[Archived] Investigate or we'll publish Blackburn Rovers findings, warns Mullan

[AggyBlue]

If you can't get the dossier published write a novel. Fictional football club, fictional characters etc

We'd all buy it just to play the guessing game

[philipl]

Can I just clarify 4 points here

1. The FA/PL/FL have reviewed the information and said they won't proceed without further, externally funded, investigation.

2. Nick Harris has had either the full dossier or a large section of it since just after you first FA/PL/FL meeting.

3. Some of the info in the dossier would have to be redacted as it was obtained on the understanding it was never made public

4. The next stage is to collect funds to allow further investigation?

If that's the case, then two questions, how much do you think you need and how long do you expect the investigation to go on.

Glen has given a thorough answer. I will add some deeply personal opinions.

1. If someone desperately doesn't want to investigate Rovers then the tripartite structure of football gives them the perfect opportunity to pass the buck, blame the other guy, seek clarification from colleagues etc etc. The reasons might bone idleness, protecting the tattered reputation of the revamped Directors and Officers Test, fear that Rovers might ruin the reputation of English football, a risk of halting the gravy train, corruption, fear of evil people who kill (ask Kronje or Woolmer), or some combination of these.

2. The issue is lawyers and English libel laws. Glen Mullan has received lawyers' letters waffle dressed as legal threats. Can you imagine what Nick Harris' newspaper is getting?

3. Not only stuff formally agreed to but all of it would need careful combing wikileaks style

4. Worth serious consideration

Given the involvement of the MPs over so many months, a disclosure in the House would not be seen as a knee jerk publicity stunt. I think the frustration of the Sports Minister and Jack Straw is getting to the point that taking advantage of Parliamentary privilege against the Football authorities has to be a serious option now.

[chaddyrovers]

the only way we the rovers fans will hear/see the dossier is through Jack Straw and Hugh Robertson making it public in House of Parliament.

otherwise Lawyers and judges will block it.

wonder what the FL will say to the BRFCAG in the next meeting in few weeks time.

Glen/BRFCAG would you still keep your investigate going if Venkys sold the club in the summer???

[BRFC1995]

is there any scenario/clause that would FORCE the scum to sell and any governance that assures it went to more suited people. i.e. fail to comply in 60 days and league status is revoked and the club essentially becomes worthless as a business bar assets.

Could anything in this document show they fail fit and propr/third party whatever and force them to sell not just pick a patsy and call them owner

[USABlue]

Dont you get it. We are owned by incompetents. No body is suggesting otherwise. But I do care about the future of my club ... as in will it still exist .... I just don't get this rush to force the authorities to destroy it. Despite the good intentions of other groups, nobody is going to pick up any remaining pieces.

Ok Stu I'll bite. What the hell are you on about??????

Yes I do but do you? We ARE going to hell in a hand basket as long as these people are in charge. No I don't wan't to see my club die. However it IS going to carrying on down this road. Even if Venky's bailed today then we would have serious financial worries. I'd be very happy to listen to your realistic alternatives

[Tom]

Whilst I don't particularly think the threat will achieve too much as the authorities either don't care if it comes out or don't believe it will come out I do think the action group committee are in the unenviable position now of whatever they do will be criticised by some

[USABlue]

Sorry to remind you of the real world....the club is being violently raped by the owners, dying a death with mounting debts and ALL fans have a right to say what they feel, and try to unite to topple the complete sack of ____s who have caused this downfall. Your opinion is no more valid than mine just because you have the opportunity to watch the game live. And how do you know I don't buy stuff from the club shop via the internet, and thus financially contribute that way?

I'm sorry for going on, but your arrogant (for want of a better term) tone has annoyed me.

The fact is this club is going under whatever we do, as Venky's are likely to get everything wrong, or just bail out and let the vultures pick off the rest. If we're going to go down and die, it is better to strike a mortal blow against the perpatrator and make sure the clubs' death brings a better game.

Sort of what I meant to say but you worded it so much better than I

but if rules have been broken, then its only right and fair that the club is punished(as sad as that is for us) in the same way other clubs have been in the past.

This has never really made sense to me. OWNERS come in, break rules and FANS are punished for that. Never made sense.

Sadly I don't know , I have always hoped venkys would come to the table , accept the findings , and out things right . I think many would of been much happier with the club being sorted behind closed doors and with no media intrusion or external investigations .

However how long do you wait when each decision is worse than the last .

One point to note , club directors have been to the authorities putting across their own concerns to protect themselves as in some cases they are powerless .

I have one question, although it is probably not part of what you are about. Has there ever been any evidence of these rumoured betting scams that some have mentioned or are they just looking for some form of reason for our being shyte

The point is that we are not the first , but it's the authorities responsibility to ensure we are the last .

How far do you let it crumble ?

How many do you think are going to renew next season ?

How many players are going to hang around this summer ?

