[Archived] Indian Media

[Rovermatt]

Here's my stab at a draft letter to use for these organizations. Feel free to utilze / modify if anyone needs a template.

Dear Sir,

Re: Blackburn Rovers Football Club and Venky’s Ownership

I write to you as a lifelong supporter of Blackburn Rovers Football Club to express my anger at the abysmal failure of your compatriots Mrs. Desai and the Rao brothers (give them all their full names and clarify that they are acting under the Venky's brand) to fulfill the promises that they made by them upon acquiring my football club in November 2010.

When the Venky’s (Venky's is the name of the company, rather than a family name e.g. 'the Raos', which wouldn't require an apostrophe) became custodians of this great sporting institution, they promised that they would treat the club and the fans with respect that they such a venerable institution (strike out perhaps to save using 'institution' twice in the same sentence) deserved. They lied and as of the 5th of November the club sits adrift in the relegation places of the English Premier League. The record of the Venky’s-appointed manager, Steve Kean, shows a staggeringly inept success rate of 6 wins from 32 games.

The new owners are on record pledging (this is factually correct surely?) to make significant investment in the playing squad, and yet Blackburn Rovers continue to regress on the pitch while generating significantly more monies, recouped through player sales, than are re-invested in the team.

At the time of the takeover Mrs. Desai asked that she and her brothers be judged on the results after 12 months. well That period of time is now upon us and the chickens are coming home to roost (excellent. I know most Indians are Anglophones but would they understand this turn of phrase though?).

It is my genuine belief that the owners have deliberately mismanaged the club and, as one of the true custodians of Blackburn Rovers Football Club (the fans), I write to inform you that they are causing significant damage to the long-standing reputation of Indian businesspeople worldwide. and They are rapidly becoming a an embarrassment in the UK. This in turn can only reflect badly on the proud Indian nation.

Our message is simple: VENKY’S OUT.

Yours faithfully,

Hope you don't mind but I've made some amendments to your otherwise excellent letter. I spent the last 6 years writing letters on a daily basis so I'm a bit of a stickler for making sure that any respectable communication is up to scratch.

Cheers.

[Aberdeen Blue]

Hope you don't mind but I've made some amendments to your otherwise excellent letter. I spent the last 6 years writing letters on a daily basis so I'm a bit of a stickler for making sure that any respectable communication is up to scratch.

Cheers.

No problem at all; I would have made more of an effort myself to ensure grammatical correctness if I were not bashing the keys so hard with frustration!!

Now do your bit and start sending them out to any Indian media outlet you can find

[Ralfinho]

had a reply from Shiv Aroor saying he will be getting in touch with me to go into details about the problems we have

UPDATE:

Someone from the news desk at his will be getting in touch with me soon

[AndyC]

Also it is possible to take out a full page advert in Times of India (which is one of the biggest newspapers in India) for around £1000, that would again be hammer home the message and impact Venky's directly.

when i looked into this a few weeks ago, the costs I got back were significantly higher.

If you can get a page ad in the Times of India for £1000, then we should definitely go for it and i will happily contribute.

i'd suggest it should take the form of an open letter with 10 questions that the fans want answering, which will provoke debate.

this will be the first time this has ever happened to my knowledge and would create a huge impact

[Rovermatt]

If the Kean rumours turn out to be correct, perhaps you could add the bit I've underlined.

Here's my stab at a draft letter to use for these organizations. Feel free to utilze / modify if anyone needs a template.

Dear Sir,

Re: Blackburn Rovers Football Club and Venky’s Ownership

I write to you as a lifelong supporter of Blackburn Rovers Football Club to express my anger at the abysmal failure of your compatriots Mrs. Desai and the Rao brothers (give them all their full names and clarify that they are acting under the Venky's brand) to fulfill the promises that they made by them upon acquiring my football club in November 2010.

When the Venky’s (Venky's is the name of the company, rather than a family name e.g. 'the Raos', which wouldn't require an apostrophe) became custodians of this great sporting institution, they promised that they would treat the club and the fans with respect that they such a venerable institution (strike out perhaps to save using 'institution' twice in the same sentence) deserved. They lied and as of the 5th of November the club sits adrift in the relegation places of the English Premier League. The record of the Venky’s-appointed manager, Steve Kean, shows a staggeringly inept success rate of 6 wins from 32 games.

