[Archived] Supporter Exhaustion

[philipl]

All the indications are that we are facing supporter burn out.

For most supporters, Rovers are a combination of a source of entertainment and of local pride

When this combination works together it is an incredible and potent force for both the club and community. However, it is critically reliant on both elements being present and the passion engendered can become destructive in the anguish of loss. We have been suffering that pain for a long time now and my fear is that we are all becoming immune and dulled.

Rovers

[Kelbo]

I think I would be inclined to agree and until Venkys disappear, I cant see things changing, they have damaged our club to such an extent, it will take at least 10 years to repair and even then not fully, as you rightly say, without entertainment and local pride,plus a feeling of belonging the club is nothing!!

[roversfan83]

I will not be 100% behind rovers until venkys have gone. Along with shaw Agnew and basically any memory that they were ever here.

Problem is this is unlikely to happen in my life time without effectively going bankrupt and starting again. So as a consequence I'm ambivalent towards the club. I neither want non league football or venkys. It's lose lose.

Don't get me wrong still want us to win and celebrated like a maniac when scored vs burnley ending up several rows down but with the Indians for me this isn't a local my local club it's just a club that happens to play in Blackburn.

[greco]

i think you are forgetting a couple of things phillip. Firstly, when our club was run by pro´s, i got the impression that alot of fans had a "relationship" with the club, they in some sort of way could relate to it and was a part of it, that is something the slumdog has ripped to shreds. The family feeling is gone.

The second is foreign ownership and money money money, I dont blame rovers fans if they are tired of seeing their club being bought by business(wo)men, who havent got the slightets idea of how to respect or undertsand your traditions and way of thinking. If they cant relate ot the british way of thinking, why on earth should the brits accept theirs.? They own us to get their chicken business going, so basically our club is reduced to a pr tool and this, so the rich can get richer. Again something that put alot of people of. Greed is probably one of the biggest factors, in me losing interest in football.

[matt83]

i think you are forgetting a couple of things phillip. Firstly, when our club was run by pro´s, i got the impression that alot of fans had a "relationship" with the club, they in some sort of way could relate to it and was a part of it, that is something the slumdog has ripped to shreds. The family feeling is gone.

The second is foreign ownership and money money money, I dont blame rovers fans if they are tired of seeing their club being bought by business(wo)men, who havent got the slightets idea of how to respect or undertsand your traditions and way of thinking. If they cant relate ot the british way of thinking, why on earth should the brits accept theirs.? They own us to get their chicken business going, so basically our club is reduced to a pr tool and this, so the rich can get richer. Again something that put alot of people of. Greed is probably one of the biggest factors, in me losing interest in football.

100% correct. I hear all to often its the Indian culture not to be seen as being wrong so it's not their fault, it's the Indian business philosophy that's incompatible with our own so it's not their fault, cant blame them its just their culture blah blah blah blah.

This is blackburn, England so why should be have to endure idiosyncrasies of other cultures when it affects ours. I'll tell you why because it flirts around the no go touchy subject of race and people are soooo frightened to appear racist when they aren't they go completely the other way and sweep it under the carpet.

Perhaps if a tribe of cannibals bought rovers and ate our best players perhaps we'd let that go as well for fear that we are seen as disrespecting some one else's culture.

[Mercer]

All the indications are that we are facing supporter burn out.

For most supporters, Rovers are a combination of a source of entertainment and of local pride

When this combination works together it is an incredible and potent force for both the club and community. However, it is critically reliant on both elements being present and the passion engendered can become destructive in the anguish of loss. We have been suffering that pain for a long time now and my fear is that we are all becoming immune and dulled.

Very true.

For almost two years, IMO, it has been a constant flow of underwhelming events, naivety, incompetence etc.

IMO, Venky's will never now make this work. They have had more than one chance to wipe the slate clean but all they keep doing is digging themselves, and unfortunately Rovers, into an even bigger hole.

[1864roverite]

Today, for me epitmomises what Venkys and KEANSCUM have done to supporters of BRFC.

I, rather than be in Blackpool, having a laugh, a beer and looking forward to a local derby match, am more happy going out ding a bit of pre Christmas shopping and in all reality I couldnt really give a toss about whats happening at Bloomfield today such is my apathy towards them at this time.

