[Archived] Rhodes Wants To Leave

[Gav]

The Walker family didn't sub us for 20 years and 10 after Jack died.

Jack Walker subbed us using his personal wealth for about 13 years. Then when he was nearing the end of his life he set up a trust fund to manage his various business interests and wealth, which amounted to hundreds of millions of pounds and included a large scale airline and Premier League football club.

The money in that fund was his, the businesses were his. He instructed those in the trust to manage those interests after he had died. The trust had no say in the matter. They were paid by Jack Walker to do it. It wasn't his family making the decisions. It was his lawyers and associates who he had brought into his empire who were tasked with running things properly after his death.

I remember quite clearly that Jack Walker, before he died, made assurances that the trust fund he was setting up would ensure that it would be business as usual for the forseeable future beyond his death. That meant running his businesses successfully and in the case of Rovers investing money from other areas into the football club.

I reiterate that these people on the trust didn't have a choice. It shouldnt have mattered whether or not they had a passion for football or the club or whether they agreed with funding the club using profits from elsewhere. They had to do as Jack had instructed. Full stop.

I'm sure Jack's instructions weren't to offload the club to the first people willing to pay what they wanted. Let a group of Indian poultry people through the door and leave them to run the club as long as they were prepared to pay the going rate.

You can dress it up all you like. The fact is that the Trust was in place to ensure that the club was in good hands in the long term, and ultimately the Trust has failed in its objective by selling Jack's club to a group of people not fit or proper to own a football club.

I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall though, because most people will never accept that the Trust have any responsibility or blame for the situation this club is in. The reality is that if it had been a lifelong Rovers fan in talks about selling to Venkys then they probably wouldn't have got anywhere near buying the club. I certainly wouldn't have even got round a table with them if it was Jerome Anderson leading their bid.

I know that whatever they promised as a Rovers fan I wouldn't have sold the club to a group of people with no interest or experience in football. But I'm a Rovers fan who wants the best for the club so I would have thoroughly vetted anyone wanting to buy it.

Meanwhile the Walker trust had a choice between Ahsan Ali Syed and Venkys and were more than happy to take their £20 million and clear off into the sunset without a care in the world for what happened to Jack Walker's club.

It's shameful.

Sorry but your post is simply not true.

Its simple this selling of football clubs, find a buyer, preferably billionaires, see if they have the money, see if they have successful businesses, see if they really exist, if they fulfill this criteria to buy a small cotton town football club then sell sell sell.

Jack Walker and his team would have sold to Venkys also if the need arose, why? because on paper they look the real deal.

Move in, its not the trusts fault.

[RevidgeBlue]

The Walker family didn't sub us for 20 years and 10 after Jack died.

Jack Walker subbed us using his personal wealth for about 13 years. Then when he was nearing the end of his life he set up a trust fund to manage his various business interests and wealth, which amounted to hundreds of millions of pounds and included a large scale airline and Premier League football club.

The money in that fund was his, the businesses were his. He instructed those in the trust to manage those interests after he had died. The trust had no say in the matter. They were paid by Jack Walker to do it. It wasn't his family making the decisions. It was his lawyers and associates who he had brought into his empire who were tasked with running things properly after his death.

I remember quite clearly that Jack Walker, before he died, made assurances that the trust fund he was setting up would ensure that it would be business as usual for the forseeable future beyond his death. That meant running his businesses successfully and in the case of Rovers investing money from other areas into the football club.

I reiterate that these people on the trust didn't have a choice. It shouldnt have mattered whether or not they had a passion for football or the club or whether they agreed with funding the club using profits from elsewhere. They had to do as Jack had instructed. Full stop.

I'm sure Jack's instructions weren't to offload the club to the first people willing to pay what they wanted. Let a group of Indian poultry people through the door and leave them to run the club as long as they were prepared to pay the going rate.

You can dress it up all you like. The fact is that the Trust was in place to ensure that the club was in good hands in the long term, and ultimately the Trust has failed in its objective by selling Jack's club to a group of people not fit or proper to own a football club.

