[Archived] Venky's Takeover Complete

[Glenn]

I beg to differ Glenn. Very timely all the same. I've an ongoing issue with a certain moderator as we speak (not over something that was said but) over something that was written, despite many many instances of the self same thing going completely unpunished and ignored all over the board. No names necessary as yet but if he was a copper he'd be a bent one.

I'm aware of the issue. In fairness to yourself and Abs, there should be a caveat to my statement about people having their posting rights removed for industrial language (although I still consider that "how" not "what").

Follow Ups to Ask Admin. I don't want to have to moderate myself

[LeChuck]

I will not watch Rovers again until the club is British

How pathetic. I can only assume you're one of those people who don't have the mental capacity to deal with change.

It's been obvious for years that, as much as we'd all have loved it to happen, we were never going to be bought by a Rovers fan. I don't see how being owned by a British non-Rovers fan would be any better.

[The Gull]

I would have liked owners with loads of money, it's better than owners with no money isn't it? Ask the Chelsea fans if they would have preferred an owner with little cash?

I don't understand this viewpoint that having loads of money is a no-no.

It is a no-no unless you find someone like Jack again, and that is highly unlikely.

We are not a club from abug city which means we can generate infinite resources through the gates or other activities.

Therefore I believe we would be better off in the hands of owners who do have some money but more importantly have a business plan to sustain the club rather than whimsical amounts of money being thrown at us.

The latter would, in my opinion, mean that long term we wouldn't have a future as debts and wages mount up and the toy that we are gets discarded.

[yoda]

So far their only action is to pay off our debt and you've written them off already. Not easy to please are you

I'll wait until I have something to moan about before I moan about them

Have they paid off the debt, can't see it anywhere in the offer document, looks like they have just been liable for it, which means we still have a 20 million debt

MCMC1875, on 20 November 2010 - 10:13 AM, said:

I will not watch Rovers again until the club is British

How pathetic. I can only assume you're one of those people who don't have the mental capacity to deal with change.

It's been obvious for years that, as much as we'd all have loved it to happen, we were never going to be bought by a Rovers fan. I don't see how being owned by a British non-Rovers fan would be any better.

I can recomend a good book for MCMC1875 to read, " who moved my cheese"

Philipl, who are the fourth bidder? I can onlt think of three bidders, Venky's, Syed Ali and Shah!

Vijjay!

[Fife Rover]

It is stupid. It would be equally as stupid to say this takeover means we will definitely win the champions league five times in a row.

See?

Blackburn Raovers. It's the future

Don't be giving them any such ideas!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Thoroughly underwhelming news. Was this really the best we could do ?

[thenodrog]

Please don't turn another thread into one about yourself and your arguments with all and sundry.

Especially one that concerns a momentous occasion in Rovers' history.

I didn't. I wouldn't even bothered using Ask Admin and had no intention of mentioning it here but Glenn did bring the subject up. I won't mention it again on here either.

btw Don I might well save your final sentence for future reference, depending on your own definition of momentous.

[broadsword]

How pathetic. I can only assume you're one of those people who don't have the mental capacity to deal with change.

It's been obvious for years that, as much as we'd all have loved it to happen, we were never going to be bought by a Rovers fan. I don't see how being owned by a British non-Rovers fan would be any better.

Maybe he's just patriotic?

In this country, we used to have a manufacturing industry, and there was a saying: "Buy British". Now, national assets are in foreign hands and there's not many consumer goods that spring to mind that you can buy British-made versions. Selling our football clubs to people from abroad is just one more example of the trend. For people that care about such things, I can imagine them coming out with statements such as JAL's. I don't see it as pathetic, xenophobic, or change-resistant. Just another point of view.

I would've preferred ownership to stay in British hands as well. And I'm sceptical about the chances of Blackburn becoming profitable by being turned into India's club. I'm wary of how Venky's will handle the heritage of the club (re-naming the stadium for instance, will not go down well). And I'm worried who Venky's will offload us to once they realise the club is a white elephant.

I think it's just modern British football in a nutshell, really. Bugger tradition, how can we find a way to keep up with the other clubs who are prostituting themselves to pay ever-higher wages?

