[Archived] Next protest

[2PAC 4 Blackburn]

Have i missed somthing ? How do you know Venkys are at Ewood now ?

Confirmed in the Mrs D thread and all over twitter.

[Plastic Head]

If I had authorised the Barclays loan I would be cr@pping bricks.

They have no chance of getting that back.

[Hasta]

If I had authorised the Barclays loan I would be cr@pping bricks.

They have no chance of getting that back.

Parachute payments? I thought the earlier podcast said we had loans up to the amount that this years TV money and subsequent parachute payments would cover.

It's the taxman who will get us eventually !

[Baz]

Confirmed in the Mrs D thread and all over twitter.

Denied by Cryer, Kamy and the security at Ewood.

[Al]

Sorry I can't be at the match on Saturday, I'm off to Lanzarote in the morning. Give them hell for me lads and lasses.

Cheers, Alan.

[tomphil]

Thanks tomphil, is it fairly prominent (if you weren't a Rovers fan, do you think you'd have read it? I'm trying to gauge if it'll be read by non-football folk)? Wonder how much the council leader paid to be a Page 3 girl?

Sorry for the late reply but yes its very easy to notice it. Page 3 girl is a bit ropey though

[Random Bird]

Good idea on the bank thing but rovers fanbase is too small to have any impact i would think. A team like liverpool have millions of fans in this country so it may have helped their cause.

You'd be surprised by how much impact even a few people taking action can have you are underestimating the BRFC fanbase - imagine if you could get just 30 fans all turning up at Barclays to close their bank accounts at the same time - I'm sure the press would cover it, and given the current situation with banks in general at the moment it's not something that Barclays would want repeating (banks are desperate not to lose customers, money or their reputation). I also think you're over estimating the support that Liverpool has in the UK.

A message from Mr Random Bird (a long term LFC fan and season ticket holder)..........

Okay, this is weird. Hmmmmm, anyway... I'm a member of a LFC forum that seems very similar in tone to this one. I'm sure there's more militant forums BRFC forums out there. And some softer ones too. This just strikes a familiar chord in terms of sensibility, intelligence and humour. About 3 years back we started a thread that eventually ran for hundreds of pages. The topics may seem familiar to you guys... "Do we give the owners the benefit of the doubt? Who is actually running the club? Are there additional owners behind the scenes? Is the manager a legitimate target? Do we protest during the match? Should we boycott the matches?" etc etc etc.

We had two owners fleecing the club; two former multiple bankruptees who should never had passed the Fit & Proper Persons test (one had left Corinthians in Brazil $400m in debt) adding millions of pounds of debt onto the club, underinvesting in the squad, undermining the manager, making false promises to fans, racking up huge expenses claims, paying their mates $50m for stadium designs that will never be used, treating fans with contempt, disdain & threats. I believe it's been under-reported just how close the club was to defaulting on loans to RBS and the subsequent administration. Just hours away last November. They took over the club when it had (if I remember correctly) £45m of debt. By the end of their 44 months tenure it was well in excess of £300m. They just kept refinancing the loans at ever-increasing percentage rates.

We had all these debates you're having. At great length. They're important. But so is action. What is important is an established fans group. We had Spirit of Shankly (see their website) which developed over time. They presented a common voice of the protesting fans (and you'll never get all fans on board; some just like the easy life). At first they met and tried working with the management structure and owners. Then as things got worse, anger grew and Thomas Hicks & George Gillett became public enemy number one (er, and two). SoS attracted passionate fans with something to contribute be it legal experience, financial expertise, media skills, local contacts and mainly sheer bloody-mindedness & passion. By the end of it all we all become mini-experts on international banking deals, leveraged buyouts and company governance. We learnt about shell companies, off-shore avoidance and all kinds of other concepts totally alien to the vast majority of football fans. BRFC will have such people amongst their fanbase. The rest of you will have to be willing to learn and contribute whatever you can - join a boycott, attend a protest, spread the word. Everyone can do their bit and to what extent you can; it can all add to the pressure.

The important thing to realise is they were just custodians of the club. Just as we're current fans. There's been a history long before we arrived and it'll continue long after. Present day results and standings in the league mean nothing. Nothing. The only thing that matters is protecting the club; respecting the heritage and ensuring a long & enduring future. Support the team, support the manager (I'll come back to this!) but support the fight.

Boycotting merchandise was one of the early initiatives and very successful it was too. Shirts, programmes, hotdogs etc - just don't spend an extra penny. Marches. Limited protesting during the match (if it's all the owners & TV viewers will hear). Extended protesting after matches. Email, phonecall and Facebook campaigns to potential refinancers. An intimidating presence at the hotel whenever the owners came over. It just built - they had to be told in no uncertain terms that enough was enough and a fight was on.

