[Archived] Hello, I'm back.

[Mike E]

Well id have gone(and still would) just for the free holiday and id have cleared out the hotel mini bar and took advantage of anything available to me at their expense, as for the 'meeting' id never have thought that it was anything other than a pr stunt and that they had no real interest in my(or anybody else's) opinions, so would have just said nice gaff thanks for the trip seeya later.

'Their expense'? Not the experience of some that went, allegedly.

[Gav]

Well id have gone(and still would) just for the free holiday and id have cleared out the hotel mini bar and took advantage of anything available to me at their expense, as for the 'meeting' id never have thought that it was anything other than a pr stunt and that they had no real interest in my(or anybody else's) opinions, so would have just said nice gaff thanks for the trip seeya later.

Post of the year for missing the point by a country mile....

Is that you Jerome you ******* greedy ****

[Glenn]

As I'm no longer on the fans forum, I now more comfortable saying my piece on this.

I went out there with one intention, to say may piece to the most influential voice I could get an audience with and I'd already looked into getting funding to get a group out there to do this before the offer via the FF came. I knew there was a likely chance we were going to be used for PR purposes, I knew there was a very big chance we'd probably not get to speak to one of the family and I knew there were people on the trip who did see it great free trip abroad. We were also aware that if we were likely to get the chance to speak to one of the family, then there would be a certain amount of "game playing" involved.

I was also aware that going iould probably ostracise me from many fans and even some friends and that many would only ever see it as a freebie. I also knew there were those inside the club who really didn't want me there and by going would try and strain my relationship with the club even more.

But knowing all that, I weighted up the damage it would do to my reputation and me personally, but still felt I'd spend the rest of my life regretting turning down my only real shot at making a difference.

In the end, we got probably the best we could have hoped for, a really productive meeting with one of their top guys, and a chance to say the things we felt needed saying to Bala (Tom was a star on that an went for the jugular from the off). Ultimately, it made no difference. to do that I probably should have spent the time trying to schmooze JA instead, but I wasn't that clued up at the time.

The "freebie" thing has always bothered me. Whilst they spared little expense (and despite that none of us abused it), if I'd have been told I was paying for my own flight and I'd have been kipping on the floor of a shared 1 star hotel room, I'd still have gone. Truthfully, the trip cost me more than I could have imagined. At the time I was trying to keep a struggling startup afloat and hadn't paid myself for several months (ensuring everyone else got paid though), so the £300-£400 it did cost was actually very tough to justify and maybe if I hadn't taken the time out to travel, the company would have faired better. So to be faced the constant accusations of only going for a free holiday really got me down at the time

Do I regret my decision, no. Do I think it made a difference, no. Do I see it as a free holiday, no (at least not any more that any business trip I do). Sure, bits of it were amazing, but to me, they were incidental bonus, It's easy to look back with hindsight and say "it didn't achieve anything, I shouldn't have gone", but if I'd missed the chance to try I'd be sitting here thinking things didn't change because I had my chance to influence them face to face and I passed it up, for fear of what others might think of me and if only I'd have gone, maybe I could have convinced them of the oncoming train wreck we could all see.

[Don Said]

Well Kamy there's still me, Jim Mk ll, Al, Den and Fife Rover; people who still remember Keith Newton if not Bill Eckersley.

Or do you mean posters from the early noughties such as Tris, Jan, Tashor, Spenny and Cool Claret.

And where has Roversmum gone?

Tashor's my dad.

We lost him last month after a short battle with cancer.

He didn't post much in recent years but he was always on having a look, and was very fond of BRFCS. He won a 'Funniest poster' award or something on here a while back which I think he was secretly chuffed with!

[Brfcrule1]

Excellent post Glenn certainly explains a lot of what the trip was about.

It also emphasises the important point "you can take the donkey to the water

but you can't make it drink".

It certainly backs up the 2 Ian's version of events they listen attentively but don't

act to rectify things.

At least now they have remained in the background and let GB get on with things.

I do feel sorry for him having to shift the likes of L.best permanently and knowing

no sane person would offer him the ridiculous wages we have.

[Tom]

Now that's really sad news, sorry for your loss Sedman

RIP Tashor

[thenodrog]

Tashor's my dad.

We lost him last month after a short battle with cancer.

He didn't post much in recent years but he was always on having a look, and was very fond of BRFCS. He won a 'Funniest poster' award or something on here a while back which I think he was secretly chuffed with!

Very sad to hear that Sedman. Tashor was a brilliant wordsmith and his posting was uniquely different from the norm. I think over the years he he was banned more times than me!

[ABBEY]

Tashor's my dad.

We lost him last month after a short battle with cancer.

He didn't post much in recent years but he was always on having a look, and was very fond of BRFCS. He won a 'Funniest poster' award or something on here a while back which I think he was secretly chuffed with!

Shocked and saddened to hear this .. We were a pair ha , I won the award to and probably had as many bans as him. RIP Tashor.

[ABBEY]

Could someone move this sad news about Tashor to the Rememberence section . Let's show respect to a departed forum member. It doesn't show on my phone or I'd start a thread there.

-------

Edit .. I've added it there now .

[Leonard Venkhater]

As I'm no longer on the fans forum, I now more comfortable saying my piece on this.

