I also think that it was only heading into his final season that Mowbray took the handbrake off and 'went for it' knowing that his contract was running out and that it was all silent with regards to a renewal. He probably felt that a promotion push would make the Indians sit up and take notice and offer him a new long term deal. Then he realised that not even that was enough to re-engage the Indians or secure additional January backing and it petered out to nothing. I think he was making a point to them to try and get them to offer him a new deal and when they didn't he felt insulted/betrayed. I think if he had been offered a new 2-3 year deal in summer 2021 ahead of that final season we'd have just plodded along again to a 12th placed finish.

Venkys, Waggott, Suhail and Gestede do. Their budgets make it almost a certainty, see our approach to transfers - short term, cheap, hit and hope rather than any sort of grand or ambitious plan.

Wolves news: Gary O'Neil signs new four-year deal - BBC Sport O'Neil signed a new improved 4 year Wolves deal in August that ran until 2028. Now unless something drastic is happening with that I suspect he will be due a sizeable chunk of money from Wolves and would forfeit some of it if he took a job at Venky Rovers. I imagine his wage at Wolves will have also been way beyond what we are willing to pay here.

We need someone in this week ahead of the Swansea game. I appreciate the job done by Lowe and Johnson and inevitably they will remain closely involved behind the scenes whatever happens next. If we had 3-4 games remaining I'd be tempted to just keep them on and see what happens now but with 14 games remaining there is just too much ahead of us - games, points, work - to leave it to chance. We've got ourselves into a position now where anything beneath 6th has to be considered a massive disappointment. With the exception of Coventry's good run nobody behind us is accelerating and teams we expected to be pushing - Middlesbrough and West Brom are dropping points. It is there for the taking. It needs someone who can command the respect of the players and fans and who knows how to handle the pressure and get over the line. Suggestions of Boa Morte and Boateng are so ridiculous my only conclusion if true is that it would be a deliberate attempt to take us away from the top 6.

If we did want Wellens, which I hope we don't, why would paying £250k compensation be a stumbling block when we've just collected reportedly 2-3 times that from Derby for Eustace? Where has that money gone so quickly? It really doesn't bode well for the future if we are baulking at appointing a League One manager (Not that I'd want him) based on his compensation figure

I'd love to know who 'they' are when interviewing managers. Waggott, Suhail, Gestede, Owen? Others? What a sorry first impression potential managers would get of this club speaking to that gang. A week on from Derby tapping Eustace up and they're clearly not in any rush at all to get this resolved (assuming Nixon is accurate, big assumption although he seems to be on the Waggott payroll/grapevine at the moment so maybe he is correct).

I still keep seeing comments on Facebook and Twitter with people asking why Dolan hasn't signed his contract and where does he expect to go if he leaves here. Not a single first team player has signed new terms in almost 18 months now. It is unheard of and unprecedented. I'm sure even a club in administration would renew some deals so to protect the value of assets. This tells me that whatever 'deal' we have offered Dolan is abysmal, and probably doesn't even exist.

Beale alone would be too expensive for Rovers. He's had work managing QPR, Rangers and Sunderland and recently had a job in Saudi so would have to take a massive pay cut to come here and be assistant manager - isn't going to happen Critchley is busy with Hearts and only worked with Gerrard for a few months before he was sacked at Villa Like with Carsley file under 'potentially a good option' but never going to happen here in a million years.

Stability here is just another word for going nowhere - like we had for years under Bowyer and Mowbray The owners won't allow us to have any stability as evidenced by the turnover in managers, players and staff. I don't think we want any players to sign new contracts which is part of the reason none have and why Eustace left - they are running them down deliberately and not offering new terms.

Carsley might well be a good coach and a good option for an aspirational club. Why would he come here though? He's got a safe, well paid job with the England setup. In 18 months Tuchel is out and he may well be tipped to replace him as he was tipped to replace Southgate last time. He will need compensation to get him out of his contract with the FA. He's never been a club manager despite being around the coaching block the last 10 years or so. He was linked heavily with the Irish job last year which suggests he's got options if he wants to be a Number 1. Coming here as his first club number 1 role would be extremely risky, and almost certainly won't happen. His name is getting linked because he's an ex-player and he's been linked to other vacancies over the last few months like Stoke.

