[Archived] Open Letter From Venky's

[Blackburn Ender]

This is an embarrassingly naive attempt by an inexperienced, unqualified PR man to 'draw a line in the sand' and hope that all mistakes of the past will be forgiven and forgotten.

He's got a a new job, he can't believe what he's walked into and (with his new chum Derek) he's desperate to change the agenda.

This open letter, which one has to assume the owners signed off, says nothing meaningful and apologises for nothing meaningful, but is a desperate attempt to create a feel good factor and presumably sell some season tickets.

I'm trying to think of something fair to say about it. I guess the fact it's been proposed and written by Alan Myers (I assume) and OK'd by the owners is at least an acknowledgement they face serious distrust and anger from a large section of the fanbase.

But, I don't read this and think everything's OK now so let's just get on with supporting the team and forget what's happened to the club and the idiots who own it. Sorry.

[McClarky]

It's not in any way an apology, it's an expression of regret that things have gone badly for them. In fact I don't want an apology, it's gone way beyond that, I want answers to why they chose our club to destroy, how they destroyed it, who helped them to destroy it and why. A short press release from our Comms Director doesn't in any way start to put things right.

And another thing, I don't want their thanks for supporting my team. My support has nothing to do with these charlatans so they can keep their thanks and stuff it where the sun don't shine.

Venkys Out

[EgyptianPete]

No mention of why they got us into a mess, no specifics about Allardyce, Finn or Williams. No mention of Anderson, Kean, Singh, Kentaro. That is what I want to hear them talk about so the wider world knows exactly what has gone on.

Probably the most insincere 'apology' I have ever read. And yet once again we have people fawning over them and accepting their token words which in reality were probably penned by their spin doctor.

Some of you lot will never be satisfied, even if they were burnt at the bloody stake or stoned you would still complain, Whilst i am not advocating total compliance, at least there is something, there a letter signed by all the family, even if it was penned by our communications chappie, (isn't that what hes paid to do) they must have all agreed the content before signing off.

[Rover_Shaun]

I wondered why you were so dismissive of Bowyer and the playing staff we have now. You've not seen them play yet.

Seen them on telly and noticed it when they threw away every opportunity to force themself into the playoff reckoning.

Venkys are there, I'll give it a miss ta

[stanhillrover]

Its becoming clear that Venkys cannot do right for doing wrong in some peoples' eyes. Whatever course of action they take there will always be people criticising them and making accusations of foul play etc.

If they don't communicate with supporters they get criticised. They then write/sanction a letter which admits mistakes and reaffirms commitment to the club and people complain that it doesn't go far enough. If they attend games they get criticised, booed and have snowballs thrown at them. If they stay away they get criticised for taking no interest. Even if they had wanted to explain what had gone on in the past with Kean/Agnew/Anderson and co. it would be entirely unprofessional and probably illegal to put it in an official letter on the club website. For me at the moment this letter is a step forwards.

Maybe it was written by Alan Myers and 'signed off' by Venkys. So what? They are paying him good money for his 'expertise' in communications and it looks like they are taking his advice by putting this letter out. Nearly all letters/communications from club owners in the top two divisions will have had input or have been drafted by PR experts rather than the owners themselves. Hopefully this will lead to more frequent statements rather than once a year.

Lets cast our minds back to the early days when there was Mrs Desai appearing on Sky Sports talking about Ronaldinho and Beckham, or Venkatesh saying that the owners were 'confused'. I'd much prefer less of that embarrassment and more of the professional comments seen in this letter.

[Rover_Shaun]

We'll all know for sure come christmas. It's either happiness or panic

[Jimmy612]

Seen them on telly and noticed it when they threw away every opportunity to force themself into the playoff reckoning.

Venkys are there, I'll give it a miss ta

Seen what on tele? The 30 second clip on TFLS?

They're a young team, working hard for each other and for the fans, and they were thrown together in less than 12months. Give them a break.

Your choice - although to let your hate of the Venkys prevent you from enjoying watching these kids literally restore pride back into the club is a real shame.

[ABBEY]

, even if they were burnt at the bloody stake or stoned you would still complain,

I WOULD PAY TO WATCH THAT.

Its becoming clear that Venkys cannot do right for doing wrong in some peoples' eyes. Whatever course of action they take there will always be people criticising them and making accusations of foul play etc.

THE ONLY RIGHT THEY CAN DO IS LEAVING .

