[Archived] The Circus Continues

[Guest Wen Y Hu]

Wednesday, 19 December 2012

The Circus Continues

by

BRFCS chief reporter Kamy

For a few short weeks just after the much-maligned Steve Kean had resigned as Rovers manager it started to look as if finally, after two years of chaos and confusion, Blackburn Rovers were starting to resemble a proper football club again. Fans were looking to the future, the team was putting in solid displays and the executives were talking about "football" issues. It finally started to look like the club was moving forward in a positive direction.

Unfortunately that has proven to be yet another false dawn as the club continues its slide towards oblivion. The warning bells started to sound when the process to replace the reviled Steve Kean descended into a five-week saga which became more and more of a farce. In the end, rank outsider Henning Berg was tasked with the minimum objective of getting the club promoted this season, having been appointed ahead of the likes of Ian Holloway and Mick McCarthy to name but a few. Fans accepted the decision and got totally behind the team due to Henning being a club legend who it was felt could always be relied on to act in the best interests of the club.

The results on the pitch have not been promising, but like every manager it is far too early in my opinion to make a judgment on Berg's managerial ability. However, off the pitch the last two weeks have resembled what best can be described as a "circus", with the chief clown causing much of the havoc. After the home defeat to Cardiff, Rovers executives and Berg held a meeting to discuss the slide and news leaked out (via national newspapers) that members of the Rovers backroom team would be sacked and replaced.

The confusion continued into the weekend when said members of staff were not sacked, so on Saturday Rovers faced Blackpool with a manager under pressure, players low on confidence due to poor results and now the added ingredient of backroom staff not sure of their futures — hardly ideal preparation for a big match. Now the speculation is that no changes to the backroom staff will be made until January. It is in my opinion a complete and utter farce: either you want to keep the staff or you want to sack them — there can be no half measures on such issues. Uncertainty and confusion are a very unhealthy combination within a football club and usually lead to one thing: losses.

So from looking like a club finally moving forward with a united fanbase, we are now back to square one. Chaos, confusion and fans again starting to question what exactly is going on. In my opinion it doesn't help having Shebby Singh in charge of things. We should always be grateful to him for being the catalyst for the removal of the much-loathed Steve Kean, but the fact of the matter is that he has no experience of being a football administrator and he has alienated a huge portion of the fanbase. If Shebby is really interested in taking the club forward, he should go out and bring in an experienced and respected football administrator. Too much has happened for John Williams to ever return, but given the right assurances who is to say that the likes of Tom Finn wouldn't be open to a return?

We go into a crucial period of the season with the team looking down rather than up, we have a manager under pressure with a backroom team who are uncertain about their futures, and we wonder why the team continues to struggle. Add to that the accounts, about which qualified financial advisors have suggested that without promotion Venky's would need to provide a considerable amount of additional funding to keep the club running financially in its current state, then I have to say that frightens me. All of this coupled with the club having to release statements about what happened at Christmas parties and the like and you can see that Rovers resemble a circus rather than a football club.

The only way in the short term is for someone to get a grip of the situation, to show leadership and to make strong and decisive decisions. The situation can still be turned around, but it needs someone to get a grip. I am not holding my breath.

Published to the front page here.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

^{You would actually like to think that this message didn't need to be said, but the fact it is still like Billy Smart's at big top Ewood is appalling - unfortunately the power is still with SS/owners, and I doubt Berg is allowed to be his own man - why, when Saturdays game was crying out for major tactical substitutions, did they not happen?}

^{That someone is SS, and he doesn't know the meaning of proper football people, who know how to govern. He thinks he is a proper football person....and look where it's got us? They haven't got a clue, please leave.}

[1864roverite]

Laughable and sad unfortunately.

[CapeTownRover]

At least the clowns at the circus are actually funny, and the animals are quite smart. Our circus animals and clowns are the exact opposite

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Total farce.Nothing more to say on the matter.

[Mullionvagrant]

You can add into that the deliberate unsettling of Paul Robinson by not playing him last week.

[winstonsmith]

A good piece, Kamy, and I can agree with most of what you say. However, I am a little uneasy with your description of Kean in the first sentence as "much-maligned" which seems to imply that the criticism of him was unfair in some way.

I'm pretty sure that youwould not mean to imply this, but it is important that, no matter how unhappy we are with how things have turned out since he left, there should be no revision of history. The criticism Kean received was totally justified and, if anything, he got off too lightly.

[DE.]

As long as Venky's are here the circus will never end. Their removal is vital to the club's progression - sadly, their dismantling of the club means their departure could also herald the ultimate end for BRFC as well.

What a mess.

