Venky's, Ismael, transfer plans and your Blackburn questions

Here's a transcript below, featuring Venky's, Valerien Ismael, season tickets, fans' frustration and plenty more.

Do you know much about the latest court case?

For those unaware, the court case that was re-scheduled in January is today. However, we're unlikely to find out whether it's been heard until tomorrow when the official documents are released.

There's a chance it could be later today, given there's a five-hour plus time difference. In truth, I would expect it to be delayed once again.

If that is the case, the current situation will continue. Venky's can fund Rovers as they please but have to match each pound with a personal guarantee (essentially paying double), which is paid into a bond.

*Since this was published, the court case hearing has been delayed until August 5. Click here for more details.*

READ MORE: Blackburn Rovers reveal 2025/26 season ticket prices with Riverside Stand offer

Is there a case to argue that the court delays benefit Venky's?

I don't think so. Ultimately, this has been a hindrance to the club. There is no obvious benefit to Venky's despite the conspiracy theories.

They have spent more than £200m on Rovers and will not recoup that money unless the club are promoted and they sell. If funding is limited, the likelihood of that decreases in the long-term.

In the meantime, it's clear they have cut their cloth. Player sales have helped reduce the costs they have to cover, as reflected in the latest accounts. But that will only last so long.

I'd imagine they're hoping that the club will sustain itself for long enough that the court case is resolved. Then we might see funding return to its previous levels, though that is a hope rather than anything concrete.

Do you think this season is the new 'normal' under Venky's? Selling assets and buying from overseas?

Blackburn Rovers have always sold players for big money. Jordan Rhodes, Rudy Gestede, Adam Armstrong, Adam Wharton, Sam Szmodics.

The difference now is they are not reinvesting that money at the same level, as they did with Sam Gallagher and Ben Brereton Diaz. That puts a lot of strain on the recruitment team to unearth hidden gems, which every club is trying to do.

It's also a recruitment team that has seen plenty of turnover. They've had to transition from Gregg Broughton to Gestede, then the return and sudden exit of John Park, again. It is not an easy task to find value at this level.

Clearly, they are looking to find good quality outside of England, as seen with Yuki Ohashi, Makhtar Gueye and Augustus Kargbo. Head of Technical, Adam Owen, has a wide network. You have to match that with Championship experience, though, and find the right blend.

January was a weird mix of short-term signings. They invested in the wages of Emmanuel Dennis, a player who hadn't played since the May previously. Cauley Woodrow has been a bit-part player and the rest have been short-term fixes, aside from Kargbo who fits the summer model.

My feeling is they will continue to look at investing their transfer fees in a wider pool of talent, supplementing it with deals like Danny Batth/Andi Weimann to find the right mix.

Would another relegation force Venky's to sell?

I don't think so. Then again, it's so hard go second-guess what Venky's think given the lack of obvious reason as to why they own Rovers.

Ultimately, the owners have shown little appetite to sell at any moment. Though the club continues to lose money and fans are disillusioned with their stewardship, it doesn't seem to matter.

Realistically, Rovers would still be a big fish in a League One pond and probably would have a great chance of promotion still. The financial difference from the third tier to second, compared to the Championship to Premier League, is not as great.

The only exit strategy I see would be a miraculous Blackburn Rovers promotion, or if something changes for them in India. Ultimately, there might be a breaking point in terms of losses but there's been zero indication they have reached that.

Are the club aware of the anger and sentiment in the fan base around the current situation?

They are. Whilst the club don't outwardly communicate through the board often, they're fully aware of the fan unrest.

It would be useful for someone to speak publicly about the long-term vision and address the concerns of supporters. The international break would've been an ideal time to do that but they have opted against it.

Why has nobody spoken to the local media?

That's ultimately the club's prerogative. Steve Waggott has only conducted one local media interview in my three years covering the club, which was with the BBC at the start of 2023/24 amid all the funding questions.

Broughton used to speak with the media regularly but Gestede has not yet. I'm hopeful that might change in the near future but it is up to the club to decide.

A lot has been said about planning for next season. Is this for the Championship?

It is common practice to have plans in place, two, three windows in advance. I'd be worried if Blackburn weren't planning for next season, regardless of what league that is.

In Broughton's first season, Rovers had two shortlists drawn up, one for the Premier League and one for the Championship. They ultimately missed out on goal difference.

What's clear is Valerien Ismael would like to adapt the style and feels he needs different profiles to do so. Rovers want to hit the ground running in pre-season and therefore, forward planning is essential.

I don't think that necessarily means they have written off this season. It would be negligent not to plan ahead. But again, perhaps that messaging should've come from above.

What's the latest with contracts?

I wrote a longer piece outlining the situation on Saturday. That's here, for anyone who missed it.

In short, Dom Hyam's option has been triggered but Ryan Hedges' hasn't, yet. No new deals have been offered to anyone yet, whether out of contract this summer or next.

Is there a model Championship club, compared to Rovers, that they should follow?

In terms of reinvesting the money they've generated, Coventry City would be the gold star. Sunderland have done really well too with young talent but clearly have higher revenue and a bigger budget than Blackburn.

Up until this season, Luton Town had offered a brilliant blueprint to follow. They grew organically with clever recruitment and wise investments. Obviously, it has not worked out for them this season, which is the understatement of the century.

I think what's clear with all of those examples, you need a balance. None have gone for a 'one size fits all' approach in their squad building.

Is there a strategic plan to get Blackburn Rovers back to the Premier League?

Nobody from the Blackburn Rovers leadership team has spoken to the media since Broughton last March. So it's hard to relay a message that isn't being communicated outwardly.

What we can deduce from the last year is the club are hoping to use player trading to find good value in unseen markets. But that's what every club is trying to do.

From a style of play view, they have flip-flopped. We had a possession-based approach under Jon Dahl Tomasson. John Eustace played a far more mixed style. Now Ismael seemingly wants to go back to the JDT approach and so there's no real footballing DNA, outside of the Academy.

Throw in the lack of contract renewals and there is not a clear strategy that's easily visible at the moment.

Will Valerien Ismael last until November?

Blackburn Rovers haven't sacked a manager/head coach since Owen Coyle and so I expect Ismael will get time. He signed a three-and-a-half year deal so it wouldn't be cheap to replace him on a whim.

I think he deserves a fair crack, even if the early results have been poor. But he will need to get some results in the final eight games to earn buy-in from the supporters and perhaps the players too.

I'm certainly not going to judge him on a four-game spell, though I think some of the fan criticism has been justified. Other bits have been harsh.

What are your thoughts on the new season ticket prices?

On reflection, I can see why fans are annoyed. At first glance, I didn't think it was that bad and I expected an increase after the 30-year anniversary offers last year considering the low uptake.

Ultimately, they have reduced the Riverside by £50 but balanced that with similar level increases for those in the BBE and Jack Walker Upper, which are the most popular areas. So it'll hit fans hard, especially if you've got multiple tickets.

I still think the Under-12 pricing is decent, at a max of £3 p/m. But the increase for Under-18s, particularly in the JW Upper, is hard to justify.

I'm also surprised there isn't some sort of £150 deal/package/ whatever that might have looked like. Or a family offer either for the JW Family Stand.

Only 4K adults bought one last season. It's hard to see how that will increase.