Pune trip

[Al]

You all loose credibility for accepting a holiday as a bribe.

It can't be seen in any other light.

Anyway that my last on the whole sordid affair.

Touched a nerve there. You need to be careful what you say. Nobody has been bribed.

[glen9mullan]

I think you need to be careful what you accuse people of there.

I certainly don't take kindly to be accused of being bribed and I doubt the owners would like being accused of offering bribes

Like anything else this would always bring a mixed reaction and its a very sensitive subject.

8 of the 9 are BRFCS Members which is good for this site, but not IMO good for the bigger picture as it puts that exclusivity tag to both the FF and Site, a culture i'm not comfortable with, as are others who I spoke with last night.

That being said, Some of the people I'm aware of on here who are going (We dont know everyone) Have expressed themselves really well especially Tom who I'm thrilled is going as he comes across very level headed and humble to have been given an opportunity to go, I dnt think Tom will mind me saying but he has had concerns too which the 1% Minority have has and i'm hopeful that he will ask the questions openly and without prejudice, and be allowed to do so in the best interest of the supporters of Blackburn Rovers Football Club. There is very little point swerving the issue's that the 1% have, because if Venkys are serious business people the they should no, its vitally important to address fans/customers with worries/complaints more, so that they can go about rectifying it. Every person is unique and has their own opinions, its the ability to openly express them with reasoning and facts which gets the job done.

Whilst Others who are going have not expressed themselves too well on here, after reading this thread. They have got their backs up, instead of welcoming the objection and have come across with nose up attitude which is a pity, This is my opinion and I really dnt think people shpuld argue with people's opinions, Welcoming the objection and showing empathy is a trait not all seem to have.

It would also be nice for a full list of people who are going to be put on here as 8 are BRFCS members and then all can gauge what type of opinions are going to Pune.

[wolfie]

Anyway that my last on the whole sordid affair.

Good

[Al]

In fairness, nobody has ever (to my knowledge) until today used this MB to call into question anybody's participation in the Fans Forum, and whether or not we are representative.

In all the years I have attended, discussing hot topics like the Blackburn End toilets, the volume of the PA, the price of cups of tea at Leigh's stadium and the cleanliness of the Walkerframe bricks ... there has been a distinct lack of challenge as to the ability of the members and the Forum as a whole to do what it does.

Neither has there been a queue of people at the door wanting to contribute or get involved themselves.

It's no surprise that those challenges have come today, but equally none of the members of the FF had the slightest inkling that their involvement would ever lead to this (or any other) such opportunity to take that respresentation beyond what it has been.

Again, it should come as no surprise that some of the same people who are willing to give freely of their time to keep this site running, are also some of the people who give freely of their time to be members of the Fans Forum.

See my PM Tris.

[Mattyblue]

You do have a point glen, it is often said on here, 'BRFCS posters are only a small percentage of our fanbase, get in the real world ' etc etc.

All (but one) going on the trip are brfcs members

[Ste B]

Like anything else this would always bring a mixed reaction and its a very sensitive subject.

8 of the 9 are BRFCS Members which is good for this site, but not IMO good for the bigger picture as it puts that exclusivity tag to both the FF and Site, a culture i'm not comfortable with, as are others who I spoke with last night.

It would also be nice for a full list of people who are going to be put on here as 8 are BRFCS members and then all can gauge what type of opinions are going to Pune.

I'll answer the bottom point first. I'm led to believe that there will be a list published at some point once everything is actually 100% confirmed. I think that at some point in this process each attendee will be profiled somewhat.

The FF is not about BRFCS. Its just that many of the FF members who could go are also members of BRFCS. Many of the members who voted are not and I would say on the FF its about 50/50, but you need to bear in mind, that BRFCS has by far the largest membership of all the sites, and many may not currently be active posters. I could easily say that the majority of those going also use twitter for example. FYI we never mention the website, although John Williams used to quote it back to us on a regular basis.

[chris]

I'll answer the bottom point first. I'm led to believe that there will be a list published at some point once everything is actually 100% confirmed. I think that at some point in this process each attendee will be profiled somewhat.

The FF is not about BRFCS. Its just that many of the FF members who could go are also members of BRFCS. Many of the members who voted are not and I would say on the FF its about 50/50, but you need to bear in mind, that BRFCS has by far the largest membership of all the sites, and many may not currently be active posters. I could easily say that the majority of those going also use twitter for example. FYI we never mention the website, although John Williams used to quote it back to us on a regular basis.

how many members does this site have now?

[Al]

I'll answer the bottom point first. I'm led to believe that there will be a list published at some point once everything is actually 100% confirmed. I think that at some point in this process each attendee will be profiled somewhat.

