This maintains my theory that appointments now have to have a promotion on their CV to get the job. Lambert with Norwich Warnock with QPR Adkins with Soton Coyle with dingles Mowbray with WBA Someone somewhere has decided that experience of winning promotion from this league is essential. Its a shame they didn't insist on that back in 2012 when Kean went and they were spending money. These days its irrelevant really who is in the dugout. Cheston has made clear the 'ambition' at this club is to cut costs and recent managerial appointments show this.

That's why I was almost keen on him. I knew he was the best we would be looking at and expected last minute disappointment.

Most worrying for me is that Rovers appear to have set their stall out to ensure that the new manager was willing to work with existing club staff. That isnt how business should be done and is a recipe for disaster. If they have decided Mowbray is the best man for the job then on their head be it, but any new manager should be given the option to bring in his own team to work with him. That's probably what ruled Adkins out because he would want to bring in Crosby alongside. It smacks of cost cutting and forcing staff upon the new manager when the new manager should select his own staff.

We know for a fact that the club is exerting significant influence at the Telegraph. As the Telegraph are wholly reliant on the club to spoonfeed them interviews and information they have probably been threatened with a ban from press conferences if they don't print favourable interviews or change things to suit the club.

It clearly isn't a Telegraph interview. They way its written suggests that whoever was doing the interview was probably some 3rd party 3rd rate news channel and they've probably then let the Telegraph copy it word for word to fill up column space rather than do some proper reporting such as an investigation into who Suhail Pasha is and what he's up to. instead they let the club edit their stories, change photos to keep the club happy and now fill up space with a publicity stunt for the cretin Kean. I bet they're having a right laugh at the furore it causes with Kean's controversial comments as people click onto their website and post comments. Meanwhile on the other side 'what a time' to be a Burnley fan write their Burnley supporting staff.

He must be on the look out for a job. He went to Brunei to let the dust settle but after 4 years in the wilderness he's still stuck in the wilderness in a micky mouse league.

What a disgrace. I jokingly predicted that they would alter the photo when they realised they had revealed Pasha, but I didn't think they would do it so quickly. Pasha must have a direct line to Telegraph HQ and have the power to get them to change their stories to his liking. I presume this is the reason he has avoided identification by the local media for so long. We already know Rovers can edit articles to their satisfaction before they go to print, now it seems they can even alter photos to prevent Pasha's identity going public. If the Telegraph had anything about them they would inflate that photo, cut Senior out of it and stick Pasha's face on the front page of the paper. They are complicit in the stitch up.

This March 2017 date keeps getting mentioned seemingly for 2 reasons. Firstly because that is when the overdraft arrangement with the Bank of India is due for renewal, and secondly because that is the latest we can enter administration whilst taking the points deduction this season rather than next. I'm yet to see any evidence which suggests either of those aspects are of concern at this point. The Bank of India overdraft facility has been up for renewal every March since they started using the facility to fund the club. In every set of accounts they mention this and say they expect it will be renewed as usual. The exact same thing is said in the recent accounts of both Rovers and Venkys London. There is also a mention that if for whatever reason the Bank of India doesn't extend the overdraft facility then alternative sources of funding are available. The point about needing to enter administration this season to avoid a deduction next season is irrelevant. Venkys have shown they will not make decisions for the good of the club and the chances of them changing their plans just to make life easier for Rovers are slim. If administration is even an option it will only happen when they have to do it, not when it makes most sense for BRFC IMO.

It's quite clear that we are now little more than an accountancy irritation for them which they are keen to ensure is brought down to the bare minimum losses. Of course anyone with any interest or sense would understand that even a small investment of cash at this stage could save our skins and more millions off the value of the club, but not these people. Plenty of skint clubs around in the Championship, yet they all managed to find the cash from somewhere to bring in a number of players to add to their options for the run in. I bet Burton and Wigan can't believe their luck that Rovers have made next to no effort to strengthen this month. Makes their task of surviving that bit easier.

The minute Warnock and Lambert arrived at their clubs that was Cardiff and Wolves out of the relegation picture. At the moment the only things keeping us alive are the Forest madhouse and Bristol City's implosion, both of which can be rectified through a change in manager.

I'm not really bothered what the other teams are doing. Until we get our own house in order what our rivals get up to is almost irrelevant. These owners and the people running this club have made their position quite clear in the summer and in January. It seems they are quite happy with the job Coyle is doing, are happy with being in the bottom 3 all season and see absolutely no reason to make a change or allow some new signings to come in. That's their decision. If that's the way they want to play things then I'm not going to waste my time concerning myself with what other clubs are doing, especially as all these other clubs are making efforts to survive which we are not. We're on course for about 40 points at most this season which gives you no right at all to expect survival.

