[Archived] Back The Badge

[roverzee]

This is something which we have been looking at for a number of weeks, and indeed made some contact with some of the larger supporter groups a couple of weeks back and discussed this idea with them.

Their reaction was very positive and particularly the people who front those particular groups

Could you elaborate on which of the larger supporter groups you discussed this with?

After yourselves with the legendary 8,000, I would have thought that the "larger supporter groups" are Ewood Blues, Rovers Trust, the Disabled Supporters Association and the London Branch. Perhaps you will confirm and share all of their feedback - it can only help to move this forward.

On the same subject, have you read all the comments underneath the LET article? 95% of them are viciously against this idea, and against BRAG. Why have none of your 8,000 members rallied round to defend the idea?

You did ballot them before running with this one didn't you?

[T.J.Newton]

Seems rather sinister to me and wouldn't surprise me in the least if they're being used for someone else's agenda.

spot on, (its either that or they really are just !!!well!!!(you know what I'm thinking)

[chilly]

I can't help but feel that BRAG may have felt that with Shebby quieter BRAG have lost their position at BRFC and so have thought this up to show BRFC how much sway they have. ie, saying when they get a full house "have us on side and look what we could give you, this is the power we hold".

[Baz]

If this had been done via the Blackburn United meetings, and had a simultaneous launch across all the groups who agreed, it could have been a winner. Now a decent idea is just being demonised as a BRAG thing, to me its a real shame, but more than a bit shambolic.

I dont understand how BRAG work, as they will not publically back the supporters trust, before they ballot all their members, but can seemingly launch this initiative, and issue statements such as cutting off communications if Appleton is appointed without a ballot. Can someone from BRAG explain that to me, as i genuinely dont understand it.

I also think they should utilise a "BRAG" account to post information from, and use personal accounts for personal opinions. Much clearer for everyone else.

[Pedro]

So, now Brag are telling us not to boycott and show unity, to support the 'badge'. Isn't that exactly what some of us have continued to do throughout but were told that we were supporting the Venkys and were simply 'Rovers Fans'?

The best way to help the team was always to support the players on the pitch, to see past the owners and the upheaval as best you could for the long-term future of the club. As I have said time and time again, some supporters have fuelled the problem at times and added to the chaos...sounds like the penny is finally dropping.

[TBTF]

I can see it now - BRAG claiming that the club are artificially lowering the attendance figures when we play Ipswich :-)

So this Back the Badge Day -has Shebby stipulated what he wants us all to wear and what time he wants us inside the Ground??

Glen talks of wanting to show Rovers fans in a good light!! Well pardon me but that horse fecked off a long time ago .......ironically after various other ill conceived outburstsand initiatives from BRAG.

FFS when will BRAG realise that we don't want or need them to be self appointed spokesmen doing u turn after u turn .We have supported this Club through thick and thin for many years in the main and whilst Glens tales of pre Jack walker are tear jerkers -there are many , many fans who quite frankly have had enough and a sham of support for one game does what precisely?? Venky's think all in the garden is rosy again do they??

Well its a fackin long way from being rosy and as long as they own our Club BRAG and anybody else is p1ssing into a tsunami. So let the fans decide for themselves and stop trying to justify your existence you failed attention seeking muppets.

[wampam]

pr company at work methinks. just support the footy and ignore the politics even though that is hard. Sign of the times. Big big money for players and staff.It isn't what it was. You have a different ball game now so to speak. Beena rover for nearly 60 years and will always feel chuffed when they win and not like waking up on a Sunday when we've lost. Still going occasionally and feel the groups commented on have their purpose to a degree. Keane had to go 18 months before he did and anything that gave vent to fans upset was good. Not so sure they matter now.We are probably where we should be on the playing side,middish table.Could have been worse.Expectations were always too high.Now it really is one game at a time. Lets do it on Saturday,stay cautious,and move slowly in t'right direction for a while.

[stuwilky]

If this had been done via the Blackburn United meetings, and had a simultaneous launch across all the groups who agreed, it could have been a winner. Now a decent idea is just being demonised as a BRAG thing, to me its a real shame, but more than a bit shambolic.

I dont understand how BRAG work, as they will not publically back the supporters trust, before they ballot all their members, but can seemingly launch this initiative, and issue statements such as cutting off communications if Appleton is appointed without a ballot. Can someone from BRAG explain that to me, as i genuinely dont understand it.

I also think they should utilise a "BRAG" account to post information from, and use personal accounts for personal opinions. Much clearer for everyone else.