KEAN GONE VENKYS OUT HENDRY OUT AGNEW AND SHAW ROT IN MANURE

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Today, for me epitmomises what Venkys and KEANSCUM have done to supporters of BRFC.

I, rather than be in Blackpool, having a laugh, a beer and looking forward to a local derby match, am more happy going out ding a bit of pre Christmas shopping and in all reality I couldnt really give a toss about whats happening at Bloomfield today such is my apathy towards them at this time.

KEAN GONE VENKYS OUT HENDRY OUT AGNEW AND SHAW ROT IN MANURE

Me too, I'll be doing the same in Manchester, trying to forget all about Bloomfield Rd. My son will text me the final score at 4.55. If we win I'll still be over the moon though. No doubt about it , It's a bad, bad time to be a Rovers fan. Without exception it's the worst time in my 50 years of following the club. There's no light at the end of the tunnel I'm afraid. Until this know nothing shower of kean leave it'll be a continual downward spiral I'm afraid.

[RoverInverness]

Perhaps if a tribe of cannibals bought rovers and ate our best players

'Players' in the plural?? I can only think of Rhodes who comes any near the the concept of 'best players' this season. Although I might be a little upset if they ate Martin Olsson, and Henley probably doesn't deserve being prepared for the kitchen quite yet either.

As for the rest of them...go ahead cannibals. A massive clear out of sh1te players is exactly what this club needs.

On a more serious note. I think the main source of supporter burn out is the truely unbelievable downturn in results over the past two years. The other nonsense would be forgiven by many fans if the team weren't so utterly dreadful. An unbeaten run and serious promotion push would heal so so much.

Is it possible with the current/ squad/ manager/ back room team? The evidence would suggest a huge, unreserved, not a cat in hells chance!

Is SS capable of appointing a management team who could turn it round and get rid of the mountains of dross in the playing squad? No, but he can give an interview to the local press and brag saying what it is he would like to do, but then not actually doing anything. I mean, I presume he's hoping that Black and Brunskill will just resign like Kean did. I would hate to see the man's definition of undecisive action.

So to get back to where I started - a tribe of cannibals buying the club? Yes please.

[Amo]

Venky's have destroyed the club from within. Simple as that. What exactly are we supporting? Local pride? Gone. Successful team? Gone. People who care about the club? Gone. There's no affinity with what Rovers represent anymore, and that will break even the most diehard spirit. Venky's have done just about everything possible to bring this once proud club to its knees. I really can't imagine how they could've done any worse. Every single decision has been completely at odds with the club's prosperity. Every one. And even when Steve Kean - the man who inspired unprecedented ire within the fanbase and drove supporters away in their shedloads - finally exited the club, it was on his own terms and NOT through the intervention of the owners. That pretty much sums up how highly they regard 137 years of history when measured against one drunken chancer from Cumbernauld.

Where and when will this end?

[Tom]

Venkys have destroyed the club as we knew it

One fallout from this has been the absolutely pathetic fan politics which in honesty is now contributing to making me want to walk away from the whole thing at times

None of this would have happened if they used common sense and let John Williams continue to run things at Ewood

[John]

It is sapping following the whole sorry episode.

As highlighted above, so many bad, just awful decisions - I can't remember any other clubs showing as much contempt for their own fans.

Personnel appointments off the pitch have just been shocking and plain weird.

Why do you gear a club up not to be successful? No logic and the constant worry is how bad it is going to get.

Used get very angry about it, and still do, but there is more of a sad acceptance about it these days.

[tomphil]

They've ripped the club apart from inside then it spreads to the pitch then the stands and when nothing is done about it people obviously choose to stay away. I just wish someone somewhere from the club / Venkys would accept the mess we are in and the fact it's verging on a full blown crisis. One of that lot should speak direct to their own clubs supporters, something that they have never really done unless a Granada TV camera was in front of them. All we hear from Shebby is everything will be all right, well how will it ? Just like last season failure to acknowledge what's going on and just hoping/praying for a run of results will fix things. They should realise by now Northern people are realists who deal in facts not fiction or bluster !

[broadsword]

The only way out of this now I think is administration, or possibly even liquidation.

They've got people still wanting to buy the club and still they rebuff them, even though they clearly have absolutely no idea what they're doing. It's all to do with this long-term plan to get indians playing football and buying rovers shirts or somesuch retarded keaned-up half-baked idiocy.