I went out there with one intention, to say may piece to the most influential voice I could get an audience with and I'd already looked into getting funding to get a group out there to do this before the offer via the FF came. I knew there was a likely chance we were going to be used for PR purposes, I knew there was a very big chance we'd probably not get to speak to one of the family and I knew there were people on the trip who did see it great free trip abroad. We were also aware that if we were likely to get the chance to speak to one of the family, then there would be a certain amount of "game playing" involved.

I was also aware that going iould probably ostracise me from many fans and even some friends and that many would only ever see it as a freebie. I also knew there were those inside the club who really didn't want me there and by going would try and strain my relationship with the club even more.

But knowing all that, I weighted up the damage it would do to my reputation and me personally, but still felt I'd spend the rest of my life regretting turning down my only real shot at making a difference.

In the end, we got probably the best we could have hoped for, a really productive meeting with one of their top guys, and a chance to say the things we felt needed saying to Bala (Tom was a star on that an went for the jugular from the off). Ultimately, it made no difference. to do that I probably should have spent the time trying to schmooze JA instead, but I wasn't that clued up at the time.

The "freebie" thing has always bothered me. Whilst they spared little expense (and despite that none of us abused it), if I'd have been told I was paying for my own flight and I'd have been kipping on the floor of a shared 1 star hotel room, I'd still have gone. Truthfully, the trip cost me more than I could have imagined. At the time I was trying to keep a struggling startup afloat and hadn't paid myself for several months (ensuring everyone else got paid though), so the £300-£400 it did cost was actually very tough to justify and maybe if I hadn't taken the time out to travel, the company would have faired better. So to be faced the constant accusations of only going for a free holiday really got me down at the time

Do I regret my decision, no. Do I think it made a difference, no. Do I see it as a free holiday, no (at least not any more that any business trip I do). Sure, bits of it were amazing, but to me, they were incidental bonus, It's easy to look back with hindsight and say "it didn't achieve anything, I shouldn't have gone", but if I'd missed the chance to try I'd be sitting here thinking things didn't change because I had my chance to influence them face to face and I passed it up, for fear of what others might think of me and if only I'd have gone, maybe I could have convinced them of the oncoming train wreck we could all see.

Well done to you.If you hadn't have tried, maybe you would have always wondered.

Re all the digs and accusations etc, I always think the language of cynicism is more powerful than the language of hope, so it was always going to be easy for people to disparage a genuine attempt at a time when there was still room for some hope. With the advantage of their hindsight their comments are even more unkind. Another problem is that such comments are also fueled by so much powerless anger towards pillagers, who are faceless. It has to go somewhere and it gets wrongly channeled towards people who put their heads above the parapet etc.

You did what you thought was right and that is all any of us can do.Thank you for that.

[gumboots]

Gordon that is very unfair. I have known roversmum for a couple of years now and am in regular contact with her and I can confirm she has not transferred over to the dark side.

She is as upset as most on here about what Venky's and their advisors have done to this club in 3 years, just because she doesn't shout Venkys out from the rooftops doesn't mean she doesn't care.

Mum and her husband do care very deeply, proof of that is that her husband has written 2 white papers about the rovers academy improvements needed at Brockhall and the EPPP.

To answer your question Bazza she is still around doesn't post much on here but I regularly see her after games and the disabled supporters parties at Ewood where players and staff attend.

Ill back you up totally on that. I have Carol as a facebook friend and she is as committed to rovers as ever. She just took a different route to some on here. I'm still here btw. Very rarely post compared to previously but then we seem to have fragmented as much as the club, and also we've had our own miniwar at school for the last 18 months. Kean like take over of school, illogical decision making by all concerned and a lot of very hurt people whose only crime was to care about the young people in their care. Read it in the Telegraph - most of the comments are by those who really DO know what has been going on

[thenodrog]

Well done to you.If you hadn't have tried, maybe you would have always wondered.

Re all the digs and accusations etc, I always think the language of cynicism is more powerful than the language of hope, so it was always going to be easy for people to disparage a genuine attempt at a time when there was still room for some hope. With the advantage of their hindsight their comments are even more unkind. Another problem is that such comments are also fueled by so much powerless anger towards pillagers, who are faceless. It has to go somewhere and it gets wrongly channeled towards people who put their heads above the parapet etc.

You did what you thought was right and that is all any of us can do.Thank you for that.

It's always better to do something than nothing in my book but conceding 'home advantage' is never a good tactic and is ironically something which every football supporter should appreciate. In that instance the trip was wrong from the off. Obvious 'Divide and conquer' tactics by the venkymob.

Also from the bits and pieces I picked up there didn't appear to be a date and time for a fixed agenda / formal meeting arranged between the FF and the owners, so effectively the FF were left in limbo for almost the entire week and subject to transparent softening up tactics whilst simply waiting for their Lords and Masters to turn up and condescend to a meeting.

If I have got anything wrong in the above then I apologise for being mistaken. I wasn't there and that malicious goon from Dacorum had banned me from here sine die.

[SouthAussieRover]

Now now Gordon!!!

That's not a nice thing to say about Hemel Rover!

Especially with the air of melancholy that is enveloping the forums at present.

[ABBEY]

Now now Gordon!!!

That's not a nice thing to say about Hemel Rover!

Especially with the air of melancholy that is enveloping the forums at present.

He was the biggest tool whoever made mod in the entire inter web world

[Al]

He was the biggest tool whoever made mod in the entire inter web world

Never banned me but I'm in agreement with that.

[ABBEY]

Al he made Ste b look reasonable .

[47er]

Al he made Ste b look reasonable .

That's a big call......