[Archived] Possible Futures

[Gav]

I'll put you down as a 3. then?

Put me down as them leaving by any means possible, with debt, without debt, light bulbs left in the boardroom or they can take them also, I don't care as long as they just go.

[Bucksrover]

The only hope I can see - is that we get a manager who is great with youth players, we accelerate bringing youth players through and get very lucky that such a side keeps us in the championship as they develop.

A team full of rovers academy graduates may get a few fans back (I would keep making the journey for that - at least you would get commitment and energy)

[Ewood Spark]

The only hope I can see - is that we get a manager who is great with youth players, we accelerate bringing youth players through and get very lucky that such a side keeps us in the championship as they develop.

A team full of rovers academy graduates may get a few fans back (I would keep making the journey for that - at least you would get commitment and energy)

I was at Stamford Bridge the other week watching the U21's in the Youth Cup semi-final... yes we got beat ... but we competed. The other semi-final was Man Citeh v Arsenal. Clearly not everything is going wrong at the club.

[gumboots]

So as long as we compete it doesn't matter if we get beat? We're back at Bowyers right good go. Playing kids from the academy is not the way to go unless you introduce one or two alongside experienced pros who know how to organise, defend, encourage etc. I haven't seen the u21s play but the u18s looked lost against Chelsea kids. How would they look against some of the tough guys who know how to play in this league? You can't rely on kids to do it for you. Most of ours really aren't very good.

[Claytons Left Boot]

Option 7. I don't give a flying one what happens, let's get in bed with the Venky's.

There is a French version of Ewood Spark called Vichy Spark.

There is a Norwegian version of Ewood Spark called Quisling Spark.

Venky's out!

Let's hope options 1 or 2 prevail but I'm sure that with our passive fan base it will be option 5.

Twenty years from now the Clarettes will still be taking the p!ss out of us.

Venky's out!

[Ewood Spark]

So as long as we compete it doesn't matter if we get beat? We're back at Bowyers right good go. Playing kids from the academy is not the way to go unless you introduce one or two alongside experienced pros who know how to organise, defend, encourage etc. I haven't seen the u21s play but the u18s looked lost against Chelsea kids. How would they look against some of the tough guys who know how to play in this league? You can't rely on kids to do it for you. Most of ours really aren't very good.

My mistake ... I put U21's ... I meant U18's. Back to your point ... of course they are not all ready to compete for first team places ... but some are. We are very fortunate to have a first class Acadamy ... it gives us an edge over similar sized clubs ... I wouldn't want to put that at risk.

Option 7. I don't give a flying one what happens, let's get in bed with the Venky's.

There is a French version of Ewood Spark called Vichy Spark.

There is a Norwegian version of Ewood Spark called Quisling Spark.

Venky's out!

Let's hope options 1 or 2 prevail but I'm sure that with our passive fan base it will be option 5.

Twenty years from now the Clarettes will still be taking the p!ss out of us.

Venky's out!

Tried to decipher it ... I'll call it a 3.

[gumboots]

Who from that u18 team looks anywhere near first team ready? They didn't do very well against Luton in the previous round!

[Ewood Spark]

I think Tomlinson has what it takes ... but that isn't my point. The fact is that we have once again risen to the top with the big boys at youth level ... surely this means that something good is happening down at Brockhall .... this could be our future.

[Stuart]

I was at Stamford Bridge the other week watching the U21's in the Youth Cup semi-final... yes we got beat ... but we competed. The other semi-final was Man Citeh v Arsenal. Clearly not everything is going wrong at the club.

So your point is that the future looks bright?

How many of those young lads will make the first team? How many will be sold for decent money? How many will come of age and be released?

The problem we have is that there might not be much of a future at this rate. The potato crop has been poor, disease ridden and harvested next to nothing. The plough is broken, the best horse has bolted and the ground is no longer fertile, and we can't afford to replace any of them. Oh, and the folks who own the farm are clueless, ignorant and live thousands of miles away - and don't care.

