My predictions for the summer: - Brittain, Travis and Tronstad will refuse to sign new contracts due to the spectacular implosion this season. In order to avoid another disaster (i.e. losing out on transfer fees like they did on Brereton Diaz), club has to seriously consider selling & replacing all three before window shuts. - Dolan will leave for another club in Championship, probably Derby should they stay up. - Cantwell is likely to hand in a transfer request or try to force himself out in some fashion. Also doesn't look the type of player that fits into Ismael's "plans". - Don't think neither Forshaw nor Weimann will be offered new contracts unless they are willing to lower their wages. If you ask me, club pretty much needs to sign a whole starting XI to compensate for all the imminent and upcoming departures. You can bet that the primary targets will be cheap loans and freebies at the start of the window to then try to get a last-minute deal for some mediocre player before it closes. If they couldn't offer Eustace any guarantees, what makes one believe that Ismael will be handed any transfer money all of sudden? It's just naivety/wishful thinking as always.

Christ. Even if only half of this is true, it would prove just how badly run this club is. SW rumoured to be retiring or leaving soon starts to make sense when SP/RG seems to have been going against him in many of the decisions made. I have no doubt that RG will be the next CEO and owners' right hand in terms of loyalty. Problem is he is clearly unqualified for the position; him pushing hard for VI is just one example, having disagreements with JP on transfer targets is another. Starting to believe that there's some kind of incentive/ bonus payment for board members if they manage to keep spending within the budget set by owners at the start of each season. This would explain why there never seem to be any transfer money left to spend come January and the infamous "botched" transfer moves all happened during this period as well. SP is looking like the real gatekeeper behind all these blockages; an act of evil for sure. Said it before that a downgrade of the Academy from Category 1 will spell the beginning of the end for the owners as it will drain the club of whatever small amount of talented players that comes through the ranks, and thus the value of sellable assets will slowly head towards zero. Would be kinda ironic if SP were to be the one that makes a horrible cost-cutting decision that will ultimately lead to owners being forced to sell the club...

Some can argue that he actually did supporters a "favor" by walking out mid-season for a club in the relegation zone. It made national headlines and revealed to everyone what an embarrassing state our club is currently at. You can call Eustace whatever you want but at least he demanded certain standards to be adopted from his employers on how to run things.

Tell supporters who wants to attend any of the remaining games of the season to bring inflatable snakes... #expressyourself As for myself, I'm done spending money on a club that I have supported for 30 years until new owners are in place. 15 years of this madness is a long enough time already. New owners, new board, new manager, new beginning.

Anyone betting on that Derby will finish higher than us this season? They have Swansea, Portsmouth, Luton, Hull and Stoke left to face. Not impossible and if that were to actually happen, then all fans will understand the tremendous amount of damage caused by the owners and board for not being able to keep hold of Eustace. For all the inflatable snakes being displayed towards him as an act of being betrayed, the real ones are still at club, dismantling it piece by piece until nothing is left.

Main plan should be trying to cross it to Gueye, but unfortunately our two pacey "significant investments" in Dennis and Kargbo are both injured. Instead, we probably have to worry about whether Travis can keep track of Azaz since Tronstad is not starting. Our lack of pace out wide will likely prove costly in this game.

No, you missed Gueye.

Think Waggott meant that the owners have put in a total of circa 300 million pounds throughout their entire ownership tenure (15 years). Latest accounts (2024) showed that the internal debt lies around 134 million pounds. Would be rather naive from their part to ask for new owners to take on the entirety of that debt since they created the mess in the first place (i.e. relegation from PL) but makes sense from a business standpoint. With a reported net worth of 1.5 billion pounds, the Venky's are seemingly more than capable of taking a loss so there might be some leeway for prospective owners to negotiate the price. They purchased the club in 2010 for reportedly 23 million pounds from Walker Trust while also taking on additional 20 million pounds worth of debt at that time; you can make a strong case that they bought the club on the cheap considering the squad value/club status but still failed to invest in/manage the club properly to keep them up. Today's squad value is somewhere around 35 million pounds according to Transfermarkt if you deduct the value for all five current loanees. Squad value: 35 million Internal debt: 134 million Facilities (Brockhall/STC, Ewood Park): 25 million? Total: close to 200 million pounds. Don't think the owners will entertain any offers below 100 million given these numbers, but I could be way off in terms of what they value at this point. Prospective owners will have to set target for an immediate return to PL if they want to pay off the debt the club has towards Venky's. Maybe an initial offer of say 60 million and a structuring of the 134 million debt to be paid within 15-20 years might entice them to sell? Big risk on the buyers' side of course, but the upside is there for everyone to see (return to PL, bigger attendances etc.).

