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

[Parsonblue]

Why won't Mrs D listen to her brothers???

Would Rovers be a different club if the Rao's brothers had sole control??? bet Kean would have been sack ages ago!!!

I think the events of today show very clearly that the main problem is not Steve Kean but Venky's themselves. The Rao family are clearly incapable of working together and Desai is clearly the only one who has the power to make decisions. Presumably there was a reason why she was left to run the company and not the brothers. Watching the interview today could anybody really say that guy looked capable of running a football club and this is supposedly the sensible brother. Any self respecting manager would look at that interview and run a mile if they were approached to take on this club.

[Emge]

I just feel sick....I wanna throw up..

They have kidnapped our club....

[True Blue & White]

Venkatesh Rao interviewed in 20 years time....

....actually scratch that, Manson makes more sense than the Raos.

[perthblue02]

Just watched the Interview and I actually think we are seeing a new spiritual rising - Keanochioism - You shave your head , think positive and talk complete bo***cks

[Roverall]

I can certainly see why Kamy is predicting a total meltdown. Rovers fans are a patient lot, but today's 'interview' has pushed things beyond boiling point. People can only be fed lies and treated with contempt for so long. The situation is untenable and something has got to give.

Something tells me that Venky's may not be here come the first game of the season.

[bob fleming]

Just watched the Interview and I actually think we are seeing a new spiritual rising - Keanochioism - You shave your head , think positive and talk complete bo***cks

[chaddyrovers]

I think the events of today show very clearly that the main problem is not Steve Kean but Venky's themselves. The Rao family are clearly incapable of working together and Desai is clearly the only one who has the power to make decisions. Presumably there was a reason why she was left to run the company and not the brothers. Watching the interview today could anybody really say that guy looked capable of running a football club and this is supposedly the sensible brother. Any self respecting manager would look at that interview and run a mile if they were approached to take on this club.

is Mrs D capable of running a football club???

I can certainly see why Kamy is predicting a total meltdown. Rovers fans are a patient lot, but today's 'interview' has pushed things beyond boiling point. People can only be fed lies and treated with contempt for so long. The situation is untenable and something has got to give.

Something tells me that Venky's may not be here come the first game of the season.

really hope so.

this is what we need for the future of Rovers!

[Kelbo]

den, on 23 May 2012 - 17:54 PM, said:

So you're all in shock, are you Venkatesh? Well, let me tell you a thing or two.

Within a matter of weeks of the Raos taking over the club, some supporters were telling you that you were taking the club in the wrong direction. You did nothing. You carried on regardless. Towards the end of your first season, more and more fans were doubting your [in]actions. We missed out on relegation by the skin of our teeth. You carried on regardless.

This season the majority of fans were telling you that things at the club had to change. Towards the end of this last season, the whole ground was telling you that things were dire. I don't think one fan was supporting your actions. Everyone, everyone was against the way you were running the club. We went down and you did nothing.

Well, actually, that's not true is it? You didn't just ignore the fans concerns, you didn't "not do anything" - you fought against anyone who dared tell you to change tack. We've had fans marching and staying in the ground after the game, because it was agreed that they could do that. What happened - the speaker system volume was turned up and they were drowned out. You banned banners inside Ewood in order to silence any protests. More than that, we saw the incredible sight of the stweards going into the crowd and physically confronting angry and worried fans. When Paul Hunt asked you to consider that the club was being run badly and you needed to heed the message, you did nothing until the letter became public, then you sacked him. When the whole ground was telling you that Kean had to go, you backed him. When Jerome A. launched a tirade against the rover's fans on national TV, we heard nothing from you - in effect, you backed him as well.

So you now portray this image of poor Indian owners who didn't expect this outcome. How far from the truth could that possibly be, when you actively fought against any voice who wanted to talk to you in good faith? Politicians were willing to talk to you, the sponsors were willing to talk to you and employees at the club were desperate to talk to you - they probably still are. You shunned the lot of them. Fans forum members went out to Pune and they did talk to you, but you lied to them.

