[Archived] Protest: Good Friday v Blackpol

[jim mk2]

Emotive stuff ES. Unfortunately your misty eyed theme is designed to have a destructive effect on people rather than a constructive one. Giving criticism rather than coming up with viable suggestion is pretty usual stuff for you and similar dinosaurs I must say.

There is only one message to heed here and that is .... "The only constant in life is change" You would do well to consider that. As the conditions change then so must we.

Ironic post from a "dinosaur" who constantly harks back wistfully to a Britain that no longer exists.

You're forgetting one thing matey, football is emotive and it is tribal and there's no way Rovers fans will join up with fans from Burnley etc etc in some sort of mutant club.

"Lancashire United" has been mooted since the 1960s and it is no more likely to happen now as it is did then.

Some Lancashire clubs might go to the wall or drop out of the league but there's no way they'll join together to form some horrible plastic creation.

[forumquizmaster]

Emotive stuff ES. Unfortunately your misty eyed theme is designed to have a destructive effect on people rather than a constructive one. Giving criticism rather than coming up with viable suggestion is pretty usual stuff for you and similar dinosaurs I must say.

Consider......

PNE once went an entire season undefeated and were named the Invincibles just like Arsenal did a few years ago. 1888-89 I think it was. The older supporters eyes still mist over at the memory of the truly great Tom Finney mesmerising the opposition defenders throughout the 50's.

Burnley won the 1st Div title and played in the European Cup in 1960 with such superb players as Jimmy McIlroy, John Connelly and Ray Pointer .

Bolton lead by Nat Lofthouse England's 'Lion of Vienna' beat Man utd to win the FA Cup in 58.

Blackpool beat Bolton to win the FA Cup in 53 in the famous 'Matthews Final'.

At that time ALL these clubs were playing in the top division!

The abolishment of the maximum wage saw that all that off through the 60's. The best players moved to the bigger wealthier clubs and football in this area could never be the same again. Next blow came in the 70's the big clubs flexed their muscles and disposed of the gate receipt sharing system so that home teams keep the gate money with the result that income streams for large clubs increased and those for small clubs dried up even more (rem Jacks 3m pa was put in place to redress that balance). Finally in the late 90's Johnny Bosman's FOC ensured that even if a small club unearths a valuable player he can sod off for nowt if he or rather his agent wishes to do so.

We all know what we achieved a few years ago when a wealthy benefactor provided us with the likes of Shearer, Sutton, Sherwood etc. But consider that a few decades previously we played a Cup Final with the likes of the brilliant Bryan Douglas and Englands Captain Ronnie Clayton leading from the front. My point is based not so much concerned with the local football public's knowledge of history but the fact that without some future to quote Alan Sugar 'idiot mbillionaire with a death wish' none of the above will never happen again to any of those clubs and their supporters. Worst of all and you cannot deny this the local heroes mentioned above will never ever be seen in their home town strip! I hate to imagine what it would have been like when I was young to produce the likes of Duggie, Nat, and Sir Tom and only to see them spirited away at an early age and only being able to watch them on the telly in some hated strip.

This area is or certainly used to be a proverbial hotbed of fervent with fanatical support to rival even the likes of the scousers and the Geordie / Mackems. No longer though. 6000 can and no doubt will remain stubbornly watching players of the calibre of Frank Lord, Kit Napier and Faz as we plod around in the lower leagues ignored by the massed ranks of press and media. We will become the forgotten club because the majority living in these parts now prefer Premier League action on the TV to venturing out in cold wet weather to watch bog ordinary players playing bog ordinary football.

There is only one message to heed here and that is .... "The only constant in life is change" You would do well to consider that. As the conditions change then so must we.

I don't agree with the idea of creating 'Lancashire United', for the very reasons that Jim states in the post below this one, but nonetheless hats off to you for a very succinct potted history of why the once great Lancashire clubs are now floundering in the lower leagues, and why many of us are being turned off professional football.