One of the reasons I would want Warnock is knowing that you are going to get 100%, and he'll leave no stone unturned to get us over the line. In a few weeks we go to Derby and that fixture concerns me with Eustace there. The thought of rocking up and rolling over to them worries me. Go there with Warnock at the helm and they will know about it.

I found it staggering - absolutely staggering - when I arrived at Ewood at 12:10pm before the Wolves game last Sunday and saw the ticket office hatches with shutters down and nobody there buying or selling match tickets. 20 minutes before kick off, 15,000 empty seats and no facility or ability to buy admission to the ground in person either from the ticket office or on the turnstiles. I just find it insane.

I don't think anyone of any repute is going to look at this job and think it is a wonderful medium to long term opportunity. The best we can offer - and most attractive part to the job - is between now and May - we've got a play-off position within our reach, a squad clearly giving it everything with a great team spirit and a shot at promotion. It is a period of 2-3 months that not even Venkys and their stooges could wreck with budget cuts, poor communication and botched recruitment. Therefore the sole focus of whoever it is making this decision should be on getting the best man to come in immediately and have an immediate impact until the summer. This is why I suggested Warnock or Allardyce but I am sure there will be plenty of good calibre European options who are available and would fancy a 14 game crack at getting to the PL or a promotion on their CV and then reassess. Suggestions of people like Wellens, Boateng, Carsley are just dismal and totally inappropriate for the position we find ourselves in, as is the suggestion of sticking with the status quo based on one performance and result at WBA. People with reasonable reputations or standing in the game are not going to look at Rovers and think that this is a 3-4 year project to get promotion. It is a 3-4 month project to get promotion and nobody - probably not even Venkys - has a clue what comes after that but it almost certainly won't be good. So I'm not even particularly confident that the likes of O'Neil, Edwards, Gerrard would fancy this beyond the end of the season. Despite failures this season they've still got reasonable standing and reputations in the game and are still collecting big money pay-offs from their last clubs. Why gamble all that to come and work for this farce? They need to get their next moves spot on otherwise they are probably finished as top 2 division managers. They're better off limiting their terms to the summer or waiting until then and seeing what else becomes available.

It isn't a thing it is just one of Waggott's cards that he plays via the media when a popular player or manager ups sticks and moves elsewhere rather than stay at Rovers. Rather than face up to the reality of anyone of quality looking for a route out it is easier to get certain fans and media outlets convincing themselves and then others that it's normal, when it is very far from normal to see what we've seen here recently. Bayes has been at it today talking about the family and travel factor. Doing Waggott's dirty work for him, he'll be delighted with it.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/steven-gerrard-next-blackburn-manager-34676046 Sorry if this makes anyone throw up.

Correct, Bowyer left on 10th November 2015 and Lambert was announced on 15th November 2015. Coyle was sacked on 21st February 2017 and Mowbray was announced on 22nd.. JDT left on 9th February and Eustace was announced or certainly in place the same day. JDT was barred from his pre-Stoke press conference and Eustace was in the stands and on the touchline for that game. I suppose by the same token Mowbray's drawn out departure was confirmed on 11th May 2022 which then gave rise to a delay of over a month to mid-June before JDT was confirmed.

Derby sacked their manager on Friday and I was told straight after that in the evening that Eustace was top of their list. Eustace has today confirmed the first communication with Derby came on Friday. By Saturday he was the clear favourite for the job and the 'official' approach came on Sunday by which time every Tom, Dick and Harry knew he was going. So the club should already be nearly a week into their managerial 'search'. It's also clear that he wasn't very happy prior to his departure so you would hope/expect that the club had some sort of preparation or plan for this eventuality. Whilst no appointment could be confirmed until after the Eustace departure was rubber stamped there is nothing that has stopped us from speaking to options, discussing terms and agreeing things in principle. To me it seems concerningly quiet and laid back considering the importance of what is at stake here.

The thing that concerns me about someone like Wellens is that whilst he has done very well at Orient it is just totally incomparable to here. At Orient he's been able to build them up from League Two, good backing from their owner, assembled a squad and style of play, built up momentum over the last couple of years. None of that relevant to us under these owners - he won't get backing, he won't get opportunity to assemble a squad, and most importantly we aren't looking for that between now and May in any event.

