[Archived] As fans. Can we ever be united ?

[Blue n whites]

I first got a season ticket when we got relegated in the late 90s, reason being i was at an age where I was trusted to go with friends to the games. I was 14. I'd been as passionate about rovers as all the other kids but with parents who hailed from Glasgow and supported Celtic, there weren't much chance of getting down to ewood. For the next five years I was a regular home and away and it was great, then work reduced my rate of attending and still does. So for the last decade I've been back to ewood around 8 games a season. So I can see more than most how devasting the last 4 years have been.

We think we know the reasons the attendances have signifiantly dropped but, is it as simple as the venkys and relegation. Do rovers fans generally have a spoilt mentality due to years of quality players and cheap tickets. Or are we doing as well as expected with a town with a population of 103.000 which includes many Asian areas who largely don't attend, even thou it doesn't quite look as good when Darwen and other surrounding towns are added.

Can we ever get back to having a united support base behind the team?

Will the fans who hate venkys more than they love rovers ever come back if they don't leave?

Have the fans who protested got out of the habit and got new hobbies?

Are some fans to stubborn to return after saying they won't til they leave?

Is it too expensive?

Is the quality of football to poor after years of relative success?

Any other reasons?

All of my time attending games we have been beat or drawn more than we have ever won, so I'm bemused even with our positive end to the last season some fans still arnt happy, I was/am really optimistic about next year. Please don't mention venkys, I'm talking about the honest joy of attending a football match and your team winning.

I think we as a fan base are one of the most divided although the immediate anger about what happened has been soothed slightly with them keeping there mouths shut. I've read many times on here sensible replies being shouted down because they are thinking of a logical way we could move forward while excepting are current position and not shouting down the owners.

I'm of the opinion that as fans we are all concerned with the same issues, I think we all want the best for the football club but I just can't see it ever being the same as I remember. I'm hoping i can look back in a few years, almost laugh about it before shaking my head and sinking my pint.

I would happily accept them being hailed as the worlds greatest owners if it meant bringing success to my club. And believe me when I say I've thought long and hard about that, and that wouldn't of been the case this time last year, but they aren't going anywhere and I think it's more important having a succesful team than who gets the credit. I'm just not sure some fans will ever accept that but I feel it says more about them as people than anything else.

I'll shut up now

[Mr. E]

I'm not sure how it is not completley obvious to everyone involved that any kind of "progress" achieved this season is directly despite of Venkys. And any goals for something more next season will be hampered directly by Venkys. We are at the mercy of loons who are always digging for new holes the club to fall into.

Yes, I would love to forget about Venkys entirely and just focus on the club...but forgetting about an illness does not exactly cure an illness.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

I doubt the fans of any football club at any point in the history of the game have all been united. No matter what happens you can't get tens of thousands of people to all exactly agree on something. As with any social situation, mob rule applies and once the majority who agree rises to about 80-90%, the minority who still disagree are basically intimidated into keeping their opinions to themselves. So sometimes it may look as though everyone agrees but they don't.

The only difference I can see in recent times is that fans are less willing to leave their disgruntlement or objections at the turnstiles when they enter the ground. Personally no matter what my opinion is on any manager, player, formation, substitution, playing style etc, during a match I always get right behind Rovers from start to finish. Thats the way I was brought up, but maybe thats an old fashioned attitude these days. Its more common to hear fans saying things like "I've paid my money, I can say what I like".

The average fan has is now behaves less as a supporter and more as a customer than they used to. So I think any disunity is just more obvious than it used to be.

[Mike E]

There's only one time all fans are united and that is on match-day.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

There's only one time all fans are united and that is on match-day.

When the dark lords finally turn off the light on their way out?

[Waggy76]

No unity til the Venkys bugger off for good !

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I would like to pick out one piece that seemed relevant to me :-

"Please don't mention venkys, I'm talking about the honest joy of attending a football match and your team winning"

For me - this is what returned this year - I could attend, forget about who the owners were, and just enjoy watching a football match. When I first started watching Rovers I didn't know who the owners were - other than Fox was a well respected Chairman - I just went to watch twenty two men kick a ball about - and my team just happened to play in Blue & White halves. I didn't know how much money we had - other than not much - didn't worry about the clubs finances - just hoped that we would get promoted to Division 2.

Somewhere along the line - we lost the main reason we support Rovers - to watch a game of football - win, lose or draw. I know many can't forgive the Rao's for their part in our fall from grace - but for me I just enjoy being able to watch football again without the circus that surrounded the previous years since they took over.

[1864roverite]

I prefer to focus on the positives now. Its a new era and we have a young and almost dynamic team on the pitch coupled with an air of stability off it.

Roll on next season and let the momentum continue

[mhead]

Continuous Season-Ticket Holder since 1972 and qualify for Reduced Ticket this time!

Vowed not to go on this Board until I saw them win again.....5 months my abstinence lasted.

Working away but still an ST Holder. Since Venky's took over I have seen my team win TWICE only.

Huddersfield Town at home April 2013(?) and last Saturday. 32 games home and away.....2 victories.

So elated on Saturday -Supporters support the Team....and they need it more when times are bad(early 1970s,most of 1980s etc) so I will be renewing again and ignoring the Internet warriors on here as unrepresentative.

[Riverside67]

mhead well done I must say I am overdosed on the misery too.

Well done for keeping so optimistic in spite of everything. It has been a long hard three seasons and I don't think anyone has delusions of grandeur anymore, No one is kidding themselves the great days will return but I think it is time to give the lads a chance for the marvelous effort put in at the back end of the season.

Bit by bit and step by step. Patience is thin but I believe that is the only way in the long run.

I would like to think the fans will give Bowyer a break and give him a cjhance to see what he can do.

What a difference it would make if we could all turn out in numbers once more and go into next season with a bit of enthusiasm.. I too will be getting the season tickets again.

[Rover_Shaun]

Who exactly is stopping Bowyer? He's had a chance all this season and will get to begin the next. Hoe it will end is open to speculation. Hope its good

[Al]

Yes we can be united. See the comments on the proposed signing of Feeney. Chaddy excepted naturally.

[ABBEY]

I ain't trawling . Don't tell me he's happy with feeney . Even chaddy ain't that blue eyed .

[Rover_Shaun]

Bingo