[Archived] Gary Bowyer

[Parsonblue]

Parson, your post, like bowyer comes across as arrogant and off-putting. To me there are several problems with this:

1 it suggest fans have no right to complain and/or not attend.

2 it implies these people don't care about the club - in some cases correctly but in others it is because they care and are hurting deeply

3 it's off-putting and makes them feel not included - we need fair weather fans (and as above I'm not sure all this staying away are fair weather fans)

4 often the process goes from fair weather to committed over time - you're ignoring a key way of developing our fanbase.

5 Rovers are still scarred from Kean blaming the fans- comments like this only revisit past hurt.

But hey, if it makes you feel superior that's all ok! I think Rovers have forgotten that they have to offer something to attract fans. Winnings a key part of this bit fans feeling valued goes a long way and covers over poor results and difficult times. Rovers would do well to remember that.

At the end of the day you either choose to support your local club or you don't. Far too many folk only want to give their support in the good games - jump on the bandwagon and then jump off when things get tough. Support doesn't have to come with strings attached. For too many it's a case of I'll give my support to the club if they do this or if they do that. Personally, I think the club have done a huge amount for fans simply by keeping ticket prices down.

[AllRoverAsia]

For many of us he is absolutely bang on the money. Attend games like Liverpool and Burnley and then disappear until the next big game comes along. I know the fair weather fans don't like that sort of talk but it is true and that's what probably annoys them.

Where the hell is the DISLIKE button when it's needed

[Hasta]

I'll admit, totally unecessery comment there from bowyer in the wake of a good away performance and result.. Can understand his annoyance, but should keep a lid on it really..

Wonder if he can understand my annoyance of having a useless manager for the last 2.5 seasons. He's lucky that I don't have friendly media outlets to spout off at him.

Maybe if HE performed then people would come. After all it is meant to be a leisure activity or a form of entertainment. He's just relying on blind loyalty.

Every club has a number of fans which attend when things are going well and not when things are tough. When something is at stake, for example a push for promotion or a chance to get into the play offs/wembley, then of course people will attend in bigger numbers. Even people who attend every game look forward to those games more.

The problem is that most games are seen to the casual, floating fan as pointless end-of-season affairs at the moment. There is no belief we can get into the playoffs. There is nothing at stake. When you end up 10 points off the playoffs in October then home games are like end of season dead rubbers. If Bowyer wants to change that then he needs to do one of two things - win more matches or resign.

[Mattyblue]

That's a ridiculous thing for a manager to say and I can't believe you are defending it Parson.

It's the old 'I'd rather have 8000 proper fans in than a load of part timers' stuff you hear, well I wouldn't and it's up to the club- including the manager, to put on a product to get lapsed fans back, not call on them to crawl back under rocks!

Just imagine senior employees in other business or indeed other football clubs coming out with such statements about potential patrons.

[Hasta]

In fact the more I think about it, the more Keanesque it is. The comments of a man saying what he really thinks because he is almost bulletproof.

[Blue blood]

At the end of the day you either choose to support your local club or you don't. Far too many folk only want to give their support in the good games - jump on the bandwagon and then jump off when things get tough. Support doesn't have to come with strings attached. For too many it's a case of I'll give my support to the club if they do this or if they do that. Personally, I think the club have done a huge amount for fans simply by keeping ticket prices down.

Doesn't feel like you engaged with any of the points I made! I even said it's not fully about results at all. Good point on ticket prices but in doing so you acknowledge being valued is key to supporters and Bowyer's latest comments certainly don't value, they insult.

Feel there's a massive blinkered viewpoint that you support unquestioningly and always attend or you don't support the club. I wonder why you come on the mb (though really value your match report) when you hold seemingly so little regard for many "fans" who aren't of the unquestioning all attending viewpoint.

Thanks ARA for putting the quote on. Seems pretty indefensible to me.

[AllRoverAsia]

That's a ridiculous thing for a manager to say and I can't believe you are defending it Parson.

It's the old 'I'd rather have 8000 proper fans in than a load of part timers' stuff you hear, well I wouldn't and it's up to the club- including the manager, to put on a product to get lapsed fans back, not call on them to crawl back under rocks!

Just imagine senior employees in other business or indeed other football clubs coming out with such statements about potential patrons.

I hope Bowyer's comments make it into the LT and Radio Lancs so that as many fans & potential fans as possible can see what a jumped up no-mark we have as manager.

One away win and he thinks he's cracked it. Idiot.

[JAL]

In fact the more I think about it, the more Keanesque it is. The comments of a man saying what he really thinks because he is almost bulletproof.

I look forward to hearing the responses from the supporters who just came out for the Burnley game.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Erm the attendance for the Burnley game was:

19,897 (4,723 away)

I don't see a big influx of these stone dwellers attending for one game so what the hell is the manager talking about?

Disgraceful comments and would be by any manager.

[Tom]

For many of us he is absolutely bang on the money. Attend games like Liverpool and Burnley and then disappear until the next big game comes along. I know the fair weather fans don't like that sort of talk but it is true and that's what probably annoys them.

I've got to say I don't mind his comments too much, daft to make maybe but I see nothing at all wrong with fans picking and choosing when to come either.

I applaud the commitment and effort of the hardcore but I don't see supporting a team as a duty, I have a season ticket but nearly didn't renew this year due to a lack of enjoyment last season, in fact it was pretty dull often.