I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall though, because most people will never accept that the Trust have any responsibility or blame for the situation this club is in. The reality is that if it had been a lifelong Rovers fan in talks about selling to Venkys then they probably wouldn't have got anywhere near buying the club. I certainly wouldn't have even got round a table with them if it was Jerome Anderson leading their bid.

I know that whatever they promised as a Rovers fan I wouldn't have sold the club to a group of people with no interest or experience in football. But I'm a Rovers fan who wants the best for the club so I would have thoroughly vetted anyone wanting to buy it.

Meanwhile the Walker trust had a choice between Ahsan Ali Syed and Venkys and were more than happy to take their £20 million and clear off into the sunset without a care in the world for what happened to Jack Walker's club.

It's shameful.

Excellent post JH.

I think however you're getting slightly confused with who was making the decisions. For "Trust" read "Family" even though there may have been one or two of Jack's Business Associates who were Trustees. The other thing I would disagree with is the bit in bold. As Trustees they SHOULD have been legally obliged to follow Jack's wishes but didn't when it suited them or they thought it best. John Willians admitted to the Fans Forum that they hadn't gone along with Jack's wishes on a number of occasions. An example would be the redevelopment of the Riverside, or in later years no doubt in the funding of the Club. I very much doubt Jack's will contained instructions to cut the Club off without a penny in 2007 (or whenever it was) or to cut Blackburn Rovers' funding off and then spend money being the shirt sponsors of one of our direct rivals. (Flybe and Birmingham City) I'd imagine Jack would be spinning in his grave at the way they treated us before (after many years of trying) they finally managed to find a buyer.

I do have a bit of sympathy with the sale to Venky's if Nick Harris's recent revelations about the V's having paper worth of 4 billion and liquid assets of 400m are correct. Even though they had no previous experience of running a sports franchise. You'd assume wouldn't you that selling to someone that wealthy would leave the Club in good hands forever and a day. You wouldn't assume that they'd sack Allardyce after a few months with all the consequences flowing therefrom. Even though the conspiracy theorists would have you believe Andy Cole knew all about it.

[Coatbridge rover]

Sorry but your post is simply not true.

your a dreamer Jack would never have sold the rovers.

Its simple this selling of football clubs, find a buyer, preferably billionaires, see if they have the money, see if they have successful businesses, see if they really exist, if they fulfill this criteria to buy a small cotton town football club then sell sell sell.

Jack Walker and his team would have sold to Venkys also if the need arose, why? because on paper they look the real deal.

Move in, its not the trusts fault.

Jack would never never never sold to the shisters.

[Gav]

Jack would never never never sold to the shisters.

Jack wouldn't have know they were shysters, that's the point

[Roverall]

Gav you are you right on with the comments re Jack Walker and the sense if obligation.

Through all the bleating of the Venkys accepters and the cowardice to act (masked as sophisticated pragmatism) ask yourself this:

Would Jack Walker put up with this s###?

[Coatbridge rover]

Jack knew business and he would have smelt a rat,Anderson a mile off.

[Gav]

Yes maybe, we'd never have been looking for buyers.

Venkys looked ok on paper, too good to be true? Maybe, we should have smelt a rat but I don't blame the Trust.

[Coatbridge rover]

Yes maybe, we'd never have been looking for buyers.

Venkys looked ok on paper, too good to be true? Maybe, we should have smelt a rat but I don't blame the Trust.

Indian business men should have been enough are you and drog twins.

[Gav]

Indian business men should have been enough are you and drog twins.

You remind me of a bad nightmare that's reoccurring, can't quite put my finger on it.

Me and Gordon twins! Next you'll be saying Jimmys my nephew......

[Rover_Shaun]

Thenodrog or MG Road. Blurrrrrrred lines

[Gav]

Thenodrog or MG Road. Blurrrrrrred lines

Court case coming

[tomphil]

Jack knew business and he would have smelt a rat,Anderson a mile off.

Remember that TV interview with Alan Sugar and Anderson. Certainly no love lost there. Jack in his pomp would have tied Anderson in knots.

[Pedro]

The Walker family subbed us for 20 years and 10 after Jack died. That's way more than enough for any individual benefactor. Why should they be ashamed when one considers the magnificent Ewood Park stadium built with their money in comparison to the decrepit dump they inherited? How about 20 years at the top table subsidised with their legacy? Forget Jack's family because with gates falling and revenue crashing it's the support base who aren't doing our bit and the support base who are letting Jacks work go to the dogs.