[den]

It is a no-no unless you find someone like Jack again, and that is highly unlikely.

We are not a club from abug city which means we can generate infinite resources through the gates or other activities.

Therefore I believe we would be better off in the hands of owners who do have some money but more importantly have a business plan to sustain the club rather than whimsical amounts of money being thrown at us.

The latter would, in my opinion, mean that long term we wouldn't have a future as debts and wages mount up and the toy that we are gets discarded.

You can be rich and have a business plan as well, can't you? Jack had a business plan and owned a small town club with smallish support. Would we have been better off then with an owner who didn't have as much cash? Doesn't compute with me.

It aint going to happen now anyway. I'll be behind Venky's though. Looking forward to some kind of dialogue with the fans, which is crucial. Hopefully they get their PR together first and then speak from Blackburn.

[imy9]

Maybe he's just patriotic?

In this country, we used to have a manufacturing industry, and there was a saying: "Buy British". Now, national assets are in foreign hands and there's not many consumer goods that spring to mind that you can buy British-made versions. Selling our football clubs to people from abroad is just one more example of the trend. For people that care about such things, I can imagine them coming out with statements such as JAL's. I don't see it as pathetic, xenophobic, or change-resistant. Just another point of view.

I would've preferred ownership to stay in British hands as well. And I'm sceptical about the chances of Blackburn becoming profitable by being turned into India's club. I'm wary of how Venky's will handle the heritage of the club (re-naming the stadium for instance, will not go down well). And I'm worried who Venky's will offload us to once they realise the club is a white elephant.

I think it's just modern British football in a nutshell, really. Bugger tradition, how can we find a way to keep up with the other clubs who are prostituting themselves to pay ever-higher wages?

Maybe but surely adding in that he will come back when there is a change of manager too, smacks of more than that?

I did not see any British investor willing to put up £46 million for Rovers?

I am really pleased with deal after reading the document sent to the minority share holders.

Also:

"Initially there will be 5 million pounds put in straightaway to buy players but of course if we have to do more then we will. There will then be much more investment and we have devised a spending strategy already for the next three years that will see the manager given significant funds to buy players," she said."

[47er]

I'm sick of all the moaning negativity. The deal has been announced about 24 hours and already people are getting stuck into the new owners for not laying out their plans!

Why can't we ever assume something positive on here? We have no evidence to be gloomy about so give them a chance. For 46M they've earned it.

And we are now debt-free, do you imagine the Trust didn't factor that into the deal? Ludicrous. Just like John Williams was going to be sacked or would choose to retire---how many times did I read that? Isn't happening is it?

We would have gone down for sure without new owners. Even the most negative of you must realise we are now much more likely to avoid it. And that's the least we can expect. Who'd want to be the first Indian owners of a Premier league club to flop?

[philipl]

Philipl, who are the fourth bidder? I can onlt think of three bidders, Venky's, Syed Ali and Shah!

You have obviously forgotten mystery man. He was very real and was for a week the favourite to buy the club.

It is my belief the debts were paid off in the minute before the Venky's completed the acquisition for the reasons I have already explained.

It is now for the Venky's to say whatever they want to say rather than for me to talk for them!

[Glenn]

Actually, it seems to be only a small percentage moaning and you're going to get that regardless of the subject

[ABBEY]

illogical as waggy's attitude toward Sam Allardyce.

or someones ince hatred and wanting to golfing ?

[USABlue]

I have a very baaaad feeling about this one.

[mattyc2422]

Like most, I don't know how to feel but it's obviously a massive day in the clubs history. To date, I've been relatively at ease with the process conducted by the club, the trust and John Williams, so I'm hoping they have made the right decision. Whilst I have some concerns regarding the operations of Venky's from a social/corporate responsibility point of view, the details of the contract provided on the Rovers website regarding the deal seem okay. I just hope they show respect to the club's traditions and honour the club's fans.

Thank you Jack Walker and thanks to the trust and all involved in this deal - may it bring us many more years of Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League and hopefully into Europe.

I'm going to crack open a beer to mark the day. Let's hope it's uphill from here.

[47er]

Actually, it seems to be only a small percentage moaning and you're going to get that regardless of the subject

Its a large percentage of recent posts. I'm redressing the balance!