I could go on about the glorious successes along the way (running the owner's son/chief exec out of town, bringing down the computers of a Wall St bank by sheer volume of emails, the escapades of a fan posting his 'unmentionable bits' on a Texan judge's Facebook page) but instead I'll simply recommend Brian Reade's book "An Epic Swindle: 44 months with a pair of cowboys". It's a must-read for inspiration.

Yes, Liverpool have a larger fanbase here and across the world but it can still be done. You'll just have to roll your sleeves up for an even longer & harder fight. There is no reason to not believe you can make a difference. And yes, Merseyside has a certain stubborness, militancy & desire to take on the establishment that doesn't come naturally to us Blackburnians. But it needs doing; it's too dangerous to leave it to others. They will continue to fleece the club.

I'm not a member of SoS. I'm not claiming to be a leading light of the fight. I'm just a fan who followed the boycott (despite the REALLY good hotdogs) and attended some of the protests. But I'm sure SoS will meet a groups of representatives and offer advice. The Green & Gold brigade at Old Trafford also would. Other clubs (in the North West too) have gone & are going through what you have; tap into their experience.

The big difference is targeting the manager. At the time we had a largely popular one in Rafa Benitez, whereas you guys have Steve Kean. Now, I may be wrong but reading between the lines I kinda get the impression he's not universally loved at Ewood. Have a go at me if I'm wrong! But we then had Roy (BEEP) Hodgson. Again, I believe he's not massively popular with you either. We wanted him out and Kenny Dalglish or Rafa back. His tactics were awful, the football shocking, blaming the players & fans disgraceful and he couldn't say anything right to the media. Sound familiar? But he had to remain a secondary target. We knew new owners would get rid.

I know it's more complicated with Kentaro and the Jerome Anderson connection. But this is where organising a group and setting targets comes into it. First stage is forming the group and attracting experitise, knowledge & contacts. Second stage is establishing the true ownership & management structure at the club and finding out which organisations or individuals is owed money. Third is for this group to garner support amongst the fanbase. Then build the pressure.

My 44 months under Hicks & Gillett was awful. The joy of football was sucked out of me and I nearly gave up my ST. And, as I said, the club was close to going out of business. You have begun this same horrific journey and things may get worse. Even forcing Venkys out doesn't guarantee that all is sweetness & light (witness the never-ending series of dodgy owners at Portsmouth). But there's a fight to be had. Have it.

[Silencio]

I've been going for 29 years now, and this is the lowest ebb. Sure, we've been relegated before but we had Jack's money and a superb crop of youngsters to fall back on. It's been a long downward trajectory since Hughes left IMO, but this is the absolute nadir - it feels like the club itself is at stake.

Agree with everything you said until you let yourself down here, Mark. It has mainly been downhill since MH left but you forget that SA rescued us and had us making year on year progress with less money than any boss of the last 20 years has spent. Perhaps if you and others had appreciated him more we wouldn't be where we are now...

[Andy]

Agreed - Sam did a fantastic rescue job initially and was slowly (which it had to be with the lack of finances) building an exciting young squad, capable of finishing top 10 every season.

Still completely amazes me that there are fans who genuinely didn't appreciate what he was doing at Ewood.

[damo100]

Agreed - Sam did a fantastic rescue job initially and was slowly (which it had to be with the lack of finances) building an exciting young squad, capable of finishing top 10 every season.

Still completely amazes me that there are fans who genuinely didn't appreciate what he was doing at Ewood.

Andy, Sam's football was dire!!!!

Long ball, predictable, boring!!

I believe, like most other fans that you should be entertained a little when you fork out hard earned cash, this we certainly wasn't!!

I remember game after game at Ewood thinking the football would improve, but no, it got more boring!!!!

Hindsight's a wonderful thing Andy when you look back at the past 12 months, but it was pretty obvious what Venky's intentions where when they appointed Kean!!

So are you honestly gonna say you enjoyed watching Sam's style of football week in week out ??

Don't get me wrong, Sam was 'safe' but like at previous 'Bolton' the football he gave us was shocking.

Pretty much the same budget that Hughes had, but the football was so much better, exciting etc....

I, like most other fans, would have thought at the time of Sams sacking 'Thank god' thinking these wonderful new owners had a top new manager lined up!!!

Like i said hindsights a wonderful thing Andy!!!

