[Archived] Supporting Half A Club

[tomphil]

1 hour ago, OJRovers said:

Exactly how Cheston wants it.

Every action has been taken by the club to remove the possibility of any protests at Ewood, the damage of that is that the positive atmosphere has also been stifled.

Those on the gravy train are quite happy to just have the base 6-8k fans on and pretend that people are no longer angry at the owners.

This.

The usual vacuum at board level at Ewood probably makes it very easy for a relaxed attitude all around, budget set & owners ignore, Shadow director is getting paid and is he even there all the time ?   Cheston gets paid, manager, coaches and players do obviously but who asks the questions and keeps an eye on it all the time applying a little pressure when it's needed and giving a bit of public support and taking a bit off public pressure off when that starts to brew ?

No one because at the top no one gives a toss it's just left to plod on and then every now and then they take notice it isn't going well so sack a few, do a bit of window dressing then switch off again. Or of course set about selling people regardless of the situation, I know this doesn't effect the ebb and flow of the crowd directly on match day but it's still a huge contribution to the overall way things are.

The malaise of the set up behind the scenes will certainly find it's way to the pitch at times as players go back to going through the motions after a reaction to some poor performances. Plagued Bowyers time here and I do see similarities between his approach and TMs'

Foot on the gas at all times please, if lesser equipped teams can manage it then there's no reason why we shouldn't.

[Athlete]

18 hours ago, tomphil said:

This.

The usual vacuum at board level at Ewood probably makes it very easy for a relaxed attitude all around, budget set & owners ignore, Shadow director is getting paid and is he even there all the time ?   Cheston gets paid, manager, coaches and players do obviously but who asks the questions and keeps an eye on it all the time applying a little pressure when it's needed and giving a bit of public support and taking a bit off public pressure off when that starts to brew ?

No one because at the top no one gives a toss it's just left to plod on and then every now and then they take notice it isn't going well so sack a few, do a bit of window dressing then switch off again. Or of course set about selling people regardless of the situation, I know this doesn't effect the ebb and flow of the crowd directly on match day but it's still a huge contribution to the overall way things are.

The malaise of the set up behind the scenes will certainly find it's way to the pitch at times as players go back to going through the motions after a reaction to some poor performances. Plagued Bowyers time here and I do see similarities between his approach and TMs'

Foot on the gas at all times please, if lesser equipped teams can manage it then there's no reason why we shouldn't.

You may have hit something there as under Bowyer I suspected promotion wasn't on venkys agenda.. The draw against yoevil when a win took us into the playoffs springs too mind.. If venkys are using the club for non football reasons corporate  accounting reasons or whatever  it certainly would suit to be outside the spotlight.. The squad under Bowyer without a doubt most managers would have got promoted 

[tomphil]

That's why they just ignore it mostly I think, it serves another purpose.  Just a board meeting every now and then where it's on the agenda probably with other overseas stuff were they'll look at it, ask why it isn't doing well then either make some decisions to do something or just leave it till next time.

The rest is just done on a whim if someone who has some authority can be contacted I reckon or they've had the bank on wanting money.  Always been the same and it'll never change maybe get worse as it's easier than ever to ignore and run itself now.

That's before we look at the same set of people constantly supplying most managers, coaches, players and the odd director. That's another argument altogether but what can't be denied is those links, our owners and our continued backwards slide as a club are joined at the hip and have been since word go.

The absence of a proper board structure and someone at the helm here who lives and breathes the club whether it be genuine affection or a professional remit to drive it forwards definitely contributes to the malaise around the gaff.

[Dreams of 1995]

I can't quite believe how the lack of a board doesn't spark any semblance of anger with a certain proportion of our fan base. We have to be the only club in the football league to not have a board in place to deal with day-to-day operations of a functional professional football club. Can it even be considered 'professional' with the current structure?

Our listed directors are: Robert Coar, Gandhi Babu (WHO?) and Mike Cheston. That's 3 men, 1 of whom has probably never stepped foot into a Blackburn Rovers board room before and the other is a silent partner here to fulfil his obligations and keep his seat in whatever FA board he's on. I completely and utterly believe that Mike Cheston is a worm of a man with no sense of morality but I also feel sorry for him - he must be compensated handsomely because he's been well and truly left to face the music himself. Surely a man of any integrity would walk away from such a fiasco.

