[Archived] Anti-Protest Thread

[Ewood Spark]

Definition of Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Albert Einstein 

I have deliberately avoided this forum for the last couple of months, but felt I needed to express the following opinion. 

If I were a Bolton Wanderers fan at Ewood tonight the first thing I would do on entering the ground is start a chant of 'Kean out'.  Get the home fans to become the twelth man for YOUR side. This tactic worked a treat for West Brom fans on Saturday ... and our fans fell hook line and sinker for it. Once the chants started we suddenly became like a team of Keith Andrews in the Spurs home game last season  (when he had the temerity to come on as a substitute and was booed from his entry on the field by the less cerebral of our so-called-support).  In the same way players can become inspired by great support they can also become disenchanted by booes and cat-calls. These may be directed solely at the manager ... but the poisonous atmosphere that ensues is indiscriminate in it's targets. 

Tonight, other clubs fans will be gleefully watching Sky with a morbid curiosity to watch Blackburn Rovers self-implode .... let's not afford them the satisfaction. So for ninety minutes put aside your hatred of the manager and remember what we all have in common. The question everybody should ask themselves is 'Do I hate Steve Kean mare than I love Blackburn Rovers?'

[Mattyblue]

You trembling yet?

[Rover_Shaun]

I noticed the tactic didn't work for Swansea

Most pointless topic of the year right at the death. Well done

[bob fleming]

Definition of Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Venkys & Steve Kean 

[Ewood Spark]

You trembling yet?

Funny you should ask ... one of the 'yellow-bellies' turned-up in the seat in front on Saturday ... needless to say he didn't come back for the second half.

[Mattyblue]

I can see where this thread is heading, so I'll ask you early.

What do you think of Venky's? Still got the best interests of the club at heart? Should Kean still be manager?

Should the manager get no dissent?

Is sitting on your hands while the club crashes making you a better supporter than those trying to engineer changes for the good of the club?

[ChrisyG]

Funny you should ask ... one of the 'yellow-bellies' turned-up in the seat in front on Saturday ... needless to say he didn't come back for the second half.

Are you saying you threatened a fellow Rovers supporter, to the extent that they didn't return to their seat?

[Rover_Shaun]

Funny you should ask ... one of the 'yellow-bellies' turned-up in the seat in front on Saturday ... needless to say he didn't come back for the second half.

At least only his shirt was yellow.

[Stuart]

I can see where this thread is heading,

Pune?

[Stuart]

Funny you should ask ... one of the 'yellow-bellies' turned-up in the seat in front on Saturday ... needless to say he didn't come back for the second half.

There were plenty of other places for him to sit. This is what Venkys and Kean have done to our club.

Can't believe you have started an Anti-Protest thread in between two games where the protests have been called off.

What you witnessed on Saturday was instead the true feelings of the majority of Rovers fans. Months of frustration boiling over in a spontaneous show of a loss of confidence.

I expect you went to the toilets for all those times when the fans were backing the team with chants like barmy army.

[Ewood Spark]

I can see where this thread is heading, so I'll ask you early.

What do you think of Venky's? Still got the best interests of the club at heart? Should Kean still be manager?

Should the manager get no dissent?

Is sitting on your hands while the club crashes making you a better supporter than those trying to engineer changes for the good of the club?

This thread isn't about Venky's or Steve Kean .... it's about the nature of protest. Prior to Wigan away I felt the team were starting to play reasonably well (Spurs, Chelsea and Norwich ... even Newcastle in the cup). To the credit of the fans there had been very little overt protesting during these games (with the exception of the airplane stunt). I therefore couldn't understand why we didn't look at the races at Wigan until I heard a first hand account of an event which occurred prior to the match when a group of protesters had waited for the team coach to arrive to hurl abuse at SK. How the hell was that going to help a team preparing to play an important match?

Since then there have been protests during every game ... and the confidence of the players has visibly become more and more fragile. The only people gaining from protesting during the game is the opposition.

[arbitro]

Funny you should ask ... one of the 'yellow-bellies' turned-up in the seat in front on Saturday ... needless to say he didn't come back for the second half.

Wow big man too eh? Was he a ten year old?

[Mattyblue]

Ahhh it's the fans fault, here's me thinking it was they bloke in the dugout and your friends in Pune.

[Ewood Spark]

Are you saying you threatened a fellow Rovers supporter, to the extent that they didn't return to their seat?

No ... let's just say he looked uncomfortable when his lone rantings were drowned out.

[Stuart]

Ewood Spark, when we are relegated, people like you will still blame the fans. I've not heard a peep of dissent coming out of Bolton. What's their excuse?

And what exactly were you told/offered in Pune to make you so staunchly pro-Kean and pro-Venkys - even now.

I can't believe you 'represent fans' in meetings with the club. You just sound like an employee, towing the company line.

[ABBEY]

No ... let's just say he looked uncomfortable when his lone rantings were drowned out.

Come and sit near us tonight , we will see how hard you are.

[Ewood Spark]

Ahhh it's the fans fault, here's me thinking it was they bloke in the dugout and your friends in Pune.

Look ... all I am trying to say is that fans do have an influence on the performance of players. Two players were spotted shaking their heads when the chanting started on Saturday ... it is obviously affecting them ... and not in a positive way. So protest all you want after the game ... stage a St Paul's style Christmas sit-in at Ewood ... even. self immolation in front of Jack's statue ... I don't care ... just get behind the TEAM for the ninety minutes.

[47er]

Bob's got it right-----doing the same thing over and over again, like supporting Kean and Venkys and expecting things to get better is a pretty good definition of insanity.

Loved the bit about the team coach at Wigan------someone hurled abuse at Kean and it so put off the team that they were crap!

We're crap every week---that's why we're next to bottom and most likely bottom in a matter of hours.

Of all the fans to send to Pune to impress Venkys, to think someone chose this moron.

Please sit near Abbey.

[Rover_Shaun]

It should affect the team. They shuold be embarrassed by their own ineptitude.

We'll save the club and you fidddle whilst it burns

[Ewood Spark]

Ewood Spark, when we are relegated, people like you will still blame the fans. I've not heard a peep of dissent coming out of Bolton. What's their excuse?

And what exactly were you told/offered in Pune to make you so staunchly pro-Kean and pro-Venkys - even now.

I can't believe you 'represent fans' in meetings with the club. You just sound like an employee, towing the company line.

So go on ... point out the posts where I have been pro-Kean. The last comment I have made on these boards relating to Kean was that I thought he would be potted after the Spurs game. As for Venky's ... just suppose you woke up on Christams morning and Santa had answered your prayers and forced Venky's to pull-out ....What do you suppose would happen then? Hate to burst your bubble but there is no knight in shining armour waiting in the wings ... we have to play with the hand we have been dealt.

[47er]

Your "solution" is simply to roar on a team that's appalling managed, utterly inadequate thanks to 2 dreadful transfer windows and unable to play out the 90 minutes thanks to a lack of fitness.

In other words, keep on doing the same thing and expect different results!

[brian_gallagher85]

Steve Kean has a greater influence on the players than the fans as is evident from our performances and league position. It'll hopefully be 90 minutes of further hell for Kean and Venkys tonight. We've arguably played better when the protests have been at their height, i.e. Arsenal and Swansea at home.

[Paul Mellelieu]

I think you have to offer an alternative to the protests if you want people to listen to you Spark.

[sparky12]

for 30k a week you can throw as much abuse at me as you want and these players are professionals so pressure and abit of chanting shouldn't faze them.. I believe half of them want the moron out anyway

[Batman.]

Another p*ssing competition I see.