[Archived] John Williams Leaves

[chaddyrovers]

He's obviously luckier that Kamy who after being promised an interview for BRFCS I'm told spent the day chasing around Lancashire only for Mrs Desai to never be where they'd arranged.

not surprise by that. But Kamy clock up the travel miles then

[Glenn]

Oh and everyone behave, stop with the insults and deliberate off-topic crap or I'll give the new mods a lesson in how the ban features work.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Marple Leaf's comments.

I would like to add my thanks and best wishes to John Williams. He has always come accross as having the best interests of the club at heart.

Things move on however and I'm getting sick and tired of conspiracy theory this and that. There is nothing we can do anyway!

Time to just enjoy the football and see where we end up.

Referring to the Marple leaf blog he mentions that Crown are not renewing their sponsorship anybody heard about potential sponsorship deals?

[chris]

This sums up what's wrong with the attitude of some of the posters on here.

I'm not happy about the removal of JW (and despite what some posters would say, a compensation package DOES mean he was removed from his post) and so far I've been less than enthused about the antics of Venky's. However I'm more than willing to see how things pan out before coming to a final conclusion.

But fans who just see the $$$ signs and forget all the principles which made our club what it is need to get a reality check. Especially when the money they're splashing around isn't really that much in the context of the league. The Trust might have financially neglected our club but at least they didn't interfere too much either.

Whether Venkys spend money or not you'll get your answers in the summer, this window has been fine, I have a feeling they will and those that are CERTAIN we won't probably were the same people who were CERTAIN we'd sign Chris Boyd.

I'm sure you would love Venkys to run the club exactly how you would want it, but not going to happen.

Williams accepts this, he would have liked to keep SA they didn't.

Anyway you might be right about Venkys but I'll go for the glass half full.

[Lancs Rover]

Luckily for Saint George, the internet hadn't been invented at the time he was out slaying dragons. Or we might not have such saintly views of him. And, if we knew the real story, we'd probably feel a bit silly with our associations.

But why let a few facts stand in the way of a good story?

Luckily for Jack Walker, the internet hadn't been popularised when he was kicking people out of their homes around Ewood to extend his empire, screwing over a decent but not famous enough manager, offering Alan Shearer a job for life. And those are only off the top of my head offerings.

Unluckily for many of us, there's too much information around now. Add that to the fact that opinions are free and the result is a world full of soi-disant experts seduced by new media platforms.

People are obviously just the same now as they ever have been and ever will be.

It's just a case of which myths you want to buy.

John Williams seemed to do a good job. But I'll bet my mortgage he was no saint. And even if he were, he'd still have to shuffle up the queue eventually like the rest of us.

[Kelbo]

Honesty is the best policy, Venkys made statements on the aquisition of Rovers, the management structure would remain in place.,

This is where Venkys got it all wrong, but had they been truthful, would they have been allowed to purchase Rovers?

Instead they have in my opinion, lied and about turned, this to me is unforgivable, I dont trust thenm or their advisors, I am allowed to say this as a personal opinion made from their actions and statements.

If they had have been 'clean' from the onset, half if not more of the problems would not have existed, everyone would have known where they stood.

I for one would be a nervous wreck working for those buggers.

[John]

Venkys don't appear to be very professional in their actions - let's see what the comments are tomorrow. Concerning they are not sticking by some of the offer document.

[chris]

Venkys don't appear to be very professional in their actions

they will fit in perfectly with the football world then

[rebelmswar]

Honesty is the best policy, Venkys made statements on the aquisition of Rovers, the management structure would remain in place.,

This is where Venkys got it all wrong, but had they been truthful, would they have been allowed to purchase Rovers?

Instead they have in my opinion, lied and about turned, this to me is unforgivable, I dont trust thenm or their advisors, I am allowed to say this as a personal opinion made from their actions and statements.

If they had have been 'clean' from the onset, half if not more of the problems would not have existed, everyone would have known where they stood.

I for one would be a nervous wreck working for those buggers.

Quite right.

100% agree.

they will fit in perfectly with the football world then

That is my major problem - our club wasn't like the rest.

[Parsonblue]

Sadly, the new owners seem to have split the fanbase in the same way that the previous manager did. Once the Trust put the club up for sale a situation like this was always liable to arise. One might have hoped for new owners who would be able to pull the club and its supporters together but that is clearly not the case. Many fans were upset about the manner of the sacking of the previous manager. I must admit that I was deeply unhappy with the manner of Sam and Neil's departure from the club, particularly as it came just a few weeks after Venkys announced to the shareholders that they proposed no changes in the management of the club. However, that's football. Managers come and go and the club goes on.