Now then, we are in a position where season ticket sales are falling faster than ever before. Some fans reckon it's because people don't want to put money into your pockets. Well, the truth is that many of the people not renewing are doing so because they have been trying to get the message over to you, that you were putting the club into very dangerous waters, - but you have fought that viewpoint every step of the way, so the only other option they see, is to let you do, what you are intent on doing. There's nothing else they can say.

All this has been coming to a head since you bought the club. A club that was one of the most friendly clubs in the land has become a place of disappointment and hatred. You might argue that some of these actions haven't been ordered directly from Pune, but it's your club, it's your responsibility. You knew of the problems but fought against anyone telling you about them. You have to take responsibility for the last 18 months. There is another thread on here asking whether the fans would forgive you if Kean was sacked. Well, many fans would indeed come back to Ewood in the hope that you have changed direction. As for trusting you ever again, many would say "never". Many would say trust has to be earned and there's a hell of a long way to go before that happens.

My advice to you would be sell up. Get out because you have no future here.

Amen to this den- perfectly expressed.

Brilliant post, spot on + 50,000,000

[Josh]

Has there been a breakout of lice in Venky HQ? a few weeks back Mario with the ponytail was pictured with a shaved head/beard and now the same thing with Luigi

[Majiball]

So you're all in shock, are you Venkatesh? Well, let me tell you a thing or two.

Within a matter of weeks of the Raos taking over the club, some supporters were telling you that you were taking the club in the wrong direction. You did nothing. You carried on regardless. Towards the end of your first season, more and more fans were doubting your [in]actions. We missed out on relegation by the skin of our teeth. You carried on regardless.

This season the majority of fans were telling you that things at the club had to change. Towards the end of this last season, the whole ground was telling you that things were dire. I don't think one fan was supporting your actions. Everyone, everyone was against the way you were running the club. We went down and you did nothing.

Well, actually, that's not true is it? You didn't just ignore the fans concerns, you didn't "not do anything" - you fought against anyone who dared tell you to change tack. We've had fans marching and staying in the ground after the game, because it was agreed that they could do that. What happened - the speaker system volume was turned up and they were drowned out. You banned banners inside Ewood in order to silence any protests. More than that, we saw the incredible sight of the stweards going into the crowd and physically confronting angry and worried fans. When Paul Hunt asked you to consider that the club was being run badly and you needed to heed the message, you did nothing until the letter became public, then you sacked him. When the whole ground was telling you that Kean had to go, you backed him. When Jerome A. launched a tirade against the rover's fans on national TV, we heard nothing from you - in effect, you backed him as well.

So you now portray this image of poor Indian owners who didn't expect this outcome. How far from the truth could that possibly be, when you actively fought against any voice who wanted to talk to you in good faith? Politicians were willing to talk to you, the sponsors were willing to talk to you and employees at the club were desperate to talk to you - they probably still are. You shunned the lot of them. Fans forum members went out to Pune and they did talk to you, but you lied to them.

Now then, we are in a position where season ticket sales are falling faster than ever before. Some fans reckon it's because people don't want to put money into your pockets. Well, the truth is that many of the people not renewing are doing so because they have been trying to get the message over to you, that you were putting the club into very dangerous waters, - but you have fought that viewpoint every step of the way, so the only other option they see, is to let you do, what you are intent on doing. There's nothing else they can say.

All this has been coming to a head since you bought the club. A club that was one of the most friendly clubs in the land has become a place of disappointment and hatred. You might argue that some of these actions haven't been ordered directly from Pune, but it's your club, it's your responsibility. You knew of the problems but fought against anyone telling you about them. You have to take responsibility for the last 18 months. There is another thread on here asking whether the fans would forgive you if Kean was sacked. Well, many fans would indeed come back to Ewood in the hope that you have changed direction. As for trusting you ever again, many would say "never". Many would say trust has to be earned and there's a hell of a long way to go before that happens.

My advice to you would be sell up. Get out because you have no future here.

Well said.

[patrickvalery]

I wonder if Venkatashless has grown a pair? Was this interview a familY strategy? Surely not. Nobody, even the Rao's could conjure up such a terribly scripted interview. I wonder if he is putting pressure on his sister. Perhaps the glitz and glam is starting to warm his cockles. You couldn't help but notice someone has advised him to lose the tash, cheap suit and floppy hair. Suddenly, dare i say it, he looks a little styled. Perhaps our charity giving, religion loving, spineless brother is trying to make a name for himself.