What a disgusting interview that was from the three charlatans. Constant lies and twisting of facts. Pasha - "Owners have no restriction when it comes to remitting funds overseas". Where has the money gone then for the past 15 months? Or has it all been spent covering operational costs together with transfer funds received from the sales of Wharton and Szmodics? Waggott - "We did our due diligence and thorough search in finding a replacement for Eustace." Really? It took you 4-5 weeks to source a replacement who wants to play possession-based, high-pressing football with focus on youth development? I would argue that this kind of mindset/philosophy is rather common among managers/ head coaches nowadays. Not only that, but this kind of approach (switch of tactical style mid-season) is also admitting that they were willing to throw this season away in order to start a new "project". Waggott - "There will be funds available in the summer" Why weren't those funds spent this winter transfer window in that case? Signing three players on loan, two on a free, and one player (Kargbo) for less than a million pound is not "significant investment" in any way, shape or form, especially when you're chasing a playoff-spot. Gestede - "This is an exciting time for the club" What's exciting about half the squad being out of contract in the summer? Gestede - "We won't enter contract negotiations with players until we know which league we'll be playing in next season" Really? How is this forward-planning? Is the new head coach onboard with this? Has he been given assurances which players will be offered new contracts or which player profiles the club will target in the summer? Since Eustace left mostly because of lack of clarity in this department, I strongly doubt there will be any renewals apart from a few who might be on low wages already. The likes of Travis, Tronstad and Brittain will certainly be looking at other options in the summer. Club is absolutely done under these owners. Reluctant to sell, reluctant to spend and reluctant to get promoted. Only hope is that they fail to pay out wages at some point, EFL subsequently disqualifies them in an Owners' & Directors' Test (just like what happened to Reading FC recently) and that the club manage to find a new owner before any sanctions/penalties are imposed.

The owners/board are draining money/assets from the club every single day and are actively sabotaging any chances of gaining promotion. Why should fans put up with this every single week? If Waggott/Pasha/Gestede wants to continue watching games from the stands, then leave them in an empty stadium from now on. Here are some reasons as to why the club will never progress under current ownership: - Will probably fail a fit & proper test if ever promoted to EPL, forcing the owners to sell their "beloved" asset. - Money generated from sales of Szmodics, Wharton etc. will never be reinvested back into the squad. - Court case in India will drag on indefinitely; owners will use it as an excuse to not sending funds overseas. - Ismael was not the best candidate for the team out of the supposedly 150 but he was the best candidate for the owners when it comes to sabotaging this season. Constant switches in formation, starting Woodrow over Gueye, already talking about plans for next season etc. This is a manager/head coach who was appointed for a specific "demolition job" for sure. - Half of the squad will leave by the end of season (loanees returning, short term contracts expiring). No funds will be made available to sign new players. Incomings will be of the cheaper kind, quality of the squad will drop. - Relegation to L1 next season looks likely at this point. Owners are delusional and are dreaming about selling club assets until the internal debt is cleared. That will never happen. Final nail in the coffin for their ownership will be the downgrade of the Academy from Category 1 status and failure to bring in a new Adam Wharton to the ranks. When all assets are sold and gone, so are they. Club at that point will probably be in a really bad shape and could take several years before being able to climb up the leagues again.

My realistic thoughts about the future is that we're heading towards League One by the end of next season if nothing changes. And unlike the last time we were relegated, I don't think the players in this squad will see it as their "duty" or obligation to stay and get the club back up nor do I think Ismael will be able to motivate them to do so. Regarding contracts, here are my predictions as to what will happen: Dolan - will leave this summer when contract expires with Derby a likely destination. Cantwell - will want to move on as he was a "Eustace signing". Club probably "happy" to get rid of his wages. Hedges/Hyam - one year option will be triggered for both, extending their contracts to summer 2026. Both are likely to leave at that point, especially Hyam as he's on quite decent wages. Brittain/Travis/Tronstad - all three will probably have speculation/rumours around their future in the summer as they all head into their final year of the contract and being key players this season. Will not be surprised if one or two of these are sold for a small profit (which will not be reinvested anyway). Beck/Dennis/ACD/Woodrow/Sanderson - will all go back to their parent clubs by the end of season. Club can't afford to sign any of them on a permanent deal, especially the three PL loanees. Batth/Ribeiro - both might get a one-year extension taking their contracts to 2026. Weimann/Forshaw - both likely to get released by the end of season. Buckley - will want to leave due to lack of game time this season. Markanday - believe he has a one-year option as well but wouldn't be surprised if club decides to sell if a League One side comes in with a bid this summer. What is left? Pears, Toth, Carter, JRC, Pickering, O'Riordan, Wharton, Garrett, Leonard, Kargbo, Gueye, Ohashi, Tyjon and a bunch of academy players. Front line of Ohashi, Kargbo, Gueye, Tyjon and Leonard should at least be able to score plenty of goals in L1. Rest of the squad looks non-existent however so fans could be in for some rather entertaining scorelines come L1 season 26/27.

