WATR (The Rovers Trust)

[JamieUK]

It needs all of the groups - WATR, London Supporters, Proud Rovers, 100 Club, etc, even this message board to come together and release one big statement on behalf of all the fan groups issuing a vote of no confidence against the board and the owners. It will likely fall on death ears but something like that may be the start of something.

[Upside Down]

5 minutes ago, JamieUK said:

It needs all of the groups - WATR, London Supporters, Proud Rovers, 100 Club, etc, even this message board to come together and release one big statement on behalf of all the fan groups issuing a vote of no confidence against the board and the owners. It will likely fall on death ears but something like that may be the start of something.

Can't agree more.

[superniko]

I’ll be cancelling my membership.

Just checked my emails to see if I’d ever received any comms from Rovers Trust and all I’ve got is a ‘Thank You for Joining’ back in 2021 and then a confirmation of payment email each year (from payment company not the trust)

I appear to be a member of an ghost organisation 

[Upside Down]

If there's no call to action now then we may as well just give up.

We as fans have to take a stand.

[chaddyrovers]

1 hour ago, Upside Down said:

If there's no call to action now then we may as well just give up.

We as fans have to take a stand.

What stand are you going to take then? 

Given you live in Australia/New Zealand

[Upside Down]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

What stand are you going to take then? 

Given you live in Australia/New Zealand

Well I've already not given a single penny to these cunts over the last 15 years.

I compiled a long list of all their shit since 2021.

I was trying to help with coordinating the protests this time last year before it all fell into childish bickering.

I suppose I'll continue to do what I can, which os somewhat limited due to location.

What are you going to do chaddy? What have you done previously?

Edited 19 hours ago by Upside Down

[chaddyrovers]

3 hours ago, Upside Down said:

Well I've already not given a single penny to these cunts over the last 15 years.

I compiled a long list of all their shit since 2021.

I was trying to help with coordinating the protests this time last year before it all fell into childish bickering.

I suppose I'll continue to do what I can, which os somewhat limited due to location.

Ok. 

3 hours ago, Upside Down said:

What are you going to do chaddy?

Nothing to be honest to you. I will continue to support the players and whoever is the head coach via my ST and going to as many away games as possible. Plus I will continue to buy Rovers merchandise each year. 

3 hours ago, Upside Down said:

What have you done previously?

Not much to be honest..

The owners are Indian based and somewhere no-one can touch them or affect them. 

I will continue to be a member of the Rovers trust and voiced my opinion that way. 

 

[Mattyblue]

What is your opinion on what the Trust’s approach to the owners and board should be?

[RoversClitheroe]

39 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

What is your opinion on what the Trust’s approach to the owners and board should be?

"Whatever the club do"

[Nipper1875]

Another money making schedule to line pockets - dictated to by waggot on what they can ask just like fans forum - when will these so called super fans grow a pair of bollocks and ask the questions waggot doesnt like n stuff him  if he doesnt like it it needs to be recorded and published.

 

Problem with this club is the fans arent serious lack passion for it any other club would be linching the board  

[Mattyblue]

I don’t think it is a lack of passion, it’s fifteen years of realisation that we are powerless, the owners are half a world away and couldn’t give a flying feck what we plebs think.

Protest, boycott, withdraw your funds? So? Suhail can just cut the budget more is the view from Pune

[Bronzed A Donis]

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

will continue to be a member of the Rovers trust and voiced my opinion that way.

I don't want this to feel like a pile on Chaddy. However I am genuinely interested if you dont mind answering. What was your motivation for joining WATR/ Rovers Trust?

 

[chaddyrovers]

26 minutes ago, Bronzed A Donis said:

I don't want this to feel like a pile on Chaddy. However I am genuinely interested if you dont mind answering. What was your motivation for joining WATR/ Rovers Trust?

