[Archived] Alan Myers - director of communications

[perthblue02]

Read what you have quoted. He went as he was driven out, to sack him would've cost a scary amount.

Yes you used Kean as an example for "they won't sack the manager " to imply that was what happened

so letting him resign did not cost a scary amount ? why even pay him when he resigned?, wonder why they did not let it play out in court?

Speaking of which I notice you mention FFP , at the next monthly tea party with Saint Degsy can you ask when he is paying back the money he lost the club with the Berg case and associated costs i.e the London PR firm used to threaten supporters , surely that would help towards getting out of the embargo at a guess a couple of million (minus the costs saved on chairs obviously) . Can you also ask him why in the recent LT interview he forgot to mention pay offs to his mates Agnew and Appleton as well as the Berg court case whilst implying he is not accountable for anything that has gone on.

I

[tomphil]

Yes you used Kean as an example for "they won't sack the manager " to imply that was what happened

so letting him resign did not cost a scary amount ? why even pay him when he resigned?, wonder why they did not let it play out in court?

Speaking of which I notice you mention FFP , at the next monthly tea party with Degsy can you ask when he is paying back the money he lost the club with the Berg case and associated costs i.e the London PR firm used to threaten supporters , surely that would help towards getting out of the embargo at a guess a couple of money (minus the costs saved on chairs obviously) . Can you also ask him why in the recent LT interview he forgot to mention pay offs to his mates Agnew and Appleton whilst implying he is not accountable for anything that has gone on.

I

They've sacked the London PR firm and gone for a Rossendale version it seems, must be cheapa or a friend of a friend

[laughatthedingles]

They've sacked the London PR firm and gone for a Rossendale version it seems, must be cheapa or a friend of a friend

Or maybe people can just see a different side to the constant pointless banging on about the same old crap.

[DE.]

What I find perplexing is that anybody would believe the fans can do anything to change the situation at the club. Barring a massive boycott (will never happen) or something like sit-in protests/pitch invasions (also hugely unlikely) I don't see what can be done to change anything. Venky's have always done what they want, when they want. The fans' views have never been important to them and there's no indication that perception has shifted.

In fact, even if a massive boycott was organised, or the fans did do a pitch invasion, I still think Venky's would probably ignore it and leave Shelfy to deal with the fallout before resuming our route to oblivion.

[oldjamfan1]

You use sensible but you are a jam fan . I really hope you mean the toast kind and not the god awful excuse of a band

We'll need to agree to disagree on that lol. But Abbey, seriously, we all know what has happened to our club (or if you prefer, what 'they' have done to it). Other than trying to work with them to steadily claw our way back, what else do you suggest? Because LATD is absolutely 100% bang on the money when he says that constantly whinging about what has happened and - in particular - castigating any supporter who doesn't proclaim, in every post, to hate the 'venkyscum' (not my phrase) isn't getting us anywhere. Otherwise we'd be there now!

If I didn't live in Scotland I would happily try and join the fans forum to attempt to articulate ideas of how I see a way forward.

I only recently rejoined this forum after an absence of about 18 months, and its as though time has stood still. The same posters making the same statements/remarks all the time.

This is a time when we need to stick together, swallow our pride, and start the rebuilding process, whoever's fault it was.

[tomphil]

Or maybe people can just see a different side to the constant pointless banging on about the same old crap.

People are discussing what they see though. Unless the whole thing is made up of course and we aren't in an embargo, millions in debt, signing a host of cast offs, are owned by rich absent idiots, run by outsiders some proven to be rogue and have a manger who increasingly appears to have no plan football or otherwise for the 35 players he's been able to sign. All these dodgy theories eh ?

Tell me was the whole of this message board sat in the middle of the JW the other night jeering Browns sub or shaking their head at the bloke stood hands in pockets on the touchline ? No thought not !

[Al]

You need to change your user name because, since the people you are defending rolled up the Dingles are laughing at us.

Are you really on the Fans Forum?

If he is then he certainly does not represent the views of the fans, but then as a self appointed group the FF doesn't either.

[mustard]

To be fair to the directors, the club is changing the way it works and reducing expenditure as well as debt.