[Fraserkirky]

The only thing I made out, from that pathetic interview is that the Venky's are looking to get out of this shambles.

Of course it wouldn't take this long to make a decision on Kean, there is more chance they have been arguing about selling Rovers.

The fact Kean hasn't had his smug git face on the TV since his return suggests something is definetly up.

[Tarka]

I think the events of today show very clearly that the main problem is not Steve Kean but Venky's themselves. The Rao family are clearly incapable of working together and Desai is clearly the only one who has the power to make decisions. Presumably there was a reason why she was left to run the company and not the brothers. Watching the interview today could anybody really say that guy looked capable of running a football club and this is supposedly the sensible brother. Any self respecting manager would look at that interview and run a mile if they were approached to take on this club.

Parson'. If A.D. runs the club wouldn't she have put her foot down and insisted on the club being sold? Some months ago now?

I think the first part of your second sentence is correct though. The Venky's don't seem to be able to come to an agreement. Each hold a vote. It's either all or nothing.

Hopefully, there's far too much going on in their lives what with the share price going down and A.D. involved elsewhere that they might just decide that enough is enough. Buyer's probably want anonimity until all the i's are dotted and t's crossed. Hence the dearth of information?

All we can do for now is keep up the pressure. Support any action groups. Talk about the situation to other football fans. Anything to keep this situation on the boil.

[Tarka]

Just watched the Interview and I actually think we are seeing a new spiritual rising - Keanochioism - You shave your head , think positive and talk complete bo***cks

Does Kean get his positivity training from Neo? This is an old one but read http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/david-conn-inside-sport-blog/2010/dec/21/blackburn-rovers-venkys-jerome-anderson

[Baz]

. The Venky's don't seem to be able to come to an agreement. Each hold a vote. It's either all or nothing.

IMO you are wrong. It took them less than 24 hours to remove Hunt, once it reached publication. They were pretty darn sharp getting rid of Allardyce too.

They are stalling for some reason, that "interview" today was an absolute disgrace. Despite the mumbling there was not a single answer to any question asked.

They have been playing the 'confused' card for far too long for it to have any credibility left.

They pick and choose which interviews they take, and are "not available for comment" whenever anyone asks them a difficult question.

These are the same people who run a large group of companies, I beg to differ that they could in anyway run those (moderately) successfully, whilst be crippled by ANY decision at Ewood. It doesn't ring true, and therefore IMO it therefore isn't true.

I can only hope the stall is because they are negotiating an exit, but Philip seems to think this is a long way from happening at present. I fear of what the other reasons could be.

[EwoodDawn]

Increased workload at the moment so I didn’t have the displeasure of seeing Venkatesh’s interview first time round this morning and have only just had to endure it. However, my initial reaction to having viewed it is a need to express just how intensely insulted I feel. As someone who works with young people, I am highly sensitised to condescension as they despise being patronised. So for Venkatesh to insinuate that the owners’ attitude towards the fans is that of a parent towards a petulant child, well… Also, for him to appear to believe that we would be contentedly placated by his vacuous nonsense and complete avoidance of the imminently crucial issues was immensely offensive. Bringing small children’s tears into the discourse was an extremely vulgar, transparent and deliberate courting of the press’ sympathy. I found the insistence that he and his family have done nothing wrong ever startlingly inappropriate on numerous levels. Finally, the claim that he had been put off two meals was embarrassingly ridiculous. This individual appears extraordinarily incapable of empathising, wearing the shoes of a loyal BRFC workers whose concern is not whether they might be might not be in the mood for eating their food but whether or not they will actually be able to afford to buy it soon.

To my mind, the interview portrayed a man completely out of touch with thousands of fans who can and probably will affect his fate. Perhaps we are viewed as lesser mortals, somehow inferior to the wealthy Rao family who, frankly, I do not believe have ever listened and comprehended Blackburn Rovers fans. Perhaps they persist with this assessment this at their peril. Are we regarded as a troublesome but essentially peaceable lot? Perhaps a reminder of our past, our heritage is apt. The Rao siblings will have never heard of The Drawing Riots, The Cotton Riots, the Suffragettes who attempted to burn down the Nuttall Street Stand, the General Strikes, etc... Underestimate Blackburnians at your peril. Passions may have been lying dormant for so long that, who knows, you may have awakened the Kraken?

