[Archived] Blackburn Rovers' dealings with influential agent Jerome Anderson comes under scrutiny

[Parsonblue]

And the people who owned the club didn't want to spend any money and wanted to sell it.

A rather key part you missed out there.

The previous manager was lumbered with bargain signings and low-grade loans. What have Benjani and Diouf done over the course of the season? What did you expect?

The so-called transfer budget, earned by that outstanding finish was suddenly withdrawn to help that process.

I respect your view because you are a genuine fan.

But sometimes you have to take a step back and look at the big picture.

This is a sticky time, but it could have been a whole lot worse.

I fully accept what you say about the Trust and wanting to sell. Clearly they wanted out and were happy to take whatever reasonable offer came along. Jack's legacy was obviously not all that important to them.

However, where I take issue with Venky's is simply with the decision making since they took over. I admit that I was a huge fan of Sam. I thought he was the ideal manager for a club like the Rovers. He got the best out of the resources available to him and under his leadership I never felt that we would go down. Indeed, with a little bit of money from Venky's in January, I believe he would have strengthened the team far better than we did. I know he wanted Roque, but I believe that Sam would have got more out of him than Kean has done because he would have set the team out differently. Obviously we must agree to disagree about Kean, but that's fair enough - football is a game of opinions.

What I cannot forgive Venky's for is taking a gamble in mid-season by changing the manager and axing John Williams. If they had maintained the status quo until the summer and then looked to make changes I think people would have understood. However, Mrs Desai, who hadn't seen a live match at that point, axed the manager and replaced him with someone completely untried or tested in the manager's job. Clearly she had no knowledge of the game on which to base her decision. To me that was a reckless decision and one which may result in the club losing its Premier League status.

In terms of the big picture, I believe that Premier League survival is essential to a club like the Rovers. Having witnessed the wilderness years from 1966 to 1992 it's not something I want to see repeated. If we do get relegated I can't see Venky's putting more money into the club as there will be little marketing opportunities in the Championship. Big name signings are not going to happen because the type of players they want for marketing the company are not the type of players who will want to play at Doncaster on a wet and windy night in November. Furthermore, many of our talented youngsters like Jones, Olsson and Hoilett will find no shortage of offers from other clubs while the likes of Robinson, Samba, Givet etc will surely find other homes.

It would be interesting to know if Venky's have actually planned for the possiblity of relegation or if Mrs Desai doesn't actually understand that the bottom three go down and the Premier League gravy train suddenly stops.

[nicko]

seriously nicko, whats your agenda..?

why are you, SO pro venky´s and kean..?

and why do you feel its neccessary to critisize the trust, while trying to get venkys to look better.?

in my view, the picture you are painting, is way to rosy and positve. And im just not buying it.

Let me just remind you of a few things.

Who broke the tale about the takeover? Who broke the line about Jerome Anderson being involved in the process? Who mentioned the link with Kentaro first? Who did the daft Maradona for manager story? Who also pointed out that Steve Kean was an SEM client before anyone else?

Do you think any of that is PRO Venky's? I would imagine it caused them some embarassment. It also provided ammunition to their enemies and rivals.

It makes me laugh when I think where the tips for the stories came from too. Would anyone give me hand-outs on that kind of stuff or did I just get my head down and find out?

I would also remind you that Venky's denied the strength of the Kentaro links despite me banging on about. One or two denied Jerome Anderson's part in it which is even more complex than anyone realised, ie, working for Rovers as well.

I remember the denials about Maradona too. Do you break that tale if you are PRO Venky's.

I DO feel sympathy for people who put their cash into a football club. And I did think that Steve Kean had something about him.

[broadsword]

He has got something about him, and it doesn't smell very nice.

(Noticed the past tense by the way.)

[nicko]

I admit that I was a huge fan of Sam. I thought he was the ideal manager for a club like the Rovers. He got the best out of the resources available to him and under his leadership I never felt that we would go down.