[thenodrog]

Emotive stuff ES. Unfortunately your misty eyed theme is designed to have a destructive effect on people rather than a constructive one. Giving criticism rather than coming up with viable suggestion is pretty usual stuff for you and similar dinosaurs I must say.

Ironic post from a "dinosaur" who constantly harks back wistfully to a Britain that no longer exists.

You're forgetting one thing matey, football is emotive and it is tribal and there's no way Rovers fans will join up with fans from Burnley etc etc in some sort of mutant club.

"Lancashire United" has been mooted since the 1960s and it is no more likely to happen now as it is did then.

Some Lancashire clubs might go to the wall or drop out of the league but there's no way they'll join together to form some horrible plastic creation.

Pretty much proves my point to perfection. You lot can only criticise. You haven't had an original thought in your life have you?

C'mon Jim I'm sure you can do better than that. When the next Duggie / Dunn turns up how are we going to persuade him to even sign for BRFC as a schoolboy never mind stay here through his career? Off you go....

Oh btw you are forgetting one thing too.... Blackburn Olympic. What happened to their supporters do you think?

[Stuart]

Oh btw you are forgetting one thing too.... Blackburn Olympic. What happened to their supporters do you think?

I guess they went the way of the dinosaurs.

It's the old adage: "adapt or die"

[bob fleming]

Oh btw you are forgetting one thing too.... Blackburn Olympic. What happened to their supporters do you think?

I think they're all dead now Theno.

[thenodrog]

I guess they went the way of the dinosaurs.

It's the old adage: "adapt or die"

Hey! Just had a thought. It's not inconceivable that 'Blackburn Olympic' could be revived if this lot dig their heels in and it gets messy in the future and nobody has the financial muscle to instigate Lanky Utd proper..... what colours did they play in?

[Stuart]

Hey! Just had a thought. It's not inconceivable that 'Blackburn Olympic' could be revived if this lot dig their heels in and it gets messy in the future and nobody has the financial muscle to instigate Lanky Utd proper..... what colours did they play in?

I was thinking along the lines of a scenario to put to the NIMBYs...

In the near future...

Blackburn Rovers is dead. The fallout killed Accrington Stanley and Chorley.

Preston North End is in the lower reaches of League 2 - struggling for existence.

Blackpool are riding high in League One but their owner has just pulled out all of the funds and they are playing on the beach (so still Bloomfield Road).

A small group of football mad Blackburners are at a loose end and are debating a start up club.

Do they:

a.) Look at a local phoenix club - FC Rovers of Blackburn and plot a course to navigate through the lower reaches of the football pyramid

b.) Do nothing and leave Phil Gartside and Dave Wheelan to have a hoovering up competition with the remaining fans?

c.) Take a serious look at a Lancs FC and contact the other 3 entities about an amalgamation using Blackpool's league share, and look to create a force for with a North Lancashire base?

Open question.

[Gav]

Pretty much proves my point to perfection. You lot can only criticise. You haven't had an original thought in your life have you?

C'mon Jim I'm sure you can do better than that. When the next Duggie / Dunn turns up how are we going to persuade him to even sign for BRFC as a schoolboy never mind stay here through his career? Off you go....

Oh btw you are forgetting one thing too.... Blackburn Olympic. What happened to their supporters do you think?

Toys well and truly out of pram

[jim mk2]

Pretty much proves my point to perfection. You lot can only criticise. You haven't had an original thought in your life have you?

C'mon Jim I'm sure you can do better than that. When the next Duggie / Dunn turns up how are we going to persuade him to even sign for BRFC as a schoolboy never mind stay here through his career? Off you go....

Oh btw you are forgetting one thing too.... Blackburn Olympic. What happened to their supporters do you think?

There's nothing original in your "ideas". They've been touted around for the past 50 years.