As I've already attempted to explain in the past, the cost of maintaining a remotely competitive Championship club, even one content to just tread water and avoid relegation every year, is huge. Rovers are not the only loss making club in huge debt in this league and it is only going to get worse as the years go by as bigger wage bills come down from the Premier League and more foreign investors get involved to try and get there. Even for Venkys, after 5 years of languishing in mid-table and bottom half of this division at a cost of £20 million per year is massive, with absolutely no guarantee of success if spending increases and people like Lambert saying it will need another £20 million or whatever even to get into contention for promotion. Go into League One and the game changes completely. No other rich backers, most clubs get by on gates of 5,000 a week. The Port Vales and Southends of this world are easier to compete with than the Derbys and Wednesdays. Relegation would enable another scale back on the wages. From £30-50k per week in the Premier League, to £10-15k a week under Bowyer, to £5-10k a week now, to less than £5k a week in a lower division. Each step along the way it becomes easier to absorb annual losses for a group of people who clearly didn't get into this to invest substantial sums every year. The limit of their 'investment' in recent years has been to pay the wages they committed to and to keep the doors open at Ewood Park. Keeping things ticking over to avoid a humiliating, power losing and potential legal action series of events should they refuse to pay the bills. Rather than try to keep up with other clubs through serious sustained cash investments which EVERY other club that wishes to be successful does, the alternative is to put the club somewhere that requires the bare minimum 'investment' and effort to maintain. League One and League Two make it easier on every level if you aren't interested in anything but cutting costs. The big elephant in the room is the Category A academy and the substantial annual costs of running that, but presumably that would be another area earmarked for closure if relegation took place. I'm not suggesting a deliberate strategy of relegation, but can see why they aren't doing anything to avoid it as that would require CASH, which they either don't have or won't spend any more of.

I'd just like to congratulate the U23s on their excellent win against Burnley earlier today in the Premier League Cup. Hopefully with home games against Cardiff and Sunderland to come they can progress in the competition. Even after everything that's gone on at this club and even though it's 'only' the U23s it still feels great to see the Rovers lads giving Burnley a good beating. Unfortunately I wasn't able to be there today but sounds like a convincing win and well deserved victory. Anthony Stokes and Matty Platt with two goals a piece and Platt came close to his hat-trick. Well done to them, done the club proud. Surely we need to be seeing Stokes in the first team though?

The story I heard was that Warnock held a series of interviews with Cheston and Pasha, was on the same page as them, had verbally agreed to take the job with a budget in place and with Blackwell and Jepson set to come in to assist him, it was virtually ready to be announced to the media (hence the headline on Sky Sports News), before he got a call at the 11th hour telling him that the deal was off as they had found someone else to do the job. That man turned out to be Owen Coyle.And he was then appointed the following week. One thing worth bearing in mind was Coyle's exit from Houston which was announced on 26th May. Coyle was appointed Rovers boss on 2nd June. Now those two things could be completely unrelated. It might genuinely be the case that Coyle was homesick and wanted to move back to the UK after a couple of years in the USA, and he's got a good agent who can land him a Championship job (which most people don't think he should have got on the basis of his recent record) and that he was out of work for barely a week before being paraded around Brockhall as the 'outstanding candidate' despite having never been mentioned in the weeks and months prior to that when people like Joyce, Warnock, Slade, Redfearn etc. had all been linked. The cynic in me thinks that there's a lot more to it than Coyle having the good fortune to conveniently become available at the perfect time by leaving Houston and just so happening to walk into the Rovers job. Perhaps the powers that be behind the scenes weren't keen on Warnock coming in and doing things 'his way' with complete control and wanted an ally in place. Perhaps the drawn out managerial search was deliberately dragged out over several months so as to ensure Coyle could occupy it once he'd sorted out business in Houston. Whatever the truth, I'm inclined to believe that he got the job for non-footballing reasons. Even if the powers that be were taken in by his verbal diarrhoea like so many seem to have been, and honestly believed he was the best man for the job at that time, he's since proved without doubt that he is incapable and that relegation is a certainty on his watch. Why they refuse to act and make a change now just leads to more suspicion about the nature of his position.

Hence the relentless 'we can't compete with these other clubs' line that has been coming out of the club over the last 6 months. Excuse already there for when these players go elsewhere.

Trouble is that all the teams around us will be busy working on budgets and lining up deals as we speak to strengthen their squads in January to try and stay up. Meanwhile at our place the only interest the powers have is freeing up more funds by selling some more players. Then, and only then, will Coyle be afforded the opportunity to bring people in, but even then they will only be loans that nobody else wants and we get to pick up at the end of the window. We're the only club down there that has owners/directors not interested in doing what is needed to survive or improving the situation, so irrespective of our squad's ability we're going to be up against it and on the back foot again in January. Someone like Warnock will have a bit of money to work with and will know exactly what sort of players and characters he wants for a relegation scrap and he'll be allowed to get them.