[he6rt6gr6m]

You'd be surprised by how much impact even a few people taking action can have you are underestimating the BRFC fanbase - imagine if you could get just 30 fans all turning up at Barclays to close their bank accounts at the same time - I'm sure the press would cover it, and given the current situation with banks in general at the moment it's not something that Barclays would want repeating (banks are desperate not to lose customers, money or their reputation). I also think you're over estimating the support that Liverpool has in the UK.

A message from Mr Random Bird (a long term LFC fan and season ticket holder)..........

Okay, this is weird. Hmmmmm, anyway... I'm a member of a LFC forum that seems very similar in tone to this one. I'm sure there's more militant forums BRFC forums out there. And some softer ones too. This just strikes a familiar chord in terms of sensibility, intelligence and humour. About 3 years back we started a thread that eventually ran for hundreds of pages. The topics may seem familiar to you guys... "Do we give the owners the benefit of the doubt? Who is actually running the club? Are there additional owners behind the scenes? Is the manager a legitimate target? Do we protest during the match? Should we boycott the matches?" etc etc etc.

We had two owners fleecing the club; two former multiple bankruptees who should never had passed the Fit & Proper Persons test (one had left Corinthians in Brazil $400m in debt) adding millions of pounds of debt onto the club, underinvesting in the squad, undermining the manager, making false promises to fans, racking up huge expenses claims, paying their mates $50m for stadium designs that will never be used, treating fans with contempt, disdain & threats. I believe it's been under-reported just how close the club was to defaulting on loans to RBS and the subsequent administration. Just hours away last November. They took over the club when it had (if I remember correctly) £45m of debt. By the end of their 44 months tenure it was well in excess of £300m. They just kept refinancing the loans at ever-increasing percentage rates.

We had all these debates you're having. At great length. They're important. But so is action. What is important is an established fans group. We had Spirit of Shankly (see their website) which developed over time. They presented a common voice of the protesting fans (and you'll never get all fans on board; some just like the easy life). At first they met and tried working with the management structure and owners. Then as things got worse, anger grew and Thomas Hicks & George Gillett became public enemy number one (er, and two). SoS attracted passionate fans with something to contribute be it legal experience, financial expertise, media skills, local contacts and mainly sheer bloody-mindedness & passion. By the end of it all we all become mini-experts on international banking deals, leveraged buyouts and company governance. We learnt about shell companies, off-shore avoidance and all kinds of other concepts totally alien to the vast majority of football fans. BRFC will have such people amongst their fanbase. The rest of you will have to be willing to learn and contribute whatever you can - join a boycott, attend a protest, spread the word. Everyone can do their bit and to what extent you can; it can all add to the pressure.

The important thing to realise is they were just custodians of the club. Just as we're current fans. There's been a history long before we arrived and it'll continue long after. Present day results and standings in the league mean nothing. Nothing. The only thing that matters is protecting the club; respecting the heritage and ensuring a long & enduring future. Support the team, support the manager (I'll come back to this!) but support the fight.

Boycotting merchandise was one of the early initiatives and very successful it was too. Shirts, programmes, hotdogs etc - just don't spend an extra penny. Marches. Limited protesting during the match (if it's all the owners & TV viewers will hear). Extended protesting after matches. Email, phonecall and Facebook campaigns to potential refinancers. An intimidating presence at the hotel whenever the owners came over. It just built - they had to be told in no uncertain terms that enough was enough and a fight was on.

I could go on about the glorious successes along the way (running the owner's son/chief exec out of town, bringing down the computers of a Wall St bank by sheer volume of emails, the escapades of a fan posting his 'unmentionable bits' on a Texan judge's Facebook page) but instead I'll simply recommend Brian Reade's book "An Epic Swindle: 44 months with a pair of cowboys". It's a must-read for inspiration.

Yes, Liverpool have a larger fanbase here and across the world but it can still be done. You'll just have to roll your sleeves up for an even longer & harder fight. There is no reason to not believe you can make a difference. And yes, Merseyside has a certain stubborness, militancy & desire to take on the establishment that doesn't come naturally to us Blackburnians. But it needs doing; it's too dangerous to leave it to others. They will continue to fleece the club.

I'm not a member of SoS. I'm not claiming to be a leading light of the fight. I'm just a fan who followed the boycott (despite the REALLY good hotdogs) and attended some of the protests. But I'm sure SoS will meet a groups of representatives and offer advice. The Green & Gold brigade at Old Trafford also would. Other clubs (in the North West too) have gone & are going through what you have; tap into their experience.