[thenodrog]

Toys well and truly out of pram

There's nothing original in your "ideas". They've been touted around for the past 50 years.

You two have chosen to put your heads over the parapet so come on stop easy criticism and explain how would make BRFC into a self financing, top line club in the future without the help of a Fairy Godfather? Off you go and either put up or shut up.... or better still shut the @#/? up.

[Ewood Spark]

Emotive stuff ES. Unfortunately your misty eyed theme is designed to have a destructive effect on people rather than a constructive one. Giving criticism rather than coming up with viable suggestion is pretty usual stuff for you and similar dinosaurs I must say.

Consider......

PNE once went an entire season undefeated and were named the Invincibles just like Arsenal did a few years ago. 1888-89 I think it was. The older supporters eyes still mist over at the memory of the truly great Tom Finney mesmerising the opposition defenders throughout the 50's.

Burnley won the 1st Div title and played in the European Cup in 1960 with such superb players as Jimmy McIlroy, John Connelly and Ray Pointer .

Bolton lead by Nat Lofthouse England's 'Lion of Vienna' beat Man utd to win the FA Cup in 58.

Blackpool beat Bolton to win the FA Cup in 53 in the famous 'Matthews Final'.

At that time ALL these clubs were playing in the top division!

The abolishment of the maximum wage saw that all that off through the 60's. The best players moved to the bigger wealthier clubs and football in this area could never be the same again. Next blow came in the 70's the big clubs flexed their muscles and disposed of the gate receipt sharing system so that home teams keep the gate money with the result that income streams for large clubs increased and those for small clubs dried up even more (rem Jacks 3m pa was put in place to redress that balance). Finally in the late 90's Johnny Bosman's FOC ensured that even if a small club unearths a valuable player he can sod off for nowt if he or rather his agent wishes to do so.

We all know what we achieved a few years ago when a wealthy benefactor provided us with the likes of Shearer, Sutton, Sherwood etc. But consider that a few decades previously we played a Cup Final with the likes of the brilliant Bryan Douglas and Englands Captain Ronnie Clayton leading from the front. My point is based not so much concerned with the local football public's knowledge of history but the fact that without some future to quote Alan Sugar 'idiot mbillionaire with a death wish' none of the above will never happen again to any of those clubs and their supporters. Worst of all and you cannot deny this the local heroes mentioned above will never ever be seen in their home town strip! I hate to imagine what it would have been like when I was young to produce the likes of Duggie, Nat, and Sir Tom and only to see them spirited away at an early age and only being able to watch them on the telly in some hated strip.

This area is or certainly used to be a proverbial hotbed of fervent with fanatical support to rival even the likes of the scousers and the Geordie / Mackems. No longer though. 6000 can and no doubt will remain stubbornly watching players of the calibre of Frank Lord, Kit Napier and Faz as we plod around in the lower leagues ignored by the massed ranks of press and media. We will become the forgotten club because the majority living in these parts now prefer Premier League action on the TV to venturing out in cold wet weather to watch bog ordinary players playing bog ordinary football.

There is only one message to heed here and that is .... "The only constant in life is change" You would do well to consider that. As the conditions change then so must we.

"Beware The Enemy Within"

Congratulations Gordon! ... to come-up with a scenario more bizarre and damaging to Blackburn Rovers than has ever been dreamt-up in Pune takes some doing! If following a successful team is what you crave at the expense of jettisoning your roots then (as has already been mentioned) could I suggest you take a trip down Salford way!

[DE.]

You two have chosen to put your heads over the parapet so come on stop easy criticism and explain how would make BRFC into a self financing, top line club in the future without the help of a Fairy Godfather? Off you go and either put up or shut up.... or better still shut the @#/? up.

I think most people know it's impossible for Rovers in their current incarnation to compete at the top of the football leagues without significant investment (a route which will also be closed in the near future thanks to FFP). However, given the choice of watching Rovers funding themselves in the lower leagues or following Lancashire Utd in the Prem, most fans would choose the former - which is why the Lancs Utd idea hasn't taken off. Anybody who would consider the latter probably already follows Man Utd.

