WATR (The Rovers Trust)

[davulsukur]

19 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

Cheers Glen!

Fingers crossed, but I say that with no great hope. We know as well as anyone that history has proven that @MarkBRFCwill more than likely be 100% right.

Have to keep trying though, especially with the recent fan led review bringing the big ownership questions back into focus. It’s all of our club, not Venky’s, and hopefully the Trust can be a voice for us all.

It may be the case that the owners don't respond, and personally I don't they will but I do think it's important that there are still people out there, definitely a group such as the supporters trust, keep trying to get some form of dialogue going with the owners.

[1864roverite]

There is two ways they will look at the letter.

Its either criticism of them or a request and we all know how they will probably view it.

I don't think there will be any positive response to this letter nor do I think they will look at what it seeks to achieve -  communication!

[1864roverite]

What can I say about the Rovers Trust suggested way forward? Well, what a fabulously well written piece of work. Those who have contributed should be really proud - it is well structured, well presented and offers scope for a positive way forward for the future of the club alongside the happenings behind the scenes.

 

Congratulations RT - I hope sincerely that is well received at the club

[We Are The Rovers]

For reference, our updated Marketing Prospectus can viewed from this page on our site:

https://www.roverstrust.com/2022/04/12/newsletter-updated-marketing-prospectus-april-2022/

Thank you for the feedback @1864roverite. We agree that the board and members involved can be proud of it, and we hope the club engages with it.

There is some hope as they did begin to engage properly with our original prospectus (Jan 2020) last Summer. Better late than never.

[glen9mullan]

On 11/04/2022 at 20:14, Miller11 said:

Cheers Glen!

Fingers crossed, but I say that with no great hope. We know as well as anyone that history has proven that @MarkBRFCwill more than likely be 100% right.

Have to keep trying though, especially with the recent fan led review bringing the big ownership questions back into focus. It’s all of our club, not Venky’s, and hopefully the Trust can be a voice for us all.

Better to try, try, try and try again.

Keep up the good work.

Its great to see that as supporters we still have a voice, which is needed as much today as it was the day our club went into foreign ownership.

Its cringing to see the minority who have been bought out for a prawn sandwich, and quite frankly will never represent my views or the wider supporter bases.

Parasites for their own self gain, who should hang their head in shame.

They then have the cheek to call out the trust or diss its efforts despite it being a goverment supported legal entity, run by volunteers, because it may upset their new friends.

Appauling

Edited April 13, 2022 by glen9mullan

[J*B]

6 minutes ago, glen9mullan said:

Better to try, try, try and try again.

Keep up the good work.

Its great to see that as supporters we still have a voice, which is needed as much today as it was the day our club went into foreign ownership.

Its cringing to see the minority who have been bought out for a prawn sandwich, and quite frankly will never represent my views or the wider supporter bases.

Parasites for their own self gain, who should hang their head in shame.

They then have the cheek to call out the trust or diss its efforts despite it being a goverment supported legal entity, run by volunteers, because it may upset their new friends.

Appauling

I couldn’t agree more - very odd that anyone can find a way to criticise what is essentially a message saying “please communicate with the fans”. 

[Mike E]

I love that one of the fans most up Mowbray's arse is that bloke who tried to set up FC Rovers of Blackburn in 2012.

Hypocrites.

[roversfan99]

I commend and applaud this but unfortunately I wouldn't expect anything to come of it.

The responses to this are painfully predictable.

For a start, people lapped up the letter Venkys "wrote" at the beginning of the year promising a visit, a visit they clearly never intended to follow up on. Should that be allowed to be swept under the carpet?

This obsession about them "stumping up the cash" implies a level of ambition that is absent. They don't pump in money to further the club or move it forward, they have no choice but to offset losses like most owners in the league, I do wonder if all other clubs praise their owners for merely not allowing their clubs to go out of business, its such low standards.

All the usual problems remain, I personally am not overly bothered by communication, but just want to see the club run normally. There is no plan from above regarding recruitment, it is not normal to allow a bit of investment and then suddenly turn off the taps for years, when in theory you are part way down the path of buying assets, selling for a profit and then reinvesting some of that money and continuing, as it is, we cant do that. The CEO has seemingly no authority, everything still relies on owners who care little to sign things off, you have the delayed meetings in India most summers etc, yet they seemingly hold no interest in rectifying all of these faults.

 

[G Somerset Rover]

I can never say it enough, a fair number of our fans deserve Venky’s. Reading a number of responses on Twitter you’d be forgiven for thinking that we’re still a well run mid-table PL outfit.

Edited April 14, 2022 by Gavlar Somerset Rover!

[Leonard Venkhater]

On 11/04/2022 at 20:14, Miller11 said:

Cheers Glen!

Fingers crossed, but I say that with no great hope. We know as well as anyone that history has proven that @MarkBRFCwill more than likely be 100% right.

Have to keep trying though, especially with the recent fan led review bringing the big ownership questions back into focus. It’s all of our club, not Venky’s, and hopefully the Trust can be a voice for us all.

I don't disagree with any of the messages in the statement. It reminds supporters that there is a group of well meaning people still batting for them. It also sends a message to the FA, EFL and even the government.

However, here is the rub. It is highly unlikely to engage the Venky's. They certainly don't respond to public letters and statements. 

In my view, the only sniff of a chance-and it is only a sniff- of getting any response from Venky's is via private communication. I don't believe for one second that this is the way things should be, but I think it is the reality.

Personally, I cannot see any progress unless and until they sell up and go. Trouble is many of us could be dead by then!