The big difference is targeting the manager. At the time we had a largely popular one in Rafa Benitez, whereas you guys have Steve Kean. Now, I may be wrong but reading between the lines I kinda get the impression he's not universally loved at Ewood. Have a go at me if I'm wrong! But we then had Roy (BEEP) Hodgson. Again, I believe he's not massively popular with you either. We wanted him out and Kenny Dalglish or Rafa back. His tactics were awful, the football shocking, blaming the players & fans disgraceful and he couldn't say anything right to the media. Sound familiar? But he had to remain a secondary target. We knew new owners would get rid.

I know it's more complicated with Kentaro and the Jerome Anderson connection. But this is where organising a group and setting targets comes into it. First stage is forming the group and attracting experitise, knowledge & contacts. Second stage is establishing the true ownership & management structure at the club and finding out which organisations or individuals is owed money. Third is for this group to garner support amongst the fanbase. Then build the pressure.

My 44 months under Hicks & Gillett was awful. The joy of football was sucked out of me and I nearly gave up my ST. And, as I said, the club was close to going out of business. You have begun this same horrific journey and things may get worse. Even forcing Venkys out doesn't guarantee that all is sweetness & light (witness the never-ending series of dodgy owners at Portsmouth). But there's a fight to be had. Have it.

This moved mountains for me. Seriously. A great rally cry from someone that's been through it.

Let's f***ing do this!

I, like most other fans, would have thought at the time of Sams sacking 'Thank god' thinking these wonderful new owners had a top new manager lined up!!!

Most? You're wrong. Most were confused as to why it had happened. I'm sure many would have been excited at the prospect of getting someone like O'Neill in.

I can't understand people like you. I'd celebrate a win we hoofed the same as a win we'd played for "beautifully". A win is a win.

[FourLaneBlue]

Some think we shouldn't protest during the game in case it puts our 11 heroes in blue and white off, does it? Poor diddums...

Are these the same players, many of whom have come out backing the owners and manager despite us hurtling toward relegation?

Are these the same players who have refused to denounce our club being ripped apart?

Are these the same players who have been paid a fortune, yet didn't have the balls - bar Robinson - to even salute the travelling support in recent games who had shelled out to watch dross?

I guess these are the same players who include those angling for a move away in January, if they can get it. Or, if we go down, a load of whom will be mentioning their desire to move as "the Premiership is where it's at"?

The same players who have won a grand total of 4 Prem games in 2011? As bad as Kean is, even he can't be held solely responsible for such a pitiful return.

So...now we should stop fighting for the future of OUR club, OUR 136-year old club, just in case it puts off adult men who have been made millionaires by the club they are playing for, and done nothing to speak out about it?

Sod the players. Most of them are mercenaries who will be off like a shot when relegation is confirmed. Do you actually even like that many of them? Not sure I do. I used to BC...Before (Venky's) Chickens...

It's about time we started fighting for Blackburn Rovers Football Club. Not basing our decisions on what a bunch of overpaid grown men who have given us little to be proud of in this biggest league in the world this past year.

Only the fans will still be here in five or ten years. Only they will keep the Blue Flag Flying High down the years, decades, centuries...

Rovers 'til I die. 1875 to ........

[glen9mullan]

You'd be surprised by how much impact even a few people taking action can have you are underestimating the BRFC fanbase - imagine if you could get just 30 fans all turning up at Barclays to close their bank accounts at the same time - I'm sure the press would cover it, and given the current situation with banks in general at the moment it's not something that Barclays would want repeating (banks are desperate not to lose customers, money or their reputation). I also think you're over estimating the support that Liverpool has in the UK.

A message from Mr Random Bird (a long term LFC fan and season ticket holder)..........

Okay, this is weird. Hmmmmm, anyway... I'm a member of a LFC forum that seems very similar in tone to this one. I'm sure there's more militant forums BRFC forums out there. And some softer ones too. This just strikes a familiar chord in terms of sensibility, intelligence and humour. About 3 years back we started a thread that eventually ran for hundreds of pages. The topics may seem familiar to you guys... "Do we give the owners the benefit of the doubt? Who is actually running the club? Are there additional owners behind the scenes? Is the manager a legitimate target? Do we protest during the match? Should we boycott the matches?" etc etc etc.

We had two owners fleecing the club; two former multiple bankruptees who should never had passed the Fit & Proper Persons test (one had left Corinthians in Brazil $400m in debt) adding millions of pounds of debt onto the club, underinvesting in the squad, undermining the manager, making false promises to fans, racking up huge expenses claims, paying their mates $50m for stadium designs that will never be used, treating fans with contempt, disdain & threats. I believe it's been under-reported just how close the club was to defaulting on loans to RBS and the subsequent administration. Just hours away last November. They took over the club when it had (if I remember correctly) £45m of debt. By the end of their 44 months tenure it was well in excess of £300m. They just kept refinancing the loans at ever-increasing percentage rates.