[Rover_Shaun]

Seen what on tele? The 30 second clip on TFLS?

They're a young team, working hard for each other and for the fans, and they were thrown together in less than 12months. Give them a break.

Your choice - although to let your hate of the Venkys prevent you from enjoying watching these kids literally restore pride back into the club is a real shame.

I'm sure you have forgotten the team has been live on TV on quite a few occassions this season.

Kids? LOL. Hardly. Not old men but still not kids.

You've been reading the Lancashire Myres Telegraph too much

Restoring pride? They've done OKish and nothing more and they've been well bloody paid for it. Don't build them up to be anything other than just ok. I heard far more negative superlatives than positive ones used to describe their performances on the radio last season from everyone from Garner to Gallacher.

I will return, maybe, in my own time. BUT (I never quite understood it when I heard it said in the past) I can see what people mean when they say "you lose the habit". After all that's all it is.

Though we are digressing from the Rao's empty hollow paint by numbers letter

[Jimmy612]

Apology ? Ha talk about twisting and manipulation .

Abbey can I ask, and this is a genuine question.

Putting this 'VENKYSCUM OUT' tirade aside, and assuming that Venkys will be here for the foreseeable future as is stated in the letter, what actions would you want them to take as owners of the football club?

Understanding that 'we are where we are' and no amount of tantrums and immaturity will change that, what do you want Venkys to do in the immediate future that you won't ridicule or pick at?

FYI I'm not saying this letter has really done anything for me. I see no harm in it but frankly I want action not lip service; promotion not promises.

I just think that your hatred for Venkys (and I understand your hatred) is really clouding your judgement on anything BRFC at the moment.

[Neil Weaver]

Read the letter and the first thing that struck me was 'bloody ell, Myers can put more than 140 characters together'. On the positive side, it's what he's paid (very well no doubt, by us remember) to do.

Handily for the Pune massive, it lowers our expectations for the likes of transfer activity with mentioning FFP.

[arbitro]

Some of you lot will never be satisfied, even if they were burnt at the bloody stake or stoned you would still complain, Whilst i am not advocating total compliance, at least there is something, there a letter signed by all the family, even if it was penned by our communications chappie, (isn't that what hes paid to do) they must have all agreed the content before signing off.

If you are satisfied with their 'apology' that is up to you. I am not and that is my right but don't try taking the moral high ground because you accept what is in the letter. As I have said ad nauseum until they name the people who have been complicit I will not be happy. I still get football fans from various clubs telling me how wrong we were to protest during Keans reign. The wider world needs to know what has gone on and until the Indians come clean it will not happen.

[Jimmy612]

I'm sure you have forgotten the team has been live on TV on quite a few occassions this season.

Kids? LOL. Restoring pride? They've done OKish and nothing more but been well bloody paid for it.

You've been reading the Lancashire Myres Telegraph too much

Derby, Burnley twice, Citeh twice, Wigern once..... I honestly don't know if there were any more - do please feel free to add to the six that I have listed. Not sure how that gives you a firm idea of the season overall but anyway.

I can't have the telegraph delivered as I live down Saaaaf and I have no intention of reading the website. No, I'm basing my opinion on what I have seen from the team that Bowyer has put together. Many of them are young kids that have been brought into a club literally on its knees this time last year. They appear to have bought in to what Bowyers wants to do and have responded well to it.

I think back to the overpaid mercenaries that have littered our squad and didn't give a @#/? about the club, and I am proud of the lot that we have now. They work hard for each other and they seem to love playing together (not that you''ll have seen the passion and energy first hand). It's certainly a far cry from the Charlatans that have darkened our door in the last 3 years.

Bloody well paid for it that old chestnut. They're footballers, they are fortunate enough to be in an industry worth billions of pounds, and I'm sure me, you and everyone else on this MB would be in it if we could. Just because they get paid a lot it doesn't mean they become superheroes. I see them play to the best of their ability every week, that's all we can ask of them. There's no passengers or shirkers in the squad that Bowyer is building.

For me, after the last 3 years I'd have given anything to watch a team that I felt genuinely cared about the club. Now we've got it and all you can do is cower behind your sky remote / keyboard instead of supporting a team that I am actually proud of.

[Rover_Shaun]

Cowering behind a remote? How droll. Like I'd ever pay Sky a dime.

