[Archived] A Conversation With Paul Hunt

[Mercer]

I wouldn't even have published.

In my view, we know very little more than we did before the interview.

IMO, another puppet with little authority otherwise I think Kean would have been sacked by now.

[Mike Graham]

I wonder if the article was written, or checked, by Aggers?

[Mc Love]

I think there is a big difference between these and the one posted on the club website. Neal's article is much better, mainly because its from a fans point of view and I am not saying Cryer isnt a fan or hasnt done a good job but it seems to be a little more believable where as the official interview just seems to be plainly and mostly PR based.

Still dont understand how there is a deputy dawg with out a sheriff though

[Neal]

Still dont understand how there is a deputy dawg with out a sheriff though

Because mate, they don't want anyone else to have power at the club BUT don't want to put in the time to chair for whatever reason. In turn, sheer neglect for the club and it's supporters....

Just my opinion on the situation.

[Tom]

I always read deputy as 'junior' as in that will be the job title eventually

[Paul]

From the Club's Website today

Full LT Q&A with Paul Hunt

I went out and bought the LT this afternoon to see what Paul Hunt had to say. This was a wasted opportunity, he answered nothing, said nothing and those answers were clearly written and then scrutinised very carefully before publication.

If the club are going to speak to us I expect a damn sight more than this. This Rovers Revealed simply reveals the inadequacy of our management and ownership.

[McClarky]

Total spin and empty words. Sounds like he's been to the same school of BS as SK. Don't see why they are talking about communications like it's a priority to do something about it when every opportunity to do this has been ignored for more than a year. This bloke is not even the monkey, he's the oily rag at best.

[Amo]

I have nothing against Mr. Hunt. It would appear he was brought to the club under false pretences and is unable of working within his full remit when Venky's lack of hierarchy has hog-tied him. If the owners don't care enough to appoint a CEO, then what chance does the deputy-CEO have of making a difference? Wasn't Paul Hunt said to be part of a consortium who wanted Kean sacked but were overruled by Desai? We'd probably be in safe hands if our owners weren't from another planet.

[rovers_rob]

I went out and bought the LT this afternoon to see what Paul Hunt had to say. This was a wasted opportunity, he answered nothing, said nothing and those answers were clearly written and then scrutinised very carefully before publication.

If the club are going to speak to us I expect a damn sight more than this. This Rovers Revealed simply reveals the inadequacy of our management and ownership.

He answered questions about Jerome Anderson, transfer policy and finances I wouldn't say that was nothing. He isn't going to comment on the manager so I'm not sure what else he could say ?

What questions would you want him to answer ?

[Paul]

He answered questions about Jerome Anderson, transfer policy and finances I wouldn't say that was nothing. He isn't going to comment on the manager so I'm not sure what else he could say ?

What questions would you want him to answer ?

All of which has been stated publicly before and the response on finances does not stack up with the mortgage document.

I'd like to know:

1. When or will the club publish accounts

2. How are decisions made

3. Exactly what is the Raos plan

4. Why is Kean in charge

5. Why is there no chairman

6. When will we see actions to back up all the words

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

All of which has been stated publicly before and the response on finances does not stack up with the mortgage document.

I'd like to know:

1. When or will the club publish accounts

2. How are decisions made

3. Exactly what is the Raos plan

4. Why is Kean in charge

5. Why is there no chairman

6. When will we see actions to back up all the words

Im sure he couldn't answer those last three questions even if he wanted to.

Its a gesture. I dont think anyone should blame him for not answering 'tougher' questions as someone in his position cannot exactly criticise his employers. Its the same as Jason Roberts on 606. They're not going to burn their bridges.

The fact that there wasn't one question regarding Kean's position at the club says it all. The one question that every fan actually wants answered.

At least some attempt at communication was made. Its better then nothing and I dont think its fair to expect him to explain decisions which are clearly being made above his head.