Then half of our previous customers are off carbohydrates these days anyway and the other half can't pay for a full yield even if one were possible.

But we have a packet of seeds on a shelf that are in reasonable nick?

[Gav]

My mistake ... I put U21's ... I meant U18's. Back to your point ... of course they are not all ready to compete for first team places ... but some are. We are very fortunate to have a first class Acadamy ... it gives us an edge over similar sized clubs ... I wouldn't want to put that at risk.

Absolutely nothing to do with Venkys being here or not, in fact we had the academy downgraded not to long ago under their watch, just another example of incompetence.

You're as passionate as any Rovers fan I know, you'll be hurting as much as the rest of us.

We need them out, face the consequences and move on, simple as that.

[47er]

I'll put you down as a 3. then?

This statement alone confirms that we will be on opposite sides of the barricade. These are the noises a of a club killer. You may yearn for a new start, ground sharing with Darwen at the Anchor with "Rovers of Blackburn 2016" ... but believe me ... there are enough Blackburn Rovers (1875) fans out there who do not share your little fantasy, and will ensure it never comes to fruition.

We don't need Venkys then?

[K-Hod]

Absolutely nothing to do with Venkys being here or not, in fact we had the academy downgraded not to long ago under their watch, just another example of incompetence.

You're as passionate as any Rovers fan I know, you'll be hurting as much as the rest of us.

We need them out, face the consequences and move on, simple as that.

I hate the owners as much as anyone, but hasn't the academy been made a category 1 in the last few years?

[47er]

I was at Stamford Bridge the other week watching the U21's in the Youth Cup semi-final... yes we got beat ... but we competed. The other semi-final was Man Citeh v Arsenal. Clearly not everything is going wrong at the club.

You think we'll be able to keep talented youngsters long enough to make a team out of them? Venkys retail fodder is what they will become. The plan all along.

[den]

I think Tomlinson has what it takes ... but that isn't my point. The fact is that we have once again risen to the top with the big boys at youth level ... surely this means that something good is happening down at Brockhall .... this could be our future.

The academy will never be our future ES. If we were to get one squad member from it every year we will have done well, but I doubt we will. If any of them are actually near to being any good, they'll be off to bigger clubs just like they always did. The problem is that you can't build anything around academy lads, because they'll either not be good enough, or they'll be gone in no time at all.

The direction that Chesterton tells us the club is heading, is down the same route that we were stuck on from the late sixties until Jack Walker came on the scene. We will be way below the big clubs financially, we won't be able to compete with them. Any decent player - Young or old - will be away at the first opportunity. The same with the manager, - any manager showing a bit of ability will be poached. We'll get the odd gem in the club, but won't be able to hold onto them.

I'm afraid anyone believing that what we're hearing now is going to be good for us, or is the right approach for us, is being incredibly naive. Just ask the older posters on here that have seen this situation at Ewood before. Ask them how hard it was to even stay - in what was the old first division, - when you have no money.

[Gav]

I hate the owners as much as anyone, but hasn't the academy been made a category 1 in the last few years?

I'm sure it was downgraded at some stage, I could be wrong, but my point still stands, we don't need Venkys to run the academy.

[Gav]

This statement alone confirms that we will be on opposite sides of the barricade. These are the noises a of a club killer. You may yearn for a new start, ground sharing with Darwen at the Anchor with "Rovers of Blackburn 2016" ... but believe me ... there are enough Blackburn Rovers (1875) fans out there who do not share your little fantasy, and will ensure it never comes to fruition.

You've never been on the right side of the barricade throughout Venkys entire tenure.

You can't ensure a bl00dy thing, you influence the color of toilet paper and accept free trips to Pune, get a grip man, illusions of grandeur

You've got all your eggs in the Venkys basket, I can guarantee now thats a loser, and my scenario and many other peoples will come to fruition before yours does and I take no joy in that prediction other than it gets rid of Venkys.

