I’ve already said conceding three was their problem. But ultimately a game that Spurs lost has been nullified because the won their home game without conceding. Did I mention I can’t stand Spurs?

It’s a shame that Waggott is so one dimensional. If his price point was based on 10,000 ST holders then he could achieve that same revenue by offering a discount for more fans buying. Sadly it’s all about “value” with this one and not about filling the ground.

It would have been great drama. If that 93rd minute winner would have counted. In the end it was a damp squib as the first leg result was all that mattered.

It would be an interesting debate if it wasn’t for... ...efffing Spurs. ?

VAR is only as good as the humans manipulating operating it.

Without them Bazza we would probably still be a PL side. Impossible to ignore the past until Venkys leave. It’s like having kidnappers up for a parent of the year award. You’ve contracted Stockholm syndrome mate. Get well soon.

If it was definitely offside then it is fair. If Spurs goal was definitely not handball then it’s fair but what a ridiculous way to settle such a dramatic a cup tie. No winners tonight. Still, City need to learn to defend then they wouldn’t need to worry about such fine margins as away goals. Liverpool will win the league and Van Dyke will win POTS for that reason alone.

I really shouldn’t care either way but I honestly cannot stand Spurs. Barca’s Champions League this year.

Disallowed by VAR!

City have just scored!!

Disagree fundamentally, Bazza. Venkys have turned this club into a zombie. We are the walking dead; Bolton-in-waiting and we are now in such a dire financial position that we are utterly beholden to them. I await the dawn when the Raos are no more. They are not decent and sincere, they may be rich but they are arrogant and ignorant, and absent. I’m not even going to get into the naive bs. We are stuck with them. I for one am not grateful.

The thing is, Matty, that kind of approach would be more consistent with making the club look like a going concern to support a sale. As we are stuck with Venkys indefinitely and Mowbray is planning for a tenure of Alex Ferguson proportions, the club should be bringing the fans with them, and growing the attendance. Short termism only seems to apply to ripping off fans.

The EFL does not care about its members. They are in good company though because neither do the PL, FA, UEFA, or FIFA.

Honestly, Venkys have not been humiliated globally. I’d suggest hardly even in India. Only football fans in the UK will have even heard of Venkys at all. Their share price has gone through the roof over the last few years. A small group of people made a small ripple, mainly confined to the football world. It is Rovers who have been humiliated.

Spirit of Shankley was successful because they were able to get celebrities on board. There was a video of famous faces one after the other imploring them to sell and putting pressure on the football authorities. It also brought about interest from other parties that there would be an opportunity coming up. SOS made the Hicks and Gillette ownership of Liverpool toxic and they had to sell. Don’t want to reopen old wounds but it pains me that we didn’t show that passion even just to get rid of Kean - which as least our minority protests eventually managed. Who knows what 20,000 Rovers fans could have achieved. All too late now and we are stuck with Venkys simply because of the millions we are in debt to them. Fans can make a difference and I applaud the Blackpool fans who made their sacrifices.

Depends where you play them. If Chapman is physically strong enough, and Conor Mahoney was then Butterworth is. Only one way to find out.

Lol - Rovers caught in a lie again. So when they say “can’t” they mean “won’t”. It was a nonsense response anyway. They can subside whatever they like. They chose coaches. Why? Well, my view is that Waggott believes in “creating value” by keeping ticket prices high and making them “worth something”. Reducing away prices exposes the fact that they are too expensive - especially if Rovers walk-ons are also high. The problem is when he rides roughshod over complaints by playing the loyalty card. That’s the insulting bit. As for pricing, the attendance figures will answer that. 10,000 empty seats every week vs 28,000 on for Oxford says that the pricing is wrong. Really value is created by the buyer not the seller. Unless you are Apple or Arsenal. In 2018/19 Rovers cheapest season tickets were £9 more expensive than City’s. Regardless of how they are funded that does not translate into good value.

Good post. But I’ll say it again. Waggott sees ST holders as cash cows. They will pay “£100 a match if that was the price” because that’s what proper supporters do apparently.

Price freezes aren’t the answer though, Matty. Not unless they are open ended. (Apologies if that’s what you meant). The club froze the momentum that they gained last year and Mowbray deliberately didn’t strengthen the squad. In fact, he accidentally and then deliberately weakened it. It’s only right that they should freeze the price that people paid last season (and I mean without increasing what I paid to the post-early bird “offer”. I don’t expect anything but what we have seen so far. Early bird renewal at last season’s increased price, with a deadline after which it will increase again. And why? Because people keep paying it, especially given that the accompanying marketing campaign is emotional blackmail. I’ll be looking at next season’s pricing, for the first time, with a view to not renewing and instead picking and choosing matches - probably back in the Riverside - because I’m sick of Waggott taking the piss out of loyal supporters, and the football has been self-induced crap for a lot of games.

Missing the point seems to be the thing Waggott does best. It isn’t in any way a “thank you for fantastic support”. That kind of offer would have been better being sent in a letter to individuals - maybe lapsed ST holders or walk-on fans - not as a generic offer. They’ve made a pig’s ear of pricing and offers all season, missed the boat and taken season ticket holders for the cash cows that they are. We have the CEO we deserve.

What Matty said.

I meant the next Travis in terms of being young and hungry. Not position. Let’s not forget though, Travis wasn’t a central midfielder either...

This is the whole paradox of ST vs walk ons. We need to get more people in the door is the bottom line. However... The time to do that was during the Christmas break when we had back to back home games at an expensive time of year, and half STs were about to go on sale. The idea that £15 tickets for a pointless match after a very mediocre season will bring anything close to the promotion party Oxford game is just nonsensical. They have still done nothing to reward fans who stuck by the club during some really bad times, with Kean and Coyle and double relegations. The only thing we have had is inflation busting ST price increases under the guise of annual early bird deals. The end of season awards tickets are £75. Where is the big discounts for long standing ST holders? Answer - nowhere because it’s all about the money. Waggott should be reducing walk-on prices for certain games throughout the season (to generate a proper home gate, an self-starting atmosphere, and increased interest) not stupid 6 game bundles which are then used as an excuse not to offer lower prices and, in parallel, increasing the value of a ST with little bonuses. There was an exclusive event this year for 1875 club members - where was the one for ST holders?

Still waiting.

JRC would be on the wing for me but he can certainly cover at full back. Butterworth is one I rate very highly. He’s the next Travis. Good on the ball but very very hungry. Demands the best from himself and others. Being honest he probably needs a loan move to continue his development but he’d be a good foil for Reed. Travis and Butterworth wouldn’t be enough at this level but he’d be a good option from the bench. I don’t know what it is but Davenport doesn’t stand out for me ahead of Butterworth and Buckley. He probably does the stuff others don’t. I really need to spend a bit more time watching (just) him but at the moment, the U23s are so good to watch it’s easy to get carried away and forget it’s all about development. Maybe that’s the fault of promotion and relegation.