StHelensRover

I remember seeing something in Blackburn Museum about Blackburn being the 'Beeriest town in England" at one point, with the most pubs per capita of any major town or city. In more recent years I think it was reported in the Guardian that we have the most takeaways per capita and that people in Blackburn had better access to takeaways than GPs per capita. Interesting reasons to be on the map, or not(?). I'd rather we were back on the map for footballing reasons but appreciate that could be many years away.

I don't disagree with any of that. But then it just makes me question why the manager allowed the club to sell Dominic Hyam right at the very last second of the transfer window? He was by far our most experienced and least injury-prone central defender, we didn't need to sell him for any reason. We should actually have been doubling down by giving him a small pay rise and a new contract. VI should have been arguing for this. But we 'cashed in'. If I was VI I would have blocked/vetoed that sale and made it a red line. It was a crazy decision, but he allowed it. Knowing how injury prone our other defenders are and not knowing whether youngsters like Pratt would be ready to step-up made it a massive gamble. Yes we've had bad luck with injuries and suspensions, but that's why you keep the squad as strong as you can and retain as much experience as you can. We didn't do any of that this summer. On his watch. I don't understand what his ambition is for Blackburn Rovers. I know I come across as really negative about him, I would genuinely like nothing better than to be eventually proved wrong, looking a fool and have people saying "cannot believe you wrote him off, you're an idiot". However I cannot see us making any progress as a football club under him. To me, he's part of the cheap, cheerful, mediocre approach which is endemic throughout the club.

That's not the whole story is it? If I was being interviewed for a job and I was told that the strategy was to let all the most experience staff leave and replace them with much less experienced staff on lower wages, where we have no idea how long it will take them to become competent, or whether they would ever become competent at all, that would be a massive red flag. Ismael presumably knew this would be the case when he took over, they must have discussed long term strategy with regards to current playing staff and future recruitment. So he doesn't get to use it as an excuse, he doesn't get a pass as he took the job on those terms. If he had no idea any of that would happen, then you would expect him to be extremely disgruntled about it, in the same way that Eustace and JDT evidently were. Instead he has indicated that everything is fine, fans and journalists are wrong and he, Rudy and whoever else are correct. He slapped down the suggestion that the squad is weaker than last season's when we can all see that it is. Not 'tosh' is it?

This is the first game this season (and we're at the end of November) that I'm expecting we will win. QPR are very inconsistent, they won't bring many fans up to East Lancashire on a miserable cold November mid-week. It won't be a classic but I think we'll win this 1-0.

I still think he's shite. We're 18th in the league, we've won one home game and got knocked out the cup by a lower league team. If I was appointed instead of him last year I think I could have made a better fist of getting us into the playoffs than he did. Anyone being smarmy about him because we won a local derby can jog on for me. I never wanted him appointed and my jaw will go through the floor if he ever musters anything measurable as 'success', which would be qualifying for the playoffs, he won't. Edit - I don't want to see anyone using transfer policy as an excuse for him. When he interviewed for the job, that was his chance to interview the club about it's plans to progress. If he didn't ask, didn't listen, or simply waved through their shambolic, tinpot, unambitious plans then he doesn't get the excuse of "doing well with a poor squad".

9 points of breathing space now, hopefully that is a big mental boost for the squad. We just need to keep chipping away and maintaining that gap and we can do it with the big six pointers we have coming in December 🤞 I think we all acknowledge that at least one of Sheff Utd and Norwich, if not both, will eventually begin to climb out. Another 10 wins needed this season to stay up, hopefully we can get 3 or 4 of those before end of December.

I don't think he's that arsed about us, he has no connection beyond managing us for almost a year, I don't think it's that deep for him. Like many he probably saw us as a stepping stone, it's just that on this occasion he made a sideways (at the time a step down) away from us which was galling for us, I don't think it keeps him awake at night. Out moronic owners keep me awake though. It's probably the satisfaction that came from the performance. They completely mugged us off in that game, it was the perfect away performance. Any manager would want to hang their hat on it. They've barely won any matches, so not surprising it stood out.

Great performance that I didn't see coming. We do seem to be a completely different outfit away from home. Maybe playing with less pressure and not expected to take games by the scruff of the neck. Regardless, we were definitely the better team last night. Apart from the crazy 15 seconds which led to the Preston goal, that back 3/5 looked okay. Very pleased for Pratt to see him step up and deliver. I couldn't really fault the performance of any of the starting 11 who all worked their socks off. The subs all did well when they came on. One exception was Maktar Gueye, who honestly. I give up with. I know he has put the ball in the net on a couple of occasions, but he might be the least gifted striker we've ever signed and his attitude stinks to boot. The poor man's Grabbi

I'm down at the ground by the turnstiles and is a lot of younger Rovers fans (can't be older than 18/19) singing absolutely disgusting songs about Tom Finney. Tried to call them out on it and basically got told to F/O. Hope others will call it out when they hear it as well. Cannot believe anyone would sing about anyone dying at football matches, let alone someone like Finney. Disgraceful.

Massive for them because they still have something to play for this season besides trying to finish 21st like us

If we lose Cantwell, which I'm worried we will, we'll have lost our club captain in 3 of the last 4 transfer windows.

5000 away fans turning up on a cold Friday night, many paying more than thirty quid a pop. We deserve better than this. We all knew this would happen sooner or later and we pointed out in the summer. Why couldn't our manager and recruitment see how lightweight the squad was? I think they probably could see, and don't really give a toss. Who knows what the lineup is gonna be, might as well draw the remaining fit players out of a hat. Disaster waiting to happen. I said the other day I would take a point, that was when I expected at least Carter OR Cantwell to play, now we're without both, I don't know what to think.

I wouldn't say it's quite 'tinfoil hat' to worry that one of our best players is looking to leave the club, when several other senior players jumped ship as quickly as they could several months ago. I also think it's more likely than the idea of professional doctors and physios not knowing how to diagnose an injury.

I think he would look good in most teams that are in the top half of the Championship to be honest. He's one of those players which is going to be better with other players around him on his level/wavelength. Sometimes he tries things at Rovers then looks visibly frustrated that other players didn't see the run or the pass etc. A team like Boro or Coventry could come in for him, poach him off us for peanuts, easily pay him more than we would and even have him as a luxury squad player, like Ipswich did with the Travis loan and the Szmodics transfer. Our best players are squad players for the stronger Championship sides.

I'm worried about Cantwell as well, has his head been turned? Has his agent sorted him something for January, meaning he won't want to scupper a move by aggravating any injuries etc? It was a few days, then a few weeks, now we're into November. Probably 6 weeks before he can bolt, along with Toth and Tronstad. Fingers crossed that I'm deluded and he plays and scores on Friday...