There's an onus on the manager and team to want to entice people back, a good win against Burnley may have encouraged a few of those people to pick up a half season ticket.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I think his comments are ill-judged - but I wonder what has prompted them ?

[Hasta]

I look forward to hearing the responses from the supporters who just came out for the Burnley game.

You mean other than "it's against burnley so there was something at stake - local pride"

[Amo]

Of course it matters. This is what gets the "messageboard ambience" thread all riled up. While some prat somewhere is cocking his side's laughing at their own "genius".

Trolling and 'WUMing' are subjective.

More to the point, if you think he's a looking for a reaction, why give him one? Seems counterintuitive to me.

[AllRoverAsia]

Just noticed that I cannot access the 'Posting Guidelines' at page bottom right.

[Pedro]

What he is suggesting is that any boos or shouts that he deems to be negative are from part time, big game fans. Well, that's bull. The shouts of "Bowyer, sort it out" when Delfouneso had been on 15 mins too long (some might suggest 80mins) were from people I have seen put up with tactical ineptitude and mediocrity for many years. Very bad and smug angle of attack Gary.

[Amo]

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34676255

"There was a lot of emotion attached to Saturday's defeat," he added. "It's nearly Halloween and you see people coming out for the ground you haven't seen for 18 months. They'll probably go back in and hide under the stone for another couple of games, but that's just part and parcel of football."

He's effectively calling Fans spooks and stone-dwellers FFS

You really think that this is the way for Bowyer to win friends and influence people? BUNKUM BULL-@#/?

If he said that to me he'd be in the f'ing ground. I'm finished with the r-unt.

Those are disgraceful comments from our "manager". Worse than anything Kean ever said.

[Tom]

Those quotes are worse than I thought; why on earth has he come out with that?

[RibbleValleyRover]

A manager turning on fans even if it is warranted on the rare occasions doesn't usually end well at pretty much any football club, but Rovers isn't a normal football club...

[den]

A manager turning on fans even if it is warranted on the rare occasions doesn't usually end well at pretty much any football club, but Rovers isn't a normal football club...

It won't matter here. Nobody cares. He doesn't give a stuff for the fans, only for himself. Did Kean ever say worse?

[AllRoverAsia]

Those quotes are worse than I thought; why on earth has he come out with that?

Thanks Tom. I was a bit surprised with your earlier post. No one likes being told they only come out at Halloween and live under a stone, although it's true in Bumley

It's time to bombard Myers with Bowyer's comments on Fans and ask is this part of a new 'communicating with fans' initiative.

I've spent £1,000 on Rovers over the years, FFS I had a ST throughout most of the 70s & 80s, and I've treated large family parties to JW tickets a time or 2 a year most years since when back in UK plus Rovers Store/ Rovers Player purchases. I'm not being spoken to or about like that by that tw-t Bowyer. He can shove it where the sun don't shine.

[Mattyblue]

He's a canny bloke Bowyer, he knows that with a large section of the remaining match going fans, those kind of comments will go down well.

Parson and his group, a lot of lads I know from Ewood Blues and others will lap this kind of comment up, 'yeah part timers, get behind the club', we saw it at the Q&A.

They same the same when we take a big away following, 'I bet they won't be at Reading on Tuesday'

It's small time stuff and I hate it, like I hate seeing an empty Ewood Park, but Bowyer has realised that it is the rump of match going fans he needs to keep happy, create a siege mentality and bugger getting anyone else back.

[perthblue02]

Presume his comments are part of the forthcoming push for promotion half season tickets campaign? Sounding like the campaign is off to a great start

[tomphil]

It's all designed for Pune again but as mentioned he must have had a bit of grief from some to come out with comments like that. It certainly isn't going to encourage a part timer if he already isn't keen on the manager to come back again. Thing is it probably came across at the fans forum I think, he is close to an element of our support and he's almost speaking as they speak, we see it on here regularly and we heard it there.

Such a small club small village mentality exists at Ewood now it seems.

He's a canny bloke Bowyer, he knows that with a large section of the remaining match going fans, those kind of comments will go down well.

Parson and his group, a lot of lads I know from Ewood Blues and others will lap this kind of comment up, 'yeah part timers, get behind the club', we saw it at the Q&A.

They same the same when we take a big away following, 'I bet they won't be at Reading on Tuesday'

It's small time stuff and I hate it, like I hate seeing an empty Ewood Park, but Bowyer has realised that it is the rump of match going fans he needs to keep happy, create a siege mentality and bugger getting anyone else back.

Beat me to the punch there chief, totally agree. They've got their little cartel old boys club together now running the show and cosy up to the right group of fans. The same blinkered tosspots who we're running around supporting coco, wonder just how this unconditional support actually gets kept onside

[martonrover]

Couldn't believe what I was reading. All he's done is aggravated people even more. Totally uncalled for. Cannot stand him.

[joey_big_nose]

Crazy comments. Wow.

Maybe the motivation is that it plays well with Pune? With the grief they (deservedly) got they might like the manager giving some back. Probably just thin skin and pettiness however.

Totally the wrong route to go down, to be honest he hasn't even been attacked that much by the fans. I'd say he has got off pretty lightly considering where we are in the table.

Hope its not a sign of things to come.