[Archived] Steve Kean's Future Set To Be Discussed

[den]

Read this on the LT comments page:

I just saw a short article on Life's A Pitch...more journos now taking the mess seriously:

Steve Kean may have taken Blackburn Rovers down, but he’s got no intention of leaving any time soon. In fact, according to reports, he appears to have convinced owners Venky’s not only that he is their best chance of returning to the Premier League, but also that he can persuade the soon-to-be-out-of-contract starlet, Junior Hoilett, to sign a new deal. The Life’s A Pitch panel isn’t so sure.

“I think it’s turned toxic and the only way to sort this out is for him to go,” says the Daily Telegraph’s Jason Burt of Rovers boss Kean. “They need to cleanse the whole club. He doesn’t deserve to stay as manager, he didn’t do a very good job as manager. He’s created an atmosphere where Blackburn are seen as a pariah.”

Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror’s John Cross believes Kean’s chances of convincing Hoilett to stay are non-existent. “I can’t see that in a million years. If Junior Hoilett was going to stay, come what may, then why not sign a new contract? He’s a good player, but he’s another player that underachieved last season. That should raise question marks about him, but, more importantly, about Steve Kean and his ability to manage – motivate and man-manage. And I think he’s got so much left unanswered that I don’t see any way that he should remain in charge.”

In fact, such is the chaos at the club now that even surviving the Championship might prove to be a challenge, says The People’s Tom Hopkinson. “It’s been a crazy 18 months-two years since Venky’s came in. ‘Shambles’ is the only way to describe the whole scenario. Unless they cleanse it, I can’t see a way forward.”

Why oh why didn't/couldn't they see all this earlier?

I also read an article by Iain McIntosh about Kean on the same Life's A Pitch site:

It is an honest admission that the media should have listened to the Rovers fans all along:

For 18 months, their football club has been run into the ground and they have had to pay for the privilege of watching it happen. No one listened when they said that it would end in tears, no one believed them when they said their manager was hopelessly out of his depth. Then when relegation finally came, people said they were disgraceful for getting all upset about it. Who’d be a Blackburn Rovers fan?

Venky’s have treated those supporters in much the same way that they treat their chickens. They’ve kept them in the dark, ignored their clucking protestations and doomed them to a messy end. Let me count the ways they failed. Their first error was employing an agent, Jerome Anderson, to advise on football matters. Experienced manager Sam Allardyce was quickly sacked, allegedly for not being enthusiastic enough about Anderson’s clients. He was replaced by a rookie, someone who was far more enthusiastic about Anderson’s clients, mainly because he himself was one of them. And Steve Kean wasn’t the only horse from the Anderson stable to get a run-out. John Jensen arrived to take up the assistant manager job. On merit, I’m sure. The problem with getting an agent to look after recruitment is that the more cynically minded might suggest that vested interests were at work. Fortunately, Anderson emphatically allayed those fears by signing… erm… his own son, Myles. He still hasn’t played a single game.

Venky’s have been a disaster. From their space cadet ambition of finishing “fourth or fifth”, as if there wasn’t much difference between the two, to their bold claim that, “if we need to spend £5million, we’ll spend £5million” they have turned the club into a laughing stock. But the giggles ended abruptly last December when Barclays were forced to order them to deposit double that amount into their account just to cover the wage bill. It’s one thing not to invest; it’s another to barely cover costs. And then there’s the rumour, well-placed and multi-sourced, that they were unaware of the concept of relegation. It might not be true, but it’s a measure of their incompetence that you can’t be sure.

The much-maligned Kean, as I said here at Christmas, isn’t the biggest problem at Blackburn, but he isn’t very far down the list. He has won just 13 league games in 18 months. Wigan have won six since the end of March. Kean appears to live on a different existential plane to the rest of us, some kind of pink-clouded nirvana of rainbows and sugarplums, Ronaldinho and impending Champions League football. The fact that he hasn’t immediately cleared his desk and walked away to think about what he’s done is staggering. What would constitute resignation form in Kean’s world?

Sure, his dignity under fire was commendable, and there can be no justification for the death threats and promises of physical violence that he received, but he would have had a far quieter life if he was actually any good at his job. His selections have been confusing, his tactics have been worse and the sight of his imperilled players failing to muster a shot of any kind against Tottenham last weekend will live long in the memory for Blackburn fans.

Those fans, of course, realised all of this long ago. You can blame them for focusing their firepower on Kean instead of Venky’s, but given that the owners hardly ever turned up to a game, they’d have had to shout pretty loud for them to notice. They’ve been blamed for protesting during matches and not supporting their team, but what were they supposed to do? Don the face paints, hold a party in the top tier, link hands, sing “Kumbaya” and then throw a tantrum when everyone had gone? What would have been the point of that? They’re livid and they’ve got every right to show their fury.

