Rovers chief executive Steve Waggott met with the local media this week. Among the topics discussed were:

The transfer window, Josh Maja and Adam Armstrong.

The attendances at Ewood Park and ticket pricing.

The contractual situation of key players and manager Tony Mowbray.

Rovers’ plans for their Senior Training Centre.

 

Here is what else was discussed with the Rovers CEO.

 

What is the view from the boardroom on the start to the season?

 

“I think it’s been a solid start. Looking back at the games I think we could have had more points. Disappointment against Luton with the equaliser, but then there was a late Lenihan header at Nottingham Forest, that’s the way it goes in a really competitive league.

“A really solid start, young squad, 14 of the 18 man squad were Under-23 and a couple just above that, so the future looks exciting with the squad.

“I speak to club captain Darragh Lenihan quite a lot and he’s saying the togetherness of a smaller, younger squad, they’re reaping the benefits and there’s a great team spirit.

“We’re pleased with the start. Before the season started I thought the three that came down would be three that would be right up there, along with Bournemouth, but there may be a couple of places up for grabs so we just have to keep going.

“It’s a relentless, long season, but the good thing is that injuries are clearing up, we had a lot at the start of the season.

“Bradley Johnson is on his way back, Scotty Wharton will be after the international break, van Hecke will round about there, so gradually the squad is becoming a bit bigger and a bit more depth for the bench and selection for Tony.

“A good start and let’s keep it going in a big physical challenge against Cardiff this weekend.”

 

 

 

When last season finished there was a fair degree of disappointment at the way the second half of the season petered out from being in a good position, was that the general view from everyone at the football club that 15th place was underachievement?

 

“We set the expectation bar really high at first with the great start we had and there was talk of us threatening the top six which is always an ambition, but we all know how tough a league it is with the distribution of the broadcast money and the parachute money.

“We fell away with the depth of squad, some injuries to key personnel at the wrong times impacted on results and to finish 15th, they were all disappointed, Tony, his coaching staff, the players themselves, but it’s great that they have dusted themselves down, had a full pre-season, we’ve now been able to re-open all of our facilities after the relaxation of the Covid rules, there’s a much more harmonious feel to the place, and I think that’s reflected in the team spirit being shown by the team this season.”

 

Why was the number of loan player allocations not used?

 

“The players that we had on the depth chart, and the target list, none of them really caught Tony’s eye as going to be a huge upgrade to what we’ve got.

“We had numerous discussions about player pathways and blocking the development of our Academy players. We’ve got a Category One Academy and we have a really good group of players coming through, more coming through at Under-16 and Under-18 level, so the Academy is performing really well.

“It was ‘should we be bringing in players from other clubs when we’ve got someone from the Academy who deserves a chance?’ They’re young players but how much better are the players you can get from another Championship or Premier League club?

“The view was that there was no-one else that Tony said was a stand-out, we needed to get them in, so we took the allocation of four of players we wanted to bring in.”

 

 

Fans are wanting to buy a shirt, they go to the shop and there aren’t any, the kiosks are under-staffed and it’s £8 for a pie and a pint, are people right to raise these concerns?

 

"They are right to raise it and I apologise to all supporters who experienced different issues but it's not just Blackburn Rovers, it's a global situation where supplies across different sectors, including football because it's not just the physical supply but the human supply element, particularly where it's difficult to get people into the hospitality catering sector.

"Stewarding of stands has been a big issue right across the football sector. 50% of stewards have disappeared and now have another type of occupation so we're training stewards game by game.

"Against Luton we were only allowed a 1,000 in the upper stand because of the concerns about the level of stewarding. I'd have liked to have 2,000 but we couldn't.

"Then when it comes to the supply chain, with the kit we flew in as much as we could from China but having been so low on the shipping line it was difficult, not just for the football kit but for gear and products across the world.

"Up the road from Ewood, if there's no food on the shelves then there's likely to be a delay on the kit. It's arrived in the UK now and will be available for Cardiff but it's four weeks late and we wanted it immediately.

"We really needed the cash flow coming through in August but that's been delayed. It's here now, the shop is full and there's full training apparel available now. The three kits will all be available for the Cardiff game Saturday, pre-orders will be sorted out and we will move on.

"We've had some interesting conversations with Macron that this can't happen again next season. We've already finalised the design of kits for next season which gives Macron a good six months to get it manufactured and shipped in on time.

"It's a difficult situation, we're not alone. There are suppliers across the world that are dealing with the same problem. I apologise for the lateness but it's here now and we'll move on."

 

Does it come as a real disappointment, you’re counting on that income and you haven’t got it put on your shelves?

 

“It is, and Macron are aware of that, as are other suppliers. It's been a difficult journey from China onto Italy and then through to us. The major disappointment is had we known about the delays we could have flown a bigger shipment in, albeit at a higher price, but then more would have been available for supporters to buy.

"Then at the start of the season supporters would have been able to buy the kit. Hopefully there's still interest from fans to buy the kit because I feel the three designs went down really well."

 

The manager described the owners described the owners as putting the handbrake on due to finances and the pandemic, how would you explain that in a bit more detail to us?