I don't recognise this club anymore. Nothing of it reminds me of the club I fell in love with as a child except the blue and white kit and the badge. The only thing keeping me going is that eventually we may get our Rovers back. Until then it's a blind sense of loyalty that keeps me going back week in week out just hoping beyond any logical reason that tomorrow change will come. It's not even the terrible results that has drove me to this; I could honestly watch us in League 2 if I felt a sense of belonging. I'd travel hundreds of miles to see us play hoofball against bloody Cambridge if I felt the people employed by the club cared as much as me.

My club has been taken away from me. I am sick of being told by others that we have been in this position before: "I remember when Kendall........" has become almost as irritating as being told that Venkys have learnt lessons. The difference between then and now is that people still belonged to Rovers; the people at the club could be held accountable because they weren't thousands of miles away or 'shadow' directors paid by the club but not officially recognised (Suhail). Right now the club belongs to Balaji Rao and whatever band of advisors he has - the money is irrelevant, the success is irrelevant because this club isn't "ours". The people of Blackburn don't matter one iota and the hopes and dreams of fans have been utterly dismissed so some maniac in India, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, has a play thing for when he's bored of beating people with iron rods or hosting tea parties for celebs.

I don't support "half a club", I support the idea of a club that once meant something.

[Neal]

42 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

I can't quite believe how the lack of a board doesn't spark any semblance of anger with a certain proportion of our fan base. We have to be the only club in the football league to not have a board in place to deal with day-to-day operations of a functional professional football club. Can it even be considered 'professional' with the current structure?

Our listed directors are: Robert Coar, Gandhi Babu (WHO?) and Mike Cheston. That's 3 men, 1 of whom has probably never stepped foot into a Blackburn Rovers board room before and the other is a silent partner here to fulfil his obligations and keep his seat in whatever FA board he's on. I completely and utterly believe that Mike Cheston is a worm of a man with no sense of morality but I also feel sorry for him - he must be compensated handsomely because he's been well and truly left to face the music himself. Surely a man of any integrity would walk away from such a fiasco.

I don't recognise this club anymore. Nothing of it reminds me of the club I fell in love with as a child except the blue and white kit and the badge. The only thing keeping me going is that eventually we may get our Rovers back. Until then it's a blind sense of loyalty that keeps me going back week in week out just hoping beyond any logical reason that tomorrow change will come. It's not even the terrible results that has drove me to this; I could honestly watch us in League 2 if I felt a sense of belonging. I'd travel hundreds of miles to see us play hoofball against bloody Cambridge if I felt the people employed by the club cared as much as me.

My club has been taken away from me. I am sick of being told by others that we have been in this position before: "I remember when Kendall........" has become almost as irritating as being told that Venkys have learnt lessons. The difference between then and now is that people still belonged to Rovers; the people at the club could be held accountable because they weren't thousands of miles away or 'shadow' directors paid by the club but not officially recognised (Suhail). Right now the club belongs to Balaji Rao and whatever band of advisors he has - the money is irrelevant, the success is irrelevant because this club isn't "ours". The people of Blackburn don't matter one iota and the hopes and dreams of fans have been utterly dismissed so some maniac in India, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, has a play thing for when he's bored of beating people with iron rods or hosting tea parties for celebs.

I don't support "half a club", I support the idea of a club that once meant something.

 

100%.

[Crimpshrine]

3 hours ago, tomphil said:

The absence of a proper board structure and someone at the helm here who lives and breathes the club whether it be genuine affection or a professional remit to drive it forwards definitely contributes to the malaise around the gaff.

The last few posts sum things up for me. Oh for another Bill Fox figure.

[Dunnfc]

6 hours ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

I can't quite believe how the lack of a board doesn't spark any semblance of anger with a certain proportion of our fan base. We have to be the only club in the football league to not have a board in place to deal with day-to-day operations of a functional professional football club. Can it even be considered 'professional' with the current structure?

