[Archived] Solutions

[glen9mullan]

As some of you may or may not be aware Simon and I have been interacting with the club now for three months, Initially these were surrounding protest, and health and safety etc.

I do not like this divide, wedge or whatever we care to call it which has happened amongst supporters. We could sit here and debate that until the end of time and get nowhere and therefore IMO is non-procuctive.

When people protest they are usually protesting about something and its this root which needs addressing for anything to move forwards. I am pleased to say we have engaged in conversations with the club for a way forward. However I'm asking ALL our supporters, it does not matter what you think about protest or about the people who have protested, the wrongs and rights will never find a common ground as wounds are always re-opened as football is a passionate game with so many opinions.

The question i'm asking is what needs to be done for all protest to cease, and for us to move forward as a fan base and club?

What are your concerns?

What questions do you feel need asking, but importantly require answers for you to feel that you are informed?

What needs to be done bar the Sacking of Steve Kean for you to feel more comfortable with the situation at Rovers?

Who do you think we should be talking to and getting the answers from?

What is beneficial to all supporters for a way forward?

At what point do we say, "We have asked the questions , we have got the answers and now we move on"?

What sort if meetings need to take place? Do you think meetings should be done in person, over the phone, via email and do you think any such meeting should be minuted?

What can the board of directors do to help you?

There is many questions and many concerns but we need to now be looking at solutions, as this stand off has gone on for three months and I don't think anyone can honestly say they want this stand off to continue, Please put your thoughts in this thread and please email me at.

My own personal thoughts are any meeting should have people attending from all divisions of the supporters and these people should be chosen democratically by the supporters. Not all supporters are members of this site, or any other site, not all supporters use the internet and not all supporters buy newspapers. However all supporters have an opinion.

Once we get down on paper what people's concerns are then things can move forward, The club does want to engage in talks, however I believe it has to be done the right way and benefit all.

[email protected].

[St_Jimmy_77]

As some of you may or may not be aware Simon and I have been interacting with the club now for three months, Initially these were surrounding protest, and health and safety etc.

I do not like this divide, wedge or whatever we care to call it which has happened amongst supporters. We could sit here and debate that until the end of time and get nowhere and therefore IMO is non-procuctive.

When people protest they are usually protesting about something and its this root which needs addressing for anything to move forwards. I am pleased to say we have engaged in conversations with the club for a way forward. However I'm asking ALL our supporters, it does not matter what you think about protest or about the people who have protested, the wrongs and rights will never find a common ground as wounds are always re-opened as football is a passionate game with so many opinions.

The question i'm asking is what needs to be done for all protest to cease, and for us to move forward as a fan base and club?

What are your concerns?

What questions do you feel need asking, but importantly require answers for you to feel that you are informed?

What needs to be done bar the Sacking of Steve Kean for you to feel more comfortable with the situation at Rovers?

Who do you think we should be talking to and getting the answers from?

What is beneficial to all supporters for a way forward?

At what point do we say, "We have asked the questions , we have got the answers and now we move on"?

What sort if meetings need to take place? Do you think meetings should be done in person, over the phone, via email and do you think any such meeting should be minuted?

What can the board of directors do to help you?

There is many questions and many concerns but we need to now be looking at soloutions, as this stand off has gone on for three months and I don't think anyone can honestly say they want this stand off to continue, Please put your thoughts in this thread and please email me at.

My own personal thoughts are any meeting should have people attending from all divisions of the supporters and these people should be chosen democratically by the supporters. Not all supporters are members of this site, or any other site, not all supporters use the internet and not all supporters buy newspapers. However all supporters have an opinion.

Once we get down on paper what people's concerns are then things can move forward, The club does want to engage in talks, however I believe it has to be done the right way and benefit all.

[email protected].

Absolutely behind this Glen, I will send something through email.

[glen9mullan]

Absolutely behind this Glen, I will send something through email.

Thx Jimmy

[St_Jimmy_77]

Thx Jimmy

I need to run something by you as well. I don't know if Mikey passed on message. I am in contact with Princes Trust PR and wondered if anything could be done from their perspective? Along the lines of WEC, although not a sponsor of monetary value, but branding and image? Just wondered what your thoughts were, if you could add anything?