"I see them play to the best of their ability every week"

A scan of the results suggest otherwise but I'll pardon your exaggeration, as yes the team are better than they were, but nothing more than OK. That's all I am saying. That may or may not improve this next season but by the festive season we'll have a better idea

However with the remainder of your post you have lost me as you've gone into the very dull and very predictable superfan mode. So I'll just say I'm pleased for you, even if you like to call adults in their 20's kids.

The end.

[thenodrog]

Open Letter:

Now that the season has ended, we would like to put on record our thanks to Gary Bowyer and the players for their hard work and dedication in what was a season of stability and one in which we could see real progress and promise for the future.

You the fans, too, have played a huge part in that and we want to say a special thank you for the support and commitment you have once again shown to Blackburn Rovers.

Many supporters have contacted us this season in recognition of the hard work and passion of the team and that has been welcomed.

Our family is fully aware of how difficult the past few years have been for everyone who has affection for our great club, we are deeply sorry we haven't, so far, been able to bring the success we all desire for Rovers.

That said, our commitment has and will not waiver. We have learned some very valuable and costly lessons in our quest to make you, the fans, happy and proud of Rovers and the desire to achieve our mutual dream will benefit from that.

In Gary Bowyer, we have a manager who wants to build a strong, talented team, one to get us back to the Premier League as soon as is possible.

We also feel that off the field, the management and staff is a committed and dedicated workforce, which will complement and support Gary and the players.

We, like many clubs, face the challenge of the impending Financial Fair Play rules and we will do all that is necessary to comply with that, whilst continuing to assist Gary in his pursuit of success.

We are truly thankful of the support you give to the manager and the team and we want to repay that by our continued commitment in Blackburn Rovers.

The club will be working hard throughout the summer on a number of initiatives in readiness for next season in order to make Ewood Park an exciting place to be.

We look forward to next season with great anticipation and excitement; in the meantime we trust you will have a fantastic and enjoyable summer.

Thank you

Anuradha J. Desai, Jitendra Desai,

Venkatesh Rao, Balaji Rao.

Much clearer if one 'reads' it with a scouse accent.

Just positive PR cos its ST sale time again. Nothing but positive news that it is perceived the fans want to hear is the aim. I notice the LT is fully in line too. Nothing at all wrong with it either, every club does it.

[IbizaRover]

"Our family is fully aware of how difficult the past few years have been for everyone who has affection for our great club, we are deeply sorry we haven’t, so far, been able to bring the success we all desire for Rovers.

That said, our commitment has and will not waiver. We have learned some very valuable and costly lessons in our quest to make you, the fans, happy and proud of Rovers and the desire to achieve our mutual dream will benefit from that."

Things that have happened in the past cannot be changed. The only way for things to be put back right is in THE FUTURE. They do not have an obligation to explain to us what happened behind closed doors at the club IN THE PAST. They have said they are comitted to us and will support the manager. Lets leave it at that and MOVE FORWARD. There is no point dwelling on the past as, like I said, these things cannot be changed. So lets all move FORWARD, as a unit, and cheer our team back into the big time. Its that simple

[rog of the rovers]

Nice letter.

A start and a step in the right direction.

The last couple of months have been the most positive since Venkys took over, hopefully we can carry that into next season!

[K-Hod]

Cowering behind a remote? Like I'd ever pay Sky a dime.

"I see them play to the best of their ability every week"

A scan of the results suggest otherwise but I'll pardon your exaggeration as yes the team are better than they were but nothing more than OK. That's all I am saying

However with the remainder of your post you have lost me now as you've gone into the very dull and very predictable superfan mode. So I'll just say I'm pleased for you, even if you like to call adults in their 20's kids.

The end.

Edit. Why bother?

[roversR4ever]

Ok I suppose its a start. An acknowledgement they have made mistakes.

In some ways its a sign that things are being done differently at the club than the first few horrendous years.

They have recently been employing people more experienced in football clubs. There is no doubt that this is PR from our new comms guy, but it also means that on the surface they are listening to people they employ.

They are letting Bowyer get on with the football side. There does now seem to be no in fighting between management, no dodgy advisors (well that does appear to be the case).

With the financial mess they have created there does seem now to be an attempt to get rid of a lot of the high earners who weren't contributing over the previous season (after the previous bold one got rid of all the high earners who were contributing or capable of contributing but saw through the bold one). Bowyer has chosen in the main to go down the path of getting younger players on much lower wages - a good number have been decent but with this approach you will always get some who prove not quite good enough and we will see those depart this summer no doubt.