Can I just remind you that Sam wanted out last summer because there was no money available to spend.

We had the Middle East carry-on among others.

Let's not get a rose-coloured tint of where the club was at.

Of course Sam is a proven Premier League survival fighter.

However if you buy a club you are entitled to decide who you employ.

And how would the season have gone if there had been NO investment in January? No signings. Possible exit or two.

What would have happened then?

[nicko]

He has got something about him, and it doesn't smell very nice.

(Noticed the past tense by the way.)

I had only heard of Steve Kean before he took over. Met him once in company a dozen years ago. But when he got the job I asked three people I respect in the game and they all said he was a solid and shrewd sort.

I met him three times in a hurry after that and he struck me as a real football man who knows his stuff, speaks very well and realises how you run a club. He walked into a minefield but picked his steps very wisely in the first few weeks.

His team wants to play good football. That is hard when you have a brief amount of time to change it round, but it showed good signs.

Yes, he changes his side and tactics but that is partly because of injuries and some under-par performances. So that is one major test for him.

I thought his side set about Blackpool the right way and took a major boot in the balls from the ref. They coped well and came back despite the ridiculous reaction from a few.

I have to say the signing of Myles Anderson is a major black mark in my book and a totally unneccesary mistake to have made.

[broadsword]

What do you think about how he got the job?

Previously someone on here has intimated that his time at Fulham wasn't 100% happy and there were a few stories knicking around about that - anything you've heard?

[nicko]

What do you think about how he got the job?

Previously someone on here has intimated that his time at Fulham wasn't 100% happy and there were a few stories knicking around about that - anything you've heard?

It is all too easy to suggest Kean back-stabbed the previous manager.

Sam got the huff because he was sacked and started making allegations without naming anyone. He could have been referring to someone else, like the agent he had criticised by his mate Fergie.

If Sam KNEW that something had gone on and who did it he should have said what happened and named names rather than just farting in an empty room and letting the smell stick to anyone nearby.

You may recall Sam going all huffy after leaving Bolton and a similar war of words breaking out.

His pride was hurt, it was bound to be someone else's fault.

[rebelmswar]

I wouldn't be happy myself, fired for no good reason.

Don't you think it was a bit wide him flying off to India though?

[67splitscreen]

And how would the season have gone if there had been NO investment in January? No signings. Possible exit or two.

What would have happened then?

Was it not yourself that said, if the takeover failed that the Trust was prepared to make 5m available in January. (must say I was some what surprised by your statement at the time)

I guess Sam would have been reasonably happy with that and would have stayed to see out his contract, or renewed, can't see JW sacking him before that time.

[nicko]

Was it not yourself that said, if the takeover failed that the Trust was prepared to make 5m available in January. (must say I was some what surprised by your statement at the time)

I guess Sam would have been reasonably happy with that and would have stayed to see out his contract, or renewed, can't see JW sacking him before that time.

Covered earlier.

Fed up with hypotheticals, to be honest.

The Trust sold the club. End of.

Sam would never have been reasonably happy with no money. You saw that when he tried to get a club last summer. Funny that. Many blamed him. In truth, he was right to look at getting out.

[LWX]

I DO feel sympathy for people who put their cash into a football club.

Rich capitalists most of them, with no real passion or reason for investment other than personal gain or fulfilling personal curiosity or desire. Most fans probably pay a much bigger percentage of the money they have at their disposal to support their team every week/season. The Germans have got it right, the fans should own their clubs... end of! Football the game is great, all the leaches involved in the circus that surrounds it are ruining it.

[67splitscreen]

Covered earlier.

Fed up with hypotheticals, to be honest.

The Trust sold the club. End of.

Sam would never have been reasonably happy with no money. You saw that when he tried to get a club last summer. Funny that. Many blamed him. In truth, he was right to look at getting out.

Excuse me! for asking, must have missed your explanation of the stated 5m .

'End of" you seem to use the trust as much as anyone to justify the current position.

