[Archived] Venky's, including Mrs D., in town this week ?

[jim mk2]

The difference is Peter Coates and his family are all Stoke people and appear to be willing to continue funding the club on a long-term basis. Jack Walker cleared off to Jersey to evade taxes so his descendants did not have the same affinity or connection with Rovers with the result they flogged us off as soon as they could given the passage of time after Walker's death. Walker put Rovers fans in wonderland for a few years but ultimately his project was doomed to failure because he was not willing to fund it. For that reason although Jack Walker is seen as some sort of God by Rovers fans some people would say he was cruel.

[CapeTownRover]

He wasnt willing to fund it Jim? explain? if i recall correctly, he wanted Rovers to become self sufficient, and to stand on its own through various other means of income. Sure he could have thrown more money at it, but having lost key players after our title win, meant that we potentially were in a rebuilding phase. One of 2 things could have happened though, and i reckon it should have. Jack should have kept on funding big name players, to bring back what we had lost. while Shearer was always going to be difficult to replace, i dont think enough was done to get in a like for like replacement. Secondly, when Kenny left, we should have done much better with our management structure. Its so far back now, but Ray Harford was in and then Brian Kidd and a few Tony Parkes stints as caretaker manager.

sorry i cant seem to think how it all panned out after we won the league, but it was downhill for a while then relegation, and then once we returned it sorted itself out. One thing is clear though, that at present its following a very similar pattern to back then. Good management team in place, repleced with average ones and failure. Kidd(failure), Souness(success) Ince(failure), followed by Hughes, Allardyce(success)...Kean(utter failure),Berg(Failure), so lets see how Appleton goes.

[tomphil]

The difference is Peter Coates and his family are all Stoke people and appear to be willing to continue funding the club on a long-term basis. Jack Walker cleared off to Jersey to evade taxes so his descendants did not have the same affinity or connection with Rovers with the result they flogged us off as soon as they could given the passage of time after Walker's death. Walker put Rovers fans in wonderland for a few years but ultimately his project was doomed to failure because he was not willing to fund it. For that reason although Jack Walker is seen as some sort of God by Rovers fans some people would say he was cruel.

Your obviously fishing for a big bite this morning you miserable old kean!

[Ewood Spark]

I only moved to Sydney in Jan 2012. I was at the Arsenal and Bolton games.

I find it odd how someone who goes to Ewood every other week is quite as clueless as you are.

Are you actually going to answer the rest of my points?

Oi 'deserter' ... your memory of the Arsenal game is a bit 'dodgey' to say the least. BRAG were as good as their word that day and after the pre-match march there were NO audible protests during the game. If you think there is no correlation between poor home atmospheres and poor results then I suggest you have a word with Rafa down at Chelsea.

I'm staggered that you are part of a committee - any committee - that claims to represent the interests of Rovers supporters.

Your opinions on the Raos (post-Pune) are up for debate but your attitude and disdain towards your fellow fans is quite astonishing considering.

If you have a problem with the none-representation of idiots on committees perhaps YOU should put yourself forward to represent them.

[47er]

The real problem is representation of idiots on committees.

Particularly you. When you went to Pune to not represent us, you couldn't even carry out your tasks agreed and allotted to you by your other Fans Forum members.

When it came to your part of the presentation you bottled it because you were too embarrassed

to say your piece with the Raos in the room! How do I know this? Because you came back and told us!

What a spineless specimen and what a waste of a fare. A real Rovers supporter should have gone not you.

And you call others idiots.

[SydneyRover]

Oi 'deserter' ... your memory of the Arsenal game is a bit 'dodgey' to say the least. BRAG were as good as their word that day and after the pre-match march there were NO audible protests during the game. If you think there is no correlation between poor home atmospheres and poor results then I suggest you have a word with Rafa down at Chelsea.

.

You can't even spell "dodgy". And can't help but laugh at you calling me a "deserter" when I got a job 10,000 miles away

Still I wouldn't expect any less from the type of toad that has been bigging up the Raos from day one. Pathetic really.