The unknown is scary , the sun never shines at our club anymore

Based on this season I hope not frickin many.

There has been a lot of flak for Glen and others but at the end of the day nobody wanted this horrific mess to be there for the fans to have to find out about.

The position of the so-called football authorities stinks to high heaven. To expect football supporters to do their job for them is an abrogation of responsibility of the worst sort and those discussions with the FA have to be documented and put in the hands of the MPs, the Sports Minister and the Select Committee. There is something horribly amiss if football's governing bodies are trying to do a slippery shoulders job on Rovers when the Select Committee and the relevant Ministers have told them as plainly as they can, that football gets its act together or legislation will get their act together for them.

As for what could come out. There are three steaming piles of Kean as far as I can tell. Plus I have a deep seated suspicion about match fixing, illegal betting and a bit of money laundering for which I don't have anything which the FA would consider sufficient to launch an investigation into. As the noose steadily gathers around Blatter and FIFA, don't be in the least bit surprised to find out things about the English game's administration which are every bit as bad. In addition, there is a lot of noise about individuals doing their jobs with such spectacular incompetence at Ewood that any intelligent or engaged owner would go ballistic over the outcomes.

I think we are beyond the tipping point. I suspect there are too many singing canaries even though the most revealing ones are difficult to record.

For the sake of the club, I suspect we have to pray that the pile of kean that portrays the club and owners as victims is the one that emerges first.

Surely offences of that nature should go beyond the FA and to those authorities that can dish out prison terms.

[DE.]

Whilst I don't particularly think the threat will achieve too much as the authorities either don't care if it comes out or don't believe it will come out I do think the action group committee are in the unenviable position now of whatever they do will be criticised by some

They've been in that position for over a year, nothing new there.

[TBTF]

Whilst I don't particularly think the threat will achieve too much as the authorities either don't care if it comes out or don't believe it will come out I do think the action group committee are in the unenviable position now of whatever they do will be criticised by some

But Jack Straw has seen all the documents and pressed for some sort of response from the Sports minister.Yet he goes on radio 5 Live and says he has seen nothing that tells him the owners are not fit and proper.So he publicly states he has seen nothing to worry him.

Is it not the case that he thinks the rules need to be changed and majorly overhauled for future foreign owners coming in? Is that not the general thrust of where he's coming from?

There may be betting scams etc but these will hardly be confined to Rovers and nobody else.What is it that we are trying to unearth here? Something that might embarrass a few people but isnt illegal or something that could be acted upon?

[47er]

Remember that Jack, or any other MP, can say what they like in Parliament, without fear of legal redress.

Really?

[Plastic Head]

Really?

Really, unless somebody changed the constitution while I was in the pub.

All this is too late now. Like giving aspirin to a headless man.

If we come away from The Venky reich with a football club I will be amazed, just because someone has done something wrong it will not give get our previous status back.

[47er]

Sorry you missed my sarcasm much like Paul must have missed my posts!

[T.J.Newton]

This has never really made sense to me. OWNERS come in, break rules and FANS are punished for that. Never made sense.

No its not fair in general and the rules are pathetic/absurd, i just meant its fair as in 'those are the rules' and other clubs have been heavily punished for breaking them in the past, as G Mullen pointed out the best we could hope is that our case(if rule breaking was proved!) is the last and the rules are improved so this cant happen to another club so easily.

[PAFELL]

Those of you who don't have to drag your carcass to Ewood every other week don't have an opinion in my eyes. Harsh, but true.

Out of curiosity, do you attend every away match?

[PAFELL]

Just got back from match ,

Regarding the information release things have already been released quietly in recent weeks which have gone under the radar .

The authorities official stance is supporters must fund their own investigation , they must provide an open and shut case , chapter and verse including witnesses appearing at the interim .

Thankfully rather than just say ok, let's watch it die , we have dug deep and in some people's cases really deep and funded our own search for the truth .

I understand people wanting things out there , but if its not 100% belt and braced then its our homes and possessions which are going to disappear . In the same position would you risk your families welfare on a part case ?

The progress has been immense since Xmas especially as we now have people who have agreed to appear as witnesses at any hearing called . These are key witnesses , the type who were silenced but have seen enough and now want the deep truth out

From a personal point of view . It will be a weight off my soldiers when all is out there that is lock tight .

I really don't think it should of come to this , and I maintain that had more stood up 18 months ago it never would of

Then don't release it yourself. Get the media or an MP to do it. Give a particular media outlet exclusive rights etc. There are ways around getting money for investigations.

Those of you who don't have to drag your carcass to Ewood every other week don't have an opinion in my eyes. Harsh, but true.

I think you are an embarrassment to the Fans Forum for holding such a view as this.

