[Archived] Ian Battersby: Ownership And The Venky’s

[gumboots]

Do I detect some softening toward the previous manager gumboots? Surely not.

As for the rest it certainly works in theory but not in practice with this lot.

No chance. Couldn't stand him and would definitely have been glad to see the back of him at a suitable time. However, being happy to be rid of him at a suitable time and sacking him just like that with no proper replacement even thought about, on a whim and at the behest of a certain agent, however much he may deny any connection to the deed, are 2 very different things. Basically despite the embarrassing loss to Utd and the generally unappealing nature of our football even when winning, I'd have stuck with him for at least the rest of the season and seen what happened. I may dislike the guy but sometimes you have to work with a lot of people you don't like many of whom are good at what they do. Yes, I might have wanted to make changes - new owners always do - but they are generally thought out after getting your feet under the table and having a good look round rather than done willy-nilly because you want to do things your way and can't wait to meddle in all kinds of things you neither understand nor want to understand.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

I've often wondered previously whether the trust really had any love for Rovers? I have to say that I posted on here that I always wondered whether Jacks family would have resented us as he spent his final days at rovers trying to get us back where he wanted us. Now I just believe I was right and they got round Jacks requirements for a new owner.

I may be wrong but didn't either Howard Walker or one of the Walker's make a comment about thing's not being as they had wished for after the sale?

There will only ever be one Jack Walker,I fear this club is in for some very hard times ahead.

[47er]

Absolutely spot-on! That is EXACTLY how I feel too.

The time is long past for heaping all the blame onto Kean as it is obvious that he is no more than a puppet for the Venkys, who in turn are also being led (or rather misled) by their advisor(s). However the RESPONSIBILITY for all our woes rest with the Venkys as they are our owners, and it is them that must act to rectify the problems one way or the other.

So from now on ALL protest actions should be kept firmly outside of the ground and away from the players so that there can be no doubts or misunderstanding as to who we are actually protesting against. It should most definitely NOT be allowed to affect the players in any way.

Doesn't matter what you or anyone else says Fife. The place for supporters to let their feelings be known is, and always will be Ewood--------bad results and the reaction will follow.

[Fife Rover]

Doesn't matter what you or anyone else says Fife. The place for supporters to let their feelings be known is, and always will be Ewood--------bad results and the reaction will follow.

Whatever turns you on 47er. If you are looking for someone else to start one of your famous arguments with then I am sorry to disapoint you. What's happened to your usual protagonists?

[47er]

Whatever turns you on 47er. If you are looking for someone else to start one of your famous arguments with then I am sorry to disapoint you. What's happened to your usual protagonists?

I don't think mine is an argumentative post Fife but yours is! What's happened to your perspective?

Fans will turn on the manager again (and the owners) if we don't continue to improve, simple as that. No amount of planning or pious wringing of hands will prevent it. Get off your high horse.

[ABBEY]

Venkys are scum and so is kean

[Fife Rover]

I don't think mine is an argumentative post Fife but yours is! What's happened to your perspective?

Fans will turn on the manager again (and the owners) if we don't continue to improve, simple as that. No amount of planning or pious wringing of hands will prevent it. Get off your high horse.

Perhaps you're right 47er. You are entitled to your opinion, but then so am I, I think I had set out a very reasonable case for leaving the protests out inside the ground so as to avoid any chance of distracting the players. God knows our ONLY chance of getting out of the relegation threat is for every player to feel that every fan is 110% behind the team to a man, and ALL unpleasentness is suspended and laid aside for the duration of the match. This must also include all reference to "Kean Out" displays in order to properly project a feeling of solidarity with the team including the coaching and team management staff.

Ask any player whether they feel the atmosphere in the ground, and whether it affects their play and concentration. I can tell you with absolute certainty that they do and it does. So for the sake of our chances of escaping relegation I am asking that ALL signs of protest are kept outside the ground and preferably confined to attacking the Venkys dreadful and lamentable performance as owners.

[47er]

Perhaps you're right 47er. You are entitled to your opinion, but then so am I, I think I had set out a very reasonable case for leaving the protests out inside the ground so as to avoid any chance of distracting the players. God knows our ONLY chance of getting out of the relegation threat is for every player to feel that every fan is 110% behind the team to a man, and ALL unpleasentness is suspended and laid aside for the duration of the match. This must also include all reference to "Kean Out" displays in order to properly project a feeling of solidarity with the team including the coaching and team management staff.

Ask any player whether they feel the atmosphere in the ground, and whether it affects their play and concentration. I can tell you with absolute certainty that they do and it does. So for the sake of our chances of escaping relegation I am asking that ALL signs of protest are kept outside the ground and preferably confined to attacking the Venkys dreadful and lamentable performance as owners.

OK, I respect your point of view, I simply expresed a different one in a what I thought was a polite and respectful way. I still think people will react instinctively at the time. Its a passionate, results-driven game. Remember the biggest demo was at the Bolton game when nothing was organised?

I certainly am not looking for a scrap and time will tell I guess.

[Daniel Louis Grabko (Dan)]

Perhaps you're right 47er. You are entitled to your opinion, but then so am I, I think I had set out a very reasonable case for leaving the protests out inside the ground so as to avoid any chance of distracting the players. God knows our ONLY chance of getting out of the relegation threat is for every player to feel that every fan is 110% behind the team to a man, and ALL unpleasentness is suspended and laid aside for the duration of the match. This must also include all reference to "Kean Out" displays in order to properly project a feeling of solidarity with the team including the coaching and team management staff.