Our listed directors are: Robert Coar, Gandhi Babu (WHO?) and Mike Cheston. That's 3 men, 1 of whom has probably never stepped foot into a Blackburn Rovers board room before and the other is a silent partner here to fulfil his obligations and keep his seat in whatever FA board he's on. I completely and utterly believe that Mike Cheston is a worm of a man with no sense of morality but I also feel sorry for him - he must be compensated handsomely because he's been well and truly left to face the music himself. Surely a man of any integrity would walk away from such a fiasco.

I don't recognise this club anymore. Nothing of it reminds me of the club I fell in love with as a child except the blue and white kit and the badge. The only thing keeping me going is that eventually we may get our Rovers back. Until then it's a blind sense of loyalty that keeps me going back week in week out just hoping beyond any logical reason that tomorrow change will come. It's not even the terrible results that has drove me to this; I could honestly watch us in League 2 if I felt a sense of belonging. I'd travel hundreds of miles to see us play hoofball against bloody Cambridge if I felt the people employed by the club cared as much as me.

My club has been taken away from me. I am sick of being told by others that we have been in this position before: "I remember when Kendall........" has become almost as irritating as being told that Venkys have learnt lessons. The difference between then and now is that people still belonged to Rovers; the people at the club could be held accountable because they weren't thousands of miles away or 'shadow' directors paid by the club but not officially recognised (Suhail). Right now the club belongs to Balaji Rao and whatever band of advisors he has - the money is irrelevant, the success is irrelevant because this club isn't "ours". The people of Blackburn don't matter one iota and the hopes and dreams of fans have been utterly dismissed so some maniac in India, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, has a play thing for when he's bored of beating people with iron rods or hosting tea parties for celebs.

I don't support "half a club", I support the idea of a club that once meant something.

You need to go to the supporters consultation

[J*B]

7 hours ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

I can't quite believe how the lack of a board doesn't spark any semblance of anger with a certain proportion of our fan base. We have to be the only club in the football league to not have a board in place to deal with day-to-day operations of a functional professional football club. Can it even be considered 'professional' with the current structure?

Our listed directors are: Robert Coar, Gandhi Babu (WHO?) and Mike Cheston. That's 3 men, 1 of whom has probably never stepped foot into a Blackburn Rovers board room before and the other is a silent partner here to fulfil his obligations and keep his seat in whatever FA board he's on. I completely and utterly believe that Mike Cheston is a worm of a man with no sense of morality but I also feel sorry for him - he must be compensated handsomely because he's been well and truly left to face the music himself. Surely a man of any integrity would walk away from such a fiasco.

I don't recognise this club anymore. Nothing of it reminds me of the club I fell in love with as a child except the blue and white kit and the badge. The only thing keeping me going is that eventually we may get our Rovers back. Until then it's a blind sense of loyalty that keeps me going back week in week out just hoping beyond any logical reason that tomorrow change will come. It's not even the terrible results that has drove me to this; I could honestly watch us in League 2 if I felt a sense of belonging. I'd travel hundreds of miles to see us play hoofball against bloody Cambridge if I felt the people employed by the club cared as much as me.

My club has been taken away from me. I am sick of being told by others that we have been in this position before: "I remember when Kendall........" has become almost as irritating as being told that Venkys have learnt lessons. The difference between then and now is that people still belonged to Rovers; the people at the club could be held accountable because they weren't thousands of miles away or 'shadow' directors paid by the club but not officially recognised (Suhail). Right now the club belongs to Balaji Rao and whatever band of advisors he has - the money is irrelevant, the success is irrelevant because this club isn't "ours". The people of Blackburn don't matter one iota and the hopes and dreams of fans have been utterly dismissed so some maniac in India, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, has a play thing for when he's bored of beating people with iron rods or hosting tea parties for celebs.

I don't support "half a club", I support the idea of a club that once meant something.

I'm not great with words, you've just hit the nail right on the head with regards to my feelings also. 

[Rover_Shaun]

9 hours ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

I can't quite believe how the lack of a board doesn't spark any semblance of anger with a certain proportion of our fan base. We have to be the only club in the football league to not have a board in place to deal with day-to-day operations of a functional professional football club. Can it even be considered 'professional' with the current structure?