Agree on all fronts with this Baz.

[glen9mullan]

If this had been done via the Blackburn United meetings, and had a simultaneous launch across all the groups who agreed, it could have been a winner. Now a decent idea is just being demonised as a BRAG thing, to me its a real shame, but more than a bit shambolic.

I dont understand how BRAG work, as they will not publically back the supporters trust, before they ballot all their members, but can seemingly launch this initiative, and issue statements such as cutting off communications if Appleton is appointed without a ballot. Can someone from BRAG explain that to me, as i genuinely dont understand it.

I also think they should utilise a "BRAG" account to post information from, and use personal accounts for personal opinions. Much clearer for everyone else.

I take these thoughts on board and agree with quite a bit of it .

All supporter groups were contacted , some have sent statements across , others unfortunately wanted things in return, whilst others have just not responded .

The original idea was for a few groups to push this at the same time , but how long do you wait for a response ? In some cases it's been 18 days , in others they only had a few days to mull it over.

Sir bill taylor who is one of our groups patrons will no doubt explain more in the latest podcast as I believe he is on this weekend ?

I asked a member of this board to kindly look at our press release and make some adjustments , which he kindly did . Another member if these boards also gave it a quick edit too .

Another site provided different contact details to contact all groups be email , whilst a request has been made to someone else to start drafting a united statement which can be passed around to all who take part to adjust and agree upon .

So it was not a case of just slapping it out there , as a group who attends all united supporters meetings we put it to all who attend those , plus others who do not.

The slogan had caused one or two issues , but the badge was used as we can all relate to the badge , whilst opinions differ on other aspects of the club.

[jw_]

Here's a simple question lets see if I get a simple answer (wont hold my breath) ,how many of your so called 8000 members are going to "show unity" and back the badge, if they all turned up that would make a difference.

Incidentally Appleton was in the press recently saying how he hoped the fans would return in numbers and I suspect more people will respond to him.

[glen9mullan]

Here's a simple question lets see if I get a simple answer (wont hold my breath) ,how many of your so called 8000 members are going to "show unity" and back the badge, if they all turned up that would make a difference.

Incidentally Appleton was in the press recently saying how he hoped the fans would return in numbers and I suspect more people will respond to him.

That's an impossible question to answer. I couldn't tell you how many attend and how many don't .

I can only speak for myself , I have attended all season and will continue to do so

[Ste B]

I take these thoughts on board and agree with quite a bit of it .

All supporter groups were contacted , some have sent statements across , others unfortunately wanted things in return, whilst others have just not responded .

The original idea was for a few groups to push this at the same time , but how long do you wait for a response ? In some cases it's been 18 days , in others they only had a few days to mull it over.

Sir bill taylor who is one of our groups patrons will no doubt explain more in the latest podcast as I believe he is on this weekend ?

I asked a member of this board to kindly look at our press release and make some adjustments , which he kindly did . Another member if these boards also gave it a quick edit too .

Another site provided different contact details to contact all groups be email , whilst a request has been made to someone else to start drafting a united statement which can be passed around to all who take part to adjust and agree upon .

So it was not a case of just slapping it out there , as a group who attends all united supporters meetings we put it to all who attend those , plus others who do not.

The slogan had caused one or two issues , but the badge was used as we can all relate to the badge , whilst opinions differ on other aspects of the club.

Why did this not go via bill taylor where it could have been agreed rather than be an aggressive back us as we are doing it anyway campaign ?

[glen9mullan]

Why did this not go via bill taylor where it could have been agreed rather than be an aggressive back us as we are doing it anyway campaign ?

It was certainly not a back us , we are doing it anyway . As you are aware there has been no, collaboration meeting for nearly 3 months. We made representation to Sir Bill and the Rovers Trust , three weeks ago .

We sent an invite out to other supporter groups last week , and websites over the weekend.

Community leaders were also contacted over last two weeks too.

I asked Wen last week if he would consider putting together a united statement , which could be passed from group to site to figureheads leading upto the 8th feb , where it could be then issued .

The plan was for each day someone else to be given a platform to put across thoughts , so no one group , site or figure head took the lead .

If the united statement had gone out first then, it would of effected a 2 week campaign to make this work . Hence after talking to the chair of the rovers trust he also felt that a different group on a different day would be better.

Unfortunately somewhere down the line certain stumbling blocks have been put in place . However that does not mean it cannot work

[Rover_Shaun]

Incidentally Appleton was in the press recently saying how he hoped the fans would return in numbers and I suspect more people will respond to him.

