[Archived] John Williams Leaves

[Mattyblue]

maybe but let it go, aren't they worth like a billion, sure they have a few brain cells.

JW was obviously playing with his thumbs in the last few months.

As much as I like JW I won't miss the old era very much.

As great as he was, reading JW interviews was always depressing because we had no ambition.

That's not true at all. His mantra was always 'don't confuse lack of resources as a lack of ambition'. it was the Trust that lacked the ambition not John and the club. I really do believe that with some financial backing JW would have been even more of an asset.

[thenodrog]

People stood up, people clapped. I see that as a standing ovation. How much more rousing can you get?. 'Get In there Desai you beaut!!'

Really? Well I wonder how it would compare should JW choose to do a Tugay around the pitch next home match.

[thenodrog]

maybe but let it go, aren't they worth like a billion, sure they have a few brain cells.

JW was obviously playing with his thumbs in the last few months.

As much as I like JW I won't miss the old era very much.

As great as he was, reading JW interviews was always depressing because we had no ambition.

27 Chris? Born around 1983? You'd be starting skoo just about the time Jack Walker started his resurrection of our club, 11/12 ish when we won the Prem?

Your attitude therefore does not suprise me. It's one that is increasing around and about. You simply don't know the old era.

[chris]

27 Chris? Born around 1983? You'd be starting skoo just about the time Jack Walker started his resurrection of our club, 11/12 ish when we won the Prem?

Your attitude therefore does not suprise me. It's one that is increasing around and about. You simply don't know the old era.

Oh yeah you are right, I was defo brought up spoiled.

I first started going with my Dad in 1990 just before JW, I can remember Speedie.

[jim mk2]

Indians have a different way of doing business - they like things done their way and they rarely tolerate dissent from employees. Sam paid the price for refusing to accept interference in team affairs and signings and the former chairman will have had his say on how football business is conducted in this country. And no, this is not a "racist" comment but an observation on personal experience of other businesses run by Indian families. So here we are, with a greenhorn yes-man manager answering to naive owners who appear to know little about football. Rovers is their toy and they can do as like I suppose but in my experience people who do not listen to advice and think they know better usually come unstuck. Rovers are sailing into uncharted waters here and coupled with the European Union Sky ruling, it could very choppy indeed without an experienced hand such as the former chairman at the helm.

[Neal]

I am absolutely devastated at John leaving, he will be sadly missed. JW was without doubt the best and most talented chairman in the country. No doubt these are very exciting times for our club but with so much change going on the only thing that gave me piece of mind about the short and long term future of our club was that John was there to steady the ship. Losing him COULD be a fatal decision in terms of balancing finances, especially with the new UEFA rules coming into effect in the coming years. I very much hope this is not going to be the start of something bad at Ewood.

Well done John and thanks for everything. You deserve every bit of praise you get... Top bloke.

P.S. If you want to see how good of a chairman John was then follow this link from an article published yesterday:

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2011/02/03/2336232/arsenal-provide-the-least-value-for-money-to-fans-while?

[john.leigh]

Message boards hadn't been invented when John Howarth left the position, but I'm sure that if they had been then we would have seen a similar depth of feeling for him.

Who was ever going to replace John Howarth? - some southerner who had absolutely no connection to Rovers or East Lancashire? What would he know about our club?

That southerner turned out to be John Williams and yes he did a great job, but it's over now.

Let's just thank John Williams & move on.

(might have got my time lines wrong but I think you get the gist of it..)

[braddock]

Haha, so people are saying we aren't a family run club now that John Williams has left?

John Williams has been amazing for us and we owe him so much. A job is not one of these things though, and I am sure with his current level of involvement he has no interest in continuing. That's just the way it goes. I'll speak of him alongside Uncle Jack in future years. Without him I believe we would have gone down.

After a long time with the club I an only see two faults on his CV, and that is simply fantastic in comparison to other owners. Hiring Ince (which I wanted at the time anyway) and continuing to employ fatty. Other than that I can only say he has been perfect.

I hope things outside of football turn out well for him.

[True Blue & White]

Gutted about JW and very angry if the media reports about why he left are true.

[True Blue & White]

In all seriousness though it appears JW has been looking to step down for a while. He probably wanted to see the takeover complete, but couldn't resign at that juncture as it would have looked bad and would have been counterproductive.

Bucky is on the Venky's pay roll by the looks then.

They could burn Ewood down and p*ss on the ashes but Bucky would just say "well Ewood was getting a bit old wasn't it?"

[braddock]

Bucky is on the Venky's pay roll by the looks then.

They could burn Ewood down and p*ss on the ashes but Bucky would just say "well Ewood was getting a bit old wasn't it?"

I think you'll find it's mere logic.

And as for you saying you will be angry 'if' the media reports are true on why he left, stop pretending that you aren't already angry and haven't already made your mind up.

[longsiders1882]

Always admired his achievements with your lot from a distance. Always seemed to steer your club very sensibly through the shark infested waters of the premier league.

You'll miss him and in your shoes I'd be a little less assured over the future today than I was yesterday.

[Iceman]

this has been coming, since the day that JW was excluded from all communication and decisions. Can you blame him for leaving the club? no you cannot, but at least he tried to steady the ship after all the rubbish that happened.

He has been treated like ######, made to do the dirty work of sacking Sam, but not allowed to get involved in any decision making. Its a damn shame, that a man who is held in such high regard by fans and media, has been taken out of a role, that has served the club so well over the last 14 or so years. Change is inevitable with new owners coming in, however, its better to keep some experience in place, if you know feckall about running a football club.

