[Archived] Venky's - Do You Support Them As Owners Of The Club?

[jannerman]

Perhaps the more enlightened among you will tell us just how you will get "Venky's out", who the new buyers will be and how much those new buyers will invest in new players, academy, club infrastructure etc. It's easy to shout from the rooftops Out, out, out. But coming up with the solutions isn't. The owners have made mistakes but things will get better as they learn. Kean will get sacked if the team continues to lose.

Very valid point. Unfortunately no matter which way you look at it, most are motivated by profit, there's not many that can afford to own a football club and lose money repeatedly.

My "hometown" club Plymouth have suffered greatly from that mindset, heavy investment leveraged by borrowing and finance (several million if the press is to be believed) to promote the club as being suitable for our World Cup in whatever year it was going to be in the UK (2016?) with the grand plan being revamped stadium, hotel/accommodation, retail outlets and so on...

Of course then the World Cup bid failed, all that investment wasted, no new stadium, much worse in fact, a ton of debt, and then the inevitable administration.

What I'm unsure about is what the directors actually were liable for, there's a hugh amount of debt to be written off (3p in the pound to be paid on something stupid like 12m) and lots of small local firms that will feel the repercussions of not getting the money they're owed.

Then the club flounders whilst a new buyer is sought, all the while selling off anything that's not nailed down (mostly players) whilst in free fall down the league and potentially into non-league next season.

Not saying this is going to happen with Rovers, but it strikes me as the Venkys have more cash to play with than the trust ever did - but it's the seemingly random approach. My understanding of businesses over that way are that they can be a little naive, but are able to make it work because of low costs, hard labour, and less crippling legislation (hence lots of call centres) but with everything the more they operate, the more they learn.

My point here is that there really needs to be a cohesive strategy, with achievable goals. I'd say this seasons is "stay in the premiership" and forgive me if this is totally BS, but the press really needs to be managed a hell of a lot better. Are the wild "playing in Europe" statements helping?

Get the football sorted out, tactics, player fitness regimes, diets, etc, by sports professionals, and let the "businessmen" work on the strategy, retail ops, community stuff, but this whole making it up as they go along thing....clearly it was a big risk promoting SK, one that's not really worked out judging from his increasingly bizarre actions.

The main problem as I see it now? None of us like being told we did something spectacularly wrong, Kean doesn’t and the owners don't, and will pull in the opposite direction to try to save face. The only question is how long and how much damage will be done....

Rambling now, but I reckon we really need a footballing moses to appear, stop feeding the owners BS, tell a few home truths and get them on an even keel....

But whom??

[Paul]

Your explanation puts them firmly in the "cretins" camp.

Possibly. Despite my opposition to the general foreign ownership of English football clubs, my deep rooted suspicion of anything the Rao family say or do and that I've voted "No" in this poll I'm still trying / hoping to find some reasonable explanation for the whole sorry mess!

It's hard work though....................

[Mercer]

Give us 12 months they asked.

Well, time is well nigh up and, IMV, they have made a complete dog's breakfast of our club.

I feel our club is dying on its feet, owned and managed by, IMO, the naive, corrupt, incompetent and evil.

[chris]

hoping to find some reasonable explanation for the whole sorry mess!

It's hard work though....................

Steve Kean is a complusive bullsh1ting poisonous liar.

Venkys are "he is a beautiful person with warm hands" dumb as (Please don't use that word again) isolated vulnerable idiots.

Prett good explaination?

[Ralfinho]

One of two things is going on:

1) Steve Kean has taken advantage of a situation that must be unique at a PL club. There is a total power vacuum at Ewood Park, there is no middle management between owners and team manager, therefore Kean has taken on that role himself.

In his regular meetings, as you would expect he can spin the discussion his way, ‘it’s only a minority’, ‘we have increased squad value’, ‘look at what we did with Phil Jones’ , ‘the players love playing for me’, ‘the fans love the way we play’ and so on.

As the owners have little UK presence it is not exactly difficult for Kean to pull this off.

2) Kean has something over the owners that make his sacking a great risk, dodgy dealings? Anderson links? Who knows…?

Either way, it is looking grim to say the least.

I have been thinking that for some time. It seems strange they keep backing him like they are scared he might say something and have evidence to back it up as well

[novella]

When its all said and done, we need to get rid of these cretins. They have ruined football for me and ruined Blackburn Rovers.

If that means taking a step down into the championship so they jump ship and work our way back up then so be it - at least we'd have a bit of dignity. I'd rather start fresh in the blue square premier than have these (Please don't use that word again) wits running us in the premiership.

