Old Darwen Blue
Prediction Champion 2021, 2022 & 2023
In my humble opinion as Gallacher has never been a manager he knows bugger all. It’s bad enough listening to match commentaries when he spends half the time talking about himself.
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NEXT GAME:no idea
Sometime in August
Kick off unknown pm
No idea where
Definitely the Championship
Blades v Rovers
- Thread starter Barmitzvah Boy
- Start date
tonygreenbank
Senior Member
Especially as they’ll be without Doyle and Mcatee! 7-0 for City?
We could still meet them in the Playoff Final at Wembley with Travis hitting a screamer into the top corner in the last minute! I can but dream!
Old Darwen Blue
Prediction Champion 2021, 2022 & 2023
Now that is entirely possible pal. I’m convinced Boro will take that second spot.
I love the Championship for a club like us. How do you think Burnley fans are feeling about going up? They've had their best season and most fun in years and next season they'll be back to being whipping boys. They've lost a caring board and replaced them with some septic businessmen who probably can't find Burnley on an AA road map.
The only consolation is the money which is all important but that rarely gets spent on the supporters does it? If we were to spend a season in the prem I'd look fwd to seeing Ewood get a lick of paint, a fully re laid brand new pitch and a bob or two on the Academy, but I fear it will be spoken for by player's, their agents and the owners (who in fairness must need a draw). Also it would likely see us sold again to brand new overseas owners and who knows where that will lead?
blueandwhitehalves
Senior Member
I'm not a fan personally. Our PL status was holding back the tide of inevitable declining attendances due to Blackburn becoming a Muslim town and that community not going to games in significant numbers. Thanks to our brilliant strategy in the late 00s of recognising that gate receipts were a meagre fraction of TV money, and therefore we could slash prices to crazy levels with little overall effect on revenue, we were consistently pulling in a lot people from everywhere within a 5-10 mile radius of Blackburn. I remember my uni mate from Bradford even coming to a few games because he couldn't believe he could watch PL football for cheaper than he could watch Bradford City.
And by keeping our attendances up around 24-25,000, it kept the pubs/clubs/butty shops etc in Ewood open. There was also just more buzz about the town generally. In the Big Sam days, there'd be about a hundred of us stood on Rishton platform for the 12:24 train to Blackburn/Mill Hill to get some drinking in before the game. I remember them naming a shot after us in one Mill Hill pub (the "Rishton Rover", tasted terrible but I always bought one anyway
). All of that completely gone now.
Relegation has caused a lot of indirect damage to the whole area in my opinion, that will never be fixed as regaining our PL status for longer than a season at a time now will be nigh on impossible (and even managing 1 PL season is like climbing Everest). Such was the catastrophe of sacking Big Sam, which I'll never get over.
And by keeping our attendances up around 24-25,000, it kept the pubs/clubs/butty shops etc in Ewood open. There was also just more buzz about the town generally. In the Big Sam days, there'd be about a hundred of us stood on Rishton platform for the 12:24 train to Blackburn/Mill Hill to get some drinking in before the game. I remember them naming a shot after us in one Mill Hill pub (the "Rishton Rover", tasted terrible but I always bought one anyway
). All of that completely gone now.Relegation has caused a lot of indirect damage to the whole area in my opinion, that will never be fixed as regaining our PL status for longer than a season at a time now will be nigh on impossible (and even managing 1 PL season is like climbing Everest). Such was the catastrophe of sacking Big Sam, which I'll never get over.
tonygreenbank
Senior Member
With the benefit of hindsight B&WH I would agree about the sacking of BigSam but I have to say I can clearly remember my reaction at the time that our new owners were going to appoint a super manager who would propel us into the next level of brilliant football and we’d start winning trophies again.I'm not a fan personally. Our PL status was holding back the tide of inevitable declining attendances due to Blackburn becoming a Muslim town and that community not going to games in significant numbers. Thanks to our brilliant strategy in the late 00s of recognising that gate receipts were a meagre fraction of TV money, and therefore we could slash prices to crazy levels with little overall effect on revenue, we were consistently pulling in a lot people from everywhere within a 5-10 mile radius of Blackburn. I remember my uni mate from Bradford even coming to a few games because he couldn't believe he could watch PL football for cheaper than he could watch Bradford City.
