[Archived] Jack Straw held secret crisis talks with Blackburn officials

[Mattyblue]

As this is a Rovers forum, I'll stick to football, as more and more whites move out of the town, where is the groundswell of new support going to come from?

As you know gumboots there is a hell of a lot of interest in football from Asian kids, alas not for BRFC. What is/can be done about it?

[Fife Rover]

As this is a Rovers forum, I'll stick to football, as more and more whites move out of the town, where is the groundswell of new support going to come from?

As you know gumboots there is a hell of a lot of interest in football from Asian kids, alas not for BRFC. What is/can be done about it?

Just a suggestion; but would it help if the club set up links with the schools that have a large number of Asian kids, and things like help with football coaching and frequent visits from Rovers players etc?

[PAFELL]

Straw is only thinking of the town itself and not too much about the football but if this man was worried how bad our town looks from the outside then he should have turned it into an ethnic paradise which as helped it demise (by no means a racist comment just fact).

I walked around the town centre last weekend for the first time this year and the only person who spoke English to me was the man at the top of the escalators trying to sell me breakdown cover for my car.

What pathetic post. U was born in blackburn. Though.I live in the south. I come up to blackburn most remember. I am here now. Blackburn is a lot better than many places in the south. I have surprised at the good manners I have seen on the buses for example. I have read before some of you putting the area down. Sadly some of you do not know how good you have it. I think the different cultures has and is helping blackburn be the good town it is. I am a visitor to the area now. Often it is the visitor who see the good things, that others do not.

[PAFELL]

As this is a Rovers forum, I'll stick to football, as more and more whites move out of the town, where is the groundswell of new support going to come from?

As you know gumboots there is a hell of a lot of interest in football from Asian kids, alas not for BRFC. What is/can be done about it?

What can you do about it. Go meet them, mix and be friend people whoever they are. History from all sides has damaged relations. Only people today can heal things. Rovers, there is a good starting.point. How many of us eat Indian, Chinese food etc etc. Well instead of just eating the food, go meet those who cook.it.

This is not directed at you as an.individual, but all of us.

[BPF]

Hahahaha

'An ethnic paradise'

I do not miss living in Lancashire one bit....Jesus

[Mattyblue]

What can you do about it. Go meet them, mix and be friend people whoever they are. History from all sides has damaged relations. Only people today can heal things. Rovers, there is a good starting.point. How many of us eat Indian, Chinese food etc etc. Well instead of just eating the food, go meet those who cook.it.

This is not directed at you as an.individual, but all of us.

Ihave spoken to countless Asian lads about football over the years, 99% of the time I have got variations of this reponse:

'Rovers are s*** mate'

[PAFELL]

Ihave spoken to countless Asian lads about football over the years, 99% of the time I have got variations of this reponse:

'Rovers are s*** mate'

At this moment in time, hard to argue with that. Sadly many folk glory hunt. Would not surprise me if many you have spoken to have ever been to ewood park. Seen Rovers on tv etc. Watched.other clubs on tv, but also never been. Maybe if they actually went to a match, they could change there view.

[Amo]

At this moment in time, hard to argue with that. Sadly many folk glory hunt. Would not surprise me if many you have spoken to have ever been to ewood park. Seen Rovers on tv etc. Watched.other clubs on tv, but also never been. Maybe if they actually went to a match, they could change there view.

Always the way with plastic fans. Even during our heyday with Souey & Hughes, we were still unpopular.

[JAL]

Hahahaha

'An ethnic paradise'

I do not miss living in Lancashire one bit....Jesus

The beauty of this post is that most Lancastrians dont miss you either.

Straw is only thinking of the town itself and not too much about the football but if this man was worried how bad our town looks from the outside then he should have turned it into an ethnic paradise which as helped it demise (by no means a racist comment just fact).

I walked around the town centre last weekend for the first time this year and the only person who spoke English to me was the man at the top of the escalators trying to sell me breakdown cover for my car.

Numpty !

[Glenn]

What a joke we have become. Wish I was in a position to make some sort of statment. Fans Forum could do that that but they are just selfish pussicats.

