I read his point as merely sacking them both would be a good enough reason to return to Ewood. I would prefer to know who by and in what format they’re being replaced, before i’d be 100% certain it would be any better. Merely sacking them both with no plan and the same ownership mentality would probably see a downgrade in my opinion, and no amount of pessimism here is going to change that.

Can @Mercersuggest a respectable chianti if he does sign?

The first half of that post, I would share your level of pessimism in the idea we’ll go forward and improve with SW and TM, but I wouldn’t be comparing this to the point under Coyle (and I think it was shadow CEO Paul Senior) during ticket renewal, the despair, the writing on the wall - a lot more stark in my eyes then. My post centred around a solution - you mention a new CEO and ownership style of running the club, including a new manager. Whilst an advantageous proposition, just how realistic is the success of this? If that is the only way you’ll feel likely to renew - I can respect that position. My view, the replacements for the previous version (Coyle / Senior) is our current setup - something absolutely in need of immediate replacement according to most here. Early Rao management teams incarnations included the Cumbernauld C*** and Shebby. Hence why my personal approach and opinion is, this sort of change is likely to make little to no difference. Hence why I’d probably stick to supporting the team on the pitch in the stadium, and focus all questions on expectations in future towards those above the manager and the CEO at Ewood. Through FF, and other means. The part about finance though will always seem like “cutting off the nose to spite your own face” to me - particularly in the championship under owners who simply write a cheque and add it to debt. I wouldn’t call it a position of “responsibility” as you refer, but I would think of it as another few hundred pounds of revenue that goes towards helping us compete, even if it’s largely misspent in many peoples eyes.

Just specifically on this point- how could anyone suggest he wasn’t a good investment if he’s eventually worth more than we paid? Surely that’s just being stubborn about the original issue you had with his transfer fee? Whilst id agree, there’s still a long way to go to justify or reach value for that cash - wouldn’t all of us accept we got it completely wrong if he plays centre forward, bags a hatful of goals and moves for a bigger fee? I also note that he’s played more minutes as a central striker for Chile in a 10 Minute cameo than he has in 3 seasons for us.

I was laughing my head off at Blackpool fans on Twitter suggesting Rovers would be a sideway step… didn’t think I’d see rovers fans agreeing! This place is really a microcosm of rovers despair these days! I also haven’t stopped laughing at West Ham fans thinking they’ll sign AA for 8m. Surely there aren’t rovers fans who think that’s all we’ll get if he goes this summer?

Each to their own, but a simple “I will go when the CEO and manager leave” with no explanation, examples of potential solution - just a clean sweep of management (with the same coaches, players and owners I assume) seems like more likely to put us into league 1 than Armstrong moving on. The irony for me compounded by the notion we’re “selling Armstrong to balance the books”… so I won’t give the club I support some money? My own take on this thread - the none-renewers seem to take up 90% of posts with continued reasoning built in pessimism (some I share, much I do not). I personally wouldn’t be talking or thinking about something I’d already decided against, or got out of the habit of.

10 years in they still pay the bills their mediocracy has incurred. Minute we change hands - “Pandora’s box” is open. Im all for a change but I want guarantees, and I’m sure I speak for a majority when I say that I’d rather plod on with the ignorant billionaires than throw our near and far future to the wolves! Each to their own.

Stockholm syndrome, zeitgeist? Sounds like you’re the one blaming other supporters to me. I personally wished the so called “know summats” would be a little more open minded to the idea that not everyone (including myself) wants the “nuclear” solution that just basically means; Goodbye Venky’s, sold players, academy, training facility, ground to lease back and any division… just to get shut! Aka the Wigan, the Bolton, the Bury. Whilst that may be the favoured route on this particular forum - I’d expect the majority of rovers fans would regard it completely out of the question. Myself included. Why burn the last advantage Jack Left? Without an academy, or having to rent our ground, or having to attract players in 4th tier or worse? I know the answers people will have for those questions here, but I also know those posters will be the first to point out “poor football” or players who look “alien” on the pitch. If you think our squad, performances and football is bad now but advocate that route- I’ve got some bad news for you.

Got a box to box klingon through the academy so should be reet.

He’s overlapping with La Forge

Seems beyond some posters that choosing a manager is done at these clubs, through analysis and interview, with actual “scouting” for coaches / backroom staff. That’s how you get the best organising, training, recruitment and then results. Do we think our CEO has a potential list of managers lined up? I wish.