And thats a sorry state of affairs to be thinking like that.

[DE.]

After hearing their comments this morning I feel I have no choice but to change my vote to "no". They are ignorant, foolish people.

[tomphil]

There remains this widespread belief amongst people in English football that there is 'no money to be made' in football. Well I say that is complete and utter rubbish. There is a hell of a lot of money to be taken out of football if you do things the right way.

Here's a little idea as to what I'm getting at, lets just remember this is all hypothetical and i'm not suggesting this has gone on in English football, merely that it could potentially.

Just suppose I was to go to a major bank or investment company tomorrow and ask to borrow roughly £40 million, for the purpose of acquiring a Premier League football club from a group of people who are desperate to sell it as soon as possible. (Now you need to ignore the fact that no bank would ever lend me or you that kind of money, but if someone with considerably more security and assets/wealth went asking, who knows?)

I would require £20 million cash with which to buy the 99% shareholding in the club. A further £20 million of debt on the club could be shuffled around into different companies and need not be paid off in the near future.

So I am handed a £20 million loan by the bank, and successfully buy the club, pointing to my other businesses as my means of funding it. I now possess a club in the richest league in the world, which will receive £50-60 million a year in TV money for as long as it stays in the top flight, and will receive parachute payments for 4 seasons even if relegated. The playing squad ALONE is worth in excess of £60 million, that's before you get on to looking at the value of the stadium and training ground, which I imagine would stretch again into tens of millions. So for an outlay of £23 million you get a club with assets that could be worth 5,6,7 times that straight away.

Now as soon as the bank come calling for their money I sell off a player or two, quickly raising £20 million which pays off the debt and leaves me in complete control of a club which really has cost me nothing. Lets remember this has already happened at the biggest and richest club in the Premier League.

The club, which now has technically no debt, can begin borrowing from Barclays Bank, using its vast swathes of land at the stadium and training ground and future TV money as security on the loan. I can reduce running costs dramatically by forcing out several big earners on the board and replacing them with much cheaper alternatives. A similar practice can be undertaken in the coaching staff and playing squad. However, after facing opposition to my scheme from people at the club, I realise I need to bring somebody in who will do exactly as I say, and so I give the job to a somebody who will agree to everything I say.

The clubs supporters might start to become concerned at what I am up to, so I sanction the renaming of one of the stadium's stands after a club legend and forfeit a few hundred thousand pounds by giving the shirt sponsorship to charity. Neither of these moves require me to spend money, yet I do get decent publicity out of it.

So in this hypothetical scenario, even though I bought the club using borrowed cash, I now personally owe nothing, and control £100 million plus of assets with which I can do as I please. I have also become a celebrity overnight, and every sports paper and tv programme features me - the owner of a Premier League club. I can use this publicity to spread the name of my company across the world for free. Bingo.

Worst case scenario - my cost reduction exercise fails and the club goes down. Oh well, there's always the parachute money to soften the blow.

So you see, how can there be 'no money' to be made out of a football club?

Bang on the head of the nail ! Why has it taken so long for someone to state the blinding obvious !

[den]

Balaji Rao has told supporters there is no reason to worry after pledging his full support behind “brilliant” manager Steve Kean.

Ahead of today’s inaugural India Trophy game between Rovers and Pune, Rao dismissed those calling for Kean’s head as “just a few” and insisted Venky’s were happy with the club’s progress.

LT

[chris]

Just when I thought they couldn't possibly be any dumber, they go and do something like this.

[47er]

Just when I thought they couldn't possibly be any dumber, they go and do something like this.

I've just changed my vote. I thought it was possible that things might change but after this I realise what we are dealing with. How is it possible to run successful businesses and be this thick?

[broadsword]

I've just changed my vote. I thought it was possible that things might change but after this I realise what we are dealing with. How is it possible to run successful businesses and be this thick?

Because daddy built it into a successful business.

The golden egg was passed down, but I doubt these fellows will pass it down to their off-spring in anything like the same condition.

It's like some weird dream. They actually want to keep him.

The only hope now is that the crowd makes life so unbearable for him that he resigns. But then god knows who his replacement would be. Venky's are the problem, and we can't actually dispose of them, we have to wait for them to leave (and it could take years).

[philipl]

Dismal failures.

Hooking their waggon to the Kean car crash is just par for the course in backing every wrong option available.

[beerwins]

Three simple questions I would like them to answer.

