JHRover

Hmmm. Two ways of looking at it really. On the one side Gladwin has had a hell of a lot of money out of Rovers whilst also benefiting from excellent facilities to try and get through his rehab. A 2 year deal even at 4k a week is worth way more than most people could ever dream of being paid, never mind for little in return other than trying to get fit. On the other side I can see the human element. Of course it isn't nice to chuck an injured player onto the 'scrapheap'. But this is a business. People on a lot less money than Gladwin have been made redundant from Rovers and other football clubs. People who aren't loaded. Waggott and Cheston wail about low incomes and the need to generate revenue yet we're on about using up a salary to give him more time to get fit? The question though it whether he is good enough when fit. I don't believe he is if we are serious about moving upwards and progressing. On that basis the injury issue almost becomes irrelevant. If he isn't deemed good enough for what we need then he shouldn't be retained.

They were back up players last season. He isn't progressing or building if all that happens is we keep the same players out of a sense of loyalty, unless we keep them AND add even better ones which I find unlikely given the financial talk. Until I read Mowbray's comments on Gladwin in the Telegraph I suspected that Mowbray was playing some sort of game with that one. In telling everyone he's in discussions over a new deal it might strengthen Gladwin's wage demands with other clubs or even encourage an interested side to offer us some cash to 'step aside' and let them sign him. But his comments suggest more that he feels a sense of responsibility or loyalty to the player after his injuries and that he'll be staying so he can try and get fit and earn himself a longer deal. Worth remembering that the only player to get a new deal is Leutwiler so far, so not the end of the world but again, improving the GK position is relatively high up on the list of things we need to do so it doesn't bode well if the first step we take is to hand out a new deal to him. I can't see Raya being sold and I expect that will be our lot on the GK front.

Building to get out of this league is fine but doesn't involve keeping people who have shown they aren't up to it or are so injury stricken that they haven't played a single minute in 18 months. Building to get promotion means you methodically replace and phase out the above with superior players whenever the opportunity arises. Early days yet and I'm still hopeful Mowbray is playing games without seriously intending on keeping these players. But his comments especially on Gladwin are very strange for a club supposedly restricted on finances.

Statements in the Telegraph are one thing. Actions another. Talk is cheap and easy, spending and recruiting well isn't.

Check Rovers website

Only logic I can see is that in telling everyone that we're in talks with him we're hoping someone with a vague interest will come along and offer us some cash to step aside and allow them in on a free transfer. Seems like a lot of effort for minimal return but after some of the stuff I've heard it wouldn't surprise me.

The last 7 years, barring the freak Brereton stunt which took everyone by surprise.

Quite clear Mowbray never rated Hart nor had any intention of giving him a run in the team. Quite clear to everyone that he isn't good enough for us. Yet he was signed midway through a League One promotion season and given a new deal this season despite spending it out on loan at garbage League One sides. Bizarre. It also makes me feel better about Mowbray if I believe he wasn't responsible for that one. Suspect someone else behind the scenes playing lucky dip with ex-Premier League club academy players hoping one pays off.

Wrong. You set your targets to improve as a club. If you don't have ambition to kick on and improve then go and get involved in another sport. That means getting shut of the deadwood and signing better ones. Merely carrying on with players who aren't up to the job on the basis 'we're a mid-table side' and 'that's our lot' will only do one thing - ensure stagnation and decline.

I don't believe for one second that signing was Mowbray's nor was the decision to give him a new deal.

Unless of course financial restrictions/lack of investment means he knows he's going to be struggling and so it is going to be much easier handing an extra year out to those already here than it is to go out into the market, spend money and tie someone else down to 2-3 years..... I'm afraid anyone expecting these owners to suddenly come up with cold hard cash to invest on Mowbray's promotion plans are in for a rude awakening. I suspect the only chance he has of extracting cash from the top dogs is by selling players to them as potential profit makers like Armstrong and Brereton. Those sort of deals won't be easy or quick to complete and Mowbray may have lost some credit on that front with Brereton's difficult season.....

None of them have clung on, yet, though it is worrying that we're even entertaining ideas of keeping Gladwin and worrying that Leutwiler has got another year at the club's behest. I think/hope this is probably Mowbray playing it safe again. Keep Conway/Rodwell dangling whilst he goes to India and discovers what the owners want to do. If they want to spend (unlikely) then he can get shut of these players, but if (more likely) Venkys say funds are limited then the likes of Conway and Rodwell might be as good as it gets and Leutwiler ticks all his boxes as a back up GK. As ever, bewildering and concerning.

Leutwiler 1 year extension activated....taken up by the club... Talks ongoing with Conway, Gladwin and Rodwell.... Downing on his way....

2 goals and 1 assist over the season. That's the measure I'll be going off. Makes me laugh when people compare him to Dack in importance. Nowhere near at this stage. There's promise there though. In comparison to the rest of our midfielders I suppose that return is good but for a team with ambitions of promotion it isn't. Either he will have to up that return or we will have to do better.