[glen9mullan]

I need to run something by you as well. I don't know if Mikey passed on message. I am in contact with Princes Trust PR and wondered if anything could be done from their perspective? Along the lines of WEC, although not a sponsor of monetary value, but branding and image? Just wondered what your thoughts were, if you could add anything?

Anything the Princes trust could add, concern wise would certainly be important, and it can do no harm to contact them about concerns

[Stuart]

Working on the premise that Venkys will not remove Kean...

I would like to see a credible, PL-experienced Chairman brought in to whom Kean answers and Venkys will allow to make all decisions relating to the good of Blackburn Rovers football club. Kean's trips to India cease and we return to having a proper club structure.

This would be a start.

[St_Jimmy_77]

Anything the Princes trust could add, concern wise would certainly be important, and it can do no harm to contact them about concerns

I will send a mail over later tonight. If there is anything you feel I should add, send me PM and I'll add it in.

[Kelbo]

I agree a Chairman who can actually make decisions and run the club from Ewood is a priority and Kean answers to him.

The other point and this is extremely important, can we stop the lies from both Pune and Kean, be transparent, tell the truth, let the supporters know (to a degree) how things are, forget all the bullshit from Balaji and the woman who never comes to Ewood and at least try and reunite the supporters with the club because if they dont, they will own nothing.

Finally, take advice from proper people in the game and by that I dont mean Anderson.

[booth]

What are your concerns?

Sadly I'm not convinced that Venky's will ever be good for Blackburn Rovers. If they were going to start doing things in the correct manner they would have done so by now. They aren't learning by their mistakes so I can't see how any of this can be solved without them moving on and selling to someone else. And chances of that are nil. Nothing that they can say will convince me otherwise.

I also do not believe that they are willing or able to invest the necessary capital into the club to keep the club in the premier league.

There appears to have been an effort to run the club on the cheap from the very beginning, getting rid of experienced professionals who knew the club inside out and had plaudits for keeping a well ran club, and bringing in inferior, cheaper alternatives who seemingly weild no power anyway.

What questions do you feel need asking, but importantly require answers for you to feel that you are informed?

What needs to be done bar the Sacking of Steve Kean for you to feel more comfortable with the situation at Rovers?

Who do you think we should be talking to and getting the answers from?

Sorry to be so defeatist but I really do think we're the buzzing of flies to them. Even when questions are answered it is all empty promises and lies.

What is beneficial to all supporters for a way forward?

When someone takes over a football club, one would expect that person or persons to invest the necessary money and time into the club. This hasn't happened. This needs to happen in order for us to move forward.

At what point do we say, "We have asked the questions , we have got the answers and now we move on"?

Actions speak louder than words. When the owners start to fulfill their promises, that is when we should support them. What has happened at the club is not a mistake. It's negligence.

What sort if meetings need to take place? Do you think meetings should be done in person, over the phone, via email and do you think any such meeting should be minuted?

I don't believe any kind of meeting will help due to the aforementioned lies and false promises.

What can the board of directors do to help you?

I can't see them helping one jot, we seem to be ran by Pune by the two brothers and Mrs Desai. The club appears to be being treated no better than an overseas XPRS outlet. Just another of their portfolio of companies and ventures.

[chromesub]

Working on the premise that Venkys will not remove Kean...

Can he please STOP giving media interviews criticizing any of the fans

[DE.]

Thing is, if Kean had been sacked any time recently and anybody remotely capable brought in the majority of protests and bad-will would have disappeared. So much of this situation is down to Venky's standing by Kean despite his horrific record - in doing so this has caused fans to delve deeper into why, and opened the doors to reveal a total lack of infrastructure, lack of knowledge and lack of class which only adds to the growing mood of bitterness.

[Teacup]

I would like to see us appoint a second assistant manager to support Kean.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

There needs to be immediate clarification as to the line of command [if indeed there is one]. Rumours abound that Mrs D isn't interested at all, that the club has become her little boys' play thing. Interesting to see who was[n't] at the board meeting last night. Personally I have little faith that the brothers' have any insight into the necessity of appointing anyone of note to run the club properly as I do not for one minute think they realise, a) anything is wrong [believe Kean's spin], or that a chairman is necessary when they are "in charge".