You really are the new Vinjay aren't you? Attempting to divert every thread to highlight your own agenda and completely ruining any validity your stand point may have by doing so. I do genuinely enjoy engaging with you about the FF (whilst I think you're wrong, I welcome your attempts to convince me otherwise and hopefully vice-versa), but not in every single thread, especially those with zero connection to the FF>

[Steve Moss]

What pathetic post. U was born in blackburn. Though.I live in the south. I come up to blackburn most remember. I am here now. Blackburn is a lot better than many places in the south. I have surprised at the good manners I have seen on the buses for example. I have read before some of you putting the area down. Sadly some of you do not know how good you have it. I think the different cultures has and is helping blackburn be the good town it is. I am a visitor to the area now. Often it is the visitor who see the good things, that others do not.

I only visited Blackburn in March, 2010 but the people I encountered were very friendly regardless of ethnicity.

[thenodrog]

That's a ridiculous thing to say. I teach in Blackburn and all of our children(80% of our pupils are of Asian heritage)speak English as do the majority of their parents.

80%... In a nutshell! Gumboots you have inadvertantly summed up the cause of much resentment in the town. An immigrant quarter is one thing but whoever heard of an immigrant three quarters? Our language may have been adopted through simple expedience but our culture and customs will never be. The manner in which the indigenous population has been displaced and elbowed aside should never have been permitted. Instead over the past 40 years it's been actively supported and encouraged.

There must be a reason but no one as yet appears willing or able to say why.

[patrickvalery]

Hahahaha

'An ethnic paradise'

I do not miss living in Lancashire one bit....Jesus

Or any other religious figure.

[BPF]

The beauty of this post is that most Lancastrians dont miss you either.

Hey! My Mum does....that's about it though

[roversmum]

80%... In a nutshell! Gumboots you have inadvertantly summed up the cause of much resentment in the town. An immigrant quarter is one thing but whoever heard of an immigrant three quarters? Our language may have been adopted through simple expedience but our culture and customs will never be. The manner in which the indigenous population has been displaced and elbowed aside should never have been permitted. Instead over the past 40 years it's been actively supported and encouraged.

There must be a reason but no one as yet appears willing or able to say why.

Off topic but just an observation. On Monday I attended a Carers' Christmas Party at Bamber Bridge. There were Carers from Chorley, South Ribble and Preston. Attending the function were several Asians of mixed faiths. They joined in the games, entertainment and buffet with gusto. It was great to have them there. It's a small thing, but it's a start.

[Paul]

Just a suggestion; but would it help if the club set up links with the schools that have a large number of Asian kids, and things like help with football coaching and frequent visits from Rovers players etc?

The club used to do this all over the place and it worked very, very well. It wasn't directed, nor should be, specifically at Asian children but was a great success for all kids.

I don't know if, why or when it stopped but have the feeling it has.

[Steve Moss]

Just a suggestion; but would it help if the club set up links with the schools that have a large number of Asian kids, and things like help with football coaching and frequent visits from Rovers players etc?

The club used to do this all over the place and it worked very, very well. It wasn't directed, nor should be, specifically at Asian children but was a great success for all kids.

I don't know if, why or when it stopped but have the feeling it has.

I think this would be a wonderful idea to shore up the future generation. A 1,000 home and away kits being distributed to the schools and youth leagues (regardless of ethnicity) on a yearly basis would pay long term dividends over the next decade or two.

[gumboots]

The club used to do this all over the place and it worked very, very well. It wasn't directed, nor should be, specifically at Asian children but was a great success for all kids.

I don't know if, why or when it stopped but have the feeling it has.

