Nothing at all wrong with spending lots of money. It seems at some point to have become a negative around these parts, no doubt fuelled by an ownership and regime keen to avoid spending, and decorated with the old 'FFP' mantra. If you can do it and not break the rules then it is not something to be ashamed or embarrassed about, it is good and in theory will see you get somewhere in the game. Of course around Rovers so many have become indoctrinated with a fear of spending cash, created by Waggott and other charlatans employed by Venkys. If you are fortunate enough to have an owner with some ambition and a desire to invest then good for you. I wish we did.

Let's go back to Waggott's book of excuses , aka his 'update' statement released last week, may be Louie Barry wasn't the 'right type' of character for our special squad. Maybe they don't want to endanger the 'togetherness' of the squad by bringing external elements into it. Maybe Hull didn't get the memo about it being a 'limited' January window. Maybe Hull were prepared to pay the necessary to get their target and a quality addition in the building now rather than p1ssing away another week or two haggling and with it jeopardising the season. Maybe Hull actually want to sign decent players instead of owners and a board desperate to hide behind every excuse going

Even if it comes to fruition, and I'll have my doubts particularly when there's a fee involved until I actually see him in the matchday squad, it is in no way what Eustace has made reference to wanting. He's mentioned proven quality, big names. This isn't that. So either there will need to be other irons in the fire coming as well, or they're just not giving Eustace what he has asked for/wants/has been promised.

It goes one better in that they tried to persuade Mowbray to stick around at the 11th hour and, allegedly, he turned down that possibility as even he had suffered enough from their shenanigans and told them to do one. So potentially that's 3 managers in the space of 3 years that will have given it up

It's a familiar story isn't it? Lambert clearly agreed to the Rhodes sale and made plans of what he was going to do with the money. Then they sold him and pocketed the dosh and left him with loans like Simeon Jackson and signing Elliott Ward. Then 8 years later, similar situation this time the sale of Adam Wharton, JDT was clearly expecting or hoping to get some of that windfall to reinvest and got nowt. Leopards don't change their spots, they're as untrustworthy and vile as they were the day they arrived. All this 'bad advice, naïve' stuff a work of fiction created in people's heads to try and convince themselves that the evil has gone and all is fine, when it hasn't and won't be fine until they are gone.

Pretty unlikely anyone established in the first team will be signing new contracts. There's no reason, other than the words of a proven liar, to believe that we are even offering new terms or making an effort to try and keep them here. Even if we were there's even less reason to believe that we will be increasing wages or financial commitments to a reasonable Championship level. And then there's the latest betrayal of the manager and squad which is likely to see the manager move on soon and I'm sure any player who could attract interest elsewhere will be asking themselves the same question as most of us.....is there any point in being at Rovers?

Good point, I'd missed them but yeah imagine he'd jump at the chance. An engaged owner who actually wants them to get somewhere, a budget to work with, and he's an ex-player too...

No surprises at all. Anyone who has got anything about them quickly leaves one way or the other. Those who remain are wasters like Waggott who know full well this is the best they will ever get. The interesting part will be how they manage to construct a narrative that Eustace is the problem / unreasonable one here. They did a very good job of making out like JDT and Broughton were the problem last year and unfortunately a large portion of the 'fanbase' lapped that up and that continues to this day. If Eustace goes as well not even the most deranged of fans will surely believe that the problem lies in the dugout, but they may yet surprise me. Eustace may have missed the boat this year though. I can't see there being many more managerial changes between now and the summer unless a team has their own manager poached or plummets into relegation trouble and I can't see that happening now. Summer will be a different story but I expect a mass exodus of players at that point as just about anyone will want out of this cesspit .

I got angry before kick off when the club's social media were making the usual fuss about Isaac Dunn, O'Grady Macken and Litherland being on the bench. Whilst I can appreciate that it must be good for the players themselves and their families this should not be happening and it should certainly not be anything the club is boasting about. It is happening because the club has failed to do its job and ensure we have a sufficient squad for the rigours of the Championship. To end up in such a state where we are putting three kids on the bench for crucial league fixtures, then turning around and publicising this as though it is a badge of honour to be proud of, shows just how out of touch and amateur this outfit is these days.