[Stuart]

I think most people know it's impossible for Rovers in their current incarnation to compete at the top of the football leagues without significant investment (a route which will also be closed in the near future thanks to FFP). However, given the choice of watching Rovers funding themselves in the lower leagues or following Lancashire Utd in the Prem, most fans would choose the former - which is why the Lancs Utd idea hasn't taken off. Anybody who would consider the latter probably already follows Man Utd.

Don't agree with that last part.

It's the barrier to entry that's the problem not that no-one has considered it.

A club could start up as Lancashire United but would have to start of at the bottom of the pyramid.

What it would need is enough disenfranchised fans from other clubs to generate enough interest to fill a stadium and make a groundshare possible. E.g. FCUM.

The "problem" with Lancashire is that there are too many clubs each taking a small part of the potential wider fanbase.

Ideally, of course I would want Rovers to be the only gig around, play at Ewood and go from strength to strength. But I'm sure Stanley fans think the same. If Stanley were to go pop (heaven forbid) their fans would probably split 60:40 between Burnley and Blackburn, increasing our gate by a few hundred. Chorley might add a few more. In needs Preston, Burnley and Blackpool to come in. All have history they don't want to lose, I understand that, but intimately that history will still be there and do Preston fans still identify with the days of Tom Finney anyway?

The worry is that one day we will all go over like dominos but it might take that for anyone to think differently. It might even be a case of last club standing in a financial, debt-ridden staring contest. Chances of us winning that are slim.

Serious question, with FFP, will Blackburn Rovers ever compete any higher than an annual relegation battle in the Championship? If not then 6000-7000 crowds are the long term future - if we are very lucky.

[thenodrog]

I think most people know it's impossible for Rovers in their current incarnation to compete at the top of the football leagues without significant investment (a route which will also be closed in the near future thanks to FFP). However, given the choice of watching Rovers funding themselves in the lower leagues or following Lancashire Utd in the Prem, most fans would choose the former - which is why the Lancs Utd idea hasn't taken off. Anybody who would consider the latter probably already follows Man Utd.

I disagree. How would your sensitivities cope if that was not a choice? How would it be if there was NO BRFC? Please don't assume that that will not happen!

Not only that our history largely proves me right. Attendances since we were relegated in 1966 mirrored the clubs league status. You may still go should we be relegated again but you'd be standing on terraces accompanied by less than 6-7000 other hardy souls.... or imo less!

Anybody who went to school in the 70's will remember that BRFC bags and scarves were far outnumbered by those of the then 1st Div clubs. LUFC, LFC and Man Utd parafinallia was all over town. Kids all over town had turned their backs on BRFC. One reason was they were not 'proper' supporters but the other was to appear cool and fashionable and not to stubbornly back losers. I must admit to being suprised that we were able to get the attendances that we did once Jack Walker had taken control and re-built both ground and team but even that lagged some way behind the proper big clubs.

Please don't mimic the ostriches above but instead cast aside your inbuilt objections DE, put your thinking cap on and tell me how anyone could run a club with facilities like ours on an income of something in the region of £2m? That btw is approx 40k per week.... or less than the wages of Danny Murphy! Not only that but tell me how that would attract any new owners which we'd need from time to time to financially blow their brains out on the club woukld be attracted by our potential and status?

Final question for you DE... without BRFC would you rather support a Man Utd or a Lancashire Utd? Are you a Manc or a Lancastrian?

Don't agree with that last part.

It's the barrier to entry that's the problem not that no-one has considered it.

A club could start up as Lancashire United but would have to start of at the bottom of the pyramid.

What it would need is enough disenfranchised fans from other clubs to generate enough interest to fill a stadium and make a groundshare possible. E.g. FCUM.