I've already nailed my colours to the mast on that with suggesting Warnock and I remain convinced in our situation he would be ideal in terms of experience, short termism and accustomed to making an immediate impact. For me it literally ticks every box at this stage of the season. It also buys us a few months to think and assess options to come in during the summer rather than rush into handing a 2-3 year deal to someone now. Beyond him I'd throw everything at Allardyce but not sure he'd take it really, and agree that his powers have probably dwindled in the last few years but I'd love to see how it went. As above would at the very least give us the benefit of 3 months of time to plan for what on earth we are going to do when the squad is wrecked in the summer. After those two I'd be struggling for suggestions that tick the boxes, I'm open to the suggestion of Carvalhal and think he would have an instant impact but can't see it happening. We're in a mess - because normally you'd want time to assess and speak to options and plan for a critical summer but in our league position with games coming fast we don't have that time and need to seize this opportunity.

The power of a good performance and result should never be overlooked. Doom and gloom all week gives rise to optimism and hope after an excellent performance and result. The difference between how people feel after a good away win compared to how it would have been had we narrowly lost is massive. In the end it makes the position that bit better going into the run-in, and ticks off a tough away game at a top 6 rival as well. What it shouldn't do is lead to daft suggestions that we simply leave things as they are until the end of the season or give Lowe the job. What it really needs now is for a MANAGER to come in, quickly, and keep things going until the summer. No projects, no new styles of play, no 'long term plan', just 14 cup finals to squeeze everything out of this group and I think that requires an old head who knows the requirements of the run in. We are still scarred by three previous play-off collapses at this time of year and handing the job to a novice or manager with one eye on a summer rebuild I think risks letting it fizzle out. None of the names I can see on that bookies list - other than Steve Cooper who we won't get - suggest to me that they are solely focused on getting into the top 6 this season. It is a mixture of people with zero experience of managing in this situation, people who have mediocre recent records or people used to managing in different circumstances like O'Neil at Wolves or Carsley with the U21s.

I'm not sure 'Suhail' or Steve give a toss to be honest. They get their wages regardless and it seems to me get probably some sort of bonus or enhanced pay if they can cut costs every year. Relegation of course causes all sorts of issues because it means the owners have to find millions more and ticket/commercial income plummets which could disrupt their little arrangement. I remain convinced that it was relegation to League One and the issues that created that led to Mowbray getting an audience in India and establishing influence over the bigwigs there. Ever since then 'Suhail' has done his utmost to stop that and ensure he is the only link to India. If the Indians suddenly realised we were back in the PL, global profile, mega money, dozens of additional requirements in terms of facilities, management, far bigger crowds - they might even start to take a dollop of interest themselves and it's all just extra work and a headache that neither of these jokers want. They're both already well above their stations here and are lucky to be anywhere near running a Championship club, and they will know it.

Probably the same reason these owners are content to let the club rot for 10 years+ and do nothing to improve or change it. I suspect the people making the day-to-day decisions down there are quite content as they are, collecting their wages as a middling Championship club going nowhere every year. PL football changes everything - pressure, media, scrutiny, and probably leads to the owners taking more interest and perhaps bringing outsiders into the equation. Shadow and slippery have a nice little number going for themselves here and bosses who couldn't give two hoots either way.

I suspect Rovers are ensuring that whoever takes over here doesn't get this week to prepare the team thereby wasting tonight and a home game against the bottom club. The less games the new man gets the less likely it is we get near the top 6, which is something they are obviously keen to avoid.

The immovable object. An atom bomb could go off on the Ewood pitch and he'd still be there. I'm just even more relieved I didn't bother taking time off work to travel tonight. The thought of him 'leading' the team with Mowbray in the opposite dugout smirking away is horrific.

O'Neil makes no sense whatsoever. None. Other than he's available. He's no experience of promotion pushes or Championship, a career win of about 30% and there is absolutely no reason other than a hope that he will be a good option for us right now. He's also still probably collecting his Wolves 3 year deal pay-off. Karanka has barely managed for the last 4 years save for very short spells at Granada and in Israel. His last two jobs in England - Forest and Birmingham, were terrible. Carvalhal has a decent CV albeit a ridiculous turnover in clubs. More importantly requires compensation so is a non-starter even if he'd drop a side competing for European football to come and work here. Wicky we know next to nothing about other than WBA talked to him and then it broke down.