He needs to back up his PR peddled rhetoric with results first.

[only2garners]

We sent an invite out to other supporter groups last week , and websites over the weekend.

Sorry Glen, but the Fans Forum only received this officially at 11am on Monday. I personally knew about it earlier as I'm also involved in the Rovers Trust and I got an email to my personal email last friday but the first contact via the Forum email was on Monday morning.

We are in the process of consulting Forum members and I'm hopeful we will be able to release a statement tomorrow.

[mark1875]

Sorry Glen, but the Fans Forum only received this officially at 11am on Monday. I personally knew about it earlier as I'm also involved in the Rovers Trust and I got an email to my personal email last friday but the first contact via the Forum email was on Monday morning.

You are correct, i did email your personal address as oppose to the official fans forum address last week, however i receive numerous emails of official group business on my personal email address and they still get dealt with, so i'd like to think that the mistake in sending it to the wrong email address didn't hold things up. I thought i had sent it to the official Fans Forum address, however it appears your personal email address is on the 'United Supporters Group' mailing list, which is where i quickly grabbed it from.

[Exiled in Toronto]

You are correct, i did email your personal address as oppose to the official fans forum address last week, however i receive numerous emails of official group business on my personal email address and they still get dealt with, so i'd like to think that the mistake in sending it to the wrong email address didn't hold things up. I thought i had sent it to the official Fans Forum address, however it appears your personal email address is on the 'United Supporters Group' mailing list, which is where i quickly grabbed it from.

"I sent it, you should have read it because I do" is very unprofessional, any office junior would know better. He could have been on holiday, ill, at a funeral or maybe checks his personal email once a week. Send to official addresses and then, gioven there was a time element, politely follow up a couple of day later to check receipt, got any questions etc.

[mark1875]

"I sent it, you should have read it because I do" is very unprofessional, any office junior would know better. He could have been on holiday, ill, at a funeral or maybe checks his personal email once a week. Send to official addresses and then, gioven there was a time element, politely follow up a couple of day later to check receipt, got any questions etc.

Did i say that? no. I took all group/forums and website addresses of the official mailing list for the united supporters meeting contact list, as i explained, and i have now realised that on that list is his personal email address, not the forums official address. A couple of days later, i emailed the official FF address. Of course it's my fault for not checking in the first place that i'd got the right email address and not his, i never said it wasn't.

[only2garners]

Did i say that? no. I took all group/forums and website addresses of the official mailing list for the united supporters meeting contact list, as i explained, and i have now realised that on that list is his personal email address, not the forums official address. A couple of days later, i emailed the official FF address. Of course it's my fault for not checking in the first place that i'd got the right email address and not his, i never said it wasn't.

Mark - thanks for clearing that up - these things happen. It wasn't a problem getting it to my personal account, especially when I worked out that it would have come via the Bill Taylor group. As mentioned above, we should have a response tomorrow.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

So this Back the Badge Day -has Shebby stipulated what he wants us all to wear and what time he wants us inside the Ground??

Well its a fackin long way from being rosy and as long as they own our Club BRAG and anybody else is p1ssing into a tsunami. So let the fans decide for themselves

Agree 100%

[Plastics]

eh,

my point was going to be if it means not supporting the venkys ie the Raos, then just come out and say it, supporting the badge must mean supporting the club, can't see how you can separate the two.

The sooner the groups merge the better

But who would get all the imaginary credit?

He needs to back up his PR peddled rhetoric with results first.

Yes, saying he hopes the fans will return is the most obvious PR I've ever heard, he can't really want it.

How cynical are you?

[AndyNeil]

"Back The Badge" - our official response can be found on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/roversfansforum - any abusive comments will be deleted.

[Stuart]

In terms of statements, I'm beginning to think that the only difference between the Action Group and the Fans Forum is that the FF have more articulate politicians within their committee.

A very carefully worded snub, IMHO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_of_Rivals:_The_Political_Genius_of_Abraham_Lincoln

Our FF should be made up of the main protagonists (antagonists?) from each of the current main groups (Action Group, current FF, Ewood Blues) - with someone a bit special (unaffiliated) to manage the process.

[Andy]

When you say 'a bit special', do you mean 'special' or 'special'...?

[only2garners]

Our FF should be made up of the main protagonists (antagonists?) from each of the current main groups (Action Group, current FF, Ewood Blues) - with someone a bit special (unaffiliated) to manage the process.

Actually, Stuart, that's what the FF is, except for the absence of the Action Group, who have declined several invitations to join.