Do you know that more than one club gets relegated?

Do you know how much you stand to lose if relegated?

On what professional basis do you think Steve Kean is a "brilliant manager" and how do you compare it to other managers.

How the "Brilliant manager" quote has come out without being asked why do you think this is truly amazing.

[Aberdeen Blue]

The latest comments from Pune defy belief. It is clear that they are either totally ignorant of the peril we are in, or more dangerously, know exactly what they are doing and plan to take the club for all they can get before bailing out.

Either way I fear for our future until we can rid ourselves of the whole damn lot of them

[Gav]

I'm absolutely stunned after reading that, ok he's not going to slag Kean off, but the tone of the piece is ridiculous.

He reminds me very much of comical Ali from the Iraq conflict.

WAKE UP MAN, BEFORE ITS TOO LATE

[Plastic Head]

Having read todays Telegraph I have now lost any patience and goodwill towards the people that are taking my club apart without consideration for its fans or the people of Blackburn. I can only see us either in administraion or liquidation in 12 months time.

I'm torn between just giving up and concentrating on the National Hunt season or becoming EXTREMELY ANGRY. I think I will follow the latter for the time being.

If I ever bump into these muppets they will get both barrels from me ... no holds barred. Same for Kean who is obviously in league with them.

The Spurs game now will degenerate into open season on Kean and Venkys and I can forsee all sorts of problems for the stewards and police. I am 100% sure that if they dare attend (I and guarantee they will not) the fury of the fans will be directed towards them all Kean from all sides.

I am of couse not suggesting or condoning anything that would be potentially illegal but I forsee that the situation could become get very hostile and difficult to handle at Ewood. i would ask everyone to protest loud and long but to keep the peace.

Venkys are under the impression they own the club and they may have a piece of paper that tells them they do but the real owners are and always will be the fans. Without us there is no club.

GO...IN THE NAME OF GLENN KEELEY.. GO

[bob fleming]

He reminds me very much of comical Ali from the Iraq conflict.

"Steve Kean is brilliant. We have got no worries"

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

He reminds me very much of comical Ali from the Iraq conflict.

Bang on. Changed my vote from unsure to no. Reading that LET article was like reading that your ex was the guy from Pineapple Studios in drag, utterly horrifying from start to finish.

[trueblue]

If you're Steve Keans Hypnotoad... can't you hypnotise him to resign and get the hell out of here?

[AggyBlue]

WAKE UP MAN, BEFORE ITS TOO LATE

Gav, that interview confirms it too late now.

The Bamber Bridge fans better dust off the coffin

[jannerman]

They're either being badly advised or not at all - shooting from the hip and making comments like that are crazy unless there's something to back it up

Surely they would have known that even if it was only a small number saying stuff like that is just going to make the whole situation worse?

Get a couple of wins under the belt and then start with the self-congratulation.

I will vote when the FF guys return from Pune and we see the rest of the press fallout, but it's not going to be pretty is it?

[Amo]

In the mood I'm in right now, I wish they'd just sell us.

I could accept them being hoodwinked by JA & co. into sacking Allardyce and appointing Kean. I could even just about accept them giving Kean a clean start this season. They're new to the game and the culture. There was always going to be some teething troubles. However, their utter ignorance to the fan's plight and continued faith in Kean's disastrous run as manager in the spite of their own supporters, smacks as farcical, morally offensive and even a little corrupt.

Unfortunately, according to The Trust, Venky's were the only viable owners for the club. Depressing thought indeed.

[BuckyRover]

In the mood I'm in right now, I wish they'd just sell us.

I could accept them being hoodwinked by JA & co. into sacking Allardyce and appointing Kean. I could even just about accept them giving Kean a clean start this season. They're new to the game and the culture. There was always going to be some teething troubles. However, their utter ignorance to the fan's plight and continued faith in Kean's disastrous run as manager in the spite of their own supporters, smacks as farcical, morally offensive and even a little corrupt.

Unfortunately, according to The Trust, Venky's were the only viable owners for the club. Depressing thought indeed.

That's pretty much where I'm at. I'm all for giving people a chance. But I'm going to change my vote to no.

My advice to people would be to just not turn up to the next match.

Who the **** do we replace them with though? Nobody wants us

[yoda]

That's pretty much where I'm at. I'm all for giving people a chance. But I'm going to change my vote to no.

My advice to people would be to just not turn up to the next match.

Who the **** do we replace them with though? Nobody wants us

except the supporters

how about a Barcelona set up?