This does mean in theory that the losses we are making will reduce as we see a number of the players hopefully go that Bowyer deems surplus (its quite shocking when you actually look at the list of players we have on our books including the ones we loaned out)

Of course the elephant in the room is the financial mess the club is in. We cant tell how much a difference its making getting the high earners off the books and importantly we don't know how many of them can be got off the books this summer.

How are they going to service the massive debt? What happens if and when ffp kicks in - possibly this January with an embargo on signing players.

Is the only way out of the mess promotion? Just one year in the prem would be enough to clear the mess - even if we get relegated the increased size of the payments would be enough. What happens if we don't get promoted which as we all know is bloody tough in this league - yes we look in a better position team wise than we did at the start of last season - even with the same playing staff but a bit better luck injury wise in theory that would mean at least play offs.

Until we have a better understanding of the financial mess the club is in and how they plan to deal with it then I like many will be reserved with my optimism.

I do though like and rate Bowyer. For me he seems to know the type of players character wise and it appears quality wise as well, to build a team in this league. Yes tactically he has a lot to learn but for me he knows the 1st team he wants to put out when everyone is fit and its one capable at least of a play off position. IF (big if) at lot of the players he wont use are moved on along with a few he did sign who didn't quite work (though they at least tried and worked hard to succeed) and that allows him to get a few more in this summer then we may have a chance of promotion. Which on paper it seems is the only way out of the mess.

[Rover_Shaun]

Edit. Why bother?

I'm happy some fans have found their mojo. We are not all the same. I've not been boggle eyed and mad but stated my opinion. I hope the team does well this season but I have my reservations.

But it seem hypocrisy is the order of the day as I am sure I read "certain posters" denegrating the profligation of shouting down others and using short sharp sarcastic one liners.

If we are discussing old chestuts It also seems that we are back to that old territory of "only those who attend can offer an opinion"

Seems the Rao's are alone in having to practice what they preach

[otto man]

No mention of why they got us into a mess, no specifics about Allardyce, Finn or Williams. No mention of Anderson, Kean, Singh, Kentaro. That is what I want to hear them talk about so the wider world knows exactly what has gone on.

Probably the most insincere 'apology' I have ever read. And yet once again we have people fawning over them and accepting their token words which in reality were probably penned by their spin doctor.

When were you ever given any such"specifics" from the Walker Trust? How about?..... Never! And from what I can see no one is "fawning over them", simply giving credit where it's due.

[EgyptianPete]

I WOULD PAY TO WATCH THAT.

THE ONLY RIGHT THEY CAN DO IS LEAVING .

How did i guess you would comment like you did. same old same old, never mind, one day eh.

[Jimmy612]

Cowering behind a remote? How droll. Like I'd ever pay Sky a dime.

"I see them play to the best of their ability every week"

A scan of the results suggest otherwise but I'll pardon your exaggeration, as yes the team are better than they were, but nothing more than OK. That's all I am saying. That may or may not improve this next season but by the festive season we'll have a better idea

However with the remainder of your post you have lost me as you've gone into the very dull and very predictable superfan mode. So I'll just say I'm pleased for you, even if you like to call adults in their 20's kids.

The end.

Ha - sky comment made me laugh. Okay so you watch at the pub and hide behind your pint?

Yes, best of their ability does not always mean 'play at their best', it means they never can't be arsed, they never lack effort. If you've ever played football in your life you'll understand that some days it just doesn't happen for you. You can't get a rhythm and the ball bounces off you etc etc. When I talk about best of their ability I mean 'they give their all for the cause'.

I agree, by Christmas we'll know more, although I'm very quietly confident that we can have a good start, and am very much looking forward to it all getting underway again.

No superfan mode in the post above, just honest assessment of the side we have now.

[AllRoverAsia]

I assume the ''Open Letter'' first appeared on the Rovers website as ''A message to the fans'' a title which puts its contents into perspective.

http://www.rovers.co.uk/news/article/a-message-to-the-fans-1568107.aspx

It is not an open letter of apology so a bit of a plus to Myers for getting their names on anything that contains the words ''we are sorry''.

As others have said its just PR.

It they wrote a full apology it would be the size of a Stephen King novel and just as scary.

[RibbleValleyRover]

It's an acknowledgement of some of the mistakes and past bad decision making but not an apology whatsoever. A detailed apology would have been nice but I guess this is better than nothing.

I don't think they have learned from past mistakes, not with the current manager in charge.