Local supporters groups are fantastic things for football clubs. They keep folk involved, especially outside the borough of BwD. They can sort home travel, away travel, Q&As, prize nights etc. Most clubs of any average size have many active groups. Ours have largely withered on the vine. All part of the general malaise and complacency around the club, that I think was noticeable even before Venky’s. The ones that have survived are usually down to the independent drive of certain individuals - Birdy and the Ewood Blues, as an example.

You look back to the club in the 90s and yes having a truly great side ensured they were often pushing an open door, but they never rested on their laurels. Supporters clubs set up outside east Lancs, links to schools across the region, school tickets, buses put on, Saturday clubs, soccer schools and on it went. We will never get close to replicating the numbers of that period purely because of the product on the pitch. But that doesn’t mean we just give up and hope the 8-10,000 just renew their season ticket, whilst pushing up prices and chasing sponsors, which seems to be the overriding approach at the moment. Accy Stanley are proactive, we seem anything but, we have 20,000 empty seats, what’s to lose?

1875 has two main ‘benefits’ 1) Priority on away tickets for season ticket holders who buy additional 1875 membership. Now moot as we are back in a league where every away game reaches general sale. 2) Savings on home tickets - £3 off, plus no surcharge. I imagine season ticket holders taking advantage of 1) made up the bulk of the membership. Most didn’t bother with it this season. So, if the club isn’t going to really push its benefits as a cost saver for home matches, just scrap it.

Reading the latest FF minutes, Waggott obviously expected the surcharge to encourage early purchases, he is ‘surprised’ that it hasn’t, so it’s a failed policy and should be scrapped. Doesn’t look like those present picked him up on that. What I don’t get is how poorly they promote the 1875 Club, as a member not only do you not pay a surcharge if you turn up at 2pm, you also get £3 off the standard price. They bury that fact in the small print of the advertisements, when it should be the 1875 price they actually promote, reel folk in.

Oh I agree DE, just trying to take CP to task. I assume founder members and all round proper club Derby County are another of these ‘also rans’.

Think Blueboy is yanking yer chain! As far as I’m aware any bus that gets put on from Darwen, Accy, Rishton etc. is independent, usually from a pub. I believe Waggott is ‘looking into’ club run buses.

I think it’s a good system, the club is actually getting with it, cup tickets on season cards, contactless payments, whatever next? But an auto confirmation email or receipt should be sent out, for you own records as much as anything else.

Come on Stu! I know it’s early Frank Lampard’s Derby County were superb down there, christ knows how we scabbed a draw. Leeds, outplayed them at Ewood and well we know about Boxing Day.

FLDC played us off the park, something The Analyst couldn’t muster in two attempts.

I bet that’s the game I spotted him have a few crafty fags at the back...

I know there isn’t. The fact 40% of ticket buyers are paying it proves it isn’t having the desired effect to make folk buy early. I doubt it puts off most of the 1,000 or so fans that pay it every game, this forum is rarely representative of the larger fanbase, I mean if you are willing to pay £25 to watch Rovers v Ipswich in January, then what’s 3 more quid? That doesn’t make it right, So I’m just glad they have a week where they don’t have to. And here’s hoping after a couple of years attempted re-training of people’s buying habits, I.e buy early, it’s quietly dropped from next season. And I would hope you will be campaigning for that in the Fans Forum.

How will we O2G? I doubt it puts many folk off. We have a core of people that buy tickets game by game, and nearly half of them buy on the day, ‘twas ever thus, they just now pay an even more ridiculous price for mid table second tier football. In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose. Only a hardcore will be spending £25 for a game against Ipswich in January to start with. Folk just won’t get ripped off for once.

Most Rovers fans I know are season ticket holders who don’t spend their time on sites like this, so I imagine most of them don’t even know about it. However, nearly half of our match ticket buyers arent using tablets or mobiles to purchase, but are still buying post 12pm on a match day and being charged extra for it, so it obviously isn’t having the desired effect of making folk buy early, just ripping people off. I have no idea if its putting anyone off coming, but why put any more obstacles in the way, when we have nearly 20,000 empty seats every week? Look across Ewood Park on a match day, the surcharge isn’t exactly a form of crowd control!