[ABBEY]

I'm aware of the issue. In fairness to yourself and Abs, there should be a caveat to my statement about people having their posting rights removed for industrial language (although I still consider that "how" not "what").

Follow Ups to Ask Admin. I don't want to have to moderate myself

i will moderate you then lol

[47er]

I have a very baaaad feeling about this one.

Oh good. That's that then.

[The Gull]

You can be rich and have a business plan as well, can't you? Jack had a business plan and owned a small town club with smallish support. Would we have been better off then with an owner who didn't have as much cash? Doesn't compute with me.

It aint going to happen now anyway. I'll be behind Venky's though. Looking forward to some kind of dialogue with the fans, which is crucial. Hopefully they get their PR together first and then speak from Blackburn.

Jack only spent what he did because he was a fan and did not expect a return. That is not going to happen again any time soon.

No billionaire is going to waste money on Rovers, if they have that much money the potential with other clubs is much bigger.

How exactly do you think we could have attracted a billionaire playboy to Rovers and what do you think would happen once he got bored?

[PAFELL]

Maybe he's just patriotic?

In this country, we used to have a manufacturing industry, and there was a saying: "Buy British". Now, national assets are in foreign hands and there's not many consumer goods that spring to mind that you can buy British-made versions. Selling our football clubs to people from abroad is just one more example of the trend. For people that care about such things, I can imagine them coming out with statements such as JAL's. I don't see it as pathetic, xenophobic, or change-resistant. Just another point of view.

I would've preferred ownership to stay in British hands as well. And I'm sceptical about the chances of Blackburn becoming profitable by being turned into India's club. I'm wary of how Venky's will handle the heritage of the club (re-naming the stadium for instance, will not go down well). And I'm worried who Venky's will offload us to once they realise the club is a white elephant.

I think it's just modern British football in a nutshell, really. Bugger tradition, how can we find a way to keep up with the other clubs who are prostituting themselves to pay ever-higher wages?

Money is what makes the footballing world go round. Everything is about money. As a club, we have to remember Rovers played a very large part in creating what we have today. I am though always grateful to what Jack Walker did for Rovers, because I am a Rovers supporter. But if I wasn't a Rovers supporter, I would have hated the club for the way they could go out and spend spend on any player they wanted. But I love my club and am grateful for the good times we have had because of Jack Walker.

Since Jack did what he did for Rovers we have had other business people come in and try to do the same with other clubs. The result is that there is no longer a level playing field. It is all about who has got the most money. As they are the ones who can go out and buy the best players, which results in success for the club, which breeds more money.

Sadly after Jack, no british person has come forward interested in buying the club. Rovers needed the investment in order to continue being a football club.

How many of us would have wanted things to continue the way they were? No investment in players, eventually the result of that would be relegation from the prem, debt and administration. If the club went into administration, there would be no white knight coming from these shores to rescue the club. If such a situation happened, would the same people on here who detest or moan about foreign ownership still complain if a foreign investor came and rescued the club.

How fickle is the chant

"Rovers till I die" (well unless they have a manager I do not want)

or

"we'll support you evermore" (dependant on who the owners are).

To some people on here. It is not being patriotic, it is being pathetic and hypocritical.

[AlanK]

I can only see this being bad news in the long term.

I hope I am proved wrong and will be 1st to admit it but I`m talking about where we will be in 5 to 10 years so don`t come gloating if we win the next 5 games.

To be amongst the likes of City, Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool as a club under foreign ownership is startling. We used to be a local family club.

[USABlue]

Oh good. That's that then.

Yes it is.

[ABBEY]

out of all the people who are slagging mcm off for taking a personal stance,how many actually attend games? (not having a pop at anyone just wondering tho?)

[True Blue & White]

Some people need a reality check.

We do not know what the future holds, time will tell, so to jump one way or the other on the slim pickings of details most people have on our new owners is daft.

But the fact we have new owners and there are such a "slim pickings of details" is what is worrying most people, so you can't use it as a reason to relax

Syed had barely entered DD and he told the fans he planned to pay off the debt, how much he would be investing in the club, its infrastructure and in players; yet Venky's have owned us for three weeks now (yesterday was just when the final I was dotted) and we still don't know if they are taking on our debts or paying them off; if we're going to get £5m in the window or more or if they're aiming for 8-10th or top four.