[Stuart]

This statement alone confirms that we will be on opposite sides of the barricade. These are the noises a of a club killer. You may yearn for a new start, ground sharing with Darwen at the Anchor with "Rovers of Blackburn 2016" ... but believe me ... there are enough Blackburn Rovers (1875) fans out there who do not share your little fantasy, and will ensure it never comes to fruition.

Until now your missed cue in Pune seemed like bottling under pressure. Reading that statement I'm not so sure you weren't the Fifth Columnist in it all.

[Ewood Spark]

Absolutely nothing to do with Venkys being here or not, in fact we had the academy downgraded not to long ago under their watch, just another example of incompetence.

http://www.rovers.co.uk/news/article/rovers-receive-top-academy-rank-894528.aspx

[Ewood Spark]

Until now your missed cue in Pune seemed like bottling under pressure. Reading that statement I'm not so sure you weren't the Fifth Columnist in it all.

It's been hard to pin you down on this thread for your ideas for the future .... your contribution seems limited to personal digs. But I'm going to assume that you fall in the camp of 'get rid at any cost' .... that makes you a 3. because that is the apocalyptic scenario ... it also makes you an enemy of the club.

[ABBEY]

how dare you call long term fans of the club the enemy of the club.It must be great being the greatest superfan in the world.You really are an arrogant so and so that chickened out in Pune scared of upsetting you long haired greasy hero.

[Stuart]

It's been hard to pin you down on this thread for your ideas for the future .... your contribution seems limited to personal digs. But I'm going to assume that you fall in the camp of 'get rid at any cost' .... that makes you a 3. because that is the apocalyptic scenario ... it also makes you an enemy of the club.

Nicely sidestepping a personal dig yourself there ES. None taken.

Enemy of the club? No, enemy of its jailers. I will support our town team against all comers - foreign and domestic.

I think it's time to take the coat of arms from your avatar because you, sir, are an enemy of the town.

[Parsonblue]

I'm sure it was downgraded at some stage, I could be wrong, but my point still stands, we don't need Venkys to run the academy.

All Academies are in the process of being reassessed - the Rovers was done at the end of last year - and the results will be announced in the summer. As part of the Academy structure this is routine as they all have to undergo this reassessment every three years.

As a regular watcher of the Under-21's and the Under-18's when first team games allow, I must say that I agree with den on this issue. The present crop of youngsters are promising but I doubt if more than two or three at most will make the first team and become regulars at that level. Talk of throwing them into the first team next season is nonsense and that leaves a huge gap in the squad that needs to be filled on a very limited budget. The outstanding young player is Scott Wharton - a centre half - who is the one player who looks ready to step up.

[Mattyblue]

So generally speaking ES, what has been your opinion of the Venky era?

[ABBEY]

Nicely sidestepping a personal dig yourself there ES. None taken.

Enemy of the club? No, enemy of its jailers. I will support our town team against all comers - foreign and domestic.

I think it's time to take the coat of arms from your avatar because you, sir, are an enemy of the town.

Wonder what he thinks of the French Resistance

[Ewood Spark]

Well done to Kamy on the other thread for his excellent letter. The kind of diplomatic approach that may ultimately lead to change. .... But I couldn't help but notice the delicious irony of imagining the metaphorical sage nods of approval (deduced from 'likes' and comments) from the usual suspects when reading the following passage :-

We appeal to you to use your influence as a Venky's shareholder to question the Rao family about what has happened to Blackburn Rovers and urge them to act to arrest the slide of the club by either filling the football and administrative managerial vacancies with competent people who have relevant football experience OR to appoint advisers to work on the sale of the club.

The suggested courses of action dovetail nicely into paths 4. and 2. .... my choices in that order, with 4. being by far the most realistic. Be careful Kamy when the penny drops they will be accusing you of being a quisling 5th Columnist.