We don’t live in a perfect world, that’s why tickets currently cost between £22 and £30 which is more than enough for bottom half second tier football. Another £3 because you buy your tickets at 1.30pm is a pisstake and not far off half of those buying tickets are being ripped off. It was not something we needed for 20 years before last season, a period when we had much higher attendances by the way. I agree, it is a fuss - one created by the club.

Should people behave like that? No. Are they total cretins? Yes. Would any of those people talk to him like that in a pub? No. Will it ever stop on social media? No. Almost every celebrity, public figure, politician or sportsperson get abused on social media; doesn’t matter if they are a genius, a scumbag or just a middling type. Just look at what Messi and Ronaldo receive. If you have a Twitter or instagram account as a famous person you will get trolled, it’s sport for that bizarre subset of people that inflict it. Your only option is to come off it, go private or put up with it (death threats aside, obviously). For those in their 20s and under, social media of some description has always been there, from MSN messenger onwards and this kind of thing just seems normal and it can’t be good for society.

I can imagine a lot of it ‘is you’re shit’ and varieties there of. That unfortunately does ‘come with the territory’, it’s a shame but that’s the online world, the Pandora’s box is well and truly open and the only option you have is to come off it. However, what kind of vile stuff has there been? Genuine question as I try to avoid reading comments.

We could feasibly finish anywhere between about 8th and 18th, this league is far too fluid to even try and guess. So surely all the ‘underachieving’ ‘overachieving’ stuff waits till May?

I take it it used to be substantially higher than 40% of match ticket purchasers who bought them in the run up to KO? If not, the surcharge has made little difference and is purely ripping folk off...

I think match going Rovers fans have been excellent with him considering he hasn’t had an auspicious start (to say the least), so all credit. 20 years ago that would be that, apart from the Lancashire Telegraph letters page! He wouldn’t hear folk saying he’s shite down the pub, Now with social media being what it is he can’t escape it. Everybody gets it, even well established players having a bad spell. It’s a cesspit full of a sub section of very sad people. He’ll need a thick skin.

Course it worked. Over 12,000 home fans attending a midweek 3rd round replay in January and it was live on TV. I’d say there was considerably more Rovers fans actually in the ground than many league matches. Take out the Liverpool/Man Utd matches, I’d say it was the best attended cup tie we’ve had for donkeys years, possibly since Burnley in 2005. More home fans than the Man City weekend tie in 2014, more than the 5th round weekend tie against West Ham in 2016. More than double the figure for fairly recent weekend ties against Stoke, Swansea etc. Nevermind the quarter final replay against Millwall or league cup semi against Villa. Lets hope Waggott is comparing like for like when gauging its success.

No surcharge on Saturday as a ‘post Christmas gesture’. First sign of a climbdown?

How can it be right that a cup tie only has VAR in one leg and not the other? Just because one side happens to be in the PL? It’s Ewood Park not the Crown Ground!

Extra time is rare, but we looked absolutely knackered in the second period - though them scoring right on half time looked like it deflated us. Bit we’ve seen it in the later stages of league matches too...

Cue meltdown at 2pm on Saturday (me included)...

I’m trying to be as supportive as possible. So I watched him closely last night. Nothing more needs to be said about what he’s not doing well and the fact his confidence looks completely shot. But to me, I *think* his game is about strong running with the ball, trying to nick fouls etc (I’m really reaching, as by the time he’s got up to speed, he’s usually either lost control of it or been dispossessed). He isnt going to play up front and we have better options out wide, 10 mins here and there won’t help. So he MUST now be the main man for the U23s or loaned out, he needs to improve his game dramatically, not just play them and Nuttall promoted to the first team squad. We can make do until May, I suppose. A new, EXPERIENCED striker has to be the priority in the summer, let’s hope there’s dosh left...