Pune trip

[glen9mullan]

Spot on Ricky,he's had his knickers in a twist ever since the Pune 9 news leaked out.Someone less cynical than me might suggest there's a faint whiff of sour grapes...

No sour Grapes at all, and I was aware of the trip before it was announced. I don't see myself as someone important who could have gone or should of gone Pune and with my personal schedule its not something I could have done anyway.

So please don't put an agenda in which is simply not there.

[Mc Love]

No sour Grapes at all, and I was aware of the trip before it was announced. I don't see myself as someone important who could have gone or should of gone Pune and with my personal schedule its not something I could have done anyway.

So please don't put an agenda in which is simply not there.

Regardless of whether you are important, i think all fans of rovers are equal whether you hold a season ticket, go to every match, or are from timbuktoo...

As has been probably said before and I wouldnt know because I was very fed up last weekend that Kean got more time (i havent even listened to the interview, because he makes me sick to look at or listen to) but people are probably jealous of your position Glen, and if I was you, I would be very proud and have my head held up high, that you did something productive to rid Kean of this club instead of being a keyboard warrior on here.

And to add, has anyone of the secret 9 people asked if the meeting can be held in Blackburn? It just seems a bit rich that the owners are trying to buy your love with a trip to Pune.

[glen9mullan]

Weren't you on twitter blaming those fans that didn't support your march?

No not at all, I said i quote

Wonder what the Pro Kean camp think of that? Another shocking display 8 goals conceded in a week, and Krul had nothing to do,

There is a Prop Kean camp so nothing wrong with that

Shocking today, and I blame it on the Pro Kean camp, last week they had a chance to stand together, that chance may have gone.

Fans had an opportuntity last week to publically air their views if they support Kean or not

I'm saying that Kean is saying that 99% fans are behind him

As only a few publically Wanted Kean out he came up with this statistic

Kean used that as the statistic, Rightly or wrongly that is what the press believes

If Kean is saying 99% of fans are behind him, then it shows that a percentage of that 99% has not voiced opinion

A true statement

If if its ok for people to give me grief for over a week, becuase I organised a March, and throw Keans statistics at me on a daily basis, the I think i'm quite right to give those statistics back to those who are complaining today.

[Mc Love]

I'd love to know the fans he actually "talks" to though! Does he be shopping down the local supermarket and bumps into a rovers fan, that says "Hi Steve, we were very unlucky not to have won that game, maybe if the ground was a bit more moist we would have won"!

Or "Keep up the good work Kean"

[sentient]

It isn't easy Gav but ultimately maintaining dialogue has to be better than sticking two fingers up to 'make a statement'..

A polite decline with invite to meet at a suitable place in blackburn or nearby (who wouldn't be seduced by the rolling hills of lancashire?) to discuss the real issues as seen by the fans. A fans and owners summit! A publicity knockout for everyone but it can only happen if people make a sacrifice.

[Gav]

It isn't easy Gav but ultimately maintaining dialogue has to be better than sticking two fingers up to 'make a statement'..

Like I said yeti, its not an easy one and I agree we need to have some dialogue, any dialogue!

But I've seen the owners 3 times so far this season, why can't the meeting be held here? Why fly 9 fans to India?

The more I think about it the more ludicrous it seems.

[waggy]

after yesterday,s display i think the invited guests would be better not going to india,venkys refuse to listen to the fans why give them the good press

[Veevs]

Is there going to be any thread with questions that we can pass on through the Pune 9... Or any chance we could have some form of write up from the lads/lasses in regards to their stance on current matters (i.e. what are they going to be asking/telling Venkys)?.. just curious as I would love to be able to put questions forward as it is after all a fans forum and would love to know who is representing us and where they stand on these issues that have caused huge debate with all Rovers fans.

[dave birch]

After yesterday, If there are any of the 9 that don't or won't ask the obvious questions of our owners, would you please offer your ticket to someone who will.