[Kamy100]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="winstonsmith" data-cid="1350486" data-time="1355935106"><p>

A good piece, Kamy, and I can agree with most of what you say. However, I am a little uneasy with your description of Kean in the first sentence as "much-maligned" which seems to imply that the criticism of him was unfair in some way.<br />

<br />

I'm pretty sure that youwould not mean to imply this, but it is important that, no matter how unhappy we are with how things have turned out since he left, there should be no revision of history. The criticism Kean received was totally justified and, if anything, he got off too lightly. </p></blockquote>

Totally agree, regardless of what happens, Kean leaving was a hugely positive moment. I agree there should be no revision of history, Kean is the most hated manager in our history. He got of lightly with criticism.

[OJRovers]

It is a complete joke

Too many people lining their own pockets at Venkys and the club's expense.

How the clowns in Pune manage to run a global business yet cant see the obvious failings at Rovers is beyond me.

[martonrover]

A good, objective summing up on Radio Lancs this evening when they had a guest panel looking at the County's Chamionship clubs.

The consensus was that the circus at Rovers does indeed go on and that lessons have not been learned ( this included the appointment of Berg ).

[earplug]

A good, objective summing up on Radio Lancs this evening when they had a guest panel looking at the County's Chamionship clubs.

The consensus was that the circus at Rovers does indeed go on and that lessons have not been learned ( this included the appointment of Berg ).

Yes; it was a decent programme. Nixon certainly rates Freedman highly.

[Rover_Shaun]

A good, objective summing up on Radio Lancs this evening when they had a guest panel looking at the County's Chamionship clubs.

The consensus was that the circus at Rovers does indeed go on and that lessons have not been learned ( this included the appointment of Berg ).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011nqcl

Alan Nixon was on :-/

Didn't really mention Rovers until the last 10 minutes (50 mins in)

[martonrover]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Blue and White Army" data-cid="1350566" data-time="1355955871"><p>

<a href='http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011nqcl'>http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011nqcl</a><br />

<br />

Alan Nixon was on :-/<br />

<br />

Didn't really mention Rovers until the last 10 minutes (50 mins in)</p></blockquote>

No, but I think that was fair enough from the point of view of balance after last weeks 'audience with an idiot'.

Thought Alan talked sense about Rovers.

[Rover_Shaun]

Anything that Nixon bloke says has to be balanced against his unfathomable wet dreams about Coyle and Freedman. Utterly bonkers

[Gav]

Yes; it was a decent programme. Nixon certainly rates Freedman highly.

Nixon rated Kean also

[Stuart]

Just watching the T20 game in the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune.

I've not spotted a single Venkys advertisement or branding.

Bit odd, surely?

[Mike Graham]

Just watching the T20 game in the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune.

I've not spotted a single Venkys advertisement or branding.

Bit odd, surely?

any "Kean Out" posters?

Maybe we need to start a "have you spotted the Rao's"competition? Or even better "have you seen Coco"?

[philipl]

Shebby has done two things of positive note at Rovers- the signing of Jordan Rhodes albeit at absolutely top whack price- and engineering the disappearance of Kean.

In every other respect he is showing he is totally out of his depth and completely beyond his level of football knowledge.

The guy was utterly inept in the summer transfer window. God help Rovers if he is still at Ewood to influence the January window.

Remove Shebby now!

[Brfcrule1]

No, but I think that was fair enough from the point of view of balance after last weeks 'audience with an idiot'.

Thought Alan talked sense about Rovers.

Thats a good idea Marton I wonder is there any chance we can send Shebby for an idiot abroad could turn out to be a classic

Shebby has done two things of positive note at Rovers- the signing of Jordan Rhodes albeit at absolutely top whack price- and engineering the disappearance of Kean.

In every other respect he is showing he is totally out of his depth and completely beyond his level of football knowledge.

The guy was utterly inept in the summer transfer window. God help Rovers if he is still at Ewood to influence the January window.

Remove Shebby now!

Philipl you have hit the nail right on the head here you get a load of unfair critcism but you are right here it also calls into question what this jokers role in this mess is I mean he was brought in to improve communications between the club and its supporters and from that point IMHO he has failed miserably I mean how else can you categorise not replying to letters and emails IMO this fool is here just to appease the owners oh how I long for the day we have respected football administrators like JW & TF even JW always found the time to reply to correspondance IMO Shebby is not here to communicate IMO I reckon he is here to interfere and meddle in team affairs why else would he have a top with his initials on?.

[tomphil]

The thing is if they remove him they will probably send Vineeth back

[bob fleming]

They may as well send Foghorn Keaning Leghorn, we'd get more sense from him.

[Stuart]

Nice guy, but about as sharp as a sack of wet mice

[bob fleming]

Good actor though Stu. Quite a straight talker. Loghorn in - Shebby out - and he can take the Director of Leaks with him.

[martonrover]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Brfcrule1" data-cid="1350836" data-time="1356040439"><p>

Thats a good idea Marton I wonder is there any chance we can send Shebby for an idiot abroad could turn out to be a classic<br />

<br />

Regretably he's already an idiot abroad.