And by keeping our attendances up around 24-25,000, it kept the pubs/clubs/butty shops etc in Ewood open. There was also just more buzz about the town generally. In the Big Sam days, there'd be about a hundred of us stood on Rishton platform for the 12:24 train to Blackburn/Mill Hill to get some drinking in before the game. I remember them naming a shot after us in one Mill Hill pub (the "Rishton Rover", tasted terrible but I always bought one anyway
Relegation has caused a lot of indirect damage to the whole area in my opinion, that will never be fixed as regaining our PL status for longer than a season at a time now will be nigh on impossible (and even managing 1 PL season is like climbing Everest). Such was the catastrophe of sacking Big Sam, which I'll never get over.
I was genuinely excited. The reality has been a systematic destruction of our club. We are a pale shadow of what we once were.
That is until the last few months when there is hope that this guy might just be the One to get us back on the road.
That’s why occasions like yesterday with a magnificent football match live on terrestrial TV with players confidence on a high and fans warming to them again might just be the catalyst that we need.
Dunnfc
Senior Member
Makes us more sellable though.
Dunnfc
Senior Member
Now that I totally agree with.I'm not a fan personally. Our PL status was holding back the tide of inevitable declining attendances due to Blackburn becoming a Muslim town and that community not going to games in significant numbers. Thanks to our brilliant strategy in the late 00s of recognising that gate receipts were a meagre fraction of TV money, and therefore we could slash prices to crazy levels with little overall effect on revenue, we were consistently pulling in a lot people from everywhere within a 5-10 mile radius of Blackburn. I remember my uni mate from Bradford even coming to a few games because he couldn't believe he could watch PL football for cheaper than he could watch Bradford City.
And by keeping our attendances up around 24-25,000, it kept the pubs/clubs/butty shops etc in Ewood open. There was also just more buzz about the town generally. In the Big Sam days, there'd be about a hundred of us stood on Rishton platform for the 12:24 train to Blackburn/Mill Hill to get some drinking in before the game. I remember them naming a shot after us in one Mill Hill pub (the "Rishton Rover", tasted terrible but I always bought one anyway
Relegation has caused a lot of indirect damage to the whole area in my opinion, that will never be fixed as regaining our PL status for longer than a season at a time now will be nigh on impossible (and even managing 1 PL season is like climbing Everest). Such was the catastrophe of sacking Big Sam, which I'll never get over.
So in a nutshell I guess some prefer to be a small fish in a big pond than a big fish in a small pond.
Either way I've been proud of the team the way they played at Leicester and Sheffield. Proper quality football that demands a really clinical striker up top. The team imo will be even stronger next season whether BBD and Dack stay or go as the Acadamy kids mature from lads into men. It is an exiting prospect BUT we need the man up top to make it all work.
Either way I've been proud of the team the way they played at Leicester and Sheffield. Proper quality football that demands a really clinical striker up top. The team imo will be even stronger next season whether BBD and Dack stay or go as the Acadamy kids mature from lads into men. It is an exiting prospect BUT we need the man up top to make it all work.
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Perhaps the only one that could not see it.
Just been listening to the football review on radio Lancs. Kevin Gallagher thinks pretty much the same - bemoaning the tactics change of 3 centre backs and saying that gaps appeared. Also couldn't believe how Dolan wasn't on the pitch with the tactic of playing the ball long to him.
Ludicrous to bring him on on 90+4
It really was the worst sustained ending to a game I gave ever seen from Rovers.
I mean 17 minutes of hardly getting out of your own half is pretty lame. We weren't playing Man City.
tonygreenbank
Senior Member
Just seen this from Twitter. Great effort by the club! Love JDT referring to “our town”.
blueandwhitehalves
Senior Member
Personally I'd already worked out Venkys by then. They'd been in charge a month when Big Sam was sacked and had already come out with a few ridiculous/naive comments. Talking about breaking into the top 4 through loan signings was a massive alarm bell, and their other comments on growing the brand in Asia and improving commercial performance gave me the impression they didn't understand Rovers' situation.
You can't significantly grow a club like Rovers. The Jack Walker era surely proved that. We already had among the highest attendances per head of population of any club in Europe, and the town demographic was turning away from football. The gloryhunter effect of kids latching onto top 6 clubs was also getting worse. And we're surrounded by a large number of other clubs, 2 of them giants in Man U and Liverpool. This is a saturated area of the country football-wise, even Man City have struggled to grow to the point of selling out all home games after a decade of domination.