[Mattyblue]

When the players went to Pune in the summer, do you think they asked 'searching questions' or did they just enjoy an all expenses paid trip and 'see for themselves Venky's grand plans and charitable causes'?

[The Gull]

I may be wrong, and I can't be bothered reading through this whole thread to find the answer, but I do not believe the schedule has been confirmed and that it is not even certain that the Pune 9 will get an audience.

If they do I see nothing but a situation which will one sided and pretty much pointless.

They won't sack Kean after any such meating as it will look like they are taking advice from 9 fans and make them look even sillier surely.

Are they going to sack Kean before the visit to India? Highly unlikely I would suggest as the Pune trip is not just about the Pune 9 but the club being represented out there.

Can't see any good reason for the Pune 9 accepting the invitation, it would be more productive to shove it in their faces as they might just realise the contempt the fans have for them and their chosen manager.

[Gav]

When the players went to Pune in the summer, do you think they asked 'searching questions' or did they just enjoy an all expenses paid trip and 'see for themselves Venky's grand plans and charitable causes'?

The players have an obligation to go to Pune because they are summoned by their employers, regardless of motives.

The fans have absolutely no obligation to go to Pune. They’re going to discuss matters off the pitch, so why hold the meeting in Pune, other than to exploit the situation for publicity reasons and use up Steb’s annual leave?

[Mattyblue]

That was my point Gav, that environment just isn't conducive to the kind of discussion the fans expect.

[PAFELL]

The fans forum is an unelected group of supporters who must be thanked for their efforts. However, i now feel that the Pune 9 should seek the opinions of all Rovers fans as to weather this PR stunt by Venky's is in the best interests of the club. KEAN OUT NOW

It maybe a PR stunt or it maybe a genuine attempt to gain fans support. Until the trip has been done and dusted we will not know. The Pune 9 have to go this one time to find out. If it then proves to be nothing but a PR stunt, then refuse to go again. But, just in case this is an opportunity for some supporters to get their views and concerns across, then it has to be taken.

Many of us have said we want venkys out. Truth is, they are going nowhere. There is also nobody else wanting to buy the club. So we are all between a rock and a hard place. The only choice we have at the moment is hope that the Pune 9 are able to get their points across about replacing Kean as the manager and venkys listen and act. For the sake of the club, there is no other choice.

[JAL]

after yesterday,s display i think the invited guests would be better not going to india,venkys refuse to listen to the fans why give them the good press

Could you imagine them getting off the plane with anti management t-shirts on. Then walking around India with what ever slogan they choose to print on them.

Steve Keans polluted Blackburn Rovers !

Whose to blame ?

[Stuart]

The Pune 9 have to be very careful how they handle this. It's not that simple just to thumb their noses at the owners.

You only have to look at the way the old board were allowed to leave (yes, that's the best way to put it). It makes me wonder if the FF might lose interest in Rovers should they not toe the line.

Turning down this 'opportunity' is not a decision which should be taken lightly or done in the heat of the moment.

It's difficult, and possibly too late, for the FF, my one concern now is that the independence of this supporters' site is not compromised in an attempt to improve relations with the club.

[Glenn]

Before I answer a few of the questions, a few things I'd like everyone to consider.

Soon after the takeover, myself and another Rovers fan looked at getting funding to visit India to talk to the family, but gave up when we realised it was unlikely we'd get an audience.

Unable to travel to Hong Kong, I tried to get onto the pre-season to India, partly as I figured it may be a chance to talk to the owners.

I backed the Fans Forum effort to invite them to attend a FF meeting at Ewood

So .... am I going to miss this opportunity? Am I buggery! I've already said that if it wasn't a freebie, but the invitation was still there, I'd been looking for other ways to fund the trip.

Also, was everything good before the Newcastle game? Obviously not, so why has the "decline the invitation" idea gained more backing now?

Which is more likely to bring about improvements, meeting the owners or not? Obviously meeting them.

Do I agree this would be better done at Ewood? Actually, yes I do. But we tried to make that happen and it wasn't possible, but turning down an alternative makes no sense either.