This is important. It wouldn't have needed vast amounts of money. I doubt he wanted or expected that. The Venky defenders out there will play the old 'no money' 'FFP' 'Debt' excuses as they usually do but all we were looking for really was 3 or 4 seasoned players who could have come in and immediately played and improved us. That's all. Not £6 million outlays like Middlesbrough have made this week (though we could if we had wanted to) but just some sensible investment into gaps. The fact that they haven't even been willing or able to do that, such a relatively minor amount in the scheme of things, is a killer. Eustace would have had more backing at Plymouth Argyle sat bottom of the table than he has had here despite dragging us into an excellent position. If they wouldn't even back him with ANYTHING at that point, there can really be no recovery from that. A total disgrace and betrayal. They are scum.

Positives for Steve Waggott: Only 3 wins to secure Championship status Manager hasn't resigned mid-season (yet) despite the usual Venky shenanigans 3/4 of the way through a transfer window and £0 spent Wage bill lower than it was going into the window All good in the boardroom folks - it's us fools who want / expect better than that.

Not only have we failed to strengthen, we have weakened. They'll pretend that part of that is down to injuries rendering important players unavailable, I think that is an inevitable consequence of their decisions and recruitment. They'll also pretend that the departure of Baker was an unforeseeable and uncontrollable shock but it really wasn't when you rely on loans to fill up your squad. Hats off to Venkys, it takes some doing not only to refuse to help us strengthen but to actually make what was already a threadbare squad even weaker during a key phase of the season. Where would we be without them.

There's clearly an air of panic around now judging by Waggott's rare hastily cobbled together excuse laden 'update' that actually tells us nothing other than to reduce expectations even further. As we approach the final week of the window fans and manager will be awakening to the deception and getting very angry as a result and demanding answers. One of the reasons behind Waggott's existence is to keep the hoi polloi quiet and believing that all is well with the world and Venkys. The 'no impediment' to their funding line is part of this. When trouble starts he gets nervous. It happened this time last year so he schemed away and got senior players and 'fan reps' to sit around a table and discuss things. This is where he earns his Venky silver as he balances keeping things ticking over and doing just enough to keep us kind of competitive and keep the manager in place/fans quiet but nowhere near enough to involve spending money or committing to any sort of serious outlay. All whilst keeping eyes off India and the shadow man and on him. So out comes an 'update' just to keep people quiet for a few more days. The problem he has is that more and more people are slowly waking up to his games and tricks. He hasn't got many in his locker because he's not very good, so he just rolls out more of the same every time.

The club and owners have made their intentions and ambitions quite clear (again) for anyone in any doubt By next Friday the small remaining window to change course will have almost gone entirely. They've no right to expect anyone to hand over their hard earned money for YET ANOTHER televised non-Saturday 3pm home game.

It's self pity central isn't it? All the excuses, sob stories, tales of woe, it's not fair, what more can we do? Conveniently it ignores two important factors. One being that we brought in a huge amount of money and profit in selling Szmodics to Ipswich, money that could, if our disgusting owners had an ounce of interest, have allowed us to sign 2-3 quality signings who might have filled that void. Instead their financial shenanigans and decisions have forced us to dip in the bargain bucket, again. The second factor is that it is absolutely clear that Rovers actively wanted a Szmodics sale. They invited it and made little-no effort to stop it. Just like with the other sales e.g. Adam Wharton, We were not reluctant sellers like some ambitious Championship clubs would be, we couldn't wait to get him out, so that removes any right we have to turn around 6 months later and complain about the consequences or difficulties. If we had been absolutely desperate to keep him and done everything possible to do so I might have some degree of sympathy. But instead it was a pursued sale to pay the owners' bills.