[Ewood Spark]

You can't even spell "dodgy". And can't help but laugh at you calling me a "deserter" when I got a job 10,000 miles away

Still I wouldn't expect any less from the type of toad that has been bigging up the Raos from day one. Pathetic really.

You can't even spell "dodgy".

Thats a fair cop.

How about the content though?

[SydneyRover]

You can't even spell "dodgy".

Thats a fair cop.

How about the content though?

It's total rubbish. For one the Rafa and Kean situations are totally different. Rafa is a highly decorated manager being objected to by the Chelsea fans for some comments he made, whereas Kean was a no mark coach elevated to Rovers manager, who the fans only started protests against once the results stayed bad for a long time and his continual lies started.

Rafa might have had mixed results as Chelsea manager but the fans were still pretty against him by the time of the Villa game. Remind me of the result of that one?

[davefarnworth]

Time to put your grievances to pasture. The "Loons from Pune" are (allegedly) coming to the uncivilised land of the unclean. May their arrogance be swayed by flowers and abuse. Maybe they'll throw out the "baby" with the bathwater. Unfortunately I believe the Queen has more stomach for the fight than the two little princes. Please give them a right royal welcome on my behalf. I'm a stopper-away by distance and choice. Good luck with the in-fighting but enjoy the occasion.

[riverside returns]

What is interesting is the press line on the Chelsea situation and it seems they are rounding against the fans. Rightly so in this instance as they have no real gripe, just acting like petulant children.

[EgyptianPete]

Regarding this "boring administration crap", so which way do you think it's going to go Pete ? Have I to presume that you think Venky's have a bottomless pit of money that they are willing to throw at Rovers. "It's only an estimated 2 million a month we're losing. That's nothing to them." Is that the assumption ?

I happen to thnk that the club is being driven into the ground by the clowns who own us. They care that much about "their baby" and "investment" the head of the family has been to Blackburn once (I very much doubt she'll be here for Charlton either), allowed Kean to keep his job so he could relegate us, employed clowns to run the club in the UK, I could go on and on and on and on. Now if that's "boring" then I'm sorry. But the reality is that they have shown themselves to be negligent time and time again. They are nothing more than incompetent "confused" fools; how anyone can have confidence that they will keep us from going into Administration is beyond me. On what basis ?

However to clarify, just because I despise the owners it doesn't necessarily mean that I can't support the Players / Manager / Team does it ? I mean should we sing something along the lines of "We want Venky's out, we want Venky's out" occasionally on Saturday I hardly think that Appleton will be sat there thinking - "God they hate me", or Morton will be too scared to kick a ball. You see the clues are in the lyrics - and they aren't even that complicated.

Look Bob i agree with what you say, my rant has opened a very small debate and got reaction, i don't think for one minute the Venky's are good for Blackburn, but I also don't think they would put us into administration, their culture would not allow this to happen, that would say to all their clients worldwide or wherever they sell their produce we have no money, their whole empire would collapse, before we got to that stage and this is only my opinion they would off load us and I think someone would come forward to take on what is left whatever that is, i don't think we will go down as some are saying, i think we will make the play offs and as we know it's who is up for it and at that stage it's who has the momentum to get over the line, optimist, yes I am where Rovers are concerned we all care what happens to our club in our own way, if only we could turn the clock back 2 years, but we can't what's done is done, are the Rao's useless, inept, of course they are, but lets give Appleton a chance.

[EgyptianPete]

You seem utterly oblivious to everything the Venky's have done over the last few years.

"Everyone knew", what are you on about?! NO ONE could have guessed our club could be run in anything like the way the Raos have done. We were a top 10 club in four of the previous five seasons before these idiots arrived and ruined things completely. Look at the likes of Stoke and Swansea, if things are run well it's more than possible to prosper in the top division and when the Venky's took over they had one of the best administrators in English football who they got rid of.

The way our club has been run has made us the laughing stock of English football. If you don't think that's something worth protesting about, more fool you.