Bowyer is doing an average job at best however, playing people out of position constantly just to prove they are versatile.

Are the directors doing much? Just wondering where you get the info from to show this (I'm not nitpicking)? I refuse to credit the board with shifting a few deadwood players on and managing not to lose as many millions per annum as a few years ago, especially considering there's plenty they AREN'T doing to help move the club forward.

Trusting in coaches to get us promoted despite it failing before. Letting Bowyer have a go at managing this team under tighter constraints when he couldn't bring the best out of a talented squad. And Bowyer's tactics... Stupidity/insanity still going on at BRFC. Might have improved compared to 4-5 years ago, but still miles off the majority of clubs in the land.

A few changes could make all the difference to the outlook of BRFC, not only from the fans' perspective, but for the long term viability of Rovers. If Venky's put a capable MD in charge with an experienced board of directors, a lot of people would become more optimistic overnight. Yes, it might cost more in the short-term but the long-term benefits could be substantial. I think it's clear Bowyer and Shaw etc are all mates, and no changes would be made unless Venky's gave the order (hence why all Bowyer's mates are on the coaching staff incl a 'defensive coach' that has yet to coach the team how to defend).

With someone down at Ewood that could make big calls (or at least propose them to the Venky's), it would get all those dollopers on their toes and at least have them fighting tooth and nail to keep their jobs, instead of them being all cozy in the sleeper carriage on the gravy train. Bowyer would instantly be under more pressure to bring out the best in the team, and if he failed we'd at least know we have someone capable of finding a replacement.

[Al]

LATD. You do not represent the views of the fans. If the Venkys cared at all they would have Shaw and Bowyer out tomorrow and proper football people appointed. There are plenty of good people who would love the job. Nothing will happen under those two. Until that happens don't come preaching on here. You are irritating all the proper fans. After your diatribe you should get off the FF too. You do not speak for us.

[oldjamfan1]

LATD. You do not represent the views of the fans. If the Venkys cared at all they would have Shaw and Bowyer out tomorrow and proper football people appointed. There are plenty of good people who would love the job. Nothing will happen under those two. Until that happens don't come preaching on here. You are irritating all the proper fans. After your diatribe you should get off the FF too. You do not speak for us.

He isn't irritating me. Does that mean I'm not a proper fan?

[martonrover]

LATD. You do not represent the views of the fans. If the Venkys cared at all they would have Shaw and Bowyer out tomorrow and proper football people appointed. There are plenty of good people who would love the job. Nothing will happen under those two. Until that happens don't come preaching on here. You are irritating all the proper fans. After your diatribe you should get off the FF too. You do not speak for us.

Spot on. To be fair I think LATD makes some good points but I don't buy in to his theory that everything is now being run on the right lines.

Shaw certainly shouldn't still be in post and I think Bowyer is about to lead us into the next phase of decline.

At best,( running with the theory that Venky's are attempting to put things right) , they are still making slow and poor decisions and have not implemented a credible, hands on management structure to make timely strategic decisions in England.

The stability argument is wearing thin and the idea that all will be well if we come out of FFP doesn't hold water.

Venky's are preferable to liquidation and that's the only positive thing about their continued tenure.

As long as they allow Bowyer and Shaw to run the show (and I have no doubt Bowyer holds more power than Shaw), our decline will continue.

[arbitro]

Or maybe people can just see a different side to the constant pointless banging on about the same old crap.

People are hurting through the actions of these Indians and there is a strong feeling that we will never get back to anywhere near where we were before they appeared. This club is the focal point of the town and community and these wretched Indians have all but ruined that.

To try and move on and in any way forgive is an insult to Jack Walker in my opinion. And for that reason alone I despise them, their puppets and sycophants.

[ABBEY]

LATD. You do not represent the views of the fans. If the Venkys cared at all they would have Shaw and Bowyer out tomorrow and proper football people appointed. There are plenty of good people who would love the job. Nothing will happen under those two. Until that happens don't come preaching on here. You are irritating all the proper fans. After your diatribe you should get off the FF too. You do not speak for us.

is he on the fans forum? If so please drop the fans bit as you don't represent fans !