Well lets hope the hypotheticals are proved wrong with hindsight, doesn't look to rosy at the moment though even with tinted glasses.

[greco]

Let me just remind you of a few things.

Who broke the tale about the takeover? Who broke the line about Jerome Anderson being involved in the process? Who mentioned the link with Kentaro first? Who did the daft Maradona for manager story? Who also pointed out that Steve Kean was an SEM client before anyone else?

Do you think any of that is PRO Venky's? I would imagine it caused them some embarassment. It also provided ammunition to their enemies and rivals.

It makes me laugh when I think where the tips for the stories came from too. Would anyone give me hand-outs on that kind of stuff or did I just get my head down and find out?

I would also remind you that Venky's denied the strength of the Kentaro links despite me banging on about. One or two denied Jerome Anderson's part in it which is even more complex than anyone realised, ie, working for Rovers as well.

I remember the denials about Maradona too. Do you break that tale if you are PRO Venky's.

I DO feel sympathy for people who put their cash into a football club. And I did think that Steve Kean had something about him.

all the things youve just mentioned are NEWS, thats your job to report and those stories were mentioned, just about everywhere. Eventhough you wrote about them, it wasnt done in a malicious kind of way, like others have done.

im talking about your pro venky and pro kean postings on this forum. They just alert my spiderman sences.

[rebelmswar]

Rich capitalists most of them, with no real passion or reason for investment other than personal gain or fulfilling personal curiosity or desire. Most fans probably pay a much bigger percentage of the money they have at their disposal to support their team every week/season. The Germans have got it right, the fans should own their clubs... end of! Football the game is great, all the leaches involved in the circus that surrounds it are ruining it.

Surprised you can stand to watch football at all then.

If there is one mini capitalist colony it is football in general - rich elite players living off the sweat and blood of the unwashed masses.

Throw your bodies under the studs of their boots and break the machine.

[deftangel]

Something doesn't add up. We are being told that there are nefarious forces queuing up to attack Rovers, that within the game there are people happy that we are failing because of what has happened and who we are associated with and we are a laughing stock. Well it seems here is a gilt-edged opportunity to lay into us and as Nicko says nobody has written it? I don't understand these things but why not? They've attacked us about everything else

Bloody hell it's kicked off in here since yesterday. I think however, this is a good point. Nicko is primarily focused on transfer stories and I don't see The Mirror interested in a long form article in the murky going on at the club. Other outlets, sure! What exactly are our champions at the LET doing about the mortgage thing? I asked Cryer and Plunkett to look into it and didn't get a single response.

The general feeling in the thread concerned was inconclusive. It really rather depends on what Venky's do with the money and whether the facility is truly a temporary one. That doesn't mean it's not worthy of investigation but it's hardly a smoking gun.

Nicko is here answering questions and he gets labelled as some kind of Venky's spin doctor. Just because his opinion isn't through blue and white spectacles doesn't mean it's through chicken ones either.

I thought his side set about Blackpool the right way and took a major boot in the balls from the ref. They coped well and came back despite the ridiculous reaction from a few.

I have to say the signing of Myles Anderson is a major black mark in my book and a totally unneccesary mistake to have made.

Both of these are perfectly fair comments which I 100% concur with.

Save the vitriol for the actual owners if they don't get us out of this position having led us into it.

[Parsonblue]

Can I just remind you that Sam wanted out last summer because there was no money available to spend.

We had the Middle East carry-on among others.

Let's not get a rose-coloured tint of where the club was at.

Of course Sam is a proven Premier League survival fighter.

However if you buy a club you are entitled to decide who you employ.

And how would the season have gone if there had been NO investment in January? No signings. Possible exit or two.

What would have happened then?

I think most fans realised that the Trust had stopped making a contribution to the club and that the manager was unhappy with the lack of funding. Indeed, I don't think John Williams was particularly happy at the lack of funding over the past couple of years.