Is it worth giving up an opportunity to get my voice heard worth it in return for a gesture that'll please a few fans, get a small amount of media attention with no obvious benefit and tell Venky's nothing they don't already know (i.e. the vast majority of fans aren't happy with how things are)? Obviously not.

It isn't easy Gav but ultimately maintaining dialogue has to be better than sticking two fingers up to 'make a statement'..

Couldn't agree more.

Regardless of whether you are important, i think all fans of rovers are equal whether you hold a season ticket, go to every match, or are from timbuktoo...

I agree, I don't consider myself "more important" than any other fan (though it seems that some think I'm less important as I wasn't at Newcastle this weekend .... Odd I didn't get the same accusation after the Orient game)

And to add, has anyone of the secret 9 people asked if the meeting can be held in Blackburn? It just seems a bit rich that the owners are trying to buy your love with a trip to Pune.

It's no "secret". The 7 of the 9 that use this forum all outed themselves in this thread within hours of it being announced. The FF approached the owners about attending a FF meeting very soon after the takeover and I'd like to think that was part of why the FF was invited. As awesome as a trip to India is, it would be much more cost and time effective from me personally if this happened in the UK, but that doesn't mean I'm going to miss the opportunity (or being truthful, being very grateful for the opportunity to see a bit of India and the generous offer to do it at somebody else's expense, but that's far from my main concern).

A polite decline with invite to meet at a suitable place in blackburn or nearby (who wouldn't be seduced by the rolling hills of lancashire?) to discuss the real issues as seen by the fans. A fans and owners summit! A publicity knockout for everyone but it can only happen if people make a sacrifice.

I don't see how the suggested sacrifice would benefit the fans in the long term, the owners aren't suddenly going to grant everyone an audience at Ewood. A chance to discuss the club with the owners, no matter in what format and location, has to be a good thing. They have already been invited to attend the FF previously.

Like I said yeti, its not an easy one and I agree we need to have some dialogue, any dialogue!

But I've seen the owners 3 times so far this season, why can't the meeting be held here? Why fly 9 fans to India?

The more I think about it the more ludicrous it seems.

As Kamy will attest, when they are in the UK, they seem to been on very very tight schedules (he spent a day chasing Mrs D around Lancashire and Manchester trying to grab an interview). Personally, I hope that one day they will hold similar meetings in the UK, but the process towards this has to start somewhere.

Is there going to be any thread with questions that we can pass on through the Pune 9... Or any chance we could have some form of write up from the lads/lasses in regards to their stance on current matters (i.e. what are they going to be asking/telling Venkys)?.. just curious as I would love to be able to put questions forward as it is after all a fans forum and would love to know who is representing us and where they stand on these issues that have caused huge debate with all Rovers fans.

Whilst we've said a few times why we haven't solicited questions (we don't know what format any engagement with the owners will take, so promising to ask certain questions is a promise we might not be able to keep), I will pass on your thoughts on a little background on the fans going (though reading this thread, you can find the forums names of 7 of the 9 and a search for their posts to find views on things).

After yesterday, If there are any of the 9 that don't or won't ask the obvious questions of our owners, would you please offer your ticket to someone who will.

Knowing the people going, it would be near impossible to stop them asking the tough questions given the chance. Anyone whose ever been on the end of one of the Chairman's ear bendings (many of you'll know Martin from away games) will know that STOPPING him is the problem That doesn't mean it won't be done in a polite and constructive manner, but don't worry, all those going have a tongue in their heads.

It maybe a PR stunt or it maybe a genuine attempt to gain fans support. Until the trip has been done and dusted we will not know. The Pune 9 have to go this one time to find out. If it then proves to be nothing but a PR stunt, then refuse to go again. But, just in case this is an opportunity for some supporters to get their views and concerns across, then it has to be taken.

Many of us have said we want venkys out. Truth is, they are going nowhere. There is also nobody else wanting to buy the club. So we are all between a rock and a hard place. The only choice we have at the moment is hope that the Pune 9 are able to get their points across about replacing Kean as the manager and venkys listen and act. For the sake of the club, there is no other choice.