Our listed directors are: Robert Coar, Gandhi Babu (WHO?) and Mike Cheston. That's 3 men, 1 of whom has probably never stepped foot into a Blackburn Rovers board room before and the other is a silent partner here to fulfil his obligations and keep his seat in whatever FA board he's on. I completely and utterly believe that Mike Cheston is a worm of a man with no sense of morality but I also feel sorry for him - he must be compensated handsomely because he's been well and truly left to face the music himself. Surely a man of any integrity would walk away from such a fiasco.

I don't recognise this club anymore. Nothing of it reminds me of the club I fell in love with as a child except the blue and white kit and the badge. The only thing keeping me going is that eventually we may get our Rovers back. Until then it's a blind sense of loyalty that keeps me going back week in week out just hoping beyond any logical reason that tomorrow change will come. It's not even the terrible results that has drove me to this; I could honestly watch us in League 2 if I felt a sense of belonging. I'd travel hundreds of miles to see us play hoofball against bloody Cambridge if I felt the people employed by the club cared as much as me.

My club has been taken away from me. I am sick of being told by others that we have been in this position before: "I remember when Kendall........" has become almost as irritating as being told that Venkys have learnt lessons. The difference between then and now is that people still belonged to Rovers; the people at the club could be held accountable because they weren't thousands of miles away or 'shadow' directors paid by the club but not officially recognised (Suhail). Right now the club belongs to Balaji Rao and whatever band of advisors he has - the money is irrelevant, the success is irrelevant because this club isn't "ours". The people of Blackburn don't matter one iota and the hopes and dreams of fans have been utterly dismissed so some maniac in India, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, has a play thing for when he's bored of beating people with iron rods or hosting tea parties for celebs.

I don't support "half a club", I support the idea of a club that once meant something.

Get behind the lads ffs

[47er]

Yep---we are half a club---at most.

[Stuart]

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/rovers/news/15547807.Simon_Smith__Concentrated_support_at_away_games_is_why_Rovers_have_had_more_success_on_the_road/?ref=eb

Bit of a disjointed piece which kind of covers the away support point. Seems that it's about concentration of fans in Simon Smith's opinion. Which makes sense and does suggest that Ewood will have to do similar if they want to generate that kind of atmosphere. Well... that or actually play football worth cheering about.

Quite disgusting that Rovers fans are taking up seats allocated for others just to sit together though - and giving the big FU to other fans. Have a word with yourselves.

[den9112]

Just read the article ,...My brother had the same issue ,two people sat in there allocated seats with just one available for the three of them...He said it took him a while for them to see reason ,but he had to resort to saying move or I will move you ...(Rochdale)

[Mattyblue]

46 minutes ago, Stuart said:

 

Quite disgusting that Rovers fans are taking up seats allocated for others just to sit together though - and giving the big FU to other fans. Have a word with yourselves.

He's not telling the full tale there.

Stewards were instructing people as they entered the stand that it was unallocated seating despite the number on your ticket.

So obviously folk were going where they fancied.

[Parsonblue]

21 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

He's not telling the full tale there.

Stewards were instructing people as they entered the stand that it was unallocated seating despite the number on your ticket.

So obviously folk were going where they fancied.

Totally agree.  This has been happening for years at away games and as soon as you get in the ground you usually ask a steward if it's "sit anywhere" or not and more often than not the answer is "sit where you want."

[Dreams of 1995]

12 hours ago, Dunnfc said:

You need to go to the supporters consultation

I went to the one in Blakey's that descended into madness. It's not for me. I don't have the time or the willpower to try and fight on both fronts.

Unfortunately, unlike Charlton, Blackpool & Coventry we aren't a united force. Not only are you fighting the 'powers that be', and all their influence that comes with it, you are also left fighting against a large section of our own fan base.

Nothing will change unless we get fan representation at board level - for all clubs. That's a fight worth having but I fear that won't even get the backing of most of our fans because they are either apathetic or have backed themselves into a corner whereby they won't, or can't, support anything fan lead at this club.

 

9 hours ago, Rover_Shaun said:

Get behind the lads ffs

Funnily enough I was going to sign that post off with that too.

[MCMC1875]

10 hours ago, Rover_Shaun said:

Get behind the lads ffs

FFS!!