[PAFELL]

All of which has been stated publicly before and the response on finances does not stack up with the mortgage document.

I'd like to know:

1. When or will the club publish accounts

2. How are decisions made

3. Exactly what is the Raos plan

4. Why is Kean in charge

5. Why is there no chairman

6. When will we see actions to back up all the words

In the article it is mentioned he is doing the chairman role also

[Veevs]

In the article it is mentioned he is doing the chairman role also

I would certainly not read it that way.. he is doing small parts of the job.. same with the CEO role.. but the core and key parts of a CEO and Chairman are obviously being done by the big four (maybe five if Kean has as much of a say in things as many believe). I find it pretty impossible based on events to say that anyone except for big four (with Mrs D the head honcho) have any say in how the club is actually run, the strategy and decision making process is completely run by Venkys (out of reach of the exec board) and these are the key roles of the chairman, CEO and executive board.

This up and coming transfer window will be key and show if they situation has changed at all, if we stick to the process we have seen to date then we are going to be in for one awful january.

I actually put an awful lot of blame for the whole situation down to our good old friend Jerome Anderson, we used a more traditional approach to transfers last January however he used and abused the situation as much as he could. Thanks to this (And Venkys realisation that they got taken for a ride that cost millions) it is now pretty obvious that every transfer has to be signed off by the shareholders which basically cripples us in the fast moving world of football.

[dave birch]

I'm not sure it was worth all the energy used in getting people to meet and then to report on it.

It seems to have produced zilch.

[AllRoverAsia]

In the article it is mentioned he is doing the chairman role also

To quote Paul Hunt: I joined the board as Deputy Chief Executive (and Chairman of the board of directors) in June having worked for Bolton Wanderers, Wigan Athletic and Leicester City previously.

You are correct although I would suggest that Paul Hunt is actually trying to do 3 jobs or at least thinks he does:

Deputy Chief Executive

Acting CEO

Acting Chairman

On the Club website only the Deputy Chief Executive position is mentioned.

Perhaps Paul Hunt is creating another smokescreen by the Club to suggest to complaining Fans that the Chairman's position is covered.

More believeable is that the Owners have a Board structure in place that can makes no real Boardroom level decisions but rather takes care of the day to day things like paying the electricity bill on time.

Anything that really matters has to have a 4 out of 4 vote made in Pune - IMO a lot of such votes will end in stalemate and the Club just blunders on.

These Owners could not organise a xxxx in a brothel.

EDIT: I seem to recall that when Paul Hunt joined Rovers as Deputy Chief Executive it was also stated that the appointment of a Chairman and CEO would follow when suitable candidates had been identified etc. Perhaps I just dreamt that.

[AJW]

Paul Hunt - Deputy CEO of Blackburn Rovers

AJW - Deputy Head Scout of Barcelona for the Whole of Accrington

[Miker]

I'm not sure what people expect him to say to be honest? An admission of guilt and that everything is falling apart?

[gumboots]

I'm not sure what people expect him to say to be honest? An admission of guilt and that everything is falling apart?

Well it would be nice if someone did! seriously he can't say anything because as the events of the renewed contract for kean showed he either knows nowt or has to pretend he knows nowt. Nobody connected with the club is going to go public with the truth unless Venkys go and sell us to someone who can actually run a footabll club then we may, just may find people like Paul Hunt singing from a different hymn sheet. Until then I'll believe that he is a guy who took a chance to work at a premier league club when it was offered to him only to find that the job is a little different from what he might normally have expected.

[Blue n White Rover]

All of which has been stated publicly before and the response on finances does not stack up with the mortgage document.

I'd like to know:

1. When or will the club publish accounts

Companies House rules state that all companies must file their accounts 9 months after the year-end date. If I remember correctly, our year-end is 31st December. We'll be waiting till 30th September 2012 the latest, to see our published accounts (year end: 31st December 2011).