Ask any player whether they feel the atmosphere in the ground, and whether it affects their play and concentration. I can tell you with absolute certainty that they do and it does. So for the sake of our chances of escaping relegation I am asking that ALL signs of protest are kept outside the ground and preferably confined to attacking the Venkys dreadful and lamentable performance as owners.

There is merit to both sides of this argument and it is really walking a tight-rope IMHO. On the one hand, you are absolutely right, Fife - we need to get 150% behind the team that goes out onto that pitch and tries to win us survival this year.

On the other hand, 47er is completely correct that the stadiumis really the only physical forum for them to express themselves.

The problem right now is that this physical forum's relevance has virtually disappeared ever since the Venkys last appearance in England at the Wigan match, where they were so afraid and alienated, that they have never been publicly seen or heard from since.

There really is not a whole lot of relevance to protesting in the ground anymore, except for the media exposure, but at this point that is going to be negative media exposure in any case, and we already know what that has gotten us.

In my opinion, being that the Stadium has lost much of its constructive usefulness as a forum for protest against the owners, only the negative effects remain, and the protests and Action Group need to take it to another level and another forum, which they have also started to do very successfully, evidenced by local MP support, and especially the wonderful condemning article by the Economic Times in India.

The protests need to focus on pressuring the Owners to do something, hopefully sell the club, and in reference to Kean, we all know that his reign is directly connected to the ownership of the club, and that he won't last a week if any new ownership were to come in at any stage.

But it is imperative that the players keep us in the PL, and we need to do everything in our power to support them in that endeavor.

[Steve Moss]

The protests need to focus on pressuring the Owners to do something, hopefully sell the club, and in reference to Kean, we all know that his reign is directly connected to the ownership of the club, and that he won't last a week if any new ownership were to come in at any stage.

Without protests at the stadium, there is no news story for the newspapers to print.

[xtp]

Without protests at the stadium, there is no news story for the newspapers to print.

It depends what you mean by 'at the stadium'. I think the protests outside the stadium pre-match are still very reportable, and have received far less negative coverage than the in-stadium protests.

[Stuart]

It depends what you mean by 'at the stadium'. I think the protests outside the stadium pre-match are still very reportable, and have received far less negative coverage than the in-stadium protests.

No-one cares about marches to the ground. Not Kean, not Venkys, not the media.

It tells it's own story that the only things to have got people riled are the direct grief given to Venky's at Wigan and the KEAN OUT chants against Bolton.

The fact that this has been spun badly by the media says more about how little they care about Rovers.

[Steve Moss]

It depends what you mean by 'at the stadium'. I think the protests outside the stadium pre-match are still very reportable, and have received far less negative coverage than the in-stadium protests.

Fair point.

[yoda]

SAS, on 28 January 2012 - 10:39 AM, said:

Attempt a coup...

Now there's a thought, but who would be ousted? They don't turn up anymore, and that, in itself invokes another saying of people who bottle it,,,,,,,,,,,,, CHICKEN.

So we now know what the Venkys are... they are what they do best, rear chickens.

I think there is some mileage in this train of thought,

the current board have a duty of care in the well being of the PLC ie the club and how it is run irespective of the actions of the owners, maybe Philipl and others have more insight into this.

It is time for the current board to stand up and be counted as well as taking home the paychecks.

[Guest Wen Y Hu]

Ian Battersby was on today's podcast discussing Venky's ownership and has addressed a number of issues of interest to Rovers fans. He will keep an eye out on this thread, so if you have any further questions or comments, put them in here and he will try to address them in due course.

The podcast will be available via the Podcast 23 thread and the front page as soon as production is complete.

[Daniel Louis Grabko (Dan)]

Ian Battersby was on today's podcast discussing Venky's ownership and has addressed a number of issues of interest to Rovers fans. He will keep an eye out on this thread, so if you have any further questions or comments, put them in here and he will try to address them in due course.

The podcast will be available via the Podcast 23 thread and the front page as soon as production is complete.

Excellent, thank you for the update, I am looking forward to this one!

[BlueMonday]

Ian Battersby was on today's podcast discussing Venky's ownership and has addressed a number of issues of interest to Rovers fans. He will keep an eye out on this thread, so if you have any further questions or comments, put them in here and he will try to address them in due course.

The podcast will be available via the Podcast 23 thread and the front page as soon as production is complete.

Well Mr B. My question is what the hell is their plan?

Do they really believe that if they ignore us for long enough we will just stop being a problem. Are they really Business people, or are they on some Indian Reality TV show pretending to be business people and their first task is to run a PL Football Club? In which case someone needs to tell them,

"YOUR FIRED!"

[glen9mullan]

My question,

Why did JA arrange your meeting in Pune, and why was he also in attendance?

[thenodrog]

My question,

Why did JA arrange your meeting in Pune, and why was he also in attendance?

Ouch!

My question

Ian... Are you in any position to find replacement owners should the Venkey's bale out? Have you made any enquiries in that direction already?

[PAFELL]

Ouch!

Only if true. Question not answered yet.

[thenodrog]

Ian... Are you in any position to find replacement owners should the Venkey's bale out? Have you made any enquiries in that direction already?

[thenodrog]

Only if true. Question not answered yet.

I believe the answer to the first of Glen's two questions is 'yes' but I'm sure he'll wish to speak for himself.

[OJRovers]

Ian, do you know if the Qatar bid was real? Do you think that if there was a similar bid now that Venkys would sell?

Thanks

[Stuart]

Question for Ian:

Are you aware of (or even involved in) a consortium being put together to make a purchase offer to Venkys? And, if so, is this linked to the Business Plan being presented by Daniel Louis Grabko - which is seemingly endorsed by Wayne Wild?

[Andy]

In all honesty, where do you see the club being in 2 years?