If I were Jack looking down I'd be damned glad my kids got out of the asylum. He would seriously worry for them if they were still holding the reins. For evidence look no further than the debt built up here and 10miles away at Bolton. Consider 2nd rate players like ALF commanding 16kpw and Rhodes on 40kpw whilst funding the millionaire lifestyles of flakes like Murphy, Best, Etohu, Orr and worst of all being swindled for millions by those two shysters. The way it has panned out now the Walkers couldn't have afforded to stay in the game. They did right.

Are they your true thoughts or just a bit of a misguided and out of touch with reality rant?

[Damien]

Do we have any further developments regarding Rhodes Kamy?

Are there any ITK who have heard, read or seen anything that can give us an indication of where this merry-go-round is going to stop?

We have only a few more day until kick off against wolves and I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that Rhodes won't play... With another convinient phantom injury.

[Stuart]

I could well see this rumbling on for the rest of the month.

[thenodrog]

No, not at all. I just don't quite get why 'our place' in the football world is to occupy a mid-table second division slot whilst signing players purely to develop before selling a short while later to anyone who offers a profit on what we paid, even if the clubs making the offers are like us - second division clubs with nothing going for them that we don't.

I don't accept that when footballing powerhouses like Middlesbrough come along that we should just shrug our shoulders and accept a bid from them for one of our best players because 'that's where we are' or 'that's what we've become now'. If Middlesbrough are able to throw millions around like confetti then I don't accept we are destined for 20 years of struggling to pay the milkman.

I've already said that the debt situation is virtually irrelevant in relation to signing/selling players providing the owners are willing to keep it interest free and don't demand its repayment. It certainly doesn't have any relevance in terms of FUP.

All this talk about us 'reverting back' to what we were in the 1970's and 80's is frankly nonsense. The world and football has moved on. The money on offer for promotion alone means all clubs have to aim for it and spend to achieve it. Not just accept our place because that's where we were before Jack Walker came along. The last 25 years have changed this club beyond recognition and we must not simply ignore it and identify the 70's and 80's as being the best we can aspire to otherwise. Sometimes I think some Rovers fans look back at that era with a level of fondness as the 'good old days' and are far more comfortable with us being a club that regularly offloads its best players, even to rivals in the same division.

You should accept it because it's precisely because we threw money around like confetti on bad players and stupid relegation proof contracts that we are in this position now that the Premier League riches have dried up. Who knows in 3 years Boro's milkman might be skint too.

[chaddyrovers]

According to today's Sun Paper that Rovers wont sell Rhodes to Boro

[Kamy100]

Rhodes situation is the same as it was last week.

Boro have not been back with another bid yet and the owners (Mrs D) have declined the opportunity to talk directly with Gibson. I suspect that the owners are not happy with the behaviour of Boro and as I said a couple of weeks ago they haven't in the past been pressurised by player power. You have to remember that Venky's are from a different culture, they view everyone at Rovers as employees and in Indian culture the owners are very rarely challenged by the employees.

[chris_h]

Rhodes situation is the same as it was last week.

Boro have not been back with another bid yet and the owners (Mrs D) have declined the opportunity to talk directly with Gibson. I suspect that the owners are not happy with the behaviour of Boro and as I said a couple of weeks ago they haven't in the past been pressurised by player power. You have to remember that Venky's are from a different culture, they view everyone at Rovers as employees and in Indian culture the owners are very rarely challenged by the employees.

Cheers. I doubt many of Venks employees are 25 year old millionaires but good luck to them!

[thenodrog]

The Walker family didn't sub us for 20 years and 10 after Jack died.

Jack Walker subbed us using his personal wealth for about 13 years. Then when he was nearing the end of his life he set up a trust fund to manage his various business interests and wealth, which amounted to hundreds of millions of pounds and included a large scale airline and Premier League football club.

The money in that fund was his, the businesses were his. He instructed those in the trust to manage those interests after he had died. The trust had no say in the matter. They were paid by Jack Walker to do it. It wasn't his family making the decisions. It was his lawyers and associates who he had brought into his empire who were tasked with running things properly after his death.