[J-2]

By the way, does anyone else find the claims that Venkys weren't aware of the possibility of relegation utterly absurd?

Does someone have a quote where one of them actually said this? Because if they did, then that would almost certainly prove them to be liars. What sane businessperson would invest in a venture that costs tens of millions of pounds without examining every single last detail multiple times, especially one which could have major financial ramifications along the way? Even though it would never happen to Man United, I'd bet my house on the fact that the Glazers were well aware relegation was a "possibility" for the club before he purchased the controlling interest. It's incomprehensible Venkys were not.

[Roverall]

"He was a fattish but active man of paralysing stupidity, a mass of imbecilic enthusiasms - one of those completely unquestioning, devoted drudges on whom, more even than on the Thought Police, the stability of the Party depended."

George Orwell, 1984.

Blackburn Rovers, 2012.

For those in bold, use your imagination...

[G Somerset Rover]

By the way, does anyone else find the claims that Venkys weren't aware of the possibility of relegation utterly absurd?

Does someone have a quote where one of them actually said this? Because if they did, then that would almost certainly prove them to be liars. What sane businessperson would invest in a venture that costs tens of millions of pounds without examining every single last detail multiple times, especially one which could have major financial

ramifications along the way? Even though it would never happen to Man United, I'd bet my house on the fact that the Glazers were well aware relegation was a "possibility" for the club before he purchased the controlling interest.

LIt's incomprehensible Venkys were not.

There's never been a direct quote. I can't remember the commentator, but he's on 606 and he is 100% convinced, through speaking with people very close to them that they did not know that we could get relegated prior to taking over.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

But I thought I read recently that the fit-and-proper persons test has something about proving you had a plan for relegation?

[Majiball]

But I thought I read recently that the fit-and-proper persons test has something about proving you had a plan for relegation?

But they have one, the chief chicken said as much today.

Get back, first time of asking no matter the cost.

Simples.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Yea that's it I read it here - http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/premier-league-chief-richard-scudamore-says-blackburn-owners-venkys-played-by-the-rules-7733331.html

"All potential new owners have to demonstrate to the Premier League that they have a plan for the club staying in the league and one in the event of relegation, which would appear to give the lie to the suggestion that Venky's were not aware that clubs could be relegated."

[david_daft]

Incompetent / corrupt (alledgedly) owners,

a highly deluded manager (i'm not even gonna bother to 'alledge' this),

and the lovely JA's involvement.

It really is the Perfect Storm,

Anyone fancy photo shopping this?

[Penster]

I find it strange that who, in my perception, is the least powerful of the unholy Trinity should be the one to deliver this anaemic, incoherent rambling response to our concerns.

He is clearly in a bad place-poor lamb. Surely it should have been the organ grinding lass to break the two(or is it three) month silence?

Incompetent / corrupt (alledgedly) owners,

a highly deluded manager (i'm not even gonna bother to 'alledge' this),

and the lovely JA's involvement.

It really is the Perfect Storm,

Anyone fancy photo shopping this?

[47er]

IMO you are wrong. It took them less than 24 hours to remove Hunt, once it reached publication. They were pretty darn sharp getting rid of Allardyce too.

They are stalling for some reason, that "interview" today was an absolute disgrace. Despite the mumbling there was not a single answer to any question asked.

They have been playing the 'confused' card for far too long for it to have any credibility left.

They pick and choose which interviews they take, and are "not available for comment" whenever anyone asks them a difficult question.

These are the same people who run a large group of companies, I beg to differ that they could in anyway run those (moderately) successfully, whilst be crippled by ANY decision at Ewood. It doesn't ring true, and therefore IMO it therefore isn't true.

I can only hope the stall is because they are negotiating an exit, but Philip seems to think this is a long way from happening at present. I fear of what the other reasons could be.

I think that's a pretty good analysis.The cynics might argue the real owners haven't given them any new instructions yet and that's why they are stalling.

I couldn't possibly comment.