Sorry to remind you of the real world....the club is being violently raped by the owners, dying a death with mounting debts and ALL fans have a right to say what they feel, and try to unite to topple the complete sack of ____s who have caused this downfall. Your opinion is no more valid than mine just because you have the opportunity to watch the game live. And how do you know I don't buy stuff from the club shop via the internet, and thus financially contribute that way?

I'm sorry for going on, but your arrogant (for want of a better term) tone has annoyed me.

The fact is this club is going under whatever we do, as Venky's are likely to get everything wrong, or just bail out and let the vultures pick off the rest. If we're going to go down and die, it is better to strike a mortal blow against the perpatrator and make sure the clubs' death brings a better game.

+1

[PAFELL]

Sorry to urinate on your bonfire ... but the demise of Blackburn Rovers WILL have less effect on somebody holed up in Godiva's slum than a fully paid-up season ticket holder at Ewood . FACT. What will it matter to you in a couple of years if Rovers are liquidated .... after all there is always the Richo Arena !!

Is your own home, family, job affected if Rovers went bust? If not, no different than folk who live outside of the area. Each would, 'possible' find either another club to support or even something else to do. No different than anybody else.

Some folk who live outside the Blackburn area may have lived in the area at onetime and moved due to work, marriage etc. Some may still have family in the area, who are affected in the same way as you and others are.

[hi-jaq]

Those of you who don't have to drag your carcass to Ewood every other week don't have an opinion in my eyes. Harsh, but true.

So those of us who have to either work or have family and financial constraints that stop us from attending games are not allowed to have an opinion???

Who are you anyway???

I was born across the road from the ground, have been going to games for 30+ years, had numerous season tickets, been to as many away games as I could afford, followed the team in to Europe, it scares me to think about how much I must have spent on Blackburn Rovers, along with my Dad and paying for my children.

But no, for the 1st time in a while, this season I don't have a season ticket, so I'm not a real supporter and as such I'm not allowed to have a view???

I suggest you attempt to remove your head from up your backside and make some kind of attempt to return to reality.

So, my non season ticket holding view, even though I'm not entitled to one is this...

Hopefully, there is something of substance in this report and it may have some of the people involved sitting up and taking notice. There's not many out there who know what's in it but fingers crossed the threat of releasing it may have some kind of impact.

How do we know that releasing it will mean that the club will face administration? We may be looking at that anyway if we carry on the way we are.

I think they are doing the right thing in waiting until the end of the season, but I hope that if/when it does get released it doesn't turn out to be a damp squib.

[Mike E]

Ewood Spark: Fans Forum member, apparently. No wonder we're in the @#/? if the fans forum sees the fans as irrelevant.

[Tom]

Ewood Spark: Fans Forum member, apparently. No wonder we're in the @#/? if the fans forum sees the fans as irrelevant.

Yeah that's the reason

[Rover_Shaun]

Fans forum. As relevant as shillings

[Ewood Spark]

Those of you who don't have to drag your carcass to Ewood every other week don't have an opinion in my eyes. Harsh, but true.

Out of curiosity, do you attend every away match?

Not my finest moment. Apologies to you and any other fan who can't attend Ewood for whatever reason.

In my defence I had just got back from Hillsborough and had just read a couple of posts on a different thread in which two 'fans' were squabbling over what colour kit the replacement team should wear! At that point the 'red mist' well and truly descended. Sorry once again for any offence caused.

[Ewoodbhappy]

Not my finest moment. Apologies to you and any other fan who can't attend Ewood for whatever reason.

In my defence I had just got back from Hillsborough and had just read a couple of posts on a different thread in which two 'fans' were squabbling over what colour kit the replacement team should wear! At that point the 'red mist' well and truly descended. Sorry once again for any offence caused.

Fair play

[hi-jaq]

Not my finest moment. Apologies to you and any other fan who can't attend Ewood for whatever reason.

In my defence I had just got back from Hillsborough and had just read a couple of posts on a different thread in which two 'fans' were squabbling over what colour kit the replacement team should wear! At that point the 'red mist' well and truly descended. Sorry once again for any offence caused.

No worries!!!

[Stuart]

Not my finest moment. Apologies to you and any other fan who can't attend Ewood for whatever reason.

In my defence I had just got back from Hillsborough and had just read a couple of posts on a different thread in which two 'fans' were squabbling over what colour kit the replacement team should wear! At that point the 'red mist' well and truly descended. Sorry once again for any offence caused.

Seriously? Squabbling? Poor form that you have to resort to making stuff up.

You were the one gleefully bumping an England rugby shirt 4 times but now it's the excuse for being obnoxious?

Like you were the only person @#/? off with Saturday's result, FFS.

Harsh but true, indeed!

[Mike E]

Yeah that's the reason

You know I wasn't being serious, Tom. In any case, it's a poor show to have someone on the fans forum being so narrow-minded as to say the opinions of those who don't have a season ticket are irrelevant. Does a fans forum not represent the views of the fans?