 

Hearing how they wanted to work with the club, their plans under Mike and Duncan leadership, etc

[Bronzed A Donis]

41 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Hearing how they wanted to work with the club, their plans under Mike and Duncan leadership, etc

Thanks Chaddy

[Upside Down]

How's that vote of no confidence coming along then?

[Penwortham Blue]

Come on, where the fuck is the Trust when this shit is going on at our club. You need a statement out tonight demanding that they sell the club and formal declaration of a vote of no confidence in Pasha and Swag.

[We Are The Rovers]

On January 3rd, the WATR board sent the following communication to Steve Waggott: “We are writing on the eve of one of the most important games in recent times. Rovers haven’t beaten our arch-rivals in 14 years, and the fortunes of our respective clubs have taken polar opposite paths during the time Venky’s have been our owners. Ewood Park will be full of passionate Rovers fans for the first time in many years due in no small part to the belief and togetherness that has been driven by John Eustace so far this season. Aside from being a hugely important league game this fixture could also prove to be a watershed in reconnecting the fanbase with the club. Whatever the result, there are encouraging signs that things are improving, and the club must proactively step up its efforts in fan engagement to capitalise on this. Despite this we do have some major concerns. While we hope these prove to be unfounded, we believe it is necessary to outline our current position. Failure to adequately invest in the playing squad during this window would make it necessary for us to change our outlook and public stance. We remain committed to supporting the team on the pitch, and to working with the staff at Ewood to ensure supporters are represented. However, it would mean that we would have to publicly call for the owners to sell the club. To reiterate what we have said many times before, the last 2 January windows have been nothing short of farcical, and damaged the credibility of our club,owners and senior staff. Last year also seriously jeopardised our Championship status. Furthermore, the nature of our failings have led to supporters questioning the competence and motives of the owners and those within their employment. We simply cannot have another similar situation, and there are people within the club who must understand and acknowledge this. A repeat ofJanuary 2023 or 2024 will not only decimate the good work that has been done but would also likely lead to turbulence and protests against you and the owners. Given our strong P&S/FFP position, our current league position, and the overall strength (or otherwise) of the division there are no excuses as to why we shouldn’t be signing players to give the manager and squad the best chance of success. The entire point of a football club is to compete and strive to be better. We are constantly told that the owners are committed to returning Rovers to the Premier League, and now is the time for them to back up their words with actions. For the third time in four seasons, we have a realistic chance to make at least the play offs, thanks to an impressive first half ofthe season. But this can only be achieved with investment in strengthening the playing squad. A third failure to do so during the January transfer window while nicely poised would render the relationship between the owners and the supporters untenable. John Eustace is on record as saying the squad needs investment. You have also stated publicly that transfer funds are required and have been requested from the owners via Suhail. If funds are not forthcoming, we can only conclude that the aspirations of the owners and their representative for the football club do not match those of the management, board, players and fanbase. We believe in the club, and think that John Eustace can bring us success, but neither you nor he can succeed with one hand tied behind your backs. Given our well documented struggles to keep within P&S limits for years, this is an opportunity which may not come around again for many years. Players that command a fee like Adam Wharton are exceptions. The legacy of that sale must be the progression of the squad to promotion challengers, it can’t be to maintain mid table mediocrity in the second tier. We do not think decent investment in the playing side is a big ask, particularly given the transfer fees we have recouped in the last 12 months. It is a necessary expense in football, and the duty of our owners to make the team as strong as possible. The owners must understand how privileged they are to be involved in our football club. We are confident that if any of our members had their financial wherewithal they would do everything in their power to ensure Rovers were a success, and we expect the same from the Rao family. This window represents a real opportunity for them to turn the club into an asset rather than the burden they seem to currently view it as.”

