untenable situation. I don't blame the players. Would it be any different at any other club where the ownership and board knowingly and deliberately scupper and waste the team's efforts?

The players probably naively believed that if they hauled us into contention in December then the owners would reward them with new deals and make an attempt at promotion. They were seriously mistaken. An easy mistake to make because at 99.9% of other professional organisations those in charge would want to be successful and improve/grow/get promoted/retain assets. 

Now that it is there for the avoidance of any doubt (it's actually happened 4 times now going back to Mowbray's days) the question is what next. A mass exodus of players dressed up under the banner of 'Ismael's revolution' in the summer is my guess. Aim of this not being to rebuild or strengthen but to slash costs further whilst deluding the paying people into thinking it is with progress in mind. 

Less and less people are falling for this I have noticed. 

[Rogerb]

Similarities to Appleton in the style of play?

[Rogerb]

  On 13/03/2025 at 13:32, JHRover said:

Aim of this not being to rebuild or strengthen but to slash costs further whilst deluding the paying people into thinking it is with progress in mind. 

Less and less people are falling for this I have noticed. 

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When looking at the recent accounts the reduction in wages is minimal which doesn't support the narrative that those costs have been slashed however when Waggott gets a large pay rise presumably Pasha and others unknown have too which distorts the end figures. Costs are slashed to pay the cronies more.

 

[Ghost7]

It appears we've hired a manger without any regard for his style of play. That is Waggott all over, zero football strategy behind his decisions. So far, although still early, it's been a complete disaster.

Shame on the board!