 

"The owners have asked me to look at all the different expenditure lines in the business, which is fair enough.

"They haven't been immune to the global situation in Covid but they've continued to support the club fully. They've given an irrevocable letter of support for two years, so any shortfall of the company is met by them and they do that year upon year.

"They've been unbelievable in regards to paying all staff, supporting them through the first six months and beyond. In terms of the furlough scheme they have been topping up.

"Their support has been unbelievable but like all businesses they've been inclined to have a look at their cost basis, which is what I've done and had a look at.

"A lot of players went out the door in the summer and quite a few of them were really high-earning given their experience and international experience. They've been replaced by younger players who come at a lower cost, so I've been able to save there.

"We can't cost-save on the Academy, we still have a budget that needs to be put in to match the grant. We invest £2 million to return a £1m grant and that's producing more and more players for us so that's really beneficial to the club.

"But we're looking at any other areas we can change. It's a process all different industries are going through and just having a look at what we can change.

"But the big focus is the first-team, that drives the club. If you get results, the supporters will come and buy shirts, support the team and come to Ewood. If you don't get the results you can't sell a bobble hat on a Saturday.

"The focus is very much on that but we're assessing all avenues of the club."

 

What changes have been made?

 

"We've looked at things around Ewood in terms of administrative support, but you still need that in your budget. We've brought in a new head of commercial and a new commercial sales manager to drive revenue, so if I can't make the necessary cuts because they're an impediment on the business then where can we drive in more revenue?

"We're looking into the ticketing and call centre aspect, we can't really touch the Academy, there's a little bit of movement around the first-team but there's still a budget available, as Tony knows, to bring players in, either between now and the transfer window or in January.

"We've been able to manage the situation crudely and sensibly without tearing back too much which will come at a detriment to the club.

"We have got three big sites to run, Ewood, the Senior Training Centre and the Academy."

 

You’re sixth in the Championship table, so many people would have taken that at the start of the season, has that comes as a real source of positivity?

 

"The big focal point is first-team results and their form.

"If you look at the five fixtures in August with Swansea, albeit with a change of manager, then Nottingham Forest away and other games coming up, you would think that it was going to be a really tough period.

"But you don't win games on paper, you win it on the grass. On paper you would think September could be an easier month but as we're all aware, it's such a tough league. A win is huge to get in the Championship.

"I think the Football League and the Premier League have got to be careful because we want the Championship to remain very competitive, where a Barnsley can get into the top six or someone else can reach the top six amongst the recently relegated Premier League clubs.

"If we're not careful, we could have a mirror image of the Premier League where those that come down with huge parachute payments, they could get stuck like Bournemouth for a couple of seasons but with parachute payments the league will start to divide and fragment.

"The competitiveness, which everyone loves the Championship for, will go.

"But until they sort out the broadcast revenue, where you can get £8m in the Championship but £100m in the Premier League, until that's balanced off and parachute payments are sorted out, then unfortunately you'll get a situation when clubs are overstretched."

 

When you mentioned moving the training ground to one site, there was reference to the cost of the upkeep of the Senior Training Centre and the other sites. Are those plans now going to go ahead, or would you prefer to look at another site?

 

"We're still maintaining it to a high level. We've got a swimming pool to look after, we've invested a lot into the grass again but the last close season we had in 2020 we couldn't prepare the pitches properly because we only had a four-week turnaround period.

"(Groundsman) Trevor Wilkin and his team have had about 10 weeks this time around so in regards to the pitches, especially at Ewood, people would agree it looks decent this year.

"Although I couldn't get the full refurbishment with the £2m funding that we needed, I will be looking at that over the coming months because I would like to get a Desso pitch in there. We've stitched a couple bits of it, the goalkeeping areas and some other areas with Desso but we still need a full refurbishment so we're looking for funding on that.

"The pitches at the STC are unbelievable and Stuart Jones said they're the best they've ever been down at the Academy.

"The investments have been worth it and we've also brought in new lighting rigs to cover at least a third of the pitch at Ewood but utility costs are now likely to go through the roof in terms of running them all.

"They're going to be put on pretty soon as the days shorten but we're still maintaining all the sites to a pretty high level."

 

The embargo in the summer, are you saying that didn’t have an impact on the window, and how did it come to that situation?

 

"We had our financial forecast of what you're going to raise against your FFP profit and sustainability and until you hit those numbers then they put all clubs under embargo.

"We got that lifted pretty quickly so it didn't have any impact on the transfer window."

 

How close are the club to the Financial Fair Play limits?

 

"It's something we're trying hard to manage with revenue against cost. Everybody knows there is an aggregate of £39 million losses over three years but you've got certain adjustments attached to that including your Academy, Women's football and other community development work.

"That had been adjusted during the Covid period but there was a myriad of issues around Covid adjustment, the loss of each club during each period because not only had we made losses when there was a 100-day suspension of football but once we started playing football behind closed doors with no supporters, the losses increased again.

"I had to explain to the owners as to what was happening because they felt the way I felt in terms of the lack of government assistance.

"The only assistance we got was the EFL loan, which has to be paid back of course over the next couple of years."