Sydney Rover, i am NOT oblivious to what the Venky's have done, i live here and see it day after day, i went to the matches while coco screwed us over, i stayed behind after matches and protested so don't patronise me from bloody Australia like you know what the situation is, you don't live with it we do.

[PAFELL]

The difference is Peter Coates and his family are all Stoke people and appear to be willing to continue funding the club on a long-term basis. Jack Walker cleared off to Jersey to evade taxes so his descendants did not have the same affinity or connection with Rovers with the result they flogged us off as soon as they could given the passage of time after Walker's death. Walker put Rovers fans in wonderland for a few years but ultimately his project was doomed to failure because he was not willing to fund it. For that reason although Jack Walker is seen as some sort of God by Rovers fans some people would say he was cruel.

Cruel. How can you even suggest that Jack Walker was cruel. He gave rovers fans the best time this football club has ever had. Look at the list of prem winners and there in amongst the big clubs is little old rovers. If thats cruelty, then I think many of us want some more of it.

Jack knew his family etc didn't have the same love for Rovers that he had. But like us all, he put his family first. He gave them the choice of what to do.

Hardly SR. Stokes owner self made man Peter Coates has mimicked Jack walkers involvement but 15 years later. In a few years time they might easiliy find themselves in the same predicament as us. Their realtive success has been built on what is tantamopunt to false income. Chelsea notably and Man City and a number of others to greater or lesser degrees are modern clubs built on feet of clay. There WILL be a day of reckoning for all. To believe anything else is to live in a fools paradise.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/13/peter-coates-stoke-city-cup-final

"Pulis's rebuilding, and relentless attention to detail, have been supported with investment from Coates and his family, who own the club via bet365. They have paid £43m into Stoke since 2006; £7m built a new training ground, much of the rest boosted Pulis's player budget. Last year the family converted £24m from loans to permanent investment in shares. Coates is prepared to invest more, while intending to make the club self-financing now it is establishing itself in the Premier League.

The discussion about his family's multimillion-pound restoration of Stoke City illustrates how far Coates has travelled from the poverty of his childhood in Stoke's Goldenhill neighbourhood. He was the youngest of 14 children; his father was a miner and his mother died when Peter was only two. Yet he remembers those beginnings surprisingly fondly."

Every club who have big investors supporting them will one day suffer the simular situation as Rovers. Unless they find investors to replace their current one.

[EgyptianPete]

I apologise Pete for thinking your fidding.

You can't see us burning because your head is in the sand.

So your more of a rovers fan than people who care about the goings on ? Wow. Not saying anyone is more of a fan btw.

No need to apolagise Abbey, i wish my head was in the sand but fortunately no it isn't and i am no more a rovers fan than the next man. We all care in our own way.

[jim mk2]

Cruel. How can you even suggest that Jack Walker was cruel. He gave rovers fans the best time this football club has ever had. Look at the list of prem winners and there in amongst the big clubs is little old rovers. If thats cruelty, then I think many of us want some more of it.

Jack knew his family etc didn't have the same love for Rovers that he had. But like us all, he put his family first. He gave them the choice of what to do.

Walker knew Rovers were not sustainable in the long term unless he continued to pour large amounts of money into the club. He took Rovers fans on a journey that was ultimately doomed to end in a spectacular crash - which is where we are now. It was enjoyable while it lasted but ultimately it was cruel.

[bob fleming]

Look Bob i agree with what you say, my rant has opened a very small debate and got reaction, i don't think for one minute the Venky's are good for Blackburn, but I also don't think they would put us into administration, their culture would not allow this to happen, that would say to all their clients worldwide or wherever they sell their produce we have no money, their whole empire would collapse, before we got to that stage and this is only my opinion they would off load us and I think someone would come forward to take on what is left whatever that is, i don't think we will go down as some are saying, i think we will make the play offs and as we know it's who is up for it and at that stage it's who has the momentum to get over the line, optimist, yes I am where Rovers are concerned we all care what happens to our club in our own way, if only we could turn the clock back 2 years, but we can't what's done is done, are the Rao's useless, inept, of course they are, but lets give Appleton a chance.