The "problem" with Lancashire is that there are too many clubs each taking a small part of the potential wider fanbase.

Ideally, of course I would want Rovers to be the only gig around, play at Ewood and go from strength to strength. But I'm sure Stanley fans think the same. If Stanley were to go pop (heaven forbid) their fans would probably split 60:40 between Burnley and Blackburn, increasing our gate by a few hundred. Chorley might add a few more. In needs Preston, Burnley and Blackpool to come in. All have history they don't want to lose, I understand that, but intimately that history will still be there and do Preston fans still identify with the days of Tom Finney anyway?

The worry is that one day we will all go over like dominos but it might take that for anyone to think differently. It might even be a case of last club standing in a financial, debt-ridden staring contest. Chances of us winning that are slim.

Serious question, with FFP, will Blackburn Rovers ever compete any higher than an annual relegation battle in the Championship? If not then 6000-7000 crowds are the long term future - if we are very lucky.

Unfortunately some individuals on here cannot see the iceberg Stuart.

[Rover_Shaun]

If there was no choice and BRFC was no longer there I wouldn't bother going to football anymore or looking at results

[thenodrog]

"Beware The Enemy Within"

Congratulations Gordon! ... to come-up with a scenario more bizarre and damaging to Blackburn Rovers than has ever been dreamt-up in Pune takes some doing! If following a successful team is what you crave at the expense of jettisoning your roots then (as has already been mentioned) could I suggest you take a trip down Salford way!

Tagging me as a MU fan? Tired tired old rhetoric. Is that the best you can do?

The alternative that is quite obviously beyond your comprehension ES is that there could easily be no BRFC in a few years.

[thenodrog]

If there was no choice and BRFC was no longer there I wouldn't bother going to football anymore or looking at results

Another deep thinker. Not!

Threaten to take your bat and ball home all you want B&W A. That'd show em wouldn't it eh as a supermarket is built on Ewood and Brockhall become more houses ?

Unfortunately you'd be depriving your kids of a local club to support. Do you not think that is one selfish attitude to hold? They'd end up as hated mancs or even Dingles. Which scenario would you prefer?

[broadsword]

Tagging me as a MU fan? Tired tired old rhetoric. Is that the best you can do?

The alternative that is quite obviously beyond your comprehension ES is that there could easily be no BRFC in a few years.

And if BRFC was subsumed into a new Lancashire United then BRFC would cease to exist then as well.

The name is a misnomer in any case since you would never get all of Lancashire to unite around one club.

The idea is an absolute non-starter.

[Amo]

Final question for you DE... without BRFC would you rather support a Man Utd or a Lancashire Utd? Are you a Manc or a Lancastrian?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dilemma

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

It would be an absolute disgrace if 138 years of tradition, achievement and pride for the town of Blackburn was disgarded in favour of such a souless, plastic artifical creation.

And calling it "United", the byword for gloryhunting, greed and the Sky generation of armchair quasi-fans. Makes me feel quite ill, personally I'd rather take up following Curling than support such a hideous thing.

[thenodrog]

Still no alternative options I see, only criticisms. Not even an attempt. Luddite thinking. Can't say I'm suprised.

[Stuart]

If it's just the name bothering you SKH, we can call it Lancashire County.

I'm not that precious!

[Happyforeverclapper]

If there was no choice and BRFC was no longer there I wouldn't bother going to football anymore or looking at results

havnt you already stopped going to ewood?(apart from the dingle match!)

[broadsword]

Still no alternative options I see, only criticisms. Not even an attempt. Luddite thinking. Can't say I'm suprised.

That's because there aren't any.

It's a simple choice between supporting rovers or another club. I'm not surprised, either.

[thenodrog]

Be an awful lot simpler Bryan when it's gone and the only alternative are clubs we dislike/detest whom we have tyraditionally considered rivals. SKH's 138 years of history and tradition won't amount to the square root of @#/? all then will it?