Ideally they should look at the sound PL clubs', who have tried and tested football people, who understand what it takes to survive and prosper in such a difficult environment.....oh wait that was our club until they took over. Until Venkys sell, I see little to look forward to.

[AllRoverAsia]

Quote ''There is many questions and many concerns but we need to now be looking at solutions, as this stand off has gone on for three months and I don't think anyone can honestly say they want this stand off to continue''

IMO I don't think there has been any stand off. There have been protests which may or may not have been effective.

Call it what you will are you saying to end this stand off/ protest.

I'm finding it a bit difficult to comprehend protest organisers becoming ''Peacemaker'' organisers over what seems a very short period of time since the last protests. Fortunately it seems that the channels for discussion with the Club established through the protest remain open to those who can now utilise them for other purposes.

I am confused.

[stuwilky]

Having already sent an email directly to Paul Hunt, Id like a full response to my email rather than a copied and pasted bit addressing 1 of 3 paragraphs.

Probably best to address what is already in before seeking lots of comments and suggestions from lots of people.....

Note - this is not a criticism of the supporter base.

[greco]

good thread glen.

well im going to use a relationship metaphor.

So you meet up with a new girl, and in the beginnning of the relationship, she delivers a set of promises and acts nicely, so you actually agree to a relationship. Slowly you come tos see, that she in general describes herself in a way, that´s actually quite the opposite, to what she really is. You keep urging her to be honest and just tell it like it is, but this girl cant seem to tell the truth. Yet you give her a chance, as thats the right thing to do, you are a really pateint man and you´ve actually given her over a year to get her act straight. So in relationship-metaphor-land, the question woulds sound like, what would it take for you to trust this girl and keep having faith in the relatiionship..?

the answer in my opinion would be more time and taking a leap of faith with this relationship. You would need to give it time, for the mistakes to be corrected and you would need a leap of faith, as thats the only thing to do, when trusting someone who has a history of being deceitfull. Personally i wouldnt be prepared to A) give it time or take that leap of faith. The trust just isnt there and the bridges are burned.

i simply dont trust them, their actions or promises anymore. Imo, they cant offer me anything, that would make me like them again or more precisely, i dont believe they have the know-how, intellect or commonsense to rectify their mistakes. They really do suck that much.

[RibbleValleyRover]

What are your concerns?

On the field:

- Why are Rovers persisting with a manager who will relegate the club? Will the club come out with reasons why he is still in the job for us fans who find the decision completely insane?

- Concerned about the quality of coaching at the club. Players don't look as fit as they should be, several players suffering or have suffered from hamstring injuries at the same time (sometimes an indicator of poor fitness levels/coaching). The lack of clean sheets is also a major concern.

Off the field:

- Not happy with the comments the manager makes during the week and after games. One could argue that he deliberately sets out to antagonise the fans and cause fractures within the supporting community.

- Concerns about the level of debt at the club, with relegation looking certain I fear for the long term future of the club.

- Because the club is being run from Pune I fear that the club is failing to react to emerging situations quickly enough. The executives at Rovers appear to have no autonomy or power whatsoever when it comes to making short-term decisions.

- Major concerns about the transfer window in January. Rovers need investment in January but with the talk of the debts the club has I fear that the only way money wil be invested is if key players are sold. The poor level of performance on the field also could have a major impact on the transfer front and getting in suitable players.

What questions do you feel need asking, but importantly require answers for you to feel that you are informed?

- Why is the manager still in a job?

- Do the owners know the financial repercussions of relegation and if so what are they doing to prevent it?

- Is the club going to continue to be run from Pune or will the club install a Chairman/Chairwoman with a great deal of autonomy to make key decisions and react to situations as they unfold?

- If Rovers are relegated are Venky's going to provide funds and make managerial decisions in order to try and get straight back up?