[oldjamfan1]

5 hours ago, Leonard Venkhater said:

I don't disagree with any of the messages in the statement. It reminds supporters that there is a group of well meaning people still batting for them. It also sends a message to the FA, EFL and even the government.

However, here is the rub. It is highly unlikely to engage the Venky's. They certainly don't respond to public letters and statements. 

In my view, the only sniff of a chance-and it is only a sniff- of getting any response from Venky's is via private communication. I don't believe for one second that this is the way things should be, but I think it is the reality.

Personally, I cannot see any progress unless and until they sell up and go. Trouble is many of us could be dead by then!

That method of communication is also taking place Lennie but by its very definition it won’t get plastered all over fan message boards.

[Leonard Venkhater]

3 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

That method of communication is also taking place Lennie but by its very definition it won’t get plastered all over fan message boards.

Good to hear!

My sense is that Venky's will avoid the Trust, simply because they have gone public. 

Whether they will respond to anyone with business credibility, who contacts them privately is a known unknown-to me anyway.

My "fantasy" remains a partnership between Venky's and a local, Rovers centred, football business aware board of directors....but I guess they jettisoned a very savvy board of directors, when they arrived. 

Just think where we could have been, if they hadn't made such a ridiculous yahoo!!

 

[roversfan99]

If they are communicating with random individuals with no scope for transparency, then are they communicating with the fans?

[bigbrandjohn]

We are not alone with our financial concerns.  
 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61317194

[We Are The Rovers]

Our AGM is scheduled for June 22nd and will be held at Billington Brass Band Club. It would be great to see some of you there.

We’ve made some decent strides over the last couple of years, particularly our contributions to the Fan Led Review, and we continue to attempt to represent our members views to the club.

We remain disappointed with the lack of clear structure at the club, and the continued silence we are met with in our attempts to communicate with and engage the owners. We will however continue to attempt to open these channels and meet with club representatives on a regular basis.

As we approach what will no doubt prove to be a pivotal time in the clubs recent history, we are looking to expand the Rovers Trust board. We currently have a small but committed group, but would like to supplement this with new individuals with fresh ideas. 

We need a board made up of people with a wide range of skills, but perhaps more importantly we require people who are passionate and able to commit time and effort to the cause. We wish to be representative of the entire fanbase, and as such recognise a need for more diversity among the board. We would particularly welcome interest from supporters who are female, from minority ethnic backgrounds, and of different ages. There is also a specific need for somebody with experience of crowdfunding projects.

The board will ultimately be elected by our members, but we intend to actively co-opt additional members in order to maximise our productivity.

If you are interested in discussing this further, please feel free to make contact via direct message on here, or by emailing enquiries@roverstrust.co.uk

You can find out more about the Trust and out work at https://www.roverstrust.com

[J*B]

1 hour ago, Rovers Trust said:

Our AGM is scheduled for June 22nd and will be held at Billington Brass Band Club. It would be great to see some of you there.

We’ve made some decent strides over the last couple of years, particularly our contributions to the Fan Led Review, and we continue to attempt to represent our members views to the club.

We remain disappointed with the lack of clear structure at the club, and the continued silence we are met with in our attempts to communicate with and engage the owners. We will however continue to attempt to open these channels and meet with club representatives on a regular basis.

As we approach what will no doubt prove to be a pivotal time in the clubs recent history, we are looking to expand the Rovers Trust board. We currently have a small but committed group, but would like to supplement this with new individuals with fresh ideas. 

We need a board made up of people with a wide range of skills, but perhaps more importantly we require people who are passionate and able to commit time and effort to the cause. We wish to be representative of the entire fanbase, and as such recognise a need for more diversity among the board. We would particularly welcome interest from supporters who are female, from minority ethnic backgrounds, and of different ages. There is also a specific need for somebody with experience of crowdfunding projects.

The board will ultimately be elected by our members, but we intend to actively co-opt additional members in order to maximise our productivity.

If you are interested in discussing this further, please feel free to make contact via direct message on here, or by emailing enquiries@roverstrust.co.uk

You can find out more about the Trust and out work at https://www.roverstrust.com

I’ll be there!

[1864roverite]

Has there been any response as regards the letter given to the club?

[Miller11]

Nothing from the owners, but we have recently discussed the marketing prospectus and the fan led review at length with Steve Waggott.

We’ll be communicating our next steps and some upcoming projects after the AGM.

[OldEwoodBlue]

9 hours ago, Miller11 said:

Nothing from the owners, but we have recently discussed the marketing prospectus and the fan led review at length with Steve Waggott.

We’ll be communicating our next steps and some upcoming projects after the AGM.

Does SW appear supportive or is he just playing friends with his enemy?

[1864roverite]

11 hours ago, Miller11 said:

Nothing from the owners, but we have recently discussed the marketing prospectus and the fan led review at length with Steve Waggott.

We’ll be communicating our next steps and some upcoming projects after the AGM.

Thanks

[Miller11]

On 18/06/2022 at 08:12, OldEwoodBlue said:

Does SW appear supportive or is he just playing friends with his enemy?

Good question!

I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive, so possibly a bit of both.

He definitely doesn’t just blindly agree with everything, there are always points of contention, decisions we question and he defends, and disagreements.

I’m hopeful that going forward we can see some of the things we discussed come to fruition. To echo what I read on another thread earlier, actions speak louder than words.

[J*B]

What times the AGM on Wednesday?

[oldjamfan1]

4 minutes ago, J*B said:

What times the AGM on Wednesday?

7.30pm mate

[Mike E]

1 hour ago, J*B said:

What times the AGM on Wednesday?

Look forward to seeing you!

[J*B]

Great to see lots of old faces and meet some new ones. Some great discussion..!