[oldjamfan1]

People are hurting through the actions of these Indians and there is a strong feeling that we will never get back to anywhere near where we were before they appeared. This club is the focal point of the town and community and these wretched Indians have all but ruined that.

To try and move on and in any way forgive is an insult to Jack Walker in my opinion. And for that reason alone I despise them, their puppets and sycophants.

Can't agree with that. In any event it isn't about forgiveness, its about doing whatever needs doing to protect the future of the club. I don't think any of us will ever forgive anyone involved in the atrocious happenings at the club over the past 4 years or so, but it is surely better to be making constructive suggestions as to how this might improve (as Mustard and to a lesser extent Martonrover have done above), than to simply bleat about what has happened and how our club has been ruined? (Not a dig at you Tony but there are some on here who have nothing constructive at all to say and - worse - berate those who have).

I'm fairly sure Jack was a pragmatist. Therefore I think we owe it to the memory of Jack to try and turn things around. Would Jack rather see 5,000 on Ewood or 25,000?

[JHRover]

People are hurting through the actions of these Indians and there is a strong feeling that we will never get back to anywhere near where we were before they appeared. This club is the focal point of the town and community and these wretched Indians have all but ruined that.

To try and move on and in any way forgive is an insult to Jack Walker in my opinion. And for that reason alone I despise them, their puppets and sycophants.

The biggest insult to Jack Walker has been from the people he entrusted and employed to look after the football club beyond his death but who chose to sell to a group of people from India with no idea what they were doing.

They could have prevented the whole Venky nightmare ever taking place, but to do that they would have had to apply interest and concern to the wellbeing of the football club rather than just pocketing the £20 million for Jack's club and disappearing into the sunset.

The real insult to Jack Walker is that those people sold his club to the clueless Indians, banked his money for it and then disappeared without a care in the world for the future of the club or a word of apology for their actions.

Venkys are a symptom of the Trusts complete and utter disregard for ensuring Jack's legacy lived on long term, and greed in refusing to invest into the club and cashing in as soon as they could to whatever idiots offered the money.

[oldjamfan1]

is he on the fans forum? If so please drop the fans bit as you don't represent fans !

But Abbey, you talk about 'fans' as if it is this homogenous group of people who all share exactly the same ideals and beliefs when it comes to how to fix this.

I'd still like to hear a constructive suggestion from you as to how to sort this out.

e.g. if you were on the fans forum, what would you be suggesting?

[yoda]

In what way do the owners not support the club? I believe another £28m+ in the last year shows they certainly do, not to mention the commitments they continue to give to the club facilities etc.

The owners also do an awful lot for the town of Blackburn, however they actively stop this getting into the public domain as a direct results of clowns like yourself, always wanting to have moan and find fault in everything. Can you imagine the Headline in the LT: 'Venkys spend £1m renovating famous old Blackburn building' and then the response...

you would be the first on here "why are they wasting their money on that instead of spending it on the club'.

The truth is they ARE spending it on the club, FFP is tying their hands behind their backs.

Common complaints since they arrived:

"They know nothing about football, they should leave it to those who do" - Result = Shaw (whether you rate him or not) an experienced chairman brought in as MD

"They keep coming out with stupid statements and are an embarrassment" - Result = They now make very little public appearances or statements to avoid them being spun negatively.

"They won't sack the manager" - Result = Kean goes so do many more

"We need stability" - Result = Bowyer

"They need to spend money" - Result = Leon Best, Murphy, Etuhu, Rhodes...

"They are wasting money and we should live within our means" - Result = Pay offs galore

"They should be visibly supporting the club" - Result = They turn up for games, get abused and pelted with snowballs

"They don't do anything to give us positive press" - Result = They felt as the owners of the club it was polite and respectful to personally welcome the Queen to the club, you even have issue with that.

They have made mistakes, they have admitted that, they are desperately trying to do the best thing and they now believe that is leaving the club to be run day-to-day by experienced people which is why they have brought in people with a wealth of footballing experience in their fields as well as where possible a connection to the club:

Shaw, Myers, Cheston, Biggar, Tommy Johnson, Damien Johnson, Short, Sheron.