I totally agree that having bought the club, Mrs Desai is perfectly free to employ who she wants and we, as supporters, are perfectly free to disagree with the way in which she is running the club.

As for the January window, I don't believe that it has made much difference to the way in which our season has gone. Roque has been injured, Jones is hit and miss and the two lads from Spain and Argentina don't look ready for the Premier League. Indeed, Formica looked very poor the other night for the Reserves and I suspect that it will be next season before we see him in action.

In a situation like this you need a manager who can grind out results with very little in terms of the quality of the squad. I am convinced that we would have survived under Sam whereas I don't believe that Kean and Jensen have the ability to keep us up. Hopefully I will be proved wrong and we will survive. I dread to think what will happen if we do drop into the Championship.

[BangkokRover]

Bloody hell it's kicked off in here since yesterday. I think however, this is a good point. Nicko is primarily focused on transfer stories and I don't see The Mirror interested in a long form article in the murky going on at the club. Other outlets, sure! What exactly are our champions at the LET doing about the mortgage thing? I asked Cryer and Plunkett to look into it and didn't get a single response.

LET's not even fit for fish and chip paper!

[nicko]

all the things youve just mentioned are NEWS, thats your job to report and those stories were mentioned, just about everywhere. Eventhough you wrote about them, it wasnt done in a malicious kind of way, like others have done.

im talking about your pro venky and pro kean postings on this forum. They just alert my spiderman sences.

I broke the tales. Warts and all. Other people followed them up.

You want stories to be malicious?

Getting a sore head now.

[gumboots]

LET's not even fit for fish and chip paper!

you've been out of england a long time - no newspaper is deemed fit for chip paper nowadays. Health and Safety you know

[rebelmswar]

I broke the tales. Warts and all. Other people followed them up.

You want stories to be malicious?

Getting a sore head now.

Personally I don't think you are a Venkeys plant - the accusation is laughable.

[nicko]

As for the January window, I don't believe that it has made much difference to the way in which our season has gone. Roque has been injured, Jones is hit and miss and the two lads from Spain and Argentina don't look ready for the Premier League. Indeed, Formica looked very poor the other night for the Reserves and I suspect that it will be next season before we see him in action.

In a situation like this you need a manager who can grind out results with very little in terms of the quality of the squad. I am convinced that we would have survived under Sam whereas I don't believe that Kean and Jensen have the ability to keep us up. Hopefully I will be proved wrong and we will survive. I dread to think what will happen if we do drop into the Championship.

Your analysis of the signings is correct at the moment. Roque is a waste of time and money - and yet fascinated both the current and previous regime. Jones was a poor alternative to Charlie Adam who was identified well before his price went up. Rochina was always for the long-term but could do something in the short-term. Formica needs time to adjust and was probably the alternative to Damien Duff who was on the original list.

Bear in mind Kean lost three of four players in his first game, including Phil Jones, and the squad was actually much weaker by the time January came. That would not have helped any manager.

He also has the Andrews issue, Grella's on-going health, Morten's highs and lows and a forward line that has always been bang average to work with.

The big plus is Hoilett. Without him where would the season be now? Rock bottom probably.

And playing Hoilett is Kean's biggest plus. Under Sam he was a bit-part going-nowhere lad.

What exactly are our champions at the LET doing about the mortgage thing? I asked Cryer and Plunkett to look into it and didn't get a single response.

I can only presume they found out nothing suspicious about it.

[TimmyJimmy]

... I have to say the signing of Myles Anderson is a major black mark in my book and a totally unneccesary mistake to have made.

Nicko I have to say that I agree with a lot of what you post, especially the above and in the interest of balance want to pick up on a few points.

ParsonBlue talked well about the passion and emotion of a fan in our current position. Under such circumstances we all look for the causes and seek to apportion blame. Having worked out who to blame and believing that we cannot effect any change we do what I believe the psychologists call 'anger displacement' ie we look to take it out on the wife/cat/Nicko. I believe that the comments you make are simply intended to redress the balance in the 'debate' and that you have zero hidden agenda.