How do you think they find the specific staff, the sporting director, the managers, the head of recruitment etc? Stats and analysis. If only we had a CEO with such modern thinking.

I personally find the results in that sheet perplexing but I would add that Brentford rise has been down to using an analytical model, ergo “mathematics”.

Yea he was 21 - but predominantly played upfront. A lot of the discussion I’d have here is what you’d view or consist as “low standards” or “looked totally alien” on a football pitch; as we’ve discussed plenty of times before, semantics. I would describe BBs early days as underwhelming but also very much restricted / limited to a few appearances, some fleeting. For that, as this thread probably backs up, I wouldn’t call him “alien” to football specifically - id regard that stance as extremely harsh. Same with describing Arma in league 1 and his first full season as “low standards”. I obviously agree with you that he’s hugely improved, but he had a level then and a different job in the team. The way he’s improved with increased time in the team and in a preferred role, would it be a complete shock if Big Ben, the daft git, did the same? Not to me, at least.

Actually one thing nxt and then wwe did well (which you mention) that I remember specifically being interested in the matches - the women’s division after getting rid of the “diva’s” name. Thing about wrestling the layman wouldn’t understand- there’s different reasons for being interested, from the soap opera part, the fighting, the technical/physical element or even just the sheer “show value” - the stuff that grabbed me as a child was a nice mixture of all but decent characters to lean on- AEW seems to have this. Only wrestling content I’ve watched regularly in the previous few years other than this is OSW(youtube / patr won) btw, which I’m sure I’ve recommended in this thread a few times.

Had a go at watching some AEW on itv4 recently, and have to say it’s far more engaging than anything else I’ve seen from WWE for 15 years, including NXT and wrestlemania. Still - it’s quite sad that the two best commentators are from the 80s, aka JR and “Shivontay”.. Fact Ross is using “Arnold Palmer” references in 2021, probably sums up my issue with this aspect of AEW.

Dolan, Elliott, JRC, Arma... Imagine a junior football coach viewing our squad as completely “un-skilful..!” Worrying..

Maybe not consistent enough to be compared to AA yet but I wish I’d scored 30+ yard chest and volleys regularly too.. (who am I kidding? I make Yeboah look like Kaba Diawara..) FullSizeRender.mov

Results and expectations. One specific face palm that stands out in terms of fair criticism is not having some sort of deal for those at the Oxford game! Our turnover these days needs to be higher, but simply so Venky’s can put more in without breaking FFP rules. It’s a scandal that championship football ended up this way, never mind just our scenario.

I think the part in bold is down to the fact that this aspect of our club during Venky’s ownership has never even come close to covering the outgoings. With constant wage growth across the leagues, we only really managed that with the trust because of selling players btw. I would also add, there’s not been a good “feeling” which is really important for launching kit / season tickets. For instance, if the club showed that JRC, Wharton, Nyambe, Rothwell and maybe even AA sign a new deal, launch kit and STs same day.... That’s going to have more of an impact than say; releasing in March/April when we’d won 1 in 15 or something or in May when the season is over and most fans are switched off. I personally don’t think anyone here could suggest the drop in sales in the last ten years are down to poor marketing. It’s always linked to performance in my opinion.

The same argument was made that AA couldn’t play the Danny Graham way with Dack and we’d have to change style to accommodate his strengths. Similarly to you, I’m not convinced BB will have the same nose for goal, but I’d like to see him centrally, for a full season, in a style that suits him (potentially with a better managers tactics) before I’d be willing to say he will never score 20+ Goals in a season

That’s fair enough, however I don’t agree. I think, if you take into account his utilisation, being played out of position mainly and being injured when he was, amongst other factors like poor team/manager performance; He isn’t far off. As someone suggested, AA bagged five in his first full season, being under-utilised and played out wide. With no changes to formation or manager - it wouldn’t be too surprising if he really kicks on in his preferred central berth.

Depends on a lot of things - especially in this current world climate. As a straw-man though.. I’d pay for festivals and good deals well upfront so touché!

No I was saying it would be easy to find clips to prove either side. I guess the long and short of it; he’s got gradually better every month he’s been here.

Genuine question about this particular stick. Why would any of us pay for something we can’t use till august, until august?