However, for me, today's news of the departure of John Williams is a real blow for the club. Apart from Jack Walker, supporters don't really support the owner - they support the club. However, after Jack's death, John Williams became the face of Blackburn Rovers and became a firm favourite with the supporters for his down to earth approach to running this club. He knew the value of the club to the community and understood it's place in history. Somehow I can't see Mrs. Desai ensuring that the grave of John Lewis is maintained in the way in which John Williams did.

I do, however, take the point that a number of posters have been making today - that times change. I fully agree. Times have changed and so too has Blackburn Rovers. We are now part of an international company who see us as a vital marketing tool for their businesses. The fact that not one of our owners has seen fit to pay tribute to John Williams suggests that decisions will be taken on a strictly business footing and that sentiment will take a back seat. That's fair enough. The Rao family have spent a large sum of money in acquiring the club and they are free to make any decisions they like. If they want to change the colours, change the name of the ground or even the name of the club they are free to do so. If they wish to increase season ticket prices to bring them in line with other clubs in the Premier League it is a decision that they, and they alone, will take. Blackburn Rovers was sold as a commodity and the Rao family have successfully acquired that commodity on the open market.

Endless arguments about the rights and wrongs of the sale and the events that have followed are pointless. Am I happy with the actions of the new owners - no. Am I happy with the performance of the new manager thus far - I have my doubts but will give him the time required to learn his trade before making a judgement (not that my opinion matters anyway).

The only power that I, as a supporter, have is the right to decide to support the club or not. After 50 years of doing so I will always support the club and the team that takes the field to represent the club. God willing, I will continue to be at every match, week in and week out. In the modern game, owners are like managers and players in that they come and go. If the one that's there at the moment is not to your taste another will come along at some point in the future. I remember being told that the only thing that matters is the club and that it is far more important than any individual. The guy who told me that was John Williams.

As John leaves the club he does so in the knowledge that he has carved his own niche in the history of this great club of ours. I, for one, wish him well in the future and hope that life treats him a little better than he has been treated at Ewood Park this week.

[ada2020]

Roll on a months time when all this will be forgotten, just like Allardyce............

Looking forward to the LT interview tomorrow, interested to know what Mrs.Desai (our new owner and former employer of JW, for those who have forgotten) has to say.

Sad to see JW leave though, end of an era, he is a good man, an honest man, good luck and thanks.

[47er]

If you're familiar with the term isotope then this is a good analogy of what's happened to the club, it appears to be the same thing but its not, and it certainly reacts differently to its environment.

PSV Eindhoven (loosely the Philips Sports Club) is a better analogy of what the Rovers has now become, the BRFC name survives but in reality it has now morphed into VSC Blackburn (Venkys Sporting Club).

If your view is that because Venkys have bought the shares of the club that they are the 'owners' and can therefore do what they want then your caustic rhetoric may be correct, I on the other hand consider the club to be part owned by the supporters. By supporters I mean the supporters across the ages - for my family that means my children, me, my parents and my grand parents (the others weren't alive to ask). Each generation left something of themselves in the history of our club so I do maintain that we are all part owners. From that point of view then you are wrong. Yes there will be 'a club after' but it won't be BRFC established 1875.

JW was not old. Having years on the clock doesn't make you old. His brain and aptitude for the job should not be questioned, neither should his willingness to carry on with the job. He would not have sought out this treatment/humiliation and he did not deserve it. You might reasonable conclude that he was very upset with his treatment, I couldn't possibly comment.

There were rumours way back that he was intending to retire so we could be going overboard. In any case Venkys have shown they intend to do it their way and Sam'a sacking and Williams leaving are both part of the same process.So why the surprise?

As for the club, as long as 11 men in blue and white halves turn out every other week at a ground just off the Bolton Rd, nothing has changed as far as I am concerned. Have a look at the top of the Premiership-----Chelsea, City, Manure,Arsenal------could you call any of them "family Clubs"?

2 of them don't play at their historic ground anymore.

If we want to up our status from a struggling club, selling to survive and continually looking over our shoulder at the relegation zone then we are going to have to accept change. There are risks but I'm optimistic that Venkys will get it right in the end.

Not sure yet that Steve Kean will be part of it though but thats another story.

[imy9]

Professional? They disliked an existing employee so fired him and paid him handsomely for his services with little hassle.

JW resigns and they again pay him handsomely, yet they are unprofessional? Things change, conditions change but to call them liars? JW said that the Benni money would be given to the manager to purchase a striker, at the end of the window with no cash purchase an unknown Bulgarian fell through because 'we had to sell Roberts' that collapsed so we had no money! Was JW lying to the fans or did circumstances change?