Well well well, as if by magic up pops our silent and invisible CEO. The man who outside the 3 monthly fans forum meetings hasn't been seen or heard of in what, close to a year now? By pure coincidence he suddenly decides to issue an 'update' on our transfer window a couple of days after the Coventry defeat, when the squad is in rubble and the manager is visibly fed up, and the Venkygraph reporter has confirmed in public that he can't get an interview with Waggott or Gestede. Funny that. Almost as though slippery Steve is sat somewhere hoping he doesn't need to say anything but he reads the mood well and can spot when people are getting really pissed off and suddenly appears back on the scene again. It happened after last years' January debacle when JDT left and he conspired to gather fans and players together to dilute the anger, it happened shortly after his plot to demolish Brockhall was discovered online. Never see or hear from him until public anger and chaos is unfolding and then he pops up to say something, but actually tell us nothing. (I seem to remember Chaddy once running to the club's defence by saying that they would wait until after the window had closed to comment on transfer activity but forget about that for a moment) The words of a snake oil salesman right there. An interview littered with excuses and reasons why we have been unwilling (not unable) to do business so far this month and little commitment other than 'we'll try' to get some more in. Excuse after excuse: "We TRY to IMPROVE the squad" - therefore as long as we try that's ok and players have to improve us (of course can therefore roll out the old we aren't signing players that won't improve what we've got "Who will be a good fit for the current closely knit group of players as John wants to keep intact the togetherness of the squad" - of course the excuse can then be that options out there weren't compatible with this and could have disrupted us Other clubs looking for the same areas of improvement - a.k.a we can't compete because other clubs can offer more than we can even though we've spent nowt and brought in more than everyone else "This very limited January window" - it's as limited as you make it - if you need players you get them - the words of excuses and dampening expectations as usual. "Hopefully some of the injured players will become available for selection over the next few weeks" - this is a 3-in-1 blame injuries for our situation and inevitable slide down the table, even though most people know the real reason why we've started to get so many injuries dampen expectations on new arrivals by pointing to the return of absences reducing the need to strengthen, 'next few weeks' of course by then if this continues we will be playing catch up to our rivals and our advantage will be totally squandered so he can use that as a further excuse when we get to March / April and the squad has recovered but just has too much work to do. "We will continue to pursue our list of targets" - of course suggesting that there's a grand plan being followed which we won't deviate from - then when it ends in failure as it has the last 4 years we can play the old line of saying that we aren't going to compromise on our principles or deviate from the plan, though it is obvious there isn't one. A total conman who I totally despise, I dare not look on the comments below as I'll flip if I see people thanking him for his 'communication and honesty' like we got last year.

Whatever happened to the 'tifo' display they were inviting suggestions on? Is the club planning on doing anything to commemorate its' milestone 150th anniversary in a little over 9 months' time? If so what? Is there any chance the club could be liberated from Venky oppression before that momentous occasion?

That isn't correct. Chief Operations Officer comes below Chief Executive Officer in the hierarchy. Rovers' own website lists him below Waggott in the structure. He might 'run the show' but he is beneath Waggott in title, and Waggott takes ultimate responsibility and accountability for the performance of the organisation. Technically he reports to Waggott. On what planet could promoting Gestede to such a role be justified or make any sense given he has only worked at the club for a little over 6 months and in a role totally different to CEO?

People like O'Brien, Brereton, Schlupp, Asante and the other known names we have been 'linked' with were never going to happen. Most sensible people know that and therefore there's no point in having a discussion or expressing an opinion on their suitability, and no, the club doesn't get any credit for 'trying' but failing to get them. I suspect our 'interest' went as far as ringing up Forest/Southampton/Coventry, asking if they might be available on loan and if so what minimum % of their weekly wage they'd be willing to accept us contributing. All probably gave us short shrift as they will want to prioritise a sale and if going down the loan route will want the bulk of their wages covering, which we are clearly not willing to pay. I really have to wonder what else they have been doing for the last 3 weeks. Waiting and hoping that one of these clubs suddenly changes their minds or drops their demands possibly but that's a daft approach given how unlikely it is to happen.

