Meet the owners

[knockers]

I’m on about Karl Blenkin

[selby]

  Raven that post takes the biscuit, so the standard of the other players here last year enabled Faulkner (an 18year old at the time to get the MOM awards) quite a few are still here Molly, Anderson,  Close, Westbrook, Hurst, Jones, Olowu, Rowe, Long, Miller just off the top of my head.
 And he only played with Olowu or Anderson once or twice I dont think ever with Anderson, being paired with Long or the lad from Leicester City, and was played right back and centre forward (successfully by the way) in his first ever first team game and had a big hand in the winning goal beating the keeper in the air, scored two goals in games at Hartlepool and Walsall and an assist for the winner at Northampton at 18yrs old  12 months after playing at Askern Welfare and Fishlake u17s on a Sunday.

[Alan Southstand]

I don’t think that’s what the poster meant, Selby. You’re very touchy when it comes to anyone having an opinion about Faulkner. Don’t worry, his time will come (probably sooner, rather than later imho). At the age he’s at, what’s the hurry, anyway? Yes, it might be frustrating for you, personally, but not everyone knows the lad like you do, so a bit of tolerance maybe required.

Onwards and, hopefully, upwards.

[ravenrover]

My point being yes he earned MoM but the competition for it wasn't great game in game out.
You seem to be doting on Faulkener as you did with a previous young player.

[KingKendrick]

Felt slightly embarrassed when the guy asked last night why we aren’t signing players such as Sully and Stock

Doesn't this say more about you than whoever asked the question?

When Stock signed he was a decent League 1 player, very well known to the manager. As for Sullivan, it doesn't really need saying but he was also from a fellow League 1 team - and had a very high calibre having had a decent Premier League career.

Where are the proven signings this time? Joe Ironside.. any others? We're a team of unproven lower league and non-league players. With two more youngsters recently added.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out the quickest way out of League Two is to assemble a team of experienced League One/Two physical grafters with a few promising youngsters. But then the 14th best budget in the League will rarely stretch to that...

I keep reading that this is a tough league etc etc. It's really not. It's a crap league with crap direct physical football. I haven't been impressed with one League Two side we've played against since we dropped down. How we still can't compete after nearly 18 months at this level is laughable.

So you are saying we have no proven League One Players
Richard Wood - proven at Championship/League One
Tommy Rowe as above
Ben Close proven at League One
Jon Taylor proven at League One
Zain Westbrooke proven at League One
Tom Anderson proven at League One
Joe Ironside proven at League One

I hope that’s a joke.
Played at that level but miles off it now. Wood/T Rowe/Taylor/Anderson are league 2 players at best I’m afraid. Only close Westbrooke and Ironside I’d be keen to keep next season never mind in league one

[roversdude]

Please read it correctly I have nowhere said anything about keeping these players, it referred to players who played at that level

[pib]

It absolutely NOT the role of the VSC, the Supporters Club or any other fan or fans group to act as the comms and reporting link from this event.

It’s quite clear that the Free Press has had its budget / resources cut to the extent that it can almost no longer report on the football club.


The apparent apathy towards filling that void (professionally) elsewhere within the club is quite amazing for a club that clearly does work hard on fan engagement. I’m assuming perhaps Liam Hoden (who I do normally rate) could be unwell or temporarily absent, which is fine, but where’s the cover for such an important event?

Good news on that front. Ricky Charlesworth has been set on as the new Rovers reporter for the DFP. Used to report on Sheffield Wednesday I believe.

https://twitter.com/Ricky_C90/status/1744788900118135208

[donnievic]

Unless Broadbent is physically bringing Ben Whiteman to the club, I don’t see any relationship between that statement from McCann and what we have seen as yet on the pitch.

depends how you look at it whiteman wasn’t brilliant when he 1st came to the club,every player need time to adjust and also get use to playing each week

[One_Matty_Lucas]

Event is now on Youtube, thanks to the club for providing this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbY71g6EUk0

[In the box]

Very poor from the media department!

You didn’t miss much .. it started with verbal equivalence to musical chairs to ..  I’m the only one left then? Seldom discovered anything we didn’t already know that they didn’t want us to know before hand ..