Now you may say Syed was bull-pooping, well I guess we'll never know now but that wasn't my point, which is that I believe in giving the fans information like this as soon as possible and ideally before you buy the club. I would like to think Venky's are preparing a detailed statement for the fans with things like this on but I doubt it'll come.

The club has stagnated over the past few years, which in this league means you can quite easily watch everyone zoom past you.

Exactly and the point at which £5m was considered a decent transfer kitty zoomed past about 4 years ago....

The management of the club, not the trust, have worked within their means to ensure we are still Premier League club with little debt in comparison to those we are competing with.

But the 'means' were controlled by the Trust, if they wanted BRFCS to either buy or sell a player they controlled it by how they allocated or withdrew funds to the management. Also Venky’s have been vague or the management’s future, initially they (the Raos) said how they wanted to be ‘hands on’ and wouldn't comment on JW & Co’s future. Now they say they are safe for now but they haven’t ruled out a change in the future.

I am glad we haven't got new owners promising to invest £1bn and make us world beaters. That might have been a nice ride while it lasted but would definately have meant the end of our club once they got bored.

Other than being misspelt , your use of definitely is laughable and indemonstrable. First there are two important ‘ifs’ in there, the first being IF they get bored and the second would be IF they spent recklessly and by leaving us it meant we were left financially unviable. You can't just say that a billionaire owner would "definately have meant the end" of Rovers.

But also, how do you know Venky's won't get bored just because they are not billionaires? Nor is over investment the only thing that would see Rovers go downhill, under investment is has a much higher risk factor...one which we've got away with for the past few years but can't indefinitely

The new owners are neither saints or sinners with me as of yet, but one thing in their favour is that they have not indicated flashing money willy and quite frankly nilly.

Hard to flash something you aint got though.....

I feel both optimistic and a little concerned as to what the future holds, but quite frankly I haven't Fealt any different in my 30 years as a Rovers fan, except during the Dalglish era of course.

Because it seems nothing has changed, we've simply jumped from a Jersey shaped frying pan into a Pune based fire. Here's Sam Allardyce speaking today....

"You've got to keep to the reality.

"People will go off mentioning we're after Torres or Drogba but in terms of investment, rather than huge sums of money, it will be relatively moderate.

"We will improve the squad but we will have to be diligent in our research to get the right player and spend the money wisely."

I never expected to be in for the likes of Drogba or Torres but it would be nice to compete with the likes of Sunderland and Birmingham for people like Gyan or Hleb. It sounds to me from what BFS is saying is that we ‘ll still be in the same boat of trying to unearth hidden gems from the continental lower leagues and out of contract players looking for a final pay day.

I will continue to support my club unreservedly and monitor the new owners before deciding on them, but my support for the team will not change.

Nor will my support for the team change, even if Osama Bin Laden takes over but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a current view on the owners. I also disagree with your premise that you have decide on them after a certain point in time or after they’ve done certain things, and then presumably have an unshakable, unchangeable view of them from then on.

No, I judge people on what I currently know of them and over time, depending on their actions, they can sway me between hating them and loving them; and at this point in time, they have not done much to impress me and a lot to worry me. Hopefully they’ll change that but it’s down to them and I’m not wrong to worry or need a ‘reality check’.

I believe everyone is allowed their own opinion and I respect that, but please try and base your opinions and arguments on something more substantial than your gut feeling or instincts on foreign owners.

Firstly, it is too easy to claim xenophobia against anyone with the temerity to raise concerns over this change of ownership. My worries have nothing to do with the fact they are foreign, our last owners lived in Jersey remember? I would have the same concerns if Billy Blackburn of Rovershire bought us…..silence and when they do talk they contradict themselves, nothing to do with them being Indian.

The most worrying thing for me at the moment though is it seems we need them more than they need us but at the same time we get less out of them than they could potentially get out of us. Withhold any judgements if you like but you have to concede that requires a hell of a lot of faith in the Rao family.

Time will tell, just as it has always been.

Ditto on that….