I wish I could be that optimistic. I'm confident we'll finish above Rotherham and we're about on a par with Wigan who have shown signs of improvement under Warren Joyce, so that one could go either way depending on what happens in January. Who else? There's no chance either Cardiff or Wolves will go down. Both Warnock and Lambert are too astute and Wolves in particular will throw money at it in January. We're pinning our hopes on Burton dropping into it which is a huge gamble. They're a real tight knit group that are hard to beat, particularly at their home ground. Clough has them set up strong at the back. QPR could be the basket case club that drops into it with Holloway prone to a disaster, and possibly Forest if they hit another bad run, but again I've seen nothing so far to suggest we'll climb above them and stay there. Plus if they do end up looking like going down it is highly likely that their owners will take emergency action to keep them up.

The proof will be in the pudding in January. If they want us to survive this season then the very least I would expect is to keep hold of our important players and in the worst case be able to go out and replace Hoban/Emnes/Gallagher if they aren't staying up to the end of the season. If they continue down the path of the last few transfer windows and start selling assets like Marshall, Conway and Evans mid-season to generate some cash then that is the equivalent of waving the white flag and accepting relegation. No club in our position would even entertain selling its best players and if they had to would immediately ensure the cash was reinvested to strengthen the team for the battle ahead.

Some very interesting fixtures coming up this weekend which could completely change the picture down at the bottom. On Thursday Wolves head to QPR. I think I'd prefer QPR to win that one to keep Wolves down there, however a draw or Wolves win would start to drag QPR into the mix, although I don't think they'll go down. On Friday Forest host Newcastle. Clearly most people will fancy Newcastle to bounce back and beat Forest, which if they do will keep Forest within reach going into our game with Huddersfield. On Saturday Cardiff host Brighton. Given the form Brighton are in they will be favourites to go and win there, which could give us a really good opportunity to get a head start on Cardiff. Burton play Rotherham, a Burton win would be surely the final nail for Rotherham even at this early stage, whereas a result for Rotherham would provide a chance for us to get above Burton. Brentford go to Norwich who are desperate for a win. All being well Norwich would win that one bringing Brentford into trouble. Barnsley go to Birmingham who are in fine form at the moment. Hopefully a home win there. Wigan host Derby who are also shooting up the League since McClaren went back. Hopefully an away win there. On paper with the exception of Burton we have the 'best' fixture this weekend of the teams down there. At home against a side struggling for form, particularly away. It is really important that we get at least a draw from this to keep the points coming. We're likely to have a chance to put daylight between us and the bottom 3 on Saturday which is hugely important given 2 more difficult games against Brighton and away at Preston coming up.

We've shown in recent weeks that we can compete with most teams in this division. However our poor fitness and lack of defensive discipline has cost us dearly several times. Its saying something when despite a terrible start to the season where we picked up 2 points from a possible 21 that we're very much now back in the pack after the last 11 games. Even those we have lost in recent weeks such as Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Fulham, have been by 1 goal margins and we arguably shouldn't have lost any of them. So there are certainly reasons to be more optimistic moving forward, however it is imperative that we maintain this and don't let our standards drop. There is some real dross in this league and this squad should have it in them to survive. Rotherham have all but gone already, meaning we're going to have to find another 2 clubs to finish above. Slowly but surely the likes of Barnsley and Burton are being dragged back into the mire whilst Wigan look poor. I don't think Cardiff or Wolves will be relegated, though it would be satisfying if they were, but ultimately I think they'll have too much managerial nous and will recruit well in January. Also important will be our business in January. We are still short in defence and will need to address that, especially if Hoban and Ward are still not fit in the near future. Likewise we need to keep Emnes and Gallagher fit and at the club until the end of the season. If they depart then we're going to have issues replacing them. Of course at a normal club the groundwork for January would already be nearly done and targets lined up with a budget. Alas no such work will be done here with clueless dodgy owners not communicating and therefore we'll see no business done until Marshall is sold. Had it not been for such an awful start and those calamitous defeats against Wigan and Cardiff then things would be looking much better. I suppose we've got our esteemed owners to thank for such a chaotic start to the season with transfer business being conducted at the 11th hour only when Hanley and Duffy had been offloaded. I'm sure that had we recruited the likes of Emnes, Mulgrew and Gallagher earlier in the summer then they'd have got up to speed in time for the season beginning rather than late September. Given the noticeable upturn in performances and results I am prepared to praise Coyle for this. I don't like him and I have little confidence in his managerial abilities, but he's managed to overcome a dreadful start and has delivered a noticeable improvement. So long may that continue.