Indeed Mr Kean has, in the past week, signed a new contract with the club to remain as team manager until (state year). Considering that he is already under a long term contract, and in the light of his abysmal record as I have illustrated, this development can only be interpreted as a defiant act by the owners aimed at those supporters who have become increasingly vocal in their recent demands for the removal of Mr Kean. Success on the pitch is certainly no reason for such a move.

The new owners are on record pledging (this is factually correct surely?) to make significant investment in the playing squad, and yet Blackburn Rovers continue to regress on the pitch while generating significantly more monies, recouped through player sales, than are re-invested in the team.

At the time of the takeover Mrs. Desai asked that she and her brothers be judged on the results after 12 months. well That period of time is now upon us and the chickens are coming home to roost (excellent. I know most Indians are Anglophones but would they understand this turn of phrase though?).

It is my genuine belief that the owners have deliberately mismanaged the club and, as one of the true custodians of Blackburn Rovers Football Club (the fans), I write to inform you that they are causing significant damage to the long-standing reputation of Indian businesspeople worldwide. and They are rapidly becoming a an embarrassment in the UK. This in turn can only reflect badly on the proud Indian nation.

Our message is simple: VENKY’S OUT.

Yours faithfully,

[Kamy100]

If your on twitter, then contact @ShivAroor he's a big journo.

Ok some success! Shiva Aroor has been back in touch, he has instructed his sports desk to look into this story! They are hoping to run a feature on their TV channel.

[Rovermatt]

I'm assuming these idiots (the owners that is) have been insulated somewhat from negative publicity in their own country? Has the Indian media given this story any attention?

[Kamy100]

Ok we also need to contact Pune Mirror (http://www.punemirror.in/)

I'm assuming these idiots (the owners that is) have been insulated somewhat from negative publicity in their own country? Has the Indian media given this story any attention?

They've been totally insulated from this story, thus far Indian media have largely ignored this story. By getting Indian media to cover this will raise awareness in India, Venky's won't like the bad PR, India business will find out the amount of damage that Venky's have done to the perception of Indian Businesses. Also Venky's have shareholders who again won't be happy with bad PR.

[Ralfinho]

From Twitter

govindethiraj Govindraj Ethiraj

So Blackburn Rovers Football Club' supporters are upset with Club's Indian owners Venky's & reaching out to Indian media..http://j.mp/vjt1k0

[readsi3k]

What positive impact for the club are you actually hoping to achieve by trying to publicly damage the owners reputation in India?

[Emge]

What positive impact for the club are you actually hoping to achieve by trying to publicly damage the owners reputation in India?

Well, I would assume the owners would finally wake up and try and do some right things at Rovers. They cant afford bad press in their own backyard - so it will force them to act!

[AllRoverAsia]

What positive impact for the club are you actually hoping to achieve by trying to publicly damage the owners reputation in India?

You are going to have to explain that one and name those who said positive

[Kendalrover]

when i looked into this a few weeks ago, the costs I got back were significantly higher.

If you can get a page ad in the Times of India for £1000, then we should definitely go for it and i will happily contribute.

i'd suggest it should take the form of an open letter with 10 questions that the fans want answering, which will provoke debate.

this will be the first time this has ever happened to my knowledge and would create a huge impact

Good idea and I will be happy to contribute. I would suggest the ad is placed on 19th November which is the anniversery of Venkys buying the club

[TugaysMarlboro]

I'm glad they're taking an interest. Relative success in a short period of time.

We just need to get the major points across:

* Kean's abysmal record over a nearing 12 month period.

* One of the worst (if not the worst) manager in Blackburn Rovers EPL history.

* His remarkable comments and excuses post match.

* His pre-match comments and how he doesn't seem to want to unite the fans.

* Oh.....and them there protests.

[deftangel]

From Twitter

govindethiraj Govindraj Ethiraj

So Blackburn Rovers Football Club' supporters are upset with Club's Indian owners Venky's & reaching out to Indian media..http://j.mp/vjt1k0

This chap asked a few hours a go for something specific we could link to showing them damaging the club. I sent him links to podcast 14 and referenced the mortgage facility and the protest summary thread. There might be better angles?

What positive impact for the club are you actually hoping to achieve by trying to publicly damage the owners reputation in India?

It might get their attention and force them to address some of the fans concerns? We have very little leverage to put pressure on them in the UK, despite frequent attempts. More to the point, what adverse affect will it have? They aren't communicating anyway, they quite clearly don't care what the fans think given they've been discussing a revised deal for Kean.