With Venkys it is and always has been about control. I think they get off on controlling everything, even though they've no interest, it makes them feel powerful that they have to ok it all and don't cede power to people who know what to do with it. Although their dogsbody has seemingly some limited authority I think that is heavily restricted and as we saw with the last couple of January debacles they still need to authorise incoming substantial signings which is why they fell through at the 11th hour as their approval did not come through in time. This is the reason why they will never sell the club or indeed put it into administration, because the second that happens their power is gone, probably forever. They can't stomach that so yeah, they'll just keep us in perpetual zombie like state as we gradually rot and decay. So far the worst of it has been avoided due to the good football management of Mowbray, JDT and Eustace in a very poor league. But the chickens will come home to roost very soon as they did in 2017, only because they decided to turn the taps on again on relegation, and very nearly did last year. You can't operate like this in any professional support and expect to be anywhere near successful.

Now we've got McFadzean's wages off the books we might now be in a position, combined with other savings made e.g. O'Riordan back out, to cobble together enough to bring in one. They're also not totally daft and will be able to read the room in terms of how fed up Eustace is getting and how the majority of fans seem to be aware of what they are up to. So yeah about now is where they drop a signing in just to shut people up for a few days. Nothing big but perhaps a loan.

Any contract renewal for a senior or established player is going to require a pay rise, commitment to a Championship level salary, probably some sort of signing fee, additional bonuses and a commitment beyond the time of the current deal, probably of at least another couple of years. This isn't on the agenda. Scumbags like Venkys and Waggott would see absolutely no reason or purpose behind doing this, as it would simply cost them more money from now onwards. Of course anyone with any sense can see the medium to long term benefits of doing it, but they aren't into that sort of thing. When we hear about people like Dolan 'refusing' to sign a new contract that's 'on the table' I suspect any offer, if there is one, is poor and not worth the paper it is written on, probably well below what a Championship standard player would expect. I suspect Waggott will probably get a cut of any savings made on this too. Despicable.

Sorry meant Waggott by the gravy train ride. This gig is the best he's ever had and he'd obviously not get anywhere near the equivalent elsewhere. Same applies to Gestede and the other invisible people. Yeah Eustace gets another Championship job after this, infact those employable elsewhere don't last here long - JDT, Lambert, even Broughton.

Season not quite over as we still need 2-3 wins to hit 50 points and with it effectively secure Championship status. Waggott's interview last year let slip the reality of what he and his little gang are focused on and need to ensure. There's no reason to think that 'ambition' has changed in any way, shape or form. So just a few more wins for Eustace to eke out between now and May and then it's job done, bonus qualified and job for another year (if he wants/needs it which I'm sure he does, a ride aboard the gravy train can be hard to give up). Promotion, top 6, growth, development, long term? HAHAHAHAHAHA

True, I was specifically referencing his final season when we were in the best position we've been in since relegation from the PL, 5 points off top of the league in late January, and we oversaw a frankly ridiculous recruitment policy which saw us sign a collection of players who contributed F.A. to the team in the second half of the season. There were implausible suggestions at the time that the owners had made money available for a promotion push but that for some inexplicable nonsensical reason Mowbray had declined to use it and instead signed Markanday and Hedges. It didn't make any sense because it wasn't true, just like Ian Silvester suddenly forgetting how to register a new signing wasn't true either. All lies and nonsense made up by certain people behind the scenes desperate for the anger and blame for what goes on to be focused on people other than the pondlife in India and their lackeys. I'm almost excited to see what they come out with this time. They've set a high benchmark after 2023 O'Brien and 2024 McGuire, it's going to take some topping. Maybe they'll just give up on pretending to sign decent players and just batten down the hatches until it blows over and hope Eustace doesn't walk.