What needs to be done bar the Sacking of Steve Kean for you to feel more comfortable with the situation at Rovers?

In my view you can't fully fix the problems without the manager situation being addressed. If Venky's fixed the off the field concerns that I and many others have listed then that would be good, but if Kean stays then the 'on the field' issues remain.

Who do you think we should be talking to and getting the answers from?

With the club being run from Pune and the executives having no power whatsoever then the owners are the only people who can provide the answers.

What is beneficial to all supporters for a way forward?

Because the owners and manager have split the fanbase and continue to do so then I can't see any universal way forward. Venky's have to get their finger out and address the on the field and off the field concerns that the fans have.

At what point do we say, "We have asked the questions , we have got the answers and now we move on"?

Difficult to say as there are so many questions to be asked. I would guess that the majority would drop their interest in asking questions if the manager is replaced and our form on the pitch turns around. But then there is all the off the field questions that need answers. Overall there is just so much wrong at the club right now I don't see an end in sight.

What sort if meetings need to take place? Do you think meetings should be done in person, over the phone, via email and do you think any such meeting should be minuted?

As it currently stands unless the meetings are attended by those who are the decision makers (owners) then meetings with anyone else who is employed by Rovers seems utterly pointless. The appointment of a Chairman/Chairwoman might change that.

What can the board of directors do to help you?

Nothing. They are powerless and have no say whatsoever.

[St_Jimmy_77]

Glen, sent my email. Hope it helps

[glen9mullan]

Quote ''There is many questions and many concerns but we need to now be looking at solutions, as this stand off has gone on for three months and I don't think anyone can honestly say they want this stand off to continue''

IMO I don't think there has been any stand off. There have been protests which may or may not have been effective.

Call it what you will are you saying to end this stand off/ protest.

I'm finding it a bit difficult to comprehend protest organisers becoming ''Peacemaker'' organisers over what seems a very short period of time since the last protests. Fortunately it seems that the channels for discussion with the Club established through the protest remain open to those who can now utilise them for other purposes.

I am confused.

Its not about being peacemakers, its about having a clear vision on supporters biggest gripes, Protest will continue, but its important to understand all supporters, to understand why supporters wnt protest, to understand what gets supporters backs up, to understand what can be done to get more involved and to understand what people want to see as the end result.

If people don't know what they are protesting for or people don't understand why people are protesting you can't move forward

[Kelbo]

Thing is, if Kean had been sacked any time recently and anybody remotely capable brought in the majority of protests and bad-will would have disappeared. So much of this situation is down to Venky's standing by Kean despite his horrific record - in doing so this has caused fans to delve deeper into why, and opened the doors to reveal a total lack of infrastructure, lack of knowledge and lack of class which only adds to the growing mood of bitterness.

Yes, you are right, Venkys are Classless as well as clueless!!

[rigger]

What are the plans to sort out our defensive record this season.

[beerwins]

A neutral chairman, one that is employed for the sole purpose of running the club, one that makes decisions for the club NOT for the owners, one that is educated and experienced enough to make a decision on what need to be done at the club to rebuild all what we have lost..............Oh and World peace.

Not much to ask is it ?

[ebenrocks]

I would like a complete separation of powers between the owners, the board and the manager. There should be no third parties (and by this I refer to characters such as Jerome Anderson) linking owners, board members and manager. This will ensure that the club is always the main focus of these people, and there are no sideline issues which would say, keep people in a job even if they are failing at it, or prevent money from being used effectively to fuel the progress of the team.

There should be a TOTAL severance between the club's decision makers and ANY party who is not legally contracted to the club in a transparent role. The club must only be run by those legally and fully contracted to run it full time, as it is only a person who is employed in such a role that can be trusted by the supporters to have the clubs best interests at heart. No further dealings should be done with Jerome Anderson.

As part of this I would like a new chairman appointed who has no previous links to Venky's or SEM/Kentaro. I would like them to be in charge of the day to day running of the club. Venky's are the owners of this football club, as as such it is unreasonable to ask them to have no say in what goes on with their asset, however I would like a statement of realisation that there are people out there far better qualified to make decisions for the best of the club, and I would ask Venky's to put this in place to protect their asset, as well as the pride and joy of all the fans of Blackburn Rovers.

