Great post Neal 👏 I for one am getting tired of this pound-shop Pep disease that's filtering through the lower leagues. I love watching it when it works, but how many times does it work realistically, and fans want to hope that they can trust the management team to change it to suit the game in front of them happening at that minute, not on the training pitch. Everyone else can see it, why can't they, and it just breeds frustration, and that's why fans boo. I suppose the main concern is that these clubs want to play like this to develop players who can be selected by the Prem clubs to slot into their system, at the expense of the current club's plight. No one wants a right back who just hoofs it 30 yards. Thing is, I'm enjoying Luton, as they mix it up and show everyone else how it could be. I have a lot of admiration for them.

It also looked like we did zero prep on the opposition, whereas the other teams had us sussed. It wasn't hard though, we were/are one of the easiest teams to suss out and play against, the stats prove that too. Coming out for second halves, it always felt like the opposing team's manager had got his squad riled up, telling them to get amongst us, put us under pressure and play through our midfield like a hot knife through butter, we never seemed to have any comeback. What I struggle with "modern" football is how professional it has become, players seem to stick to a system/game plan regardless of what is happening in front of them - I never saw a JDT team with a leader on the pitch, when under pressure we still played the same way, committing men forward and trying to play lovely lay offs - whether that's a consequence of inexperience, loanees etc I don't know. I've forgotten what it's like to watch a team almost managing itself on the pitch, if that makes any sense.

yeah that is a sad read

Absolutely, Zac needs a run in the side, even if just for 65mins. Looks strong, athletic and skilful to boot.

There's no way Waggott is going anywhere, especially if Eustace joins. Steve seems to be pulling all the strings at Ewood.

Right manager for us at the right time in both his career and the club's history - unlike JDT who was the right manager at the wrong time. A lot of City fans still have respect for Hughes I think, only going off what I read online and my one City mate.

Dunno, just a tweet, have I done summat wrong?

The mysterious Remy Reijnierse... let's not forget he was assistant to Luhukay at Sheffield Wednesday, according to wiki: "sacked after a run of only 1 win and 7 defeats in 10 games with the team sitting 18th in the table"

Yes it's really upsetting seeing the grief they are all getting off certain fans on social - I see Roverschat have been accused of financially benefitting from it and had to put a tweet out to explain it, it's just sad. I get fans are divided, but what do you expect these lads to do? Best to have engage at some point than nothing at all, regardless of what the intention was.

FULL HOUSE! What do I win? A season ticket for 24/25? What's second prize? 2 season tickets for 24/25?

JDT leaves and McGuire is allowed to sign OR JDT leaves and McGuire denied by the EFL Both are just plain mad when you think about it, so many questions regardless of the outcome

I can't listen to that mad bloke any more, dread to think what he is saying, luckily at work and can't listen I can only ever listen to Bob Mortimer's impression of him, which is amazing

Even after his recent twitter spat with our admin, can we 100% rule out Joey Barton? That is my main concern...😂 Or, if this all ends with a launch promo showing Wayne tucking into a family size box of wings, I'm done, we're all done.

In a perfect world, say Venky's leave and take Waggott with them, what would the ideal CEO for Rovers look like at this time? Forgetting for the minute someone who has perhaps a spare £20m down the back of the sofa or Elon on speed-dial. I'm presume the fanbase is in agreement that we have to get the operating costs down, but just communicated in a better way, with more transparency, show some care for the fans, a more pragmatic approach to the playing side i.e no pound-shop Peps please. What would you do first?

Some recent ones for me, outside of overseeing the transfer fiascos: the stupid brag about the chuffing coach we don't even own closing the BBE and the lack of dialogue about creative ticketing (even after players and fans have mentioned it) admitting, it's in the minutes, that he didn't know about the liverpool legends night the lack of fucks given about the fans' day being at birmingham during the January transfer window 2023 actually being at Rovers in the first place - that's more than 5, oh well

Getting off Mowbray and back on the thread subject. Does anyone feel JDT and team did any pre-match research on the opposition? I don't. I feel like it was: Playing a big club with lots of expensive players: pass it about at the back, draw them onto us and play 3 perfect forward passes to get the odd break. Playing a mid table club with a star man: pass it about at the back, draw them onto us and get the odd break, let the star man have the lots of the ball in as much space as possible Playing a lower league side: pass it about at the back, draw them onto us and get the odd break, but do it reaaaaaally slowly, just chill yeah? Playing in the cup: do what you want, pressure's off, let's have it! Playing a local rival: do what we normally do, the fact they're 100x times more up for it will be their downfall, they'll over commit and we can draw them onto us and get the odd break. No pressure lads, there's more fans here to scare you shitless, but don't worry about that. I'm tired and I want to have a laugh, sorry, it's grim out there.

I think that's why the two crosses he hit, the last almost on the half volley, before going off injured where tired first time attempts, I felt like it was him proving a point, "get it in the fucking box".

Yeah me neither, it was purely functional, like finding a bonus Fray Bentos pie in the cupboard when coming home pissed. Good for your immediate wellbeing and lulling you into a false sense that it will provide you with much needed sustenance, but bad for you in the long run, especially if repeated regularly.

Because fans are looking for answers and some of the shit that went on under his tenure is still happening now, just at a more extreme level. We fucked up January windows back then too. It's like a massive group therapy session with all sorts of old bollocks getting talked about. I feel that Mowbray's "it's not the 90s" attitude has prevailed in the club since (I'm talking from CEO down to certain playing staff). We seem to have forgotten what a proud club we are with certain standards that are expected, other clubs have it and use it to their advantage, we seem to have turned it into a millstone around our necks. I'd love to create new memories and not dwell on the golden years and JDT was someone who offered a glimpse of that, if completely flawed in doing so. I cannot fathom the paradox in my head of my enjoyment of that first season vs how shit the local derby games were and how poor our form was as a whole.

I agree it was a mess, it should have lasted 2-3 years tops. But, the same patterns emerge no matter who's in charge and who plays for us, and that's why it gets dredged up.

Managed to grab a pic of him leaving Ewood

Szmodics knows what's going on, he's just a normal passionate fan like the rest of us, think he feels it and he wears his heart on his sleeve. I wonder what his relationship with JDT was like and whether he agrees with the tactics. When he went off against QPR I was expecting him to snub JDT on the touchline but they seemed to have an amicable if animated discussion.

The fact that over two seasons Mowbray's death spiral began exactly during the January windows should tell us all we need to know, we have form in that area now don't we? Indecision over contracts and incomings, plus remember when our Indian overlords actually came out and promised bonuses for promotion? What a joke that was, didn't Rothwell throw his toys out of the pram after, it had the total opposite effect. Weird, or sinister? Mowbray was steady, and the recruitment was good but incredibly expensive and lacking any normal strategy of building year on year to get somewhere, it was scattergun and reckless. At any normal club he would have left after two years and we would have built on it with a new manager, but it dragged on, and weird things started happening. How does a player like Amari Bell look absolute dogshit for us and now become a captain in the Prem? There was no system or model that's why. Anyway, whatever happened back then seems like dreamland compared to this.

Mowbray's reign was needed at the time but quickly become totally stagnant and a comfortable and easy ride for all involved, coupled with some of the worst contract negotiations we've seen, which we are now bearing the full repercussions of. I would pay good money to find out what was said at half time in that home game against Derby when he started with Johnson up front. Please, if there is a god, I want JDT in charge with Bowyer's squad (with a better defence) and John Williams sat in the expensive seats please.

100%, which is an attitude that only bleeds down from the top, happens everywhere in business. And why teams with small budgets too like Luton, and Brighton etc are in the Prem and we're not.