[idler]

Very poor from the media department!

You didn’t miss much .. it started with verbal equivalence to musical chairs to ..  I’m the only one left then? Seldom discovered anything we didn’t already know that they didn’t want us to know before hand ..

If you had been there what questions would you have asked?
Did you consider sending an email to the club to submit any of these questions?
A lot of people moan about not getting answers but don’t ask any questions.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Very poor from the media department!

You didn’t miss much .. it started with verbal equivalence to musical chairs to ..  I’m the only one left then? Seldom discovered anything we didn’t already know that they didn’t want us to know before hand ..

So, what was your take on what Terry explained when asked about considering additional investment?

[graingrover]

The only important question I had and which I sent to GB by email was about TB’s intentions on succession planning.He was clear about that saying he would not seek a buyer until the league status of the club was more attractive .

[roversdude]

Shock  ITB with a negative post

[Avsuptem]

The only important question I had and which I sent to GB by email was about TB’s intentions on succession planning.He was clear about that saying he would not seek a buyer until the league status of the club was more attractive .

I found his words a little confusing on this subject. He seemed to say he would single handedly support a mid table budget but expected a better outcome in order to make us more attractive  to a buyer. He seemed to be clear on the fact that he wanted no co owners. The implication was that if the right buyers for the whole club came along then he would relinquish his shares in total but not in part.

[roversdude]

As long as they were in it for the good of the club

[DonnyBazR0ver]

The only important question I had and which I sent to GB by email was about TB’s intentions on succession planning.He was clear about that saying he would not seek a buyer until the league status of the club was more attractive .

I found his words a little confusing on this subject. He seemed to say he would single handedly support a mid table budget but expected a better outcome in order to make us more attractive  to a buyer. He seemed to be clear on the fact that he wanted no co owners. The implication was that if the right buyers for the whole club came along then he would relinquish his shares in total but not in part.

I think there was one telling sentence when he said  summat like "I've got enough funds to support this club"

I took that to mean I don't need anyone else to provide additional funding. Plus he said someone else coming in would mean there would be strings attached, and he doesn't want that. He made it clear for now, he's the head honcho.

Folk might read him differently to me, who might know him better than I, but I took it in good faith that he wants us to be successful whilst trying to make sure 'we' and he gets value for money by not chucking silly money at it.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Let's not forget behind the scenes when he was co-owner the tension ultimately has happened a number of times.  He clearly wants to do it his way.

With that of course comes accountability. No hiding place for him he has to now deliver as owner on the pitch as well as off (without his boots on ideally).

[Jonathan]

Bramall is perfectly adequate (for want of a much better word) for this club. He has plenty of money and it’s matched by good intentions. The budget is not the reason we are where we are, it’s down to poor management and use of those funds. It’s easy for people to argue that was on Bramall’s watch, but it was under Blunt’s stewardship and influence. Bramall is entitled to want to take control, as he has, and that gives scope for the kind of changes we need. But they can’t be expected to materialise overnight. We’re tied to a big and fairly expensive squad of players, many of whom will have little or no positive impact at first team level. I’d love us to go out and splash the cash in this window, I expect we all would, but is that practical until we can offload some of the excess numbers? Aside from which the January window is known not to offer the best value. So as much as loans frustrate, me, I understand why they’re sensible right now to tide us over to the end of the season.

We may have to play the long game to turn this around and build the squad we want and need. I trust in McCann completely and expect much better from us in the summer transfer window.

[danumdon]

Good post Jon, here is someone in the club saying the "processes" have been shockingly poor, right across the board, from recruitment to retention and players fitness and conditioning. he is now going to change the processes and strive to make the difference that we all want. Its not going to happen overnight and we all need to be allow it to progress.

We have the manager, the whole player welfare setup is changed and we now make progress on recruiting the right individuals for the club and more importantly, for this moment in time. A few adjustments can be made now to ease us along but we need to see couple of transfer windows through before we can really kick on.

Everything is there for us to be getting on with, the club need our support in these changing and challenging times.