Short of getting behind the team, which I'm sure every single Rovers fan will be doing at Wigan, if you've any alternative suggestions then now's the time.

If we can muster the cash, a letter in the Times of India on the date of Venky's anniversary of buying the club would be most impactful. Would a local business be willing to sponsor such an endeavour? Perhaps someone who would normally do some match day sponsorship of some kind but are similarly unhappy at how things have gone. I'm happy to match the offers of £50 but we'd need at least 17 more people.

[AllRoverAsia]

Oh Dear! IMO the Pune 9's views on Indian media were spot on

[Steve Moss]

What positive impact for the club are you actually hoping to achieve by trying to publicly damage the owners reputation in India?

What have Venkys, the Raos, Kean or Anderson done that is positive for the Rovers? From what I can see, they've done nothing but destroy.

So the first tier question is not whether it will have a positive impact, but whether it would make matters worse for the Rovers. In my view, it would be hard for matters to get much worse. Venkys have broken me, in that I no longer have hope. In that they have been successful. Contrary to what they may have assumed, however, taking way hope does not necessarily lead to surrender. In my view, and I believe the viewpoint of Rovers fans, taking away hope will breed only hatred. Hurting Venkys (and Kentaro/SEM, Anderson, Kean etc.) as much as they've hurt the Rovers, with interest compounded daily, may become the new rallying cry.

What I don't think Venkys has every really grasped is the depth of feeling supporters have for their club. It's closest equivalent is religion. I read somewhere that there are about 500,000 Rovers fans in the world. While not a huge number, it is a large enough group that even the 99% of supporters who are relatively passive can cause enormous damage to a brand simply by negative word of mouth. Added to this, are supporters of other clubs will likely grow to despise Venkys as their conduct will illustrate what can be done to THEIR clubs, so again negative word of mouth will spread but the billion plus who follow football.

Venkys are truly deluded if they think they can destroy a founding member of the league, even if only a small town club like the Rovers, without enormous damage to their brand. They'll become pariahs.

If Venky want to save their reputation, they'd best do something decisive about Mr. Kean. That does NOT include offering him a new contract. Following that they'd best move heaven and earth to establish some trust and build some confidence with the supporters, as they currently are viewed as deceitful, arrogant and moronic.

Based on this past year, however, I have no trust, no confidence, and no hope, that Venkys will adjust course. In my view, the Rovers will likely be relegated, our club burdened with extraordinary debt and our future squandered to line the pockets of soulless millionaires.

So will embarrassing Venkys in India help the Rovers? I don't know. Will it hurt Venkys? It very well might, and that is good enough for me at the present.

[newfan]

He is probably the most influential person in the Indian media industry.

and also the most corrupt , Google about him

[arbitro]

What positive impact for the club are you actually hoping to achieve by trying to publicly damage the owners reputation in India?

Call me negative but in my mind we are going down so if we can take that lot with us (or damage them as much as possible) then as far as I'm concerned we will be even.

[John]

If it is a message for Venkys, happy to contribute money - would recommend any messanging needs some thought.

[den]

I'm glad they're taking an interest. Relative success in a short period of time.

We just need to get the major points across:

* Kean's abysmal record over a nearing 12 month period.

* One of the worst (if not the worst) manager in Blackburn Rovers EPL history.

* His remarkable comments and excuses post match.

* His pre-match comments and how he doesn't seem to want to unite the fans.

* Oh.....and them there protests.

I wouldn't think the Indian media would have any interest in Steve Kean. Venky's yes, definitely.

[AndyB]

I wouldn't think the Indian media would have any interest in Steve Kean. Venky's yes, definitely.

Exactly,we need to highlight the difference between what they have said they were going to do and what they actually did.

[John]

Clear message has to be along the lines of you can't trust the Rao family and they are liars.

[Tom]

From experience DNA is prominent in Pune, it was outside our hotel rooms each day and I saw adverts for it and it featured articles on the club.

[Kendalrover]

What positive impact for the club are you actually hoping to achieve by trying to publicly damage the owners reputation in India?

So we should just sit on our backsides and let them damage the reputation of OUR club. An open message asking for answers to questions does not damage anyones reputation. One advantage of taking the message to India is that no one can say that the protests are affecting the players and it would help to demonstrate that things in the garden are not rosey. Although I am assuming non of the players read the Times of India or the Pune Mirror.