I remember quite clearly that Jack Walker, before he died, made assurances that the trust fund he was setting up would ensure that it would be business as usual for the forseeable future beyond his death. That meant running his businesses successfully and in the case of Rovers investing money from other areas into the football club.

I reiterate that these people on the trust didn't have a choice. It shouldnt have mattered whether or not they had a passion for football or the club or whether they agreed with funding the club using profits from elsewhere. They had to do as Jack had instructed. Full stop.

I'm sure Jack's instructions weren't to offload the club to the first people willing to pay what they wanted. Let a group of Indian poultry people through the door and leave them to run the club as long as they were prepared to pay the going rate.

You can dress it up all you like. The fact is that the Trust was in place to ensure that the club was in good hands in the long term, and ultimately the Trust has failed in its objective by selling Jack's club to a group of people not fit or proper to own a football club.

I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall though, because most people will never accept that the Trust have any responsibility or blame for the situation this club is in. The reality is that if it had been a lifelong Rovers fan in talks about selling to Venkys then they probably wouldn't have got anywhere near buying the club. I certainly wouldn't have even got round a table with them if it was Jerome Anderson leading their bid.

I know that whatever they promised as a Rovers fan I wouldn't have sold the club to a group of people with no interest or experience in football. But I'm a Rovers fan who wants the best for the club so I would have thoroughly vetted anyone wanting to buy it.

Meanwhile the Walker trust had a choice between Ahsan Ali Syed and Venkys and were more than happy to take their £20 million and clear off into the sunset without a care in the world for what happened to Jack Walker's club.

It's shameful.

Jack did this, Jack did that, You appear to have totally forgotten that Fred survived him.

[den]

Rhodes situation is the same as it was last week.

Boro have not been back with another bid yet and the owners (Mrs D) have declined the opportunity to talk directly with Gibson. I suspect that the owners are not happy with the behaviour of Boro and as I said a couple of weeks ago they haven't in the past been pressurised by player power. You have to remember that Venky's are from a different culture, they view everyone at Rovers as employees and in Indian culture the owners are very rarely challenged by the employees.

If the situation remains deadlocked, then assuming Borough still want him and he wants to go, Rhodes is going to have to make it happen from his end. Is he capable? I think he is.

[Kamy100]

Cheers. I doubt many of Venks employees are 25 year old millionaires but good luck to them!

That is part of the problem, Venky's haven't adjusted their working practices.

John Williams and Tom Finn for example were prepared to challenge the owners and they quickly decided (with a little bit of help from you know who) to get rid of them.

[chris_h]

That is part of the problem, Venky's haven't adjusted their working practices.

John Williams and Tom Finn for example were prepared to challenge the owners and they quickly decided (with a little bit of help from you know who) to get rid of them.

They plough money into the pitch, the academy and ticketing and employ a bloke to oversee it who only comes in for a day and half a week. They lose over £100m yet make no attempt to learn English football culture.

You couldn't make it up!

[thenodrog]

Jack would never never never sold to the shisters.

How do you know that for goodness sake? The Trust employed Rothschilds to run the rule over possible buyers. Rothchilds must have OK'd the venkys financial situation and business record but let be honest no one has a crystal ball do they? Without them we might have had that crook Saeed or the other dodgepot Shah in charge.

Also for what it's worth (apart from possibly one) none of Jack or Fred's children had the slightest interest in either football or BRFC. Look at it the other way around. If some wealthy relative of mine had owned a US ice hockey team, had been heavily subsidising it and had dies leaving it and a few million to me I'd off load it like a shot.

Are they your true thoughts or just a bit of a misguided and out of touch with reality rant?

Pretty sure my post was completely in touch with reality. It's you (and paul) that is detached from it.

[arbitro]

That is part of the problem, Venky's haven't adjusted their working practices.

John Williams and Tom Finn for example were prepared to challenge the owners and they quickly decided (with a little bit of help from you know who) to get rid of them.

So in other words Kamy they would rather have yes men like Kean, Agnew, Shaw and Bowyer. Surely in their other business areas they listen to advice from people far more qualified than they are.

Their arrogance astounds me.