[StocksArmy]

A question I would have liked to have been asked when GM spoke about trimming the squad this window is are there any players currently close to moving on and will they be permanent. Although TB has confessed that he is happy to fund the club himself you have to feel sympathy for him losing half a million+ this season on injured players and not only injuries, it must hurt him paying those who were brought in or given new contracts by previous managers that are not even close to being worthy of a shirt.

[In the box]

Very poor from the media department!

You didn’t miss much .. it started with verbal equivalence to musical chairs to ..  I’m the only one left then? Seldom discovered anything we didn’t already know that they didn’t want us to know before hand ..

If you had been there what questions would you have asked?
Did you consider sending an email to the club to submit any of these questions?
A lot of people moan about not getting answers but don’t ask any questions.

[In the box]

Very poor from the media department!

You didn’t miss much .. it started with verbal equivalence to musical chairs to ..  I’m the only one left then? Seldom discovered anything we didn’t already know that they didn’t want us to know before hand ..

If you had been there what questions would you have asked?
Did you consider sending an email to the club to submit any of these questions?
A lot of people moan about not getting answers but don’t ask any questions.

Most questions are for retrospective concerns or events that can’t often be sorted and any criticism is what forums are for , you don’t ask questions about “why do you keep picking that player” or “persist playing him out of position” etc in a meeting like this  as it’s just embarrassing to watch a manager try and answer diplomatically when he really just wants you to go away …Imo the manager should t even be there . Terry Bramall has unfortunately boxed home self into a corner by not having others on the board . So if things don’t improve it will be him or McCann to blame . It never seems to amaze me that meet the owner it’s often timed when new recruitment is under way .

[Sammy Chung was King]

The club are very proud of the work off the field, nothing wrong with that. They are doing a lot of good things. On the pitch we are failing. The owner/chairman doesn’t seem to want outsiders coming in and confusing the matter. That’s fine he owns the club financially. Before there were three people putting money in. The budgets were much higher than they have been, since he has been in sole charge. Year on year the wage budget seems to have decreased .

I have no proof of this but I look at the standard players brought in.I would like to see players recruited that can bring a stability to the side, where we don’t need to keep changing the side. I would like the club to be looking at players from non league, and developing them on the fringes of the first team. Giving them chance to improve. At the minute we have a massive squad for this level. Hopefully a fair few can go out, during this window, but it is going to be a long term job that will need two windows.

The manager said at the meeting, we have experience in the side, the problem is some of those are the ones not performing well any more. For me some experience in goal would help the back four. It would be great if we could also get a centre half in with plenty of nous, but if not partner Faulkner and McGrath in there. I think another option, who can play wide and up front would be useful.

I think a lot depends on how many we can move out during this window. I think in the future we will think back on the years that involved all the owners from Ryan to Bramhall as great years, even though we are struggling at the minute.

[graingrover]

Not only is he ‘ adequate ‘ he is more significant at this stage of the club’s trajectory than any other person.
Terry Bramall is the financial saviour and has carried the financial burden post John Ryan then post Dick  Watson.
Moreover, he has undoubtedly been the encouragement,and Gavin Baldwin the chief engineer,of the creation of the Foundation to give back to the community in which he made his fortune the gratitude he feels .
Terry by his own admission is not a football man .Neither is he out to make money out of football nor to gain self glory by buying success for DRFC . I read it as he is trying to help the club live within reasonable means , achieve a reasonable level in the EFL ..and probably to achieve respect for it .

[Filo]

 The “Half Backs” idea sounds interesting 

[Pancho Regan]

I wish I could have attended, but it’s a long journey for me.

Had I been there, I would have put up my hand. Not to ask a question, but to have taken the opportunity to thank Terry personally for continuing to fund the club I love.

In using his personal financial resources to keep ‘my club’ alive, he is allowing me to keep alive my own dreams.

I’m very fortunate to have a happy and healthy life and a wonderful family, but without the Rovers there would be a huge hole in my life.

So, a very simple but heartfelt ‘thank you’ to Terry from me.

[idler]

You sum up exactly how I and many others feel Pancho. It’s not just about the here and now, we want a club here for the next generation.

[roversdude]

Great post Pancho

[Draytonian III]

Well said sir, my thoughts exactly