We had all these debates you're having. At great length. They're important. But so is action. What is important is an established fans group. We had Spirit of Shankly (see their website) which developed over time. They presented a common voice of the protesting fans (and you'll never get all fans on board; some just like the easy life). At first they met and tried working with the management structure and owners. Then as things got worse, anger grew and Thomas Hicks & George Gillett became public enemy number one (er, and two). SoS attracted passionate fans with something to contribute be it legal experience, financial expertise, media skills, local contacts and mainly sheer bloody-mindedness & passion. By the end of it all we all become mini-experts on international banking deals, leveraged buyouts and company governance. We learnt about shell companies, off-shore avoidance and all kinds of other concepts totally alien to the vast majority of football fans. BRFC will have such people amongst their fanbase. The rest of you will have to be willing to learn and contribute whatever you can - join a boycott, attend a protest, spread the word. Everyone can do their bit and to what extent you can; it can all add to the pressure.

The important thing to realise is they were just custodians of the club. Just as we're current fans. There's been a history long before we arrived and it'll continue long after. Present day results and standings in the league mean nothing. Nothing. The only thing that matters is protecting the club; respecting the heritage and ensuring a long & enduring future. Support the team, support the manager (I'll come back to this!) but support the fight.

Boycotting merchandise was one of the early initiatives and very successful it was too. Shirts, programmes, hotdogs etc - just don't spend an extra penny. Marches. Limited protesting during the match (if it's all the owners & TV viewers will hear). Extended protesting after matches. Email, phonecall and Facebook campaigns to potential refinancers. An intimidating presence at the hotel whenever the owners came over. It just built - they had to be told in no uncertain terms that enough was enough and a fight was on.

I could go on about the glorious successes along the way (running the owner's son/chief exec out of town, bringing down the computers of a Wall St bank by sheer volume of emails, the escapades of a fan posting his 'unmentionable bits' on a Texan judge's Facebook page) but instead I'll simply recommend Brian Reade's book "An Epic Swindle: 44 months with a pair of cowboys". It's a must-read for inspiration.

Yes, Liverpool have a larger fanbase here and across the world but it can still be done. You'll just have to roll your sleeves up for an even longer & harder fight. There is no reason to not believe you can make a difference. And yes, Merseyside has a certain stubborness, militancy & desire to take on the establishment that doesn't come naturally to us Blackburnians. But it needs doing; it's too dangerous to leave it to others. They will continue to fleece the club.

I'm not a member of SoS. I'm not claiming to be a leading light of the fight. I'm just a fan who followed the boycott (despite the REALLY good hotdogs) and attended some of the protests. But I'm sure SoS will meet a groups of representatives and offer advice. The Green & Gold brigade at Old Trafford also would. Other clubs (in the North West too) have gone & are going through what you have; tap into their experience.

The big difference is targeting the manager. At the time we had a largely popular one in Rafa Benitez, whereas you guys have Steve Kean. Now, I may be wrong but reading between the lines I kinda get the impression he's not universally loved at Ewood. Have a go at me if I'm wrong! But we then had Roy (BEEP) Hodgson. Again, I believe he's not massively popular with you either. We wanted him out and Kenny Dalglish or Rafa back. His tactics were awful, the football shocking, blaming the players & fans disgraceful and he couldn't say anything right to the media. Sound familiar? But he had to remain a secondary target. We knew new owners would get rid.

I know it's more complicated with Kentaro and the Jerome Anderson connection. But this is where organising a group and setting targets comes into it. First stage is forming the group and attracting experitise, knowledge & contacts. Second stage is establishing the true ownership & management structure at the club and finding out which organisations or individuals is owed money. Third is for this group to garner support amongst the fanbase. Then build the pressure.

My 44 months under Hicks & Gillett was awful. The joy of football was sucked out of me and I nearly gave up my ST. And, as I said, the club was close to going out of business. You have begun this same horrific journey and things may get worse. Even forcing Venkys out doesn't guarantee that all is sweetness & light (witness the never-ending series of dodgy owners at Portsmouth). But there's a fight to be had. Have it.

A fantastic post and this should be archived for all to read, because this is what everything is about, this is our club, this is why supporters have turned to protest, this is why we can not give up, and this should be an inspiration to all that supporters in the end can win through if you work together. We have been through quite a few steps already on this tale, and we will more than likely have to go through a lot more. We may end up in the Championship, or even League one, but wherever we may be, we will still be Blackburn Rovers supporters and we will still worship the badge. If it takes 10 years of protesting and kicking a fuss up, I will not wilt, give up or feel the battle is lost. Quite a few have said in the last few weeks, that they give up, its not working and they won't go back to Ewood. I respect their opinion as they pay good money to watch our beloved team. It does not make them less a supporter, but they have chosen to vote with their feet. I have never once considered this a war we cannot win, quite the opposite in fact. I have frustrating days, and these are usually because I get grief off supporters who don't like what we are doing.