If you buy a club like Rovers and want to elevate it success-wise, be prepared to lose money. Whether that's about £3m per season like the Walker Trust were doing to keep us competitive in the PL, or hundreds of millions like Jack did to have us top 6. I'm not sure Venkys have ever even had the latter available to spend.
We had it seriously, seriously good at the time of Big Sam. We'd already rolled a 5 on the dice, it was madness to roll again expecting a 6. But I think being spoilt by the miracle of the 1990s resulted in a vast under-appreciation of what a golden era the 00s still was for Rovers, Nobody was doing what we were for the size of the club/town, and I think too many failed to realise how precarious our perch was. I remember reading this article just before disaster hit: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/422943-how-do-blackburn-rovers-stay-afloat
Good post and good link bWH but I disagree with this in the article....
"This provoked a campaign to “take back Ewood ” with ticket prices being reduced by 25 percent, which means that Blackburn Rovers now have the cheapest season tickets in the Premier League at £224. Although some might argue that this is still too high a price to pay to watch any team coached by Big Sam, it has worked to the extent that attendances have increased and season ticket sales increased from 14,000 to 18,500, though overall gate receipts are still down."
It's been death by a thousand cuts for Allardyce over his managerial career hasn't it? All these snidey comments by people who invariably have two left feet and have neither played any competitive football nor understand the game. I have yet to hear players who have played under Allardyce actually criticise him. The fact remains that supporters far prefer a successful club over one that plays attractive football and ends up with no success.
We have some really good players but how I long for a little of Sparky's 'Blackeye Rovers' spirit to infiltrate the personality's of a number of our squad members.
"This provoked a campaign to “take back Ewood ” with ticket prices being reduced by 25 percent, which means that Blackburn Rovers now have the cheapest season tickets in the Premier League at £224. Although some might argue that this is still too high a price to pay to watch any team coached by Big Sam, it has worked to the extent that attendances have increased and season ticket sales increased from 14,000 to 18,500, though overall gate receipts are still down."
It's been death by a thousand cuts for Allardyce over his managerial career hasn't it? All these snidey comments by people who invariably have two left feet and have neither played any competitive football nor understand the game. I have yet to hear players who have played under Allardyce actually criticise him. The fact remains that supporters far prefer a successful club over one that plays attractive football and ends up with no success.
We have some really good players but how I long for a little of Sparky's 'Blackeye Rovers' spirit to infiltrate the personality's of a number of our squad members.
Health Warning.... Al for your own good please read no further and most certainly do not click ion the header!!!!!
Just watched tonygreenbanks link and reading the comments underneath I spotted a comment by this young lady
I'm sure that she must wear something a little warmer at Ewood Park but all I can say is that when BB tires of the pneumatic Ms Vorderman we replace her with some homegrown talent.
Just watched tonygreenbanks link and reading the comments underneath I spotted a comment by this young lady
I'm sure that she must wear something a little warmer at Ewood Park but all I can say is that when BB tires of the pneumatic Ms Vorderman we replace her with some homegrown talent.
She'll do for me Tommy.Health Warning.... Al for your own good please read no further and most certainly do not click ion the header!!!!!
Just watched tonygreenbanks link and reading the comments underneath I spotted a comment by this young lady
I'm sure that she must wear something a little warmer at Ewood Park but all I can say is that when BB tires of the pneumatic Ms Vorderman we replace her with some homegrown talent.
Old Darwen Blue
Prediction Champion 2021, 2022 & 2023
The key is to incorporate a bit of everything in a manager Drog. Big Sam wasn’t the be all and end all, nor was Bowyer or Mowbray.
Old Darwen Blue
Prediction Champion 2021, 2022 & 2023
Chris Lambert is a bloke pal, he just has a lady’s picture up. SorryHealth Warning.... Al for your own good please read no further and most certainly do not click ion the header!!!!!
Just watched tonygreenbanks link and reading the comments underneath I spotted a comment by this young lady
I'm sure that she must wear something a little warmer at Ewood Park but all I can say is that when BB tires of the pneumatic Ms Vorderman we replace her with some homegrown talent.
