JHRover

And there is the never ending project. It never ends because as soon as we get anywhere players quite rightly expect improved/extended terms which the club is unwilling to provide and other clubs start to take notice and offer them more than this regime is willing to offer. Still, in the middle of this is highly lucrative employment for the people facilitating it, not to mention the agents tasked with bringing in their clients to fill the void every summer, so at least someone is benefiting. Just not Blackburn Rovers or the supporters.

A far, far cry from the stuff we were watching last season when Eustace had us as one of the most organised sides in the division. You knew when we had a lead under Eustace we were unlikely to let it slip and had confidence in the team seeing it out. Still onwards and upwards under the 'new project'!

The only way this lot let us go is if they have to - either because finances dictate it or because their legal issues prevent them from owning us or sending money out of India over to us. They're probably best described as a modern day reincarnation of the Oystons - nobody really wants them, they run the club as an amateur outfit on the lines they are comfortable with - but always do just enough to ensure they keep control and have no intention of letting that go. Fortunately for Blackpool fans they eventually found a legal route to his removal via the Court action of the previous major shareholder. I had my fingers and toes crossed that the Indian legal proceedings would be our answer to that. Sadly that hope seems to be fading, although some hope remains that once the Wharton/Szmodics cash runs out and there's nobody else left to sell breaking point will be reached.

Bizarre but I suppose he still has friends down there and will be in a few phone books so an easy one to sort out.

Could have, would have, should have again Like with making excuses we should be world champions at hard luck stories.

When you spend the summer trying to dismantle a popular and competitive Championship side that nearly made the play-offs last season and focus all your efforts and energies on cutting and reducing as opposed to growing and improving then even with serious efforts it's going to be hard to flog season tickets. But when you simply come out with the same old tired efforts as every other year a decline in numbers was nailed on inevitable. Strange that the only people who appear surprised by this are those responsible for the mayhem and decline we've witnessed here.

Ismael's just following the Venky Rovers playbook - blame anyone and anything other than ourselves. Already we've had referees, the weather, the drainage, previously we've had injuries, bad luck, the EFL, fans, parachute payments, FFP rules, covid, Eustace, nasty players, their agents, Tomasson, Broughton, administrative errors, plain hard luck. It is quite the list and it grows every season as a failing regime searches far and wide for reasons, other than their own decision making and ineptitude, why this club is a failing husk of an organisation. Obviously they can't blame the real source of pretty much all our ills - the vile group of people in India overseeing it all year in year out - nor will the lower down employees do anything that might lay blame at the door of the henchmen in the shadows doing whatever it is they are doing. Nor indeed the incompetents beneath them, promoted way beyond their capabilities or stations simply by virtue of being willing, compliant and cheap. So into the void they blame all the other things that we cannot control and which clueless supporters just love to point their fingers at and believe little old Rovers are doing their best in the big nasty world that is set up against us. I'm the first in the queue to blame refereeing competence, of which there is a catalogue, but I am not for one second having it that our pathetic home results, rapid decline down the table (play off to relegation contenders in mere months) are the fault of anyone bar those running this shambles.

I think to be reasonably confident of survival we need to be looking at being on 30 points or more going into the New Year. With the fixtures between now and then, six games, and 18 points available, we need to be picking up at least 50% of the points on offer. The fixture list is as kind on paper as anyone could ask for. Twice playing administration stricken Sheffield Wednesday, a gimme for most teams in this league, also Oxford at home and Portsmouth away, two clubs we need to be finishing above. Millwall at home should not be a game to fear either. I've seen enough of this club over the years to never be confident of a 'home banker' no matter what state the opposition are in, so sadly I expect a couple of draws from this and Oxford, which will keep us bobbling along and the serious pressure off but not get us the return we need from two such significant home games.

Yep, to the outsider these owners are probably the very definition of ideal - pour tons of money in, don't interfere and in it for the long haul. We're in a decreasing minority in recognising the immense long term lasting damage this is doing. Quite a few others know about it - the dozens of players and staff who have escaped it at the first opportunity - fortunately for them there's no local or emotional attachment to contend with and they can simply secure employment elsewhere

So wages up significantly and still hovering around the traditional annual loss figure despite everything they've done over the last 3-4 years to slash costs. Either they're making a right mess of things and somehow still losing the same amounts now as they were before despite everything they've done. Or there is something seriously dodgy going on.

It wasn't the ref's fault that we only scored 1 goal (again, that's 18 goals in 18 games - not enough) or that we conceded (again, that's still 0 clean sheets at home). We could have defended a 1-0 lead far better than the disorganised chaotic mess that we provided (admittedly some may be down to tiredness but not the whole story). And what happened last night is exactly the reason why the game should have been replayed in full. A goal in the last 30 seconds - even if undeserved over the 90 minutes - can easily happen, especially with our dismal home record.

I'm all for criticising the appalling officials and credit Ismael for doing it in public. I've never understood the concept of why the officials should be protected from any criticism whilst players, managers, even fans get slated left right and centre when they conduct themselves poorly. But I do fear that rather than this having any positive impact the clique will now have his card marked and he will be made an example of in games to come.

Many people have given up on Blackburn as a town and moved away to other areas, rarely coming back unless it is to visit the hospital etc. Make no mistake there are thousands of such people who are or were regular Ewood visitors, together with many thousands more who have never lived in Blackburn or Darwen and instead have always been based in other areas or regions yet have travelled to Ewood for matchdays. Sadly Rovers have made a decision to give up on such people and areas. In my opinion one of the most unforgivable and damaging acts of an extremely damaging group of people.

It's like I'm living in a time warp. The Club just keeps on repeating the same old tried, tested and failed approaches to ticketing offers and apparently expects a different outcome. They've done similar to this pretty much every year for the last 20 years now. Each and every time the uptake is a matter of 100s at best. Why keep on doing the same thing again and expecting a different outcome? Or maybe they don't expect a different outcome and are just doing it to give an appearance of making serious efforts? And I haven't touched on the diabolical behaviour and approach of the club over the last few years and the clear obvious impact that has had on attendances. Almost as though they don't recognise that actions (or lack of) eventually have consequences.

I wonder how the thousands upon thousands of people who took advantage of impressive season ticket deals at Bolton, Bradford, Preston and Huddersfield by committing themselves to full season tickets for the first time or at least for the first time in years managed to do so without a multitude of caveats and strings attached. A snowball effect where proper sustained and serious marketing efforts went hand in hand with a good offer. Here, for one game only, it becomes a big issue.