I solely blame Hyam for both goals actually. He completely lost his man tracking back for the first one when their winger skips past Dennis, forcing Carter to cover the run at near post. Hyam is not covering near post nor does he pick up any player, essentially leaving 2 vs 3 centrally in the box. Second goal is just embarrassing how easy it is for Meite to ghost behind before making a run to time the header just ahead of him. Hyam doesn't look fit to be honest; maybe he's struggling with a mild form of concussion given the head bandage. Should be dropped if he's not 100 percent.

Beginning to think that Ismael was hired because he's a 'yes-man', willing to take the owners' side over the team just like Gestede. The way he has talked negatively about the players' previous performances this season (not creating many chances in the win against Leeds for example), talking about how he wants the team to have more possession without having any clear ideas on how to "penetrate" the opposition as he likes to describe it, and how quickly he has demolished the defensive stability being built by Eustace makes you wonder what the board was thinking when offering him a 3-year contract. Pathetic. I'm more certain now than ever that there's gonna be a massive player turnover this summer and with a significantly weaker squad, the team will head into next season being one of the favorites for relegation. Our luck in managerial appointments are over for now and I seriously doubt the board will sack Ismael before it's too late.

Sorry to say this but head coach looks already lost after just three games. Switch of formation from a back four to back three after just 15 minutes against Derby and then start with a back three against Stoke only to panic and go 4-4-2 in the final ten is just ridiculous. Dropping Tronstad to the bench and play Forshaw is a joke in itself. I don't think the players know at this point what Ismaël wants them to do on the pitch, what positions to take up and where to make the runs, hence the constant changes in tactical setup. Fully expect more defeats and abysmal displays from now on until the end of season. After riding their luck with the appointment of Eustace, this one might actually cause a turn of fortunes. Given the contractual situation for many of the players, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if some of them will want to seek a move elsewhere in the summer. If that's the case, then there's a genuine concern as to whether the team will be competitive enough to even stay up next season.

Quite telling how a lack of leadership at the back are costing us at the moment. Defence was all over the place in the first half vs Derby. Pears not commanding his box by punching the ball for the first goal, Carter/Hyam unable to clear the ball for the second, and Sanderson almost gifting them a third. Batth provided that leadership and made both Pears and Hyam look better when he came into the side for injured Carter. Don't expect much from Pears but Hyam is a real disappointment in this regard. Wouldn't surprise me if Ismaël starts with a back three against Stoke after seeing that mess yesterday.

A manager "capitulating" after 15 minutes by switching formation to match your opponent is never a good sign. Sure, Ismaël has only managed two games but you would think by now that he has some clear ideas on how he wants the team to play. Can tell you right now that we'll be in trouble if we were to revert back to being a possession-based team as we simply don't have the players for it. Focus should lie on verticality, tempo and hitting other teams on the break, not passing the ball around outside the box. On another note, Pears is an absolute coward for not catching the ball for the first goal; almost always chooses to punch the ball when challenged in the air. Might as well replace him with Toth for the next few games because Pears doesn't instill any confidence whatsoever into our defence right now.

Pears 6 - Didn't have much to do throughout the game. Can't be blamed for the goal as center backs should've closed down Crnac quicker inside the box. Ribeiro 6 - Similar abilities to Pickering; decent crosser but lacks pace. Need Beck back into the team. Hyam 5 - Unnecessary foul on the keeper during first half. Hopefully won't serve a ban for it. Carter 6 - First ninety minutes for a while. Will need a few games to get up to speed. Brittain 7 - Looked lively on the right hand side, making several strides forward. Forshaw 5 - Sloppy in his passing game. Didn't venture forward much either. Positive news that Tronstad is back. Travis 6 - Worked hard but wasn't getting forward enough to support the attackers. Kargbo 7 - Did well in his first start, taking on his opponent on the left and causing problems. Got a bit tired in the second for obvious reasons. Cantwell 5 - Game didn't suit him as it was played with a fairly high intensity and he had to do a bit of chasing when out of possession. Couldn't connect or find passes to Kargbo or Gueye and was taken off for Weimann on the hour mark. Dolan 4 - Poor game yet again. Doesn't beat his marker for pace and often finds himself making wrong decisions in final third. Can't possibly see him retaining his place once Dennis is match fit. Gueye 7 - Worked hard, providing an outlet for the team with his ability to hold off defenders and link-up play with his teammates. Needs to be at the end of crosses inside the box more often as he drifted out wide too much. Match summary: Not much between the sides to be fair. Norwich started well but Rovers grew into it at the end of first half and enjoyed a bit more possession in second. Dennis is a bit off pace; unnecessary foul/booking for the first challenge but still slightly unlucky to be sent off (second yellow) trying to get on the end of a cross. Game turned at that point but great response to get back on level terms at the final minute. Central midfield aren't really supporting the attackers with runs into the box so feel that it's important that we get Beck back to provide a threat out wide on the left and offer Kargbo options when he's drifting inside.