Pete - you might be right, they may not put us into Administration, we just don't know. Although I have absolutely nothing to base my confidence on that they won't unfortunately.

I believe the impact to their business would be minimal though, just mildly, briefly, embarassing. It's not their core product by any stretch of the imagination and they've hardly been visibly "hands on" in their approach. They have been guilty of letting the wrong people "get on with it" for far too long (Kean, Agnew) but they've always said they don't know anything about football and are easily "confused". That's no excuse whatsoever but I'm trying to think about it from an outsiders point of view - not a fan of Blackburn Rovers.

For clarity, I'm all for giving Appleton a chance and I'm right behind him, it would appear from where I'm sat that Singh's role has been marginalised and hopefully Appleton will be allowed to get on with the job his way. That can only help ! He's a good coach apparently.

[Rover_Shaun]

He's a good coach apparently.

Steve Keans epitaph

[EgyptianPete]

Steve Keans epitaph

You are the pinnacle of pessimism -- Congratulations

[bob fleming]

Steve Keans epitaph

Dignified epitaph I think you'll find in his case.

[EgyptianPete]

Pete - you might be right, they may not put us into Administration, we just don't know. Although I have absolutely nothing to base my confidence on that they won't unfortunately.

I believe the impact to their business would be minimal though, just mildly, briefly, embarassing. It's not their core product by any stretch of the imagination and they've hardly been visibly "hands on" in their approach. They have been guilty of letting the wrong people "get on with it" for far too long (Kean, Agnew) but they've always said they don't know anything about football and are easily "confused". That's no excuse whatsoever but I'm trying to think about it from an outsiders point of view - not a fan of Blackburn Rovers.

For clarity, I'm all for giving Appleton a chance and I'm right behind him, it would appear from where I'm sat that Singh's role has been marginalised and hopefully Appleton will be allowed to get on with the job his way. That can only help ! He's a good coach apparently.

Well Bob i can't disagree there at all, good constructive points, as for uncle Shebby as the Rao's call him, yes i think he has been put out to grass and will fade into the distant memory at least he was instrumental on doing two things right, winding Kean up enough to do one, and getting Jordan Rhodes, and we are on the same page re Appleton.

[DE.]

You must be disappointed pal

[Mercer]

Walker knew Rovers were not sustainable in the long term unless he continued to pour large amounts of money into the club. He took Rovers fans on a journey that was ultimately doomed to end in a spectacular crash - which is where we are now. It was enjoyable while it lasted but ultimately it was cruel.

Sorry but think you are wrong there !

Position was sustainable without the need for large amounts of money.

We had a sound management structure, a thriving academy and a manager suited to managing a small town club.

It's all been blown away now and we are in the deepest of shyte.

With additional tv revenues from next season onwards, we would have been in a stronger position.

In my opinion, 'The Trust' has let Jack down.

[riverside returns]

What has let us down and football in general is the almost sickening demands from the players for unrealistic salaries. Agents, players and management alike all too greedy. Failure to keep it real is what has led to the demise of many clubs.

[DE.]

TBF nobody forced us to offer Dickson fecking Etuhu a 4 year contract on £30,000 a week.

[LeChuck]

Position was sustainable without the need for large amounts of money.

We had a sound management structure, a thriving academy and a manager suited to managing a small town club.

Sorry but I just don't think that's true. It's such a fine balance and when one slips it means we're in grave danger of relegation.

We were lucky that Hughes was able to make up for a dry period in the academy by signing the likes of Nelsen, Samba, Warnock, Bentley etc for next to nothing. Without him we probably would have been relegated in that period without investment.

Even under the Trust and John Williams, the Paul Ince saga showed us we were one bad appointment away from screwing it all up. No matter how strong the club appeared to be we were only a bad decision or two away from being relegation candidates.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's such a tightrope act and the division is so competitive that we would have eventually slipped out of the division without investment.