[Skiptonrover]

35 minutes ago, Parsonblue said:

Totally agree.  This has been happening for years at away games and as soon as you get in the ground you usually ask a steward if it's "sit anywhere" or not and more often than not the answer is "sit where you want."

Stewards can't be bothered if people want to play musical chairs, I don't blame them most of the away games I've been to its unreserved even if you are allocated a seat nobody bothers seems to be a policy of first come first served.

[rigger]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

He's not telling the full tale there.

Stewards were instructing people as they entered the stand that it was unallocated seating despite the number on your ticket.

So obviously folk were going where they fancied.

The stewards said exactly the same at Scunthorpe. Personally I don't see it as the biggest problem in my world. 

[rigger]

I am already excited about going tomorrow. Looking forward to a good win and a night out in Shrewsbury. Any tips on pubs after the match?

[Neal]

1 hour ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

I went to the one in Blakey's that descended into madness. It's not for me. I don't have the time or the willpower to try and fight on both fronts.

Unfortunately, unlike Charlton, Blackpool & Coventry we aren't a united force. Not only are you fighting the 'powers that be', and all their influence that comes with it, you are also left fighting against a large section of our own fan base.

Nothing will change unless we get fan representation at board level - for all clubs. That's a fight worth having but I fear that won't even get the backing of most of our fans because they are either apathetic or have backed themselves into a corner whereby they won't, or can't, support anything fan lead at this club.

 

Funnily enough I was going to sign that post off with that too.

 

Are you my doppleganger?

[Stuart]

12 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

He's not telling the full tale there.

Stewards were instructing people as they entered the stand that it was unallocated seating despite the number on your ticket.

So obviously folk were going where they fancied.

Bit of a cop out, Matt.

Your ticket has a seat number on it. That's your seat. If you are asking a half-arsed steward if you can sit where you like then you are going to get the answer you want. Very selfish behaviour - particularly in a sell-out - and very anti-family.

People should know better.

[Mattyblue]

It's standard practice at at least half of away grounds.

I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be the case if you sell out the stand, but there you go.

Probably surprised a few folk who don't usually travel, but our fans don't deserve a kicking for it.

[Skiptonrover]

13 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

He's not telling the full tale there.

Stewards were instructing people as they entered the stand that it was unallocated seating despite the number on your ticket.

So obviously folk were going where they fancied.

Crack on for the stewards. it's unwise to deploy any sort of organisational structure regarding any away fixtures, why should they? People should go wherever they most comfortable, box side seat get there earlier.

[Claytons Left Boot]

25 minutes ago, Bluebarley said:

Crack on for the stewards. it's unwise to deploy any sort of organisational structure regarding any away fixtures, why should they? People should go wherever they most comfortable, box side seat get there earlier.

I have seen via a Rovers' fans site on Facebook that Shrewsbury have confirmed that it is reserved seating, i.e. sit in your allocated seat. If stewards tell you to sit where you want, it's a cop out by them.

Ok, it's not a massive health and safety issue but I would have thought that if you do have a numbered seat, you should be sitting in that seat, to enable the home club to retain its safety certificate.

Imagine half of Rovers fifteen hundred fans making their way to their seats bang on three o'clock only to find half of them already taken and then having to find a seat elsewhere, fighting breaking out and a serious incident happening. Heads would have to roll and rightly so.

Yet again, a case of if someone can get away with something, they will, even if they know it's wrong.

[Skiptonrover]

6 minutes ago, Claytons Left Boot said:

I have seen via a Rovers' fans site on Facebook that Shrewsbury have confirmed that it is reserved seating, i.e. sit in your allocated seat. If stewards tell you to sit where you want, it's a cop out by them.

Ok, it's not a massive health and safety issue but I would have thought that if you do have a numbered seat, you should be sitting in that seat, to enable the home club to retain its safety certificate.

Imagine half of Rovers fifteen hundred fans making their way to their seats bang on three o'clock only to find half of them already taken and then having to find a seat elsewhere, fighting breaking out and a serious incident happening. Heads would have to roll and rightly so.

Yet again, a case of if someone can get away with something, they will, even if they know it's wrong.

Stewards on minimum wage won't be busting a gut to enforce it, If it's family's,old people, disabled people I will happily move/accommodate but outside of that should be no big deal go where you want.