What you want them to do, someone else will disagree with.

Blaming the supporters!

never a good tack to take.

Lets get it right,

The day before the Rao's trapped up we were 10th in the PL, good manager (not every ones cup of tea but show me one that is), excellent management in place,

Impressive season ticket base, decent crowds, good 1st team squad and considered to be one of the best run clubs in the league.

5 years on, just lost the 1st 2 competitive games, 18th in the championship i.e. second division in old money. Never had a settled team in 5 years, unmanageable debt, a squad not capable of challenging with this management team. CEO that is aligned to one of our competitors, another exec that does a very good impersonation of the invisible man,

Now find me one supporter who is responsible for this, just one that made one of the decisions over the last 5 years that have brought us to this.

IT IS NOT THE SUPPORTERS FAULT

[K-Hod]

Blaming the supporters!

never a good tack to take.

Lets get it right,

The day before the Rao's trapped up we were 10th in the PL, good manager (not every ones cup of tea but show me one that is), excellent management in place,

Impressive season ticket base, decent crowds, good 1st team squad and considered to be one of the best run clubs in the league.

5 years on, just lost the 1st 2 competitive games, 18th in the championship i.e. second division in old money. Never had a settled team in 5 years, unmanageable debt, a squad not capable of challenging with this management team. CEO that is aligned to one of our competitors, another exec that does a very good impersonation of the invisible man,

Now find me one supporter who is responsible for this, just one that made one of the decisions over the last 5 years that have brought us to this.

IT IS NOT THE SUPPORTERS FAULT

I agree Yoda- but on the flip side, there are those blaming the fans for not doing enough a few years ago! (Who incidentally did no different themselves).

[ABBEY]

But Abbey, you talk about 'fans' as if it is this homogenous group of people who all share exactly the same ideals and beliefs when it comes to how to fix this.

I'd still like to hear a constructive suggestion from you as to how to sort this out.

e.g. if you were on the fans forum, what would you be suggesting?

I wouldn't be in the forum because I wouldn't lower myself to talking to Shaw or Myers . I've posted my views can't be arsed again .

[arbitro]

Can't agree with that. In any event it isn't about forgiveness, its about doing whatever needs doing to protect the future of the club. I don't think any of us will ever forgive anyone involved in the atrocious happenings at the club over the past 4 years or so, but it is surely better to be making constructive suggestions as to how this might improve (as Mustard and to a lesser extent Martonrover have done above), than to simply bleat about what has happened and how our club has been ruined? (Not a dig at you Tony but there are some on here who have nothing constructive at all to say and - worse - berate those who have).

I'm fairly sure Jack was a pragmatist. Therefore I think we owe it to the memory of Jack to try and turn things around. Would Jack rather see 5,000 on Ewood or 25,000?

And therein lies the problem Andy as the Indians and them alone can determine how this ends. And, given their history thus far I can't see it ending well. We have regressed so far it is extremely difficult to even try and predict where we will be one years time.

I think we have done remarkably well to keep the fans we have but everyone has a tipping point.

For me it is all about not and never forgiving as far as them horrible people and their sycophants are concerned.

[Madon]

In what way do the owners not support the club? I believe another £28m+ in the last year shows they certainly do, not to mention the commitments they continue to give to the club facilities etc.

The owners also do an awful lot for the town of Blackburn, however they actively stop this getting into the public domain as a direct results of clowns like yourself, always wanting to have moan and find fault in everything. Can you imagine the Headline in the LT: 'Venkys spend £1m renovating famous old Blackburn building' and then the response...

you would be the first on here "why are they wasting their money on that instead of spending it on the club'.

The truth is they ARE spending it on the club, FFP is tying their hands behind their backs.

Common complaints since they arrived:

"They know nothing about football, they should leave it to those who do" - Result = Shaw (whether you rate him or not) an experienced chairman brought in as MD

"They keep coming out with stupid statements and are an embarrassment" - Result = They now make very little public appearances or statements to avoid them being spun negatively.