Bit of a gamble to take when the manager is talking about promotion.

In the International Cup you don't have away trips. All games are played in England. I agree though that Rovers will probably try to avoid the 'aggravation' of participating. Too much hard work.

The narrative will be that Chapman, Davenport, Samuel and even Rothwell are effectively new signings going into next season. We don't know that any are good enough for where we want to be and I include Rothwell in that.

You can bet Sky Sports and the League will be rooting for and delighted if it is Villa v Leeds in the final at Wembley. Full house, neutrals will love it, high viewing figures on tv, hours upon hours of talking about what big, fantastic, great football clubs they are and how wonderful their support is, how the Premier League needs them. Football League will use it as evidence of how great things are when we've two traditional big clubs competing in a Wembley final and they can showcase the competition to the world. Really is sickening stuff which I struggle to listen to. Can be sure that Sky/EFL would much sooner have that final than Bristol City/Derby/WBA or most other clubs at this level.

Rumours that their manager is going to Plymouth in the division below.

I'm almost at the stage where I want Leeds to beat them in the play-off final. No time for Dean Smith who seems to take great surprise that some teams turn up at Villa Park and defend. Amazing that. You spend £50 million on players in the 2nd division and have a Premier League wage bill yet teams like Rotherham turn up and defend. Wonder what Smith would be doing in the opposite dugout. Reports today that WBA will interview Hughton for their job next week. Very sensible and will almost guarantee a promotion push next season if it happens.

Yep. Comes back to taking an interest in making the club better. Not the same as writing off losses when due and leaving things as they are.

Its quieter than any other ground I've been to. I can barely hear the announcements at times in the lower tier of the Jack Walker.

Like it or not the club has some responsibility towards trying to improve atmospheres and attendance at Ewood Park. This goes way beyond running some reduced price ticket offers throughout a season. It requires imagination, ambition, determination to try different things. Unfortunately I've seen no evidence of any such thing in the time we've been out of the Premier League aside from a few gimmicks led by Alan Myers such as the Fanzone and singer pre-match. Of course fundamentally an atmosphere at a ground stems from the fans inside it but as shown recently at Middlesbrough, Derby, Reading and Bristol City there are numerous initiatives clubs can come up with if determined enough to do it in an attempt to improve atmospheres at their grounds. Sometimes the club has to make more of an effort. Look at clubs like Norwich, Villa, Wolves and even Ipswich at this level all promoting the 'kop' concept with flags, banners and scarves dished out. Small things make big steps long term. The truth is that unless we magic 10,000 fans from thin air then the atmosphere at Ewood will always struggle to live up to much with so much empty space. Same goes for PNE, Bolton, Wigan, Middlesbrough, Hull who have all got similar numbers of empty seats and similar sized grounds. But I absolutely do not accept the club has made every effort possible to improve things. Infact quite the opposite. Shutting down 2 home stands in 4 years with no consultation or serious efforts to relocate groups elsewhere is frankly shocking and a complete own goal. The pitiful situation in closing the DE and doing nothing to replicate it elsewhere has resulted in a tiny number of people down by the corner flag still miles away from the away fans now shunted upstairs. I'm afraid if the club has the view that 10-12,000 is 'our level' and that's that then they might as well give up. There are a lot of people in this part of the world and the club has to make things more appealing to as many of those as possible. Of course structurally there are issues at Ewood too. 6000 seats are cut off upstairs a long way away from the action. 5000 seats are in the old Riverside which is an outdated structure a long way from the pitch and other stands. It isn't like being at WBA or Forest where the ground is tight and everyone packed close together. That's before we get onto the pre and post match routine. Drab music played at low volume, little to no imagination on trying to whip the fans up for games, no build up, nothing at half time. It really is poor and lacking in imagination. To most people such things are unimportant but small things like turning up the volume and playing some more appropriate music than the dreary version of Wild Rover might encourage people to start some songs going before kick off.

Not sure about Fulham and Huddersfield. The Warnock factor will ensure Cardiff are thereabouts unless he loses his motivation. I expected him to move elsewhere to keep things fresh and have a clean start somewhere. Fulham and Huddersfield both managed now by rookies who have never managed in the Championship before. I wouldn't be comfortable with either of their managers. Huddersfield also being sold as we speak so anything could happen there. Might work wonders like Wagner but will lightening strike twice there?

I was surprised to read on Rovers' website story about away crowds that we were 8th in the Championship for away numbers last season. I expected us to be perhaps mid-way or just below. Goes to show the 'small club' up against the 'big boys' narrative isn't really accurate (if that stat is true). Suspect Villa, Leeds, Sheff Wed, Sheff Utd, Norwich are 5 of the 7 above us. Perhaps WBA/Stoke the others.