[Archived] Fans Forum Statement

[Reedy You're A Star]

Is everyone now ITK? Or a committee member, or a protest leader or whatever else these days? I wonder what happened to the days when people were just supporters? I blame Nicko..

[OhmiBRFC]

BRAG members don't like people saying this - but it is very clique and I'm glad I'm not the only person who gets the feeling. I've stood on the Blackburn End with a member of BRAG in my blue and white scarf and one of his BRAG mates have asked him why he's stood with someone not in black and yellow. On the rare occasions that I've drank in the Brown Cow I've felt uncomfortable wearing the same scarf I've worn for the last two seasons at winter.

Originally when the protests started I was all for them and attended several of the marches and post game sit-ins. The last being at the Swansea game. After that I began to question what I was doing. No one can fault the commitment of the protesters and the hard work which has gone in to making them happen safely and legally. But, nothing has changed. Kean is still here and not going anywhere. As are Venky's.

No amount of standing about in the cold for 24 hours is going to change this. It annoys me when people who chose not to protest are refereed to as Rovers Fans or that they don't care about the club as much as BRAG members do. That's utter rubbish and shows contempt for other fans who choose to do things in their own way. And before anyone offers me to suggest an alternative - I don't have one. Which isn't say I'm not to allowed to believe that the protests have run their course.

[Stuart]

I assume the term "tremblers" annoys you just as much Ohmi?

[OhmiBRFC]

Yeah. That's a pretty pathetic term.

[Tom]

Ohmi has a good point but it's worth noting BRAG committee members have been trying to stop people using terms like Rovers Fans.

I'm sure there are a few in the group that like having their own subsection of fans as it will make them feel like they belong but in any group there will be the odd one or two

Tremblers is just as bad a term

[OhmiBRFC]

I appreciate that. But when people who are 'high up' in the movement have said it just as much - it puts me off.

As a side, I've sat in pubs with pro and anti-protestors and I've only ever felt uncomfortable with the protesters.

[only2garners]

I'm not going to join in with the insult trading that's going on. I have every respect for BRAG and for what the protesters have done over the last few months. I will instead try and respond to a couple of recurring questions about the Forum.

Firstly Glen asked several pages back what the Forum has achieved over the last 5 months. The answer is pretty much nothing of note, but then no one else has either. Some have made more noise and got more publicity but we still have the same owners, the same manager and the team is still around the drop zone.

Glen also asked what our strategy was. It is simply to keep talking, to ask questions and ask them to be forwarded to the owners. We know that we are not going to get major change directly from Paul Hunt, but speaking to Paul is at least communicating with someone who does have a direct line to Mrs Desai and she is the only one who can effect change. We are carrying on talking because we can. We spent some time in January discussing whether to walk away, to the level that at one stage we drafted out a statement withdrawing from the Forum, but the question that has to be asked of anyone who proposes that is what positive effect would it have. We would probably get a bit of local media publicity (more than this statement generated) which would die down in a few days and then the fans would be left with no one regularly communicating with any part of Rovers' management team. We are all only too well aware how difficult it will be and how low are the odds of getting any real communication with Pune right now but what we do know is that we certainly won't get any contact sulking in the sidelines.

Finally there has been some discussion about how representative the Forum is of fans as a whole. I would argue that it is representative in terms of having a broad spectrum of Rovers fans and opinions. It is clearly not representative in the sense that we have any sort of mandate from the fans as a whole. We have always tried to engage with fans and raise issues that have been concerning them. We are now expanding that in terms of opening up the pre-meets and inviting new members to apply. To date since the statement went out on Monday I have had a grand total of three people get in touch on top of the short waiting list we already had.

[Stuart]

I appreciate that. But when people who are 'high up' in the movement have said it just as much - it puts me off.

As a side, I've sat in pubs with pro and anti-protestors and I've only ever felt uncomfortable with the protesters.

Isn't that fairly obvious though? "The protesters" are well outside their comfort zone and - I've no doubt - don't actually enjoy protesting. (Well maybe one or two).

Unless you mean uncomfortable with the types of people protesting but then that's entirely subjective.

[Stuart]

With no hint of apology to the ungodly, but with some apology to others...

God,

Grant me

"the Serenity to Accept the things I cannot change" - Anti-Protesters / Boycotters / Ambivalent fans

"Courage to Change the things I can" - Protesters / BRAG

"And Wisdom to Know the Difference" - FF

Now if we could somehow get them all working together...

[OhmiBRFC]

Not really. I shouldn't feel uncomfortable in a pub because I chose to wear blue & white and not yellow & black. I have drank in the Brown Cow before protesting started and never felt uncomfortable like did when I've been in recently.

[Miker]

Is everyone now ITK? Or a committee member, or a protest leader or whatever else these days? I wonder what happened to the days when people were just supporters? I blame Nicko..

Good question

I think football in general is becoming a madhouse, what's happening at Rovers is just a symptom of a much larger problem.

[Ozz]

We spent some time in January discussing whether to walk away, to the level that at one stage we drafted out a statement withdrawing from the Forum, but the question that has to be asked of anyone who proposes that is what positive effect would it have.