[Kendalrover]

Companies House rules state that all companies must file their accounts 9 months after the year-end date. If I remember correctly, our year-end is 31st December. We'll be waiting till 30th September 2012 the latest, to see our published accounts (year end: 31st December 2011).

Rovers year end is 30th June so they have to post accounts by 31st March 2012. This means that most of what went on in the summer, mortgage facility, most transfers (Jones excluded) may not be in the public domain until March 2013.

What is interseting is that Rovers have always sent the accounts to shareholders by early December and held the AGM in late December/January. This has not happened this year which may be another indication of the way things are at Rovers.

[Lathund]

Companies House rules state that all companies must file their accounts 9 months after the year-end date. If I remember correctly, our year-end is 31st December. We'll be waiting till 30th September 2012 the latest, to see our published accounts (year end: 31st December 2011).

IIRC our year end is in fact June 30th, and in the past those accounts have been published some time early January.

[perthblue02]

Somebody who runs a junior club etc affiliated to the Lancashire football association who has the LFA members handbook might be able to answer this , but as Blackburn Rovers are Full Members of the LFA I am pretty sure that they should not be operating legally without a chairman, seem to remember something in the handbook regarding this from my time a few years ago involved in junior football. Anybody got a current LFA members handbook?

[Miker]

Well it would be nice if someone did! seriously he can't say anything because as the events of the renewed contract for kean showed he either knows nowt or has to pretend he knows nowt. Nobody connected with the club is going to go public with the truth unless Venkys go and sell us to someone who can actually run a footabll club then we may, just may find people like Paul Hunt singing from a different hymn sheet. Until then I'll believe that he is a guy who took a chance to work at a premier league club when it was offered to him only to find that the job is a little different from what he might normally have expected.

There's no point of him saying anything, no matter what he, Kean, the owners or anyone else at the club says, they will not be believed and people will say "it's all spin".

So what's the point? And why the demand for them to speak?

Even where there is an admission that things aren't going as expected and they are trying to improve things to ensure the club retains its Premier League status, people are not happy and want more. Whatever they say, they will still get an angry backlash from fans who are against them. In the end it doesn't matter.

What matters is results. If we started to pick up points and move out of the relegation zone, whether with Kean or without him, and Venky's backed this up with funds for player acquisitions in January then the majority of fans will be satisfied and there's no other way for them to get fans on side at this point.

Rovers year end is 30th June so they have to post accounts by 31st March 2012. This means that most of what went on in the summer, mortgage facility, most transfers (Jones excluded) may not be in the public domain until March 2013.

What is interseting is that Rovers have always sent the accounts to shareholders by early December and held the AGM in late December/January. This has not happened this year which may be another indication of the way things are at Rovers.

The first mortgage facility taken out in December 2010 will be included though, as well as the January transfers which we know for sure involved Jerome Anderson, which is frankly of more interest to me than our summer transfers. So the accounts published for the 2010/2011 season will still give us a valuable insight into the financial dealings of the owners, as well as what debts have been paid and what debts remain, as well as their commentary on the current financial status of the club.

[DeadlyDirk]

Companies House rules state that all companies must file their accounts 9 months after the year-end date. If I remember correctly, our year-end is 31st December. We'll be waiting till 30th September 2012 the latest, to see our published accounts (year end: 31st December 2011).

I remember someone talking about it on one of the Podcasts, philipl I think, he also mentioned the fines for not putting them up in time are quite small so we may very well not even see them then, maybe 12 months if we're lucky!

[deftangel]

I went out and bought the LT this afternoon to see what Paul Hunt had to say. This was a wasted opportunity, he answered nothing, said nothing and those answers were clearly written and then scrutinised very carefully before publication.

If the club are going to speak to us I expect a damn sight more than this. This Rovers Revealed simply reveals the inadequacy of our management and ownership.

If Paul Hunt's statement directly contradicts the mortgage documentation at Companies House, why has this not been challenged in the LET? Not getting away from the real issues here but that's letting the fans down big time.