The point about the mortgage - again I agree with your summary. All businesses with the possible exception of corner shops actively seek to take on some level of debt, it's called gearing and makes perfect sense for all kinds of reasons. A mortgage is a type of security taken by a bank in case sh!t happens, sometime associated with other security such as a debenture and the like. There does not necessarily have to be any associated borrowing at any particular point in time - undrawn lines of credit, revolving credit that kind of thing - can be covered, seeing a mortgage registered does not then mean that we are borrowed up to the hilt. Legit reasons for borrowing and giving a mortgage could for covering temporary cashflow issues, timing differences in shifting funds between accounts/banks/countries etc.. Having said this I don't actually believe this is the case here but in the interests of balance we have to at least acknowledge it as a possibility. It may then all be quite quite innocent, but to me it doesn't smell right.

I don't think you have any connection with the VH Group or speak for them in any way but that simply put, like me, you believe that they are 'innocences abroad', well intention and principled yet at the same time terribly naive in the ways of football. They have made a bunch of crazy decisions and for that they deserve severe criticism and, if we are relegated, they will suffer self inflicted humiliation in the Indian business community and far afield.

I know that you already knew what the posters like Philip, Kamy, BPF et al had unearthed in the past. My reading is that you don't think they amount to a hill of beans whilst the fans reading is that there is a sword of Damocles hanging over our head and given certain highly likely circumstances coming about it will fall on us.

It would help to take the heat out of all these exchanges if you would go public on some of the issues that you view negatively (as you have done with the Myles comment above) and that what would balance out the vast majority of the times when you declare things as non issues.

One final point, wouldn't you agree that all this would go away if only Venkys would learn how to communicate with the fans.

[imy9]

Timmy- a well reasoned and well thought out post, can't add anything to it.

[nicko]

It would help to take the heat out of all these exchanges if you would go public on some of the issues that you view negatively (as you have done with the Myles comment above) and that what would balance out the vast majority of the times when you declare things as non issues.

One final point, wouldn't you agree that all this would go away if only Venkys would learn how to communicate with the fans.

I have heard so many daft rumours in the past few weeks that I am totally fed up chasing them and finding them baseless. Even people I have known for a good few years seem touched by the madness and start telling me stuff that just does not check out.

This might explain why I am in ratty mode at the moment.

The only common theme I have found is that a few people, many connected with the old regime or other would-be bidders, are chucking crap around and hoping some sticks.

The trouble is that a lot of people at a lot of levels have had their noses pushed out of joint and are going around whipping up unrest.

There is no doubt that Venky's have made mistakes, from chasing after Maradona through to predictions of where the team will finish in the table. They need to streamline their act and not get friends or relatives chasing after any available Brazilian.

But - after all - it IS their cash and they can do what they want with it.

I am not going to post or repeat daft rumours just because someone who 'knows' is spreading it. I suspect some other posters probably prefer sending round e-mails because they know posting doubtful material here would leave them open to understandable legal action.

The classic example was the Screws running the Kean Sacked story. There had been no meeting. They had to apologise.

I am sure Venky's are fuming about results being below what they expect. They are new to this and won't like it at all. You can't predict how they will act.

Forget this mortgage stuff. These people have dough. They want to spend it to make themselves look good outside their own country. Do you think they plan to trash the place and make their name mud here and back home?

Common sense tells you that is not - and could never have been - their plan.

Football makes mugs of us all. But to stir up unrest and run around screaming isn't doing anyone any good.

[Mc Love]

Whats with the attacks on Nicko? I cant understand it all, except for some people on here are angry about the club and seem to be taking it out on someone that is and has provided some great insider knowledge and tips on up and coming bids, club news etc!

A lot of the attackers need to grow up and mods need to take a tougher stance on this. Its hard enough being a rovers fan at the moment than having to read the amount of trash spouted on here!