I also have people who say they will only protest if its not organised and the game warrants it if we are losing, Although I respect their opinion I don't understand it, as just by removing Kean is not going to get supporters the answers or communication they so desperately seek. Unless we speak out and negotiate with the club then the light will burn out without fight.

Supporters have sent emails, letters and made phone calls but are none the wiser what is going on behind the scene's at Ewood and more importantly if the club has a long term future.

Since these protest have started I have had quite a lot meetings with the club and we also had an interim supporters meeting with the club. Things are progressing and the protest movement is being taken serious by the press and the club.

We have sponsors, councillors, all the national journalist TV, SKY, World publications all speaking out because we started protest as a national cry out for help. Despite people's stance on protest they have had a positive effect in opening the worlds eyes to what is going down at Ewood Park. The last couple of weeks has seen a mass shift in our favour and I guarantee when Protest finally end, we will have got to the bottom of the mess and ensured solutions have been put in place to make sure our club never has to go through this again. This is one mesage which has been constant in discussions we have had with the club and this will remain this way. I spoke with Simon on the phone earlier, and we re-iterated our promise to each other, that we will never sell out our objectives and remain true to our word to continue, no matter what it takes to ensure those who have supported us get those very answers and reassurances we all seek

[Paul]

Two brilliant posts from Random Bird and FLB

[Stuart]

You'd be surprised by how much impact even a few people taking action can have you are underestimating the BRFC fanbase - imagine if you could get just 30 fans all turning up at Barclays to close their bank accounts at the same time - I'm sure the press would cover it, and given the current situation with banks in general at the moment it's not something that Barclays would want repeating (banks are desperate not to lose customers, money or their reputation). I also think you're over estimating the support that Liverpool has in the UK.

A message from Mr Random Bird (a long term LFC fan and season ticket holder)..........

Okay, this is weird. Hmmmmm, anyway... I'm a member of a LFC forum that seems very similar in tone to this one. I'm sure there's more militant forums BRFC forums out there. And some softer ones too. This just strikes a familiar chord in terms of sensibility, intelligence and humour. About 3 years back we started a thread that eventually ran for hundreds of pages. The topics may seem familiar to you guys... "Do we give the owners the benefit of the doubt? Who is actually running the club? Are there additional owners behind the scenes? Is the manager a legitimate target? Do we protest during the match? Should we boycott the matches?" etc etc etc.

We had two owners fleecing the club; two former multiple bankruptees who should never had passed the Fit & Proper Persons test (one had left Corinthians in Brazil $400m in debt) adding millions of pounds of debt onto the club, underinvesting in the squad, undermining the manager, making false promises to fans, racking up huge expenses claims, paying their mates $50m for stadium designs that will never be used, treating fans with contempt, disdain & threats. I believe it's been under-reported just how close the club was to defaulting on loans to RBS and the subsequent administration. Just hours away last November. They took over the club when it had (if I remember correctly) £45m of debt. By the end of their 44 months tenure it was well in excess of £300m. They just kept refinancing the loans at ever-increasing percentage rates.

We had all these debates you're having. At great length. They're important. But so is action. What is important is an established fans group. We had Spirit of Shankly (see their website) which developed over time. They presented a common voice of the protesting fans (and you'll never get all fans on board; some just like the easy life). At first they met and tried working with the management structure and owners. Then as things got worse, anger grew and Thomas Hicks & George Gillett became public enemy number one (er, and two). SoS attracted passionate fans with something to contribute be it legal experience, financial expertise, media skills, local contacts and mainly sheer bloody-mindedness & passion. By the end of it all we all become mini-experts on international banking deals, leveraged buyouts and company governance. We learnt about shell companies, off-shore avoidance and all kinds of other concepts totally alien to the vast majority of football fans. BRFC will have such people amongst their fanbase. The rest of you will have to be willing to learn and contribute whatever you can - join a boycott, attend a protest, spread the word. Everyone can do their bit and to what extent you can; it can all add to the pressure.

The important thing to realise is they were just custodians of the club. Just as we're current fans. There's been a history long before we arrived and it'll continue long after. Present day results and standings in the league mean nothing. Nothing. The only thing that matters is protecting the club; respecting the heritage and ensuring a long & enduring future. Support the team, support the manager (I'll come back to this!) but support the fight.