Manchester United fans can sow discontent with green and gold scarves and everyone applauds. Liverpool fans can shout “get out of our club” at their ruinous owners and chant for the return of Kenny Dalglish and everyone salutes their pluck. But when Blackburn supporters rage and roar against the usurpers who seek to annihilate their football club, they’re a disgrace? There are double standards at work here.

Venky’s are a shambles, a plague of stupidity visited upon a team that needed to box clever. The Premier League are a disgrace for allowing yet another club to be savaged by morons. The hapless Kean should never have been given the job in the first place, let alone been allowed to keep it for 18 months. Of all the parties involved, the supporters are the only ones who are innocent. They don’t deserve our contempt. They deserve our sympathy.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Most likely solution is they have broken the rules or even the law.....not sure how but like you say "dodgy dealings" may have occurred.

I'm sure it will all come out one day, one way or another. The question is what division will we be in when that happens.

I am feeling slighty better, altho obviously not that much, about our situation since finding out there are journalists doing some investigating but without concrete evidence, like Glen says, you do need people to go officially on record and that imo will be harder to do than getting the evidence.

One thing I do hope is that Karma is a real thing so the ones culpable will get their comeuppance one way or another.

[Veevs]

the way i read this is that the person who knows too much, also knows that there has been some rather dodgy dealings throughout the last 18 months....in my opinion. and it is this that will give wankeys 'no option but to sell' because if this person decides to put the info into the hands of the authorities, then not only wankeys but other individuals that we know of very well, will also be in the shyte.

that person who knows too much is NOT me!! this is just an opinion.

Been saying just that for an awful long while now.. my money is on the Formica/Rochina/Ribeiro/Anderson deals.. As nicko pointed out at the time SEM know how to bend the rules, Formica was proven to of been owned by a third party but somehow that got resolved, Rochina deal ended up with massive agent fees, Ribeiro was a second division nobody in Brazil yet signed a 3yr deal(as I pointed out when we signed him he played for the other Gremio not the famous one) and what better payoff for Anderson and co than his son getting a contract.. even a very basic contract for a player in the EPL is 5k a week... thats over 1/4 of a million a year done legit.

As I said before SEM/Kentaro and co know the rules and most importantly know how to cover their own tracks unlike Venkys as such would not suprise me if no proof of their involvement (even though JA is quoted as saying he basically lived at the training ground) ever comes to the surface but plenty of proof is sitting in JAs filing cabinates implicating Venkys.

Also if you asked 20 people on the street what countries in the world have the biggest reputation for dodgy dealings, I would bet 19 of those 20 would answer Brazil, Argentina and Spain.. with Italy another possibility but there has been a big crack down there.

[Veevs]

Hope they all got sunburnt and don't have any Aloe Vera at home.

Dang it Lurid.. that has to be the most tame punishment I have ever heard of...

[Veevs]

One thing I do hope is that Karma is a real thing so the ones culpable will get their comeuppance one way or another.

I can vouch for Karma not being real sadly.. wish everyone would try for good Karma though, the world would be a much much better place.

[bannedwidth]

If I could get away with it I would (.......................................) and then (......................................................) without batting an eyelid.

[Burrells Boy]

we won't get rid of Kean. I don't think we should either. There's a saying that a manger can only be judges on his second full season. Seriously, bit more patience and we'll ###### the championship.

Who said that,is it from CoCo's nursery book.

[Rover_Shaun]

In response to Den's LOOOOOOONNNNGGGG post this comment from it stood out

Kean appears to live on a different existential plane to the rest of us, some kind of pink-clouded nirvana of rainbows and sugarplums, Ronaldinho and impending Champions League football. The fact that he hasn’t immediately cleared his desk and walked away to think about what he’s done is staggering. What would constitute resignation form in Kean’s world?

[bannedwidth]

People with power and influence have been doing this for centuries. We are nothing but human cattle, serving the rich for their own gains. Morality doesn't mean squat to these people. It sounds crazy but they really do not care about people 'beneath' them. Sociopaths.

[G Somerset Rover]

But the story about Jerome being at Brockhall just cannot be true. Jerome told us that he'd severed all ties with the club on SSN. Jerome would never lie to us! The tears told us as much....

[Kelbo]

But it can make sense the other way hence the confusion. That does seem to be the most feasible explanation but "they may have no option" can imply that it is not their choice to make.

That is my understanding of the situation.

[bannedwidth]

Today is Wednesday, supposedly the day we find out what is happening. Ewood ITK agent on twitter will be so happy when his inside info is proved correct. Sacked you say? Let's see.