Probably right. The only period of stability/sanity we've had in 6 years of them being here were the 2 full seasons under Bowyer's management. He deserves great credit for that in tough circumstances that no other manager has been able to hack. Kean, Berg, Appleton and Coyle have been disasters for a variety of reasons, some of their own doing, some of the clubs/owners. Lambert saw through them and had both the money, reputation and nous to get out of his own accord before things turned sour. Season one we nearly went down, season two we did go down, season three we very nearly went down, seasons four and five we looked briefly upwards, season six we were back fighting relegation, season seven we're fighting relegation and will probably go down again. Seasons four and five clearly the odd ones out. It just so happens they were the ones where Bowyer had a full season and where transfer activity was dictated by the looming embargo. Bowyer was allowed to wheel and deal for a while because everyone knew the embargo was coming and steps had to be taken to try and comply with that and satisfy the league. They went with his signings with the lure of major profits down the line which is precisely what they've had out of it. I know for a fact that Bowyer was desperate to get the embargo lifted in the summer of 2015 so he could strengthen the squad and they refused to do it, then lo and behold a few months later Bowyer is on the scrapheap, Lambert is in the house, mystery man Pasha's lurking in the background and the embargo gets lifted. Its been painted as Venkys getting ambitious, lifting the embargo and then changing their minds on funding and Lambert walking. Perhaps its time we start considering alternative theories which include the sudden ability to lift the embargo mid season, the question of why this wasn't done sooner, the question of why Bowyer wasn't given the opportunity to work without the embargo after he had made them millions from players, the question of why/where/when Pasha came from, the question of what Lambert was promised and by whom. Lots more to this than meets the eye. Perhaps the embargo was a reason why we saw such stability. Ironic that it was only in this period that the raft of successful signings came through and have gone on to made them/someone a hell of a lot of money in contrast to transfer dealings before and after.

Exactly this. Lets suppose Coyle manages to deliver survival this season with a couple of games to spare. Highly unlikely in my opinion but you can never say never, especially in this division. What steps would the owners, directors and club take to ensure next season wasn't just a repeat of this season or worse? Would they give the manager a proper budget to go out and strengthen in June rather than running around picking up loans in late August? Would they allow quality additions to the squad? Would they plug gaps at boardroom level or delegate transfer authority to the UK? Would they fight off interest in what few decent players we have left? Would they make serious offers to try and sign the likes of Hoban and Emnes permanently? No. They wouldn't. On the flip side if we were relegated with 5 games to spare what steps would they take to try and ensure an immediate return? Would they appoint a good League One manager like Bolton did last summer? Would they cherry pick the best League One players early doors to assemble a promotion capable squad for next season? No. They wouldn't. Bad news all round really.

Is this the first time a concert has been held on the Ewood Park pitch? On the whole I think it is a good thing. He's not my cup of tea but undoubtedly is a big name in the world that will hopefully attract a big crowd to Blackburn and help both the club and local businesses. Concerts and international matches are regularly held at rivals' grounds, it's something that has been neglected in this part of the world over the last few years. These are the sort of things that will get non-Blackburn Rovers supporting people to visit Blackburn, spend their money and use the hotels etc.

We should do something similar. A statue of Shearer and Sutton holding the trophy opposite the Jack Walker entrance or a statue of Dalglish with the trophy somewhere.

The trouble is I don't think Cheston's plan has had the desired effect this summer. I have no doubt that the increase in prices in the Riverside, coupled with the drop in prices in the Jack Walker stand, was the beginning of a strategy to get as many people as possible to relocate from the Riverside to the Jack Walker. I am one of those people. For the sake of an additional £20 I made the decision to move from the Riverside, where I have sat for the majority of the last 20 years, to the Jack Walker Stand, which had previously been about £100 more over a season. However, looking at the Riverside on Saturday it seems there are still around 2,000 people in there. The stand must be per seat the most full of all the stands at Ewood, and I would guess contains on average the older element of Rovers supporters who have held season tickets for the longest period of time. The reason the upper tier of the Jack Walker was much busier was because the Family stand relocation has resulted in all those people from the bottom tier, including those with staff tickets, being moved upstairs. I now have my season ticket in the lower tier of the Jack Walker towards the Darwen End, and whilst slightly busier than in previous seasons it was still quite empty, so it seems not many others have done the same as me. Meanwhile the Riverside remains at similar levels to the last few years. If Cheston's scheme is to close the Riverside then he's going to have his work cut out, because there must be at least 25% of season ticket holders in that stand, most of whom haven't reacted to this summers price changes, and it would be a massive gamble to risk losing those people at a time like this by closing the Riverside altogether. Also did anyone else notice that the replays shown on the big screen on Saturday that the new gantry camera wasn't on the half way line (it was off centre) and that there was a slope on the camera angle? Either because whoever set the camera up didn't do it properly or because the Riverside roof slopes.