Boycotting merchandise was one of the early initiatives and very successful it was too. Shirts, programmes, hotdogs etc - just don't spend an extra penny. Marches. Limited protesting during the match (if it's all the owners & TV viewers will hear). Extended protesting after matches. Email, phonecall and Facebook campaigns to potential refinancers. An intimidating presence at the hotel whenever the owners came over. It just built - they had to be told in no uncertain terms that enough was enough and a fight was on.

I could go on about the glorious successes along the way (running the owner's son/chief exec out of town, bringing down the computers of a Wall St bank by sheer volume of emails, the escapades of a fan posting his 'unmentionable bits' on a Texan judge's Facebook page) but instead I'll simply recommend Brian Reade's book "An Epic Swindle: 44 months with a pair of cowboys". It's a must-read for inspiration.

Yes, Liverpool have a larger fanbase here and across the world but it can still be done. You'll just have to roll your sleeves up for an even longer & harder fight. There is no reason to not believe you can make a difference. And yes, Merseyside has a certain stubborness, militancy & desire to take on the establishment that doesn't come naturally to us Blackburnians. But it needs doing; it's too dangerous to leave it to others. They will continue to fleece the club.

I'm not a member of SoS. I'm not claiming to be a leading light of the fight. I'm just a fan who followed the boycott (despite the REALLY good hotdogs) and attended some of the protests. But I'm sure SoS will meet a groups of representatives and offer advice. The Green & Gold brigade at Old Trafford also would. Other clubs (in the North West too) have gone & are going through what you have; tap into their experience.

The big difference is targeting the manager. At the time we had a largely popular one in Rafa Benitez, whereas you guys have Steve Kean. Now, I may be wrong but reading between the lines I kinda get the impression he's not universally loved at Ewood. Have a go at me if I'm wrong! But we then had Roy (BEEP) Hodgson. Again, I believe he's not massively popular with you either. We wanted him out and Kenny Dalglish or Rafa back. His tactics were awful, the football shocking, blaming the players & fans disgraceful and he couldn't say anything right to the media. Sound familiar? But he had to remain a secondary target. We knew new owners would get rid.

I know it's more complicated with Kentaro and the Jerome Anderson connection. But this is where organising a group and setting targets comes into it. First stage is forming the group and attracting experitise, knowledge & contacts. Second stage is establishing the true ownership & management structure at the club and finding out which organisations or individuals is owed money. Third is for this group to garner support amongst the fanbase. Then build the pressure.

My 44 months under Hicks & Gillett was awful. The joy of football was sucked out of me and I nearly gave up my ST. And, as I said, the club was close to going out of business. You have begun this same horrific journey and things may get worse. Even forcing Venkys out doesn't guarantee that all is sweetness & light (witness the never-ending series of dodgy owners at Portsmouth). But there's a fight to be had. Have it.

Just... thank you.

This post needs quoting on every page of this thread - and everyone needs to read it. Due to of all the post deletions, I only got to read it because someone else quoted it.

[Mattyblue]

I used to go on Red and White Kop (LFC forum) a fair bit when it was all kicking off with Hicks and Gillette.

What I read back then has been replicated at Rovers. The 'militant fans' reporting back that on a matchday they were being met with blank faces 'but they've put money in', 'thy are going to build a new ground', 'we got to the Champions League final', 'Rafa spent a fortune' and so on.

With constant pressure on the media, protests, marches, eventually things hit.home.

We have fought the good fight friends and as you can see with a change in the media's reporting of the club, we are making a difference.

[Martin]

I think this has already been suggested in one form or another, but why not unleash the hate on SK as he leaves the team coach as he enters the ground on Sat?

SK sits at the front of the bus. As he arrives give him hell. As he leaves the bus give him hell.

Once Kean is gone give the players an almightly welcome. SK will leave the bus first.

This clearly shows we hate SK and love the Rovers.

Would be very easy for the press to cover and show clearly what our feelings are. 100% Rovers. 0% Kean.

[PAFELL]

Now is the time to protest, Venkys are at Ewood now. Take flags, tshirts, balloons, anything...

Whats the odds they will not be there match day. It is Mrs D who has to be targeted. Supporters need an anti-Mrs D chnat. IMO Nothing will happen until she herself is affected. She seems to be the one pulling the strings, she is the one in support of Kean. She would not like a bad chant sung against her.