While the club managed to bring in 6 signings, 5 of them are contracted only until the end of this season, and the short term nature of them does nothing to allay our long term concerns for the wellbeing of our club. Evidently John Eustace is of a similar opinion. To lose a manager who has done so much good work to restore some pride and hope to our club is heartbreaking. To lose him from a playoff position to a team currently in the relegation zone is a damning indictment of everything that is wrong with our club. There is a massive amount of completely justified anger from our fanbase at present, and fan unrest has been a near constant for the entirety of Venky’s ownership. This is hardly surprising considering the catalogue of disasters we have experienced over the last 14 years. It’s irrelevant who is employed as a director of the club: Karen Silk, Derek Shaw, Alan Myers, Simon Hunt, Paul Hunt, Mahesh Gupta, Vineeth Errabelly, Mike Cheston, Rohan Bhagwat, Paul Agnew, Ian Silvester, have all come and gone since Venky’s took over, and none of their departures brought about change. What M Sreenivasa Rao and Gandhi Babu do is anyone’s guess. It is apparent that Steve Waggott is expected to run elements of the club without the required autonomy or backing to do so. The one constant throughout the Venky’s tenure has been Suhail Pasha. While his title has changed in that time, his role as advisor/conduit/owners representative has remained broadly the same. With the Rao family remaining absent for over a decade he appears to hold a lot of power despite having no prior experience in football. We feel that the only acceptable advice for Suhail to pass on to the Rao family is to finally do the right thing and sell the club. New owners who care for the club and will treat Rovers and its supporters with the respect we deserve are long overdue. Sent on behalf of the Board of We Are The Rovers Supporters Trust

Edited 5 hours ago by We Are The Rovers

[roverandout]

17 minutes ago, We Are The Rovers said:

 

On January 3rd, the WATR board sent the following communication to Steve Waggott: “We are writing on the eve of one of the most important games in recent times. Rovers haven’t beaten our arch-rivals in 14 years, and the fortunes of our respective clubs have taken polar opposite paths during the time Venky’s have been our owners. Ewood Park will be full of passionate Rovers fans for the first time in many years due in no small part to the belief and togetherness that has been driven by John Eustace so far this season. Aside from being a hugely important league game this fixture could also prove to be a watershed in reconnecting the fanbase with the club. Whatever the result, there are encouraging signs that things are improving, and the club must proactively step up its efforts in fan engagement to capitalise on this. Despite this we do have some major concerns. While we hope these prove to be unfounded, we believe it is necessary to outline our current position. Failure to adequately invest in the playing squad during this window would make it necessary for us to change our outlook and public stance. We remain committed to supporting the team on the pitch, and to working with the staff at Ewood to ensure supporters are represented. However, it would mean that we would have to publicly call for the owners to sell the club. To reiterate what we have said many times before, the last 2 January windows have been nothing short of farcical, and damaged the credibility of our club,owners and senior staff. Last year also seriously jeopardised our Championship status. Furthermore, the nature of our failings have led to supporters questioning the competence and motives of the owners and those within their employment. We simply cannot have another similar situation, and there are people within the club who must understand and acknowledge this. A repeat ofJanuary 2023 or 2024 will not only decimate the good work that has been done but would also likely lead to turbulence and protests against you and the owners. Given our strong P&S/FFP position, our current league position, and the overall strength (or otherwise) of the division there are no excuses as to why we shouldn’t be signing players to give the manager and squad the best chance of success. The entire point of a football club is to compete and strive to be better. We are constantly told that the owners are committed to returning Rovers to the Premier League, and now is the time for them to back up their words with actions. For the third time in four seasons, we have a realistic chance to make at least the play offs, thanks to an impressive first half ofthe season. But this can only be achieved with investment in strengthening the playing squad. A third failure to do so during the January transfer window while nicely poised would render the relationship between the owners and the supporters untenable. John Eustace is on record as saying the squad needs investment. You have also stated publicly that transfer funds are required and have been requested from the owners via Suhail. If funds are not forthcoming, we can only conclude that the aspirations of the owners and their representative for the football club do not match those of the management, board, players and fanbase. We believe in the club, and think that John Eustace can bring us success, but neither you nor he can succeed with one hand tied behind your backs. Given our well documented struggles to keep within P&S limits for years,this is an opportunity which may not come around again for many years. Players that command a fee like Adam Wharton are exceptions. The legacy of that sale must be the progression of the squad to promotion challengers, it can’t be to maintain mid table mediocrity in the second tier. We do not think decent investment in the playing side is a big ask, particularly given the transfer fees we have recouped in the last 12 months. It is a necessary expense in football, and the duty of our owners to make the team as strong as possible. The owners must understand how privileged they are to be involved in our football club. We are confident that if any of our members had their financial wherewithal they would do everything in their power to ensure Rovers were a success, and we expect the same from the Rao family. This window represents a real opportunity for them to turn the club into an asset rather than the burden they seem to currently view it as.”