They're killing the club, and it's just a waiting game now for us to hit rock-bottom and have Venky's let go of us. And that's immensely hard to take.

But at least the chairs are on-budget.

[gumboots]

No I'm not immune and dulled, Philip. every new bit of stupidity makes me just as angry. Every new defeat leaves me feeling gutted. I still care. The problem is that my caring makes not one jot of difference and so I go on doing what I do - watching and hoping for better results. It's happening at work too where the boss doesn't care what happens or that staff morale, previously so high is now through the floor, or that yesterday when I sat down to enjoy a lunch break for the first time in months without feeling guilty I felt guilty that i didn't feel guilty. She has an agenda that nobody understands and all i can do is do my job, keep going and wait for better days, which will come but probably too late for me to really enjoy them. same everywhere at the moment and always have been. Those in positions of power who actually care about those who have little or no power are few and far between but nothing lasts for ever. Our problem is that, as Rovers fans. we are used to being listened to by those running the club and that makes it very hard to bear.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Despair springs to mind - I have attended regularly over 35 years and after boycotting, did what I said I would do and bought a half season ticket because I needed my fix. However, having gone to the Brum game and then Millwall, the buzz has left me. That's the bottom line, within two short years (that in football terms has seemed like a lifetime), these "owners" have made every conceivable cock up to reduce us to a shadow of our former selves. Yet we still have SS's posturing & bullsh*t, an inexperienced manager, 10,000 missing presumed lost forever fans, and the equivalent of a morgue at Ewood. They must be so proud.

[mhead]

This is the one thread that Shebby Singh needs to read to answer his question: "What do I have to do to win your trust?"

And the answer is so complex - you have incompetently dismantled our Club,leaving us with poor players,no fight or energy in the team,and a much reduced crowd of dispirited die-hards.

We have gone back to pre-1989 in just 2 very long years.

Methinks this is still not the lowest we may get(and why we need the Trust).

The only word I can use at the moment is 'bleak'.

[RevidgeBlue]

My enthusiasm levels are running on low because of two years of terrible results. "All" we need imo is two years of great ones to redresds the balance.

Far easier said than done obviously.

Burnout? Not quite yet and if it were ever to happen it would not be because of footballing matters but because of endless nonsensical conspiracy theories, fans plotting against the Club from within, fans who would rather see the current owners fail than the Club do well, fans who'd rather see us go into administration than the current owners do well, fans splintering into different factions along the Judean Peoples Front and Peoples Front of Judea lines, and fans who think a top flight football club can be sustained by other fans raiding their piggy banks and savings accounts.

Bugger 1-0 down. And so the enthusiasm levels dip a little further.

[Mike Graham]

I just looked at the fixture list. My next game will be 23rd Feb v Leeds with my brother-in-law (Leeds fan) on what is a day after my Birthday. The games before do not interest me.

I gather there are weeds and couch grass growing a metre high in parts of the JW Upper.

[1864roverite]

Mike its on my birthday so we can all meet up and enjoy a pre match pint ! Thats the next time I venture to Ewood.

[Rover_Shaun]

People STILL plan on going to games?????!!!!

[Mike Graham]

Mike its on my birthday so we can all meet up and enjoy a pre match pint ! Thats the next time I venture to Ewood.

Ok , sounds good. Shall we just get well and truly keaned and not bother watching?

[Eddie]

I still care and that is part of what bothers me. Today's defeat is a really tough pill to swallow. We are getting closer and closer to being a team that will not even be involved in the playoff hunt with 5-10 games left in the season. I still care about the results, but I will admit that I would be less inclined to now plan other areas of my life around games. Before I would have done all that I could to free up time to get to games, watch them on TV or even just listen to them on the radio. Now I will happily accept invitations to do other things even when I know that they clash.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Burnout? Not quite yet and if it were ever to happen it would not be because of footballing matters but because of endless nonsensical conspiracy theories, fans plotting against the Club from within, fans who would rather see the current owners fail than the Club do well, fans who'd rather see us go into administration than the current owners do well, fans splintering into different factions along the Judean Peoples Front and Peoples Front of Judea lines, and fans who think a top flight football club can be sustained by other fans raiding their piggy banks and savings accounts.

WOW! Just fookin Fantastic Rev.

[sambo]

Mike its on my birthday so we can all meet up and enjoy a pre match pint ! Thats the next time I venture to Ewood.

You'll need more than just the one pint