Schools still have a very strong link with Rovers through the education programme. Our school has had various subject visits (leisure and tourism and business studies groups I think to name but 2) this year already. Kids are beginning to get more interested in rovers but when you have no history of supporting the club you have to be encouraged, not derided and made to feel uncomfortable. As for gordon's suggestion that the fact that our school happens to have an 80% Asian heritage population is somehow a reflection of the town's population, well we all know that isn't true. We take in the kids from Whalley range and have recently taken in a large number of kids from another school in the area, so we are bound to have a high Asian pop. add to that that large numbers of white parents are prepared to send their kids, who could come to our school, to Ribble Valley schools (and were alreadydubbed the white flight 20 years ago when I first went there) and the fact that for some reason the council send us large numbers of Asian boys and we have an unrepresentative number of Asian heritage kids. I do my best to explain to them all the benefits of supporting your local team, both in terms of it being more personal and in economic terms for them, their dads businesses and so on but it will take a long time before we start to see the kids we bring in now bringing their kids to Ewood. Hopefully the club will still be there and they and I can share together in supporting our club.

[Mattyblue]

I think this would be a wonderful idea to shore up the future generation. A 1,000 home and away kits being distributed to the schools and youth leagues (regardless of ethnicity) on a yearly basis would pay long term dividends over the next decade or two.

The club used to give away a couple of thousand tickets to schools a few times a season, it was great seeing and hearing the kid section, think some of them enjoyed their hot dog more than the game, but I know a few lads personally that got the Rovers bug that way.

I just don;t understand why Rovers are not all over the local area- Blackburn with Darwen, South Ribble, Hyndburn, Chorley etc putting on soccer schools and giving away tickets- that is your futute support base.

It's what Wigan Rugby League have done for years.

[47er]

The club used to do this all over the place and it worked very, very well. It wasn't directed, nor should be, specifically at Asian children but was a great success for all kids.

I don't know if, why or when it stopped but have the feeling it has.

Nothing will work until we start winning! Remember that feeling?

[thenodrog]

Schools still have a very strong link with Rovers through the education programme. Our school has had various subject visits (leisure and tourism and business studies groups I think to name but 2) this year already. Kids are beginning to get more interested in rovers but when you have no history of supporting the club you have to be encouraged, not derided and made to feel uncomfortable. As for gordon's suggestion that the fact that our school happens to have an 80% Asian heritage population is somehow a reflection of the town's population, well we all know that isn't true. We take in the kids from Whalley range and have recently taken in a large number of kids from another school in the area, so we are bound to have a high Asian pop. add to that that large numbers of white parents are prepared to send their kids, who could come to our school, to Ribble Valley schools (and were alreadydubbed the white flight 20 years ago when I first went there) and the fact that for some reason the council send us large numbers of Asian boys and we have an unrepresentative number of Asian heritage kids. I do my best to explain to them all the benefits of supporting your local team, both in terms of it being more personal and in economic terms for them, their dads businesses and so on but it will take a long time before we start to see the kids we bring in now bringing their kids to Ewood. Hopefully the club will still be there and they and I can share together in supporting our club.

I agree that 80% is ott for the towns schools but I do find it difficult to google accurate figures on the towns demography for some reason gumboots. Can you suggest a reliable source? However 80:20 in your school probably ensures some resentment from the 20% ethnic minority white parents don't you think?

[gumboots]

I agree that 80% is ott for the towns schools but I do find it difficult to google accurate figures on the towns demography for some reason gumboots. Can you suggest a reliable source? However 80:20 in your school probably ensures some resentment from the 20% ethnic minority white parents don't you think?

Not at all - they send their kids to us because it's an excellent school, massively oversubscribed and we do very well for all our kids, black, white and all shades in between.

[thenodrog]

Not at all - they send their kids to us because it's an excellent school, massively oversubscribed and we do very well for all our kids, black, white and all shades in between.

Were you in PR before you became a teacher?

[BiggusLaddus]

She could just be telling the truth. Had you entertained that idea?

[gumboots]

Were you in PR before you became a teacher?

No PR Gordon. We have our bad kids just like all schools and there are things we could do better, but read the parental satisfaction questionnaires, read the ofsted reports, talk to anyone in the know in education in BwD and they will tell you that this is a good place to be a pupil, regardless of who you are. Could just be that most of us don't notice the colour of kids' skin, or worry about their faith - we just see kids and try to do our best for them. They may not love Rovers but I'm working on it!!!