This is quite close to my thinking. We'll never know unless we go an find out and we stand a much better chance of making a difference by doing it than not.

The Pune 9 have to be very careful how they handle this. It's not that simple just to thumb their noses at the owners.

You only have to look at the way the old board were allowed to leave (yes, that's the best way to put it). It makes me wonder if the FF might lose interest in Rovers should they not toe the line.

Turning down this 'opportunity' is not a decision which should be taken lightly or done in the heat of the moment.

It's difficult, and possibly too late, for the FF, my one concern now is that the independence of this supporters' site is not compromised in an attempt to improve relations with the club.

Indeed, it's a mine field, which is possibly why most of them have gone quiet (they have more sense than me).

On the point about the site though, Ste and I are going out as representatives of the FF NOT BRFCS, this site will always remain independent, our "it's not what you say, it's how you say it*" (*within the confines of the law) stance still stands on the forums, Wen/Kam/Alan et al doing the news will still be able to report on stuff how they see fit (I was actually almost disappointed the when India was discussed on today's podcast, nobody really came out strongly against it) and we've already been talking to the guys at Vital about sharing our India stuff with them (so as not to use the India trip to solely benefit BRFCS). So don't worry, this isn't an attempt to buy us off.

[AggyBlue]

It's no "secret". The 7 of the 9 that use this forum all outed themselves in this thread within hours of it being announced.

Must have missed that then, who are they? Anyone

[Gav]

The Newcastle game has no bearing on how I feel about the trip Glen, so lets knock that one on the head right away.

I can see the obvious benefits to going and not going, If I was invited I’d be getting as much feedback from the supports as possible, because they’re the ones I’m going out there to represent arent they?

Like I said yesterday, its a hard choice to make, or I hope people going are wrestling with the choices here, but refusing to talk about it leaves a sour taste for me, and some have decided thats the option they'll be taking

[AggyBlue]

If I was invited I'd be getting as much feedback from the supports as possible, because they're the ones I'm going out there to represent arent they?

The silence in that respect is rather telling, is it not

[chris]

Must have missed that then, who are they? Anyone

me too only know 5 of the 11, Tom ,Glenn, Steb, Roversmum, Roversdad

[Pugg]

Well that makes me feel a lot better. Instead of ignoring posts about asking questions or just saying 'we don't know if we'll get the opportunity to ask questions', simply saying 'we will if the opportunity arises' is good enough for me.

[Tom]

Must have missed that then, who are they? Anyone

From the fans forum:

Myself

Glenn

SteB

Only2Garners

Ewood Spark

Fernhurst Rover

Tris

Plus 2 more non BRFCS members

Then on a personal invite

Roversmum

Mr Roversmum (also a FF member but not a forum member as far as I know)

All those mentioned there did make themselves known very early in the thread.

[whalleyrover]

Time for the Pune 9 to get real and see that this s a PR stunt by Venkys and by going it endorses their actions. SHOCK VENKYS by not going. It may be the only way they will see sense.

[Glenn]

The Newcastle game has no bearing on how I feel about the trip Glen, so lets knock that one on the head right away.

I can see the obvious benefits to going and not going, If I was invited I'd be getting as much feedback from the supports as possible, because they're the ones I'm going out there to represent arent they?

Like I said yesterday, its a hard choice to make, or I hope people going are wrestling with the choices here, but refusing to talk about it leaves a sour taste for me, and some have decided thats the option they'll be taking

I can't speak for anyone else, but I have read an entire forum's worth of feedback (plus the people I talk to at games), some I agree with, some I don't, but all of which I feel confident I can articulate the reasoning behind why they feel like they do.

I also don't think anyone is refusing to talk about it, I think they are rightly worried that anything they say, will be dissected and any used against them. You know quite a few of the people going, you know they'd happily talk to you about it in person about it all as you're not going to stitch them up for some badly phrased, off the cuff comment, but there are plenty on here who would.