"They won't sack the manager" - Result = Kean goes so do many more

"We need stability" - Result = Bowyer

"They need to spend money" - Result = Leon Best, Murphy, Etuhu, Rhodes...

"They are wasting money and we should live within our means" - Result = Pay offs galore

"They should be visibly supporting the club" - Result = They turn up for games, get abused and pelted with snowballs

"They don't do anything to give us positive press" - Result = They felt as the owners of the club it was polite and respectful to personally welcome the Queen to the club, you even have issue with that.

They have made mistakes, they have admitted that, they are desperately trying to do the best thing and they now believe that is leaving the club to be run day-to-day by experienced people which is why they have brought in people with a wealth of footballing experience in their fields as well as where possible a connection to the club:

Shaw, Myers, Cheston, Biggar, Tommy Johnson, Damien Johnson, Short, Sheron.

What you want them to do, someone else will disagree with.

Good post with some good points, you have described pretty much how I feel.

Derek Shaw, is he up to the job? I honestly don't know much about him to be honest, and I think a lot of people just jumped on the bandwagon of hatred.

When they sacked Kean, which they should have done a lot, lot sooner, they continued to hire inexperienced managers which was 100% the wrong decision.

If and when Bowyer walks or gets the sack they MUST hire an experienced manager. This is when we will find out if they have truly learnt their lessons.

[yoda]

I agree Yoda- but on the flip side, there are those blaming the fans for not doing enough a few years ago! (Who incidentally did no different themselves).

Why would the supporters need to do anything if the Rao's had got it right,

The Rao's could have sat back and done nothing for the last 5 years and been a whole lot better off than now, what is obvious though is that whatever the supporters had done/have done, it would have made no difference whatsoever to the Roa's

[Rover_Shaun]

Lets all hold hands, forgive and have a Venky's vigil so they won't feel so bad about crushing the club under their incompetent foot and taking the mick out of every fan. After all they spent some money on a building in Blackburn......

I'll start it off with a song....."Kumbaya my Lord, Kumbaya. Kumbaya my Lord, Kumbaya................"

[Bucksrover]

In what way do the owners not support the club? I believe another £28m+ in the last year shows they certainly do, not to mention the commitments they continue to give to the club facilities etc.

The owners also do an awful lot for the town of Blackburn, however they actively stop this getting into the public domain as a direct results of clowns like yourself, always wanting to have moan and find fault in everything. Can you imagine the Headline in the LT: 'Venkys spend £1m renovating famous old Blackburn building' and then the response...

you would be the first on here "why are they wasting their money on that instead of spending it on the club'.

The truth is they ARE spending it on the club, FFP is tying their hands behind their backs.

Common complaints since they arrived:

"They know nothing about football, they should leave it to those who do" - Result = Shaw (whether you rate him or not) an experienced chairman brought in as MD

"They keep coming out with stupid statements and are an embarrassment" - Result = They now make very little public appearances or statements to avoid them being spun negatively.

"They won't sack the manager" - Result = Kean goes so do many more

"We need stability" - Result = Bowyer

"They need to spend money" - Result = Leon Best, Murphy, Etuhu, Rhodes...

"They are wasting money and we should live within our means" - Result = Pay offs galore

"They should be visibly supporting the club" - Result = They turn up for games, get abused and pelted with snowballs

"They don't do anything to give us positive press" - Result = They felt as the owners of the club it was polite and respectful to personally welcome the Queen to the club, you even have issue with that.

They have made mistakes, they have admitted that, they are desperately trying to do the best thing and they now believe that is leaving the club to be run day-to-day by experienced people which is why they have brought in people with a wealth of footballing experience in their fields as well as where possible a connection to the club:

Shaw, Myers, Cheston, Biggar, Tommy Johnson, Damien Johnson, Short, Sheron.

What you want them to do, someone else will disagree with.

A very good post.

[AllRoverAsia]

You said divorce them? They won't leave and I doubt any would take their place anyway so what do you propose to do?

Many 1000's have already decided that the only way of a rotten and arranged marriage controlled totally by one party, the V's, under Victorian like rules is to leave the family home called Ewood Park. They are hardly likely to return 'home' in fear of being further abused. A sad state of affairs.