If I had been involved, this is what I would have pushed for. But made a big noise about it. I understand the consequence of this may be like `cutting your nose off to spite your face`, but this gesture by the very group that was `handpicked` as it were by the Raos personally (I know this is not strictly true, but you get the point) to go over to Pune to meet them and see what they were about would be worth more than the mealy mouthed, polite request for more help. I mean, whats the worst that could happed? That they stop talking to anyone and cut themselves off in India? That's already happended guys.

No-The FF, the gentle, reasonable, open minded bunch who were given the grand tour sayingto Venkys- Enough Is Enough-Start talking, and start acting as you said you would or we walk. No more allies in blightly, and gloves are off. It couldn't get any worse, could it?

[trueblueroversiloveu]

Not really. I shouldn't feel uncomfortable in a pub because I chose to wear blue & white and not yellow & black. I have drank in the Brown Cow before protesting started and never felt uncomfortable like did when I've been in recently.

Man up then... I've been to all of the protests and never once felt "uncomfortable" If you feel uncomfortable it's youre problem not theirs. And what is it exactly you are suggesting? are you too "good" to be a srummy protester?

[Tom]

Man up then... I've been to all of the protests and never once felt "uncomfortable" If you feel uncomfortable it's youre problem not theirs. And what is it exactly you are suggesting? are you too "good" to be a srummy protester?

This kind of attitude may be the problem he alluded to.

He doesn't feel comfortable so should 'man up'? If he takes a small child should they 'man up' as well?

The guy makes a reasonable observation and is attacked for it, he has no reason to lie as he said he was present at earlier protests

[glen9mullan]

This kind of attitude may be the problem he alluded to.

He doesn't feel comfortable so should 'man up'? If he takes a small child should they 'man up' as well?

Many small children attend protest as we are a family group , and welcome everybody, and have built strong bonds which last forever with people we never knew prior to to protest

[Tom]

Many small children attend protest as we are a family group , and exclusive to no-body

But that isn't the point, the point is Ohmi said he felt uncomfortable and for that was attacked and told to man up, it was a pathetic response to a fair point I thought that's all.

[Paul]

Over the last 24 hours I've spent much time thinking about this issue. I've listened to what others have to say and been sent information I'd not seen before.

I have no intention of discussing the above publicly other than to say none of it is sinister, simply private. I feel my publicly aired concerns about BRAG could be wrong. Any comments I've made have only been based on things I've read or heard publicly spoken. It seems there could be more to this than meets the eye, which is not to imply anything underhand.

There seem to be conflicting versions surrounding the whole subject. I don't know what is correct. I hope between them

BRAG, BRST and the FF can get some sense from the owners but sadly I doubt that will happen as it appears the Raos don't wish to talk to anyone.

At the end of it I hope there is a club to support.

I'm simply going to watch football from now on..........

[mark1875]

But that isn't the point, the point is Ohmi said he felt uncomfortable and for that was attacked and told to man up, it was a pathetic response to a fair point I thought that's all.

Nobody should be shot at for having an opinion on things, simple as that.

[Silittl]

If people feel uncomfortable when drinking at any chosen PH then it is something that we BRAG need to address and fun out this is.

I can guess at some given previous comments on here. What I would say if they feel uncomfortable I personally would like them to introduce themselves to me and maybe we can address the issue.

This whole situation is one we all share a common goal but vary in opinion on how we achieve this.

There is an open floor meeting at the Manxman tomorrow. It is open everyone from every side of the argument.

It may not be some people's first choice venue. But it is free and they are welcoming hosts.

If we are serious about finding a common way forward I urge you to attend.

[Tom]

Simon

I am unable to attend but what time is it in case others want to attend. Thanks for addressing concerns.

My comment wasnt a dig in the slightest and as mark says nobody should be shot at for holding a viewpoint I just hate this man up nonsense that gets thrown around so much.

[K-Hod]

What ohmi said about someone being asked why he was standing with someone not in yellow and black... Very telling.

I still don't get the yellow and black colour scheme, not like we used to play in those colours...... a la Manure with the green and gold movement!

[OhmiBRFC]

Man up then... I've been to all of the protests and never once felt "uncomfortable" If you feel uncomfortable it's youre problem not theirs. And what is it exactly you are suggesting? are you too "good" to be a srummy protester?

If you took the time to read my posts then you would see that I have been to previous protests. Right up until the Swansea game. So, no, I don't feel I'm "too good to be a protestor."

It's attitudes like yours which I dislike about protestors.

[Silittl]

K-hod the yellow and black was a way of showing support for the team (away strip) whilst standing out against the blue and white.

In addition in a meeting with club officials it was stated and has since been confirmed that the Rao family hate the yellow and black away strip.

There are various other reasons people have stated including myself but I hope the above give you the jist

[AndyNeil]

Simon, PM'd you...

[K-Hod]

K-hod the yellow and black was a way of showing support for the team (away strip) whilst standing out against the blue and white.

In addition in a meeting with club officials it was stated and has since been confirmed that the Rao family hate the yellow and black away strip.

There are various other reasons people have stated including myself but I hope the above give you the jist

Loud and clear. Thanks.

At any rate, it really is a case of divided we stand (and if the worst does happen), united we fall...