Once a new chairman is appointed I would ask that Venky's be willing to take advice from them, in recognition that in comparison to an experienced chairman, the Venky's know very little about the running of a football club.

This measure will include allowing the manager to pick whichever transfer targets HE see's as fit, and refraining from influencing him in any way over this. Most fans will agree that the statements made by the owners after they purchased the club regarding Ronaldinho and David Beckham were ridiculous, foolish and made this club a laughing stock. Again, it should be acknowledged that the Venky's, at this moment in time, know very little about football, and as such should not be getting involved in such important issues as signings. I appreciate this may be frustrating when it is their money that is to be spent on the players, however, i believe that if money is provided for the manager to spend on which ever players he see's fit, then the owners will get ample satisfaction from good results.

Once the solid foundations of an experienced board who ONLY have the interests of the football club in mind are set, i would ask for TOTAL transparency in the way the club is being run, and at least one representative of the Rao/Desai family to be in Blackburn so that this is possible. We as fans feel the owners are hiding in India, and making decisions based on little or no knowledge of how a football club should be well run. The problems with this are clear from our league position and the fans anger.

I would ask for a statement of recognition from Venky's that the way they have attempted to run this football club up until now has been entirely unacceptable. I would ask that they assure us as fans that they plan to rectify all mistakes (which they will have pointed out to them by a new, experienced and unbiased chairman), and release a public action statement to show how they will pull the club out of the mire it now sits in.

Thats my thoughts for now... I'll email them over as well.

[LeChuck]

If this is seriously going to make it to the club, presuming "Sack Kean" isn't the response they are wanting, I would suggest the following to at least prevent this from becoming out of hand.

Someone needs to tell Steve Kean to stop treating every media interview like it's a job interview. Stop insulting the supporters week after week; don't shamelessly name drop, don't use rubbish excuses, don't tell us we should have won games where everyone can see we were dreadful, stop banging on about using young players, stop telling us you have "full support", stop mentioning "top ten" whilst we're adrift in the relegation zone. We're sick of it.

The likes of Tony Pulis and Mick McCarthy don't pull any punches when things are going badly, and neither the players nor the owners lose confidence in their ability. The opposite in fact; by owning up to shortcomings there is a sense that work is being done to rectify them. If you blame results on luck, referees and dew then it hardly inspires confidence that things will change.

Secondly, there has to be signs from within the club that Steve Kean isn't unsackable. Giving him a new contract in the middle of a disastrous run was like spitting in the face of the fans. All we hear is this "full support" message, regardless of the situation. It is this which has lead to some fans wanting us to lose; people feel like Venky's are looking for an excuse to keep him, rather than judging him as any other owner would.

If the protests have become personal towards Kean and, in the view of the club, over-the-top, then these are the reasons (other than the atrocious results) that have caused it.

I can't find an excellent quote Den made the other day, but the jist of it was that the fans protesting now are the very same fans that have been wonderful supporters to the club for many years. If you want to find blame then look at what has changed since supporters' attitudes started to change. If Venky's and Kean do not like what is happening in the stands on match days then they have to look directly at themselves and how they will rectify it. It's gone far beyond the point where a few good results will fix the relationship.

[Paul]

What needs to be done bar the Sacking of Steve Kean for you to feel more comfortable with the situation at Rovers?

Before I can have any faith whatsoever in the Raos they must:

Explain their long-term plans for the club

Appoint a chairman with overall responsibility for the day to day running of the club and the power to make all neccesary decisions without daily phone calls to Pune

Deliver the promises made at the time of purchase both on and off the pitch

Publish the club accounts in the manner we have become used to under the Trust

Commit to making the financial resources for players and management (not Kean if we go down) available to mount a serious promotion challenge in the event of relegation

Finally to deliver on the commitments required to achieve the above

oh and pay the expenses of the fans to whom this was promised in Pune...............just another example of the broken promises but this time on a personal level, man to man. Do we believe anything these people say? That's why actions, and the lack of them, speak louder than words.