While the club managed to bring in 6 signings, 5 of them are contracted only until the end of this season, and the short term nature of them does nothing toallay our long term concerns for the wellbeing of our club. Evidently John Eustace is of a similar opinion. To lose a manager who has done so much good work to restore some pride and hope to our club is heartbreaking. To lose him from a playoff position to a team currently in the relegation zone is a damning indictment of everything that is wrong with our club. There is a massive amount of completely justified anger from our fanbase at present, and fan unrest has been a near constant for the entirety of Venky’s ownership. This is hardly surprising considering the catalogue of disasters we have experienced over the last 14 years. It’s irrelevant who is employed as a director of the club: Karen Silk, Derek Shaw, Alan Myers, Simon Hunt, Paul Hunt, Mahesh Gupta, Vineeth Errabelly, Mike Cheston, Rohan Bhagwat, Paul Agnew, Ian Silvester, have all come and gone since Venky’s took over, and none of their departures brought about change. What M Sreenivasa Rao and Gandhi Babu do is anyone’s guess. It is apparent that Steve Waggott is expected to run elements of the club without the required autonomy or backing to do so. The one constant throughout the Venky’s tenure has been Suhail Pasha. While his title has changed in that time, his role as advisor/conduit/owners representative has remained broadly the same. With the Rao family remaining absent for over a decade he appears to hold a lot of power despite having no prior experience in football. We feel that the only acceptable advice for Suhail to pass on to the Rao family is to finally do the right thing and sell the club. New owners who care for the club and will treat Rovers and its supporters with the respect we deserve are long overdue. Sent on behalf of the Board of We Are The Rovers Supporters Trust

Statement should be 'get the fuck out our club venkys' but the trust statement was  good too

Edited 5 hours ago by roverandout

[J*B]

Superb, @We Are The Rovers. Now to maintain that approach moving forwards for the good of the club. 

[RevidgeBlue]

Fair play.

Good statement.

[whalleyrover]

Getting close to the club has done you no good as we all new. Time for board members to resign

[Bethnal]

Good statement. Well done. No criticism from me.

[Upside Down]

Fantastic statement and crystal clear.

 

[Gamst21]

Fantastic statement, I prey this is the start of the end of Venkys

[RoversClitheroe]

1 hour ago, We Are The Rovers said:

On January 3rd, the WATR board sent the following communication to Steve Waggott: “We are writing on the eve of one of the most important games in recent times. Rovers haven’t beaten our arch-rivals in 14 years, and the fortunes of our respective clubs have taken polar opposite paths during the time Venky’s have been our owners. Ewood Park will be full of passionate Rovers fans for the first time in many years due in no small part to the belief and togetherness that has been driven by John Eustace so far this season. Aside from being a hugely important league game this fixture could also prove to be a watershed in reconnecting the fanbase with the club. Whatever the result, there are encouraging signs that things are improving, and the club must proactively step up its efforts in fan engagement to capitalise on this. Despite this we do have some major concerns. While we hope these prove to be unfounded, we believe it is necessary to outline our current position. Failure to adequately invest in the playing squad during this window would make it necessary for us to change our outlook and public stance. We remain committed to supporting the team on the pitch, and to working with the staff at Ewood to ensure supporters are represented. However, it would mean that we would have to publicly call for the owners to sell the club. To reiterate what we have said many times before, the last 2 January windows have been nothing short of farcical, and damaged the credibility of our club,owners and senior staff. Last year also seriously jeopardised our Championship status. Furthermore, the nature of our failings have led to supporters questioning the competence and motives of the owners and those within their employment. We simply cannot have another similar situation, and there are people within the club who must understand and acknowledge this. A repeat ofJanuary 2023 or 2024 will not only decimate the good work that has been done but would also likely lead to turbulence and protests against you and the owners. Given our strong P&S/FFP position, our current league position, and the overall strength (or otherwise) of the division there are no excuses as to why we shouldn’t be signing players to give the manager and squad the best chance of success. The entire point of a football club is to compete and strive to be better. We are constantly told that the owners are committed to returning Rovers to the Premier League, and now is the time for them to back up their words with actions. For the third time in four seasons, we have a realistic chance to make at least the play offs, thanks to an impressive first half ofthe season. But this can only be achieved with investment in strengthening the playing squad. A third failure to do so during the January transfer window while nicely poised would render the relationship between the owners and the supporters untenable. John Eustace is on record as saying the squad needs investment. You have also stated publicly that transfer funds are required and have been requested from the owners via Suhail. If funds are not forthcoming, we can only conclude that the aspirations of the owners and their representative for the football club do not match those of the management, board, players and fanbase. We believe in the club, and think that John Eustace can bring us success, but neither you nor he can succeed with one hand tied behind your backs. Given our well documented struggles to keep within P&S limits for years, this is an opportunity which may not come around again for many years. Players that command a fee like Adam Wharton are exceptions. The legacy of that sale must be the progression of the squad to promotion challengers, it can’t be to maintain mid table mediocrity in the second tier. We do not think decent investment in the playing side is a big ask, particularly given the transfer fees we have recouped in the last 12 months. It is a necessary expense in football, and the duty of our owners to make the team as strong as possible. The owners must understand how privileged they are to be involved in our football club. We are confident that if any of our members had their financial wherewithal they would do everything in their power to ensure Rovers were a success, and we expect the same from the Rao family. This window represents a real opportunity for them to turn the club into an asset rather than the burden they seem to currently view it as.”

While the club managed to bring in 6 signings, 5 of them are contracted only until the end of this season, and the short term nature of them does nothing to allay our long term concerns for the wellbeing of our club. Evidently John Eustace is of a similar opinion. To lose a manager who has done so much good work to restore some pride and hope to our club is heartbreaking. To lose him from a playoff position to a team currently in the relegation zone is a damning indictment of everything that is wrong with our club. There is a massive amount of completely justified anger from our fanbase at present, and fan unrest has been a near constant for the entirety of Venky’s ownership. This is hardly surprising considering the catalogue of disasters we have experienced over the last 14 years. It’s irrelevant who is employed as a director of the club: Karen Silk, Derek Shaw, Alan Myers, Simon Hunt, Paul Hunt, Mahesh Gupta, Vineeth Errabelly, Mike Cheston, Rohan Bhagwat, Paul Agnew, Ian Silvester, have all come and gone since Venky’s took over, and none of their departures brought about change. What M Sreenivasa Rao and Gandhi Babu do is anyone’s guess. It is apparent that Steve Waggott is expected to run elements of the club without the required autonomy or backing to do so. The one constant throughout the Venky’s tenure has been Suhail Pasha. While his title has changed in that time, his role as advisor/conduit/owners representative has remained broadly the same. With the Rao family remaining absent for over a decade he appears to hold a lot of power despite having no prior experience in football. We feel that the only acceptable advice for Suhail to pass on to the Rao family is to finally do the right thing and sell the club. New owners who care for the club and will treat Rovers and its supporters with the respect we deserve are long overdue. Sent on behalf of the Board of We Are The Rovers Supporters Trust

Good statement thank you.

Now we need to push everything to press.

Get that snake Pasha out of the grass and into the spotlight.