[neophox]

Wednesday it is but no news yet.....

[roversnick]

Sky Sports News ‏@SkySportsNews

Interview with #Blackburn co-owner Venkatesh Rao coming up shortly. What's the future for Steve Kean? #SSN

[forumquizmaster]

Sky Sports News ‏@SkySportsNews

Interview with #Blackburn co-owner Venkatesh Rao coming up shortly. What's the future for Steve Kean? #SSN

He's certainly not getting sacked then.

[davulsukur]

Sky Sports News ‏@SkySportsNews

Interview with #Blackburn co-owner Venkatesh Rao coming up shortly. What's the future for Steve Kean? #SSN

Mother Hubbard!

Someone fill us in on the details, while we are all at work.

[The Gull]

But the story about Jerome being at Brockhall just cannot be true. Jerome told us that he'd severed all ties with the club on SSN. Jerome would never lie to us! The tears told us as much....

I know you jest here SR, but what if SK was just meeting with his agent to discuss his future, nothing to do with the operations of Rovers?

I have no time for Kean, don't believe a word he says, but there is always more than one explanation for such a meeting. I understand why people put 2 and 2 together but it's not good for our health!

At the minute everything is just rumour after rumour, lets wait until confirmation of events, if there actually has been anything to report on, and then react. It's like a massive roller coaster at the moment with little tit bits coming out contradicting each other and sending us from delight to despair.

Those who can do something about what may or may not have happened are working frantically behind the seens to try and cover all eventualities, us fans need to support them with that as much as we are able to.

I have confidence that the people with the club at heart will eventually be back in charge, it may take some time, and the club may have to sink lower that it already has, but at the end of it we will get our club back.

[winstonsmith]

Martin Blackburn ‏@SunMartinB

I'm told 4 men sat and had drinks in the sunshine outside the cafe next to brockhall this aft. Kean, his minder, agnew, anderson #brfc

I suppose it must have looked like they owned the place !

[jim mk2]

People with power and influence have been doing this for centuries. We are nothing but human cattle, serving the rich for their own gains. Morality doesn't mean squat to these people. It sounds crazy but they really do not care about people 'beneath' them. Sociopaths. Tories.

[davulsukur]

Martin Blackburn ‏@SunMartinB

I'm told 4 men sat and had drinks in the sunshine outside the cafe next to brockhall this aft. Kean, his minder, agnew, anderson #brfc

My kingdom for a hand grenade.

[ruggles1995]

Sky Sports News ‏@SkySportsNews

Interview with #Blackburn co-owner Venkatesh Rao coming up shortly. What's the future for Steve Kean? #SSN

Defo not sacked then, there not going to publicly tell every1 that hes sacked. They usualy send in a letter to SSN to release a statment about a sacking if he was sacked. It will be the usual we believe in kean and always have, his future was never discussed bla bla bla, we are here for the long term bla bla bla, we will bounce back up bla bla bla. Pointless. In my view its prob better we doint hear anything because everytime they open there mouths its the same old pointless garbage that just makes every1 angry.

[OJRovers]

I'm not looking forward to this Venkys interview on SSN.

It will be pre-arranged questions/answers.

Probably telling fans we've been unlucky and to trust them because they don't want their baby to fail.

If people are watching SSN could you do a transcript?

[arbitro]

I know you jest here SR, but what if SK was just meeting with his agent to discuss his future, nothing to do with the operations of Rovers?

I have no time for Kean, don't believe a word he says, but there is always more than one explanation for such a meeting. I understand why people put 2 and 2 together but it's not good for our health!

At the minute everything is just rumour after rumour, lets wait until confirmation of events, if there actually has been anything to report on, and then react. It's like a massive roller coaster at the moment with little tit bits coming out contradicting each other and sending us from delight to despair.

Those who can do something about what may or may not have happened are working frantically behind the seens to try and cover all eventualities, us fans need to support them with that as much as we are able to.

I have confidence that the people with the club at heart will eventually be back in charge, it may take some time, and the club may have to sink lower that it already has, but at the end of it we will get our club back.

Essentially I agree with what you are saying but why would there be such a public show with the four of them sat outside a public bar? Perhaps making a statement to us, a last hurrah maybe?

[Clitherover]

I'm not looking forward to this Venkys interview on SSN.

It will be pre-arranged questions/answers.

Probably telling fans we've been unlucky and to trust them because they don't want their baby to fail.

If people are watching SSN could you do a transcript?

What's the betting we don't get any sort of apology.

I get the feeling watching this is only going to anger me.

[John]

The interview won’t be live so if any big news was to come from it then we would have known by now.

Will just be the usual garbage.