Norwich are ranked top three in league in terms of possession so don't think Cantwell is suited to play against opponents who wants to press high and make it compact/ restrict space in the middle (even though he might get fired up playing against his former club). We need pacey wingers and central midfielders who can make runs into the box in this game to hit them successfully on the counter. Pears Brittain Hyam Sanderson/Carter Ribeiro Buckley Travis JRC Dolan/Dennis Kargbo Gueye Would like for Pears to get dropped but I honestly haven't seen Toth perform well enough to warrant a change.

I understand that but can't imagine Ismaël would've signed a three-year deal without being given some sort of clarity / guarantees with regards to the contractual situation for basically half the squad. Either that or he's really desperate to get back into management. Like everyone else, I wish him all the best but it's frustrating how slow the club is acting in key areas like player recruitment and replacement of a head coach.

Three-year contract until June 2028 huh? Yet they weren't prepared to offer Eustace an improved one. Interesting... https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2025/february/25/welcome-valerien-ismael/

Problem is that the club is being run more like a clown show rather than a proper business. A manager / head coach role isn't exactly an entry position into a company in which 150 people happily can apply for and genuinely believe that they are qualified. A proper way of handling a departing head coach would be to have a contingency plan in place, i.e. a list of say ten managers, contact their representatives to find out about their demands, narrow it down to 3-4 that matches with what the club is willing to pay, call them for interviews and then make a final decision a few days later. This process should have already started once rumours about Eustace going to WBA, Coventry, Wolves etc. started appearing in the press at the end of last year given how fragile the contract was (500K release-clause). But the club is always in a reactive state, never proactive. Whether it regards player transfers or a new head coach, the club never behaves in a state of urgency with respect to the current situation, but will rather wait until the very last minute to make a cost-saving decision.

"Abismael", as in an "abysmal" appointment. Alright, I'll see myself out...

The story of Rovers for the past six years (not in chronological order): - Never spent more than 1 million pound in any of the last six winter transfer windows. - Club makes a statement, saying that there has been a "significant" investment in January when commenting on Derby's approach for Eustace. - Club receives an official bid in the region of 10 million euros from French side Nice for Brereton Diaz during his final year of the contract. Bid was rejected and the player subsequently leaves on a free the following summer. - Club has raked in around 35 million pounds with the sales of Wharton and Szmodics yet less than ten percent of that money has been reinvested in the squad. - Eustace has already been in charge for two matches at Derby yet we are entering our third (or even fourth?) week of finding a replacement among the supposedly 150 applicants. - Club responds angrily when they're getting "deceived" by a head coach's intentions (Eustace) yet doesn't have a contingency plan in place for someone whose release-clause is set to merely 500K. - Messed up (on purpose?) the transfers of Brierley, O'Brien and McGuire for two successive January windows, with the latter player leading to JDT resigning. - John Park leaves his position for the second time, with rumours circulating around power struggles within the club as reason behind it. - Club has failed on numerous occasions to capitalize on a promising league position by not investing or strengthen the squad around mid-season. I don't want to hear anyone say that they "trust the process" of the club when it's blatantly clear for everyone else that the decision-makers are clueless, running around like headless chickens with no committment or strategy and whose sole mission is to please the owners by cost-cutting, downsizing, bring in a bunch of players on short term deals or loans, sell training facility internally to a subsidiary for some "shrewd" accounting purposes, and let Ewood Park rot by not implementing necessary maintenance of it.

Well, I hope people realise by now that David Lowe is not the right guy for head coach. By the looks of it, he seems to wanting to emulate Eustace in terms of both tactics and starting XI but it´s telling that he has no clue in changing his approach when trailing by a goal or two. I firmly believe he managed to win the first two matches simply because the team scored the first goal and they could stick with the same tactics and setup throughout 90 minutes. Today he was tested and couldn't muster a response from the side. Just really tiresome of seeing the same players on the pitch underperforming game after game (Hedges, Dolan, Weimann). Putting in one good performance every four or five matches is not good enough at this level. At least the pressure is back on for the board to make a decision ahead of the Norwich game. They now know full well that hiring Lowe as HC isn't going to sit nicely with the supporters.

Thing is, if the club doesn't appoint a new reputable head coach now and miss out on the playoffs / promotion, then you're looking at a severely decimated team with many players on loan returning to parent clubs and others leaving due to expiring contracts. Our chances of hiring a qualified head coach in the summer will be vastly more difficult in that regard. I just find it really poor for the club to have no contingency plan whatsoever, knowing that the release-clause was set to ~£500 K. Owners/Waggott/Pasha tried to play hardball and it backfired; they never imagined even once that Eustace was prepared to move to a team in the relegation zone.