The FF is not about BRFCS. Its just that many of the FF members who could go are also members of BRFCS. Many of the members who voted are not and I would say on the FF its about 50/50, but you need to bear in mind, that BRFCS has by far the largest membership of all the sites, and many may not currently be active posters. I could easily say that the majority of those going also use twitter for example. FYI we never mention the website, although John Williams used to quote it back to us on a regular basis.

Point taken Ste. but I would have thought that a lot of supporters would have been happier if Glen had been offered a place. He represents the views of a lot of supporters. Maybe he came to the fore too late?

[Tom]

Like anything else this would always bring a mixed reaction and its a very sensitive subject.

8 of the 9 are BRFCS Members which is good for this site, but not IMO good for the bigger picture as it puts that exclusivity tag to both the FF and Site, a culture i'm not comfortable with, as are others who I spoke with last night.

That being said, Some of the people I'm aware of on here who are going (We dont know everyone) Have expressed themselves really well especially Tom who I'm thrilled is going as he comes across very level headed and humble to have been given an opportunity to go, I dnt think Tom will mind me saying but he has had concerns too which the 1% Minority have has and i'm hopeful that he will ask the questions openly and without prejudice, and be allowed to do so in the best interest of the supporters of Blackburn Rovers Football Club. There is very little point swerving the issue's that the 1% have, because if Venkys are serious business people the they should no, its vitally important to address fans/customers with worries/complaints more, so that they can go about rectifying it. Every person is unique and has their own opinions, its the ability to openly express them with reasoning and facts which gets the job done.

Whilst Others who are going have not expressed themselves too well on here, after reading this thread. They have got their backs up, instead of welcoming the objection and have come across with nose up attitude which is a pity, This is my opinion and I really dnt think people shpuld argue with people's opinions, Welcoming the objection and showing empathy is a trait not all seem to have.

It would also be nice for a full list of people who are going to be put on here as 8 are BRFCS members and then all can gauge what type of opinions are going to Pune.

No problems mate, I did express my concerns to yourself with Kean as the manager but as discussed footballing issues do not come into Fans Forum matters. There is the opposite side of the scale on the FF as well, some are far more positive than myself.

Just to clarify (neither here nor there really) 7 of the 9 forum members attending are on BRFCS (the two others I don't think frequent forums) plus one of the 2 on a personal invite from Balaji. It's not too surprising though as BRFCS is probably the biggest forum for Rovers fans but I'm sure some of those will also be members of other Rovers sites, I myself have an account on the official boards and Roverstalk (does that still exist?).

[Paul]

You are correct, I haven't tried and to be quite frank I'm not going to waste my time either. As for the questions I'll be asking (if/when I get the opportunity), there won't be anything as searching as that...

It seems a total of 11 people are going on this trip and I know or have met 8 of them. I have no qualms about the quality or motivation of these people.

However responses like the above to a fan, who may or may not know some of the FF people, do not help those going on the trip or the image of the FF in the eyes of those who perhaps do not know the individuals concerned.

[only2garners]

You do have a point glen, it is often said on here, 'BRFCS posters are only a small percentage of our fanbase, get in the real world ' etc etc.

All (but one) going on the trip are brfcs members

To be pedantic only 7 of the 9 are brfcs members. It is slightly confused in that Roversmum and Mr Roversmum are also going, under a separate personal invite, so there are 8 brfcs members going.

[Ste B]

Point taken Ste. but I would have thought that a lot of supporters would have been happier if Glen had been offered a place. He represents the views of a lot of supporters. Maybe he came to the fore too late?

This has been arranged now for a few weeks, so that point is certainly valid. Its only now its been confirmed, but there still visas etc to come through. I'd have no problem with him being added to the list, but the invite was clearly for the forum in this case. Its our responsibility to do this in a way that does not spoil the chance of future more open session where more can attend.

I'm a bit disappointed that the announcement of the game couldnt have come sooner, as the likes of Birdy now have to apply for Visas in a very short time.

BTW The invitation for Roversmum/dad is a personal invite from Balaji, and their BRFCS / Fans Forum memberships is irrelevant.

[XLM]

How pathetic are some people. From how I understand it the fans forum do a boring sounding job of making sure the rest of the fans have the best possible experience at Ewood. They haven't been cloak and dagger about it, info is available on this site and the official site.

They sacrifice their time and have been rewarded with an opportunity. Good for them. They don't have to go over to ask questions of people on here. Why should they? They have been invited over to see what is going on as a goodwill gesture. They aren't going to act as mini Louis Therouxs.