[Mercer]

What a way to do things.

Just surprised that JW stuck around so long with things seemingly as difficult as they were for him.

Down at the Chelsea match, there were strong rumours that JW would be gone before the end of the transfer window - seems they weren't far wrong.

Next question is where does that now leave Tom Finn and what will his role be and what will the make-up of any new board look like.

Maybe, some choppy waters lie ahead.

[thenodrog]

Indians have a different way of doing business - they like things done their way and they rarely tolerate dissent from employees. Sam paid the price for refusing to accept interference in team affairs and signings and the former chairman will have had his say on how football business is conducted in this country. And no, this is not a "racist" comment but an observation on personal experience of other businesses run by Indian families. So here we are, with a greenhorn yes-man manager answering to naive owners who appear to know little about football. Rovers is their toy and they can do as like I suppose but in my experience people who do not listen to advice and think they know better usually come unstuck. Rovers are sailing into uncharted waters here and coupled with the European Union Sky ruling, it could very choppy indeed without an experienced hand such as the former chairman at the helm.

Don't be so gloomy jim..... we've got Jerome remember.

Oh yeah you are right, I was defo brought up spoiled.

I first started going with my Dad in 1990 just before JW, I can remember Speedie.

Good.... now ask your Dad about Frank Lord, John Radford, Joe Craig and John Lowey etc etc

Message boards hadn't been invented when John Howarth left the position, but I'm sure that if they had been then we would have seen a similar depth of feeling for him.

Never mind mboards I seem to rem John Howarth couldn't get the hang of fax machines!

[broadsword]

I don't seem to remember John Howarth being Chief Exec, thought he was Club Sec?

In any case, I don't think anyone regarded him as vital to the stability of the club at that point.

Change happens, yes. And sometimes it's because a dipshit is in charge.

[Exiled in Toronto]

Hughesy, there are ways for people to leave an organisation, andthere are ways for people to leave an organisation.

The proper way, in this instance, would have been for JW to have announced it himself, not for it to "leak" etc.

Poor form from the "New" Rovers.

Indeed Dave, nothing like the good old days when Tony Parkes found out he'd been sacked by reading the back page of the Sun over his Cornflakes.

[67splitscreen]

A quote in the LT from Kean IMO says it all about the internal management of the club since the Raos took over.

"He has decided to stand down and I have always had a good relationship with John, probably more when I was first team coach than in the last couple of months"

[John Howarth]

Message boards hadn't been invented when John Howarth left the position, but I'm sure that if they had been then we would have seen a similar depth of feeling for him.

Who was ever going to replace John Howarth? - some southerner who had absolutely no connection to Rovers or East Lancashire? What would he know about our club?

That southerner turned out to be John Williams and yes he did a great job, but it's over now.

Let's just thank John Williams & move on.

(might have got my time lines wrong but I think you get the gist of it..)

I take the point what you are making, but John Williams was appointed as Chief Executive in 1997. John Howarth was the club secretary

[dubdubdub]

Good.... now ask your Dad about Frank Lord, John Radford, Joe Craig and John Lowey etc etc

Stop using age as a means to disregard things people say. You both existed in the time frame that's being discussed.

As for the rousing reception. No they're never going to get as much support as John Williams would do now. There's no reason why they wouldn't in the future though. They've been with the club for mere months so you can't compare that to someone who was with the club for a decade and a half.

[Exiled in Toronto]

Change is inevitable with new owners coming in, however, its better to keep some experience in place, if you know feckall about running a football club.

Which is why, I'm guessing, that Tom Finn is still there.

With new, engaged owners, there was never was going to be room for a Chief Executive AND an executive Chairman. JW's job was constructed (booting Rob Coar out of the non-exec Chairman role in the process) to deal with the fact that our owners weren't doing the things that most other owners do in a club. That has changed. Mrs Desai might not know much about running a football club but I'm sure she knows enough about running a business that paying someone whose job has become redundant 1/3rd million a year doesn't make a lot of sense.

I'm sure Tom Finn has been there long enough to know how to run things; isn't that what a Chief Executive is supposed to do anyway?

[John Howarth]

I am shocked and quite frankly, totally disgusted. So much for the new owners promises only a matter of weeks ago that Sam would be keeping his job. If this is going to be how the new owners go about things, then I fear the name of Blackburn Rovers will never be the same again. I appreciate that no manager is in a position for life but the way he has been sacked is not acceptable. The club could soon be struggling with no leader in place. I do wonder about the continuing position of John Williams. If he goes, then we really do have severe problems

This was my greatest fear for the club

[adopted scouser]

Indians have a different way of doing business - they like things done their way and they rarely tolerate dissent from employees. Sam paid the price for refusing to accept interference in team affairs and signings and the former chairman will have had his say on how football business is conducted in this country. And no, this is not a "racist" comment but an observation on personal experience of other businesses run by Indian families. So here we are, with a greenhorn yes-man manager answering to naive owners who appear to know little about football. Rovers is their toy and they can do as like I suppose but in my experience people who do not listen to advice and think they know better usually come unstuck. Rovers are sailing into uncharted waters here and coupled with the European Union Sky ruling, it could very choppy indeed without an experienced hand such as the former chairman at the helm.

Post of the day.

[Gav]

I'm sure Tom Finn has been there long enough to know how to run things; isn't that what a Chief Executive is supposed to do anyway?

Exactly, this move shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

[Billy Castell]

Thanks Mr. Williams for the good work during a difficult period.