[AlanK]

JW RESIGNED and according to one of the LT reports AGREED what would no doubt have been a very handsome compensation package prior to the Spurs game.

What part of that do you find hard to understand?

That you`re being so naive

[Majiball]

Very good. It's nice to know I have access to a football researcher.

If you recall, my point was that Barca weren't spending 20/30m on Fabregas for him to warm the bench. I think that point still stands.

Don't you work for Prozone? You should have access to plenty of football research there, surely?

And then you went on about Iniesta being a winger, hence your previous comment and my adamance that he wasn't.

As always you never respond to what is written, you just try to distract.

Oh and I don't see barca bidding for Fabregas anymore, so the point doesn't stand.

[John]

Top post as always Parson.

[BuckyRover]

Don't you work for Prozone? You should have access to plenty of football research there, surely?

And then you went on about Iniesta being a winger, hence your previous comment and my adamance that he wasn't.

As always you never respond to what is written, you just try to distract.

Oh and I don't see barca bidding for Fabregas anymore, so the point doesn't stand.

Jesus.

I worked for ProZone six years ago.

I didn't say he was a wing forward only that he was playing in that position. In the same way that Pedersen and Warnock are not central midfielders but have played ok that position.

What bloody question am I avoiding?

[Benjimino]

Not really sure sure that this topic should be called John Willliams LEAVES.

And I'm willing to bet that this is going to cause unrest in the team, a lot of the team were unhappy with the Allardyce fiasco, but bit their tongue and soldiered on, what are key players like Dunny, Pederson and most worryingly going to make of this situation?

I seriously think we are going to loose players in the summer, and we aren't going to be able to attract new talent with an unproven manager.

This could spell disaster for rovers and Venky's could very well see their 46 million pound experiment end in disaster!!

[Amo]

And I'm willing to bet that this is going to cause unrest in the team, a lot of the team were unhappy with the Allardyce fiasco, but bit their tongue and soldiered on, what are key players like Dunny, Pederson and most worryingly going to make of this situation?

I seriously think we are going to loose players in the summer, and we aren't going to be able to attract new talent with an unproven manager.

So far, experienced pros have signed new contracts and there are more to follow.

I don't think someone of Salgado's calibre would stick around if he thought the club was on the slide.

Also, for all Kean's inexperience, he's been able to sign both proven players and two young starlets.

And it's lose.

[Benjimino]

I know they have signed new contracts, but if other teams are putting offers in I think stuff like this isn't going to much of an argument for them to stay.

[BuckyRover]

Not really sure sure that this topic should be called John Willliams LEAVES.

And I'm willing to bet that this is going to cause unrest in the team, a lot of the team were unhappy with the Allardyce fiasco, but bit their tongue and soldiered on, what are key players like Dunny, Pederson and most worryingly going to make of this situation?

I seriously think we are going to loose players in the summer, and we aren't going to be able to attract new talent with an unproven manager.

This could spell disaster for rovers and Venky's could very well see their 46 million pound experiment end in disaster!!

As I mentioned earlier it should be a 3 pointer no real strength in the Wigan squad and Rovers are starting to become a real force both home and away!

Bizarre

[RevidgeBlue]

That you`re being so naive

Like everyone else on here you have absolutely no idea whether JW has been removed from his post screaming and kicking or whether in all the circumstances he feels it is the right time and is quite happy to go. (With the appropriate and deserved pay off of course.)

So I take exception to being labelled "so naive" on that basis frankly.

.

[Benjimino]

Although I think that in the long term the sacking of JW will be a catastrophe in the here and now I still think we can get results.

[Ewood Spark]

My two penny's worth .... John Williams was a top Rover ... Hell .... the guy even bought me a pint once! Two points worth considering though:-

1) John reminds me of Churchill ... The right man at the right time. In the same way Winston was right as a war-time Prime Minister, John Williams was the man to lead Rovers in a time when the owners had " an apathetic hand on the tiller".

2) Don't underestimate the sorcerer's apprentice Tom Finn ... like John, Tom's heart is in the right place.

[RevidgeBlue]

2) Don't underestimate the sorcerer's apprentice Tom Finn ... like John, Tom's heart is in the right place.

I agree 100% with that Neil, the Rao's might well want to bring someone in from the outside to look at things with a fresh eye, but as I've previously opined the ideal successor to John Williams is already at the Club imo in the shape of the admirable Tom Finn.

I'm surprised people haven't picked up rather more on the fact that Tom issued the official statement paying tribute to John. This indicates to me :

1) Tom must be viewed favourably by the new owners.

2) Tom must not be too unhappy either with the fact of John's departure or the manner in which John was treated or he'd presumably have been offski himself.