Go, have fun and ignore petty jealous people who feel they have to get something out of it because you are doing.

[Tom]

Point taken Ste. but I would have thought that a lot of supporters would have been happier if Glen had been offered a place. He represents the views of a lot of supporters. Maybe he came to the fore too late?

Yes Al the original invite came 3 weeks or so ago, at which stage Glen was a fantastic source for transfer news and the like he has since come to the fore for taking the bit between his teeth and trying to make a change.

Maybe his cynicism about the forum (thats not a bad thing Glen) would make him a good person to have on the forum in the future? And certainly a person to lead the charge should the opportunity for a formal question and answer session with Venkys or similar in the future.

[Mattyblue]

This has been arranged now for a few weeks, so that point is certainly valid. Its only now its been confirmed, but there still visas etc to come through. I'd have no problem with him being added to the list, but the invite was clearly for the forum in this case. Its our responsibility to do this in a way that does not spoil the chance of future more open session where more can attend.

I'm a bit disappointed that the announcement of the game couldnt have come sooner, as the likes of Birdy now have to apply for Visas in a very short time.

BTW The invitation for Roversmum/dad is a personal invite from Balaji, and their BRFCS / Fans Forum memberships is irrelevant.

Shouldn't Birdy really have been invitied Ste?

[chris]

Even if I just knew Rovermum, Tom M and Glenn were going I'd be more then happy, they all talk a lot of sense and will be honest with the Rao's lot, they know the views of unhappy fans.

I know I don't deserve to go, I could care less about pie temperatures or whether the condom machine working in the male and female toilets

Edit: oops Glenn two n's

[Ste B]

Shouldn't Birdy really have been invitied Ste?

IMHO Birdy should be there, but the invite was for the fans forum. I'm sure we can name a few others who could be going on this trip as well.

[T4E]

You all loose credibility for accepting a holiday as a bribe.

It can't be seen in any other light.

Anyway that my last on the whole sordid affair.

Although your wording could be better, you do have somewhat of a point.

How do the Admin see the acceptance of a paid trip to India falling in line with their efforts to stay as impartial as possible?

[Wilsbowski]

This is unrelated but doesn't deserve it's own topic.

According to this we could be having a friendly in the phillipines next year http://sports.inquirer.net/17207/busy-sked-to-make-philippine-azkals-sharp-next-year

Anyone know this Qatari company that apparently has links with us?

[Glenn]

Shouldn't Birdy really have been invitied Ste?

There have been recent attempts to get Birdy involved with the Fans Forum, but sadly it's not happened yet. I agree that Birdy undoubtedly is the organiser of a significant group of fans (I'm reluctant to say "representative" given some of the comments above) and is therefore somebody it makes sense to have on the fans forums, if he's willing (and I believe he now is).

[perthblue02]

i have some do's and donts

1. dont make any chicken jokes

2. dont ask for one of the brothers autographs and inadvertently call him mr white

3. dont ask to be in any commcercials

cant think of any do's at the mo.

Can I add a don't

Don't eat the chicken, ask Salgado

[Glenn]

Although your wording could be better, you do have somewhat of a point.

How do the Admin see the acceptance of a paid trip to India falling in line with their efforts to stay as impartial as possible?

By asking myself three questions :-

a. Will fans other than myself benefit from me going?

b. Will the site benefit from me going?

c. Would I still consider going it the invitation was there, but I had to self-fund the trip?

As the answer is Yes to all three, I can sleep at night.

I go into everything with an open mind, but I'm not easily bought, I much prefer to get as much info as possible and make up my own

[T4E]

By asking myself three questions :-

a. Will fans other than myself benefit from me going?

b. Will the site benefit from me going?

c. Would I still consider going it the invitation was there, but I had to self-fund the trip?

As the answer is Yes to all three, I can sleep at night.

I go into everything with an open mind, but I'm not easily bought, I much prefer to get as much info as possible and make up my own

I can't personally see how a. is going to happen. How can you be sure at this stage that it will be of benefit, when the itinerary has yet to be agreed? I agree the site will benefit, because this will get BRFCS in the owners good books - hardly impartial. Can't argue with c.

[SAS]

.

Neither has there been a queue of people at the door wanting to contribute or get involved themselves.

.

I've never known or seen any information on how to get involved before Tris.

And that's with knowing a lot of you for quite a number of years personally.

Out of interest is the lithuainia love bus animal going

[3rdpillar]

I think you need to be careful what you accuse people of there.

I certainly don't take kindly to be accused of being bribed and I doubt the owners would like being accused of offering bribes

Bribe, PR excersize. With obvious ability to host a meeting at Ewood. It smells and it is not good.