[47er]

A fantastic post and this should be archived for all to read, because this is what everything is about, this is our club, this is why supporters have turned to protest, this is why we can not give up, and this should be an inspiration to all that supporters in the end can win through if you work together. We have been through quite a few steps already on this tale, and we will more than likely have to go through a lot more. We may end up in the Championship, or even League one, but wherever we may be, we will still be Blackburn Rovers supporters and we will still worship the badge. If it takes 10 years of protesting and kicking a fuss up, I will not wilt, give up or feel the battle is lost. Quite a few have said in the last few weeks, that they give up, its not working and they won't go back to Ewood. I respect their opinion as they pay good money to watch our beloved team. It does not make them less a supporter, but they have chosen to vote with their feet. I have never once considered this a war we cannot win, quite the opposite in fact. I have frustrating days, and these are usually because I get grief off supporters who don't like what we are doing.

I also have people who say they will only protest if its not organised and the game warrants it if we are losing, Although I respect their opinion I don't understand it, as just by removing Kean is not going to get supporters the answers or communication they so desperately seek. Unless we speak out and negotiate with the club then the light will burn out without fight.

Supporters have sent emails, letters and made phone calls but are none the wiser what is going on behind the scene's at Ewood and more importantly if the club has a long term future.

Since these protest have started I have had quite a lot meetings with the club and we also had an interim supporters meeting with the club. Things are progressing and the protest movement is being taken serious by the press and the club.

We have sponsors, councillors, all the national journalist TV, SKY, World publications all speaking out because we started protest as a national cry out for help. Despite people's stance on protest they have had a positive effect in opening the worlds eyes to what is going down at Ewood Park. The last couple of weeks has seen a mass shift in our favour and I guarantee when Protest finally end, we will have got to the bottom of the mess and ensured solutions have been put in place to make sure our club never has to go through this again. This is one mesage which has been constant in discussions we have had with the club and this will remain this way. I spoke with Simon on the phone earlier, and we re-iterated our promise to each other, that we will never sell out our objectives and remain true to our word to continue, no matter what it takes to ensure those who have supported us get those very answers and reassurances we all seek

Well done Glen. I really think Kean has had it this time. As to Venkys-----who could tell? Might have to dig in for a long battle.

[snatchymcsnatch]

Random Birds post needs to be on the front page of brfcs.com please... - Inspiring stuff....

No offence intended as the match reports are excellent but I've given up on what's happening on the pitch because it's not pretty - this is a turning point in our clubs history and everyone that cares needs to be aware of it.

[Ralfinho]

Well done Glen. I really think Kean has had it this time. As to Venkys-----who could tell? Might have to dig in for a long battle.

Im here for as long as it take to get rid of that vermin from our club

[BlueMonday]

Well done Glen. I really think Kean has had it this time. As to Venkys-----who could tell? Might have to dig in for a long battle.

I support the protests, and doff my cap to those fighting the good fight, but I've always felt we should

be targeting Venkys. They are the ones we need to shift. The Club is now disfunctional. If we sack Kean (and sacked he needs to be)

which manager with any reputation is going to come to Rovers with the current set up. NONE.

Do you think MON or MH is going to fly to PUNE twice a month to listen to the loons. No way. So it begs the question, when Keans

gone who's going to come in and turn it round.........

[John Howarth]

I support the protests, and doff my cap to those fighting the good fight, but I've always felt we should

be targeting Venkys. They are the ones we need to shift. The Club is now disfunctional. If we sack Kean (and sacked he needs to be)

which manager with any reputation is going to come to Rovers with the current set up. NONE.

Do you think MON or MH is going to fly to PUNE twice a month to listen to the loons. No way. So it begs the question, when Keans

gone who's going to come in and turn it round.........

Mark Hughes has more sense. He is about to join Sunderland

[Darwen_Blue]

I support the protests, and doff my cap to those fighting the good fight, but I've always felt we should

be targeting Venkys. They are the ones we need to shift. The Club is now disfunctional. If we sack Kean (and sacked he needs to be)

which manager with any reputation is going to come to Rovers with the current set up. NONE.

Do you think MON or MH is going to fly to PUNE twice a month to listen to the loons. No way. So it begs the question, when Keans

gone who's going to come in and turn it round.........

I agree the fight has to be aimed at the Venky's with the first Battle being the departure of Kean but as you say who in their right mind of any reputation is going to come to Ewood. When they announced on SSN that Bruce had gone and they listed the favorites to get the job the only 2 names listed that made any sense where MON & MH and I just can't see MH coming back to ewood or MON coming back into the game with the situation that we have at Rovers with the owners.

I am in favor of getting rid of the deluded 1 but WHO for?

[PAFELL]

Whoever comes in has to be somebody who is able to help guide venkys in how to do things in the club. A new manager will have to take trips to India.