A plea to Venkys & Raos on behalf of Old Blackburnians & Associated Partners, QEGS (1977-80), 'The Invincibles'!

[darrenrover]

I am the originator, 'ideas person', vision maker and leader of what has now become to be titled as The Old Blackburnians & Associated Partners, QEGS (1977-80), 'The Invincibles' Group of Friends.

We have all been Rovers fans since school days, dating back to the early 1970s, friends and trust each other implicitly since the mid seventies, most of us played in QEGS Under 18 First X1 between 1977-80, where we we were undefeated for 2 seasons and generally acknowledged as the best team in the country, have divergent skillsets ranging from Presidents of Multi-national Corporations, doctors, Financial Directors, Retired Senior Police Officers, Magistrates etc. Most importantly if you cut any one of us, we would bleed blue and white and unequivocally we all trust one another. None of us have an ego, are particularly private people and have always chosen to watch our football predominantly sat in The Riverside, although one or two have joined the @arbitro ranks in the JWU! (mard arses!)

No doubt some of you will have read my families Rovers following history dating back to 1919, I purposely didn't continue past 1960 because although my family continued to support BRFC, introducing me as a 5 year old in 1966, I felt that there were others on here that could tell the story, that I personally have been so proud to be a part of for 54 years, through thick and thin.

Our plea to you is: engage with us regarding the future governance of BRFC, we have more than the relevant skillsets between us to be a success and would be prepared to undertake whatever is required for love and on a completely FOC basis. Our vision is for involvement with every single stakeholder/supporter of Blackburn Rovers, young and old, far and wide but backed by your financial clout.

Wouldn't it be great if in 2025, the year of our 150 year anniversary, something of which we should all be proud,we were back as an established Premier League club, all supporters and united as one and singing from the same hymn sheet and paddling together in the same direction, you being revered instead of reviled by some, to welcome Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich to Ewood Park with a gate of 30,000, as the culmination of a years longs worth of celebrations by all?

In 1888, we were one of the 12 founder members of The Football League, "It's Preston, Blackburn, Burnley: it's where it all began" Madame Desai, you've read and endorsed my book 'A Century of Soccer' by Harry Berry, you know what it's all about!

It can be done, over to you..........

WE ARE THE ROVERS!

Best

darrenrover

Edited February 21, 2021 by darrenrover

[tomphil]

Sounds like the right way forwards i hope they actually give it the courtesy of some consideration.  Everybody wants to improve things and drive it forwards, no better ideas and opinions than those from actual supporters.

[Claytons Left Boot]

I think there definitely needs to be more interaction with Mrs Desai and the Venky’s hierarchy. Without digging up the past (it’s been done a million times before), we are stuck with Venky’s now, whether we like it or not. They are showing, in financial terms, that they support us and will continue to do so. At the last count, I think they were in to the tune of £197m. 

The problem, as I see it, is that their silence can be translated as indifference when this probably isn’t the case. I’ve been banging on for ages about both the need for some sort of planning from the owners and also a proper, functioning structure within the club, ie. on the pitch and off it. 

There needs to be dialogue. They need to come over and visit us more often. They need to feel welcomed. They need to outline to us their vision, hopefully a return to the Premier League which will benefit them, as owners, and us as supporters. This limbo has been endured now for eleven years and nobody is any wiser. A near £200m spent and we are just ticking over in mid table Championship obscurity. 

The blueprint, as laid down by Uncle Jack in the late80s/early 90s, remains the same. Bring in a successful, respected figurehead as manager and the players will follow. Get the internal structure right as well and everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. We may never get another Williams/Finn combination but it wouldn’t be difficult to improve on the present incumbents.

I’m not sure from your original post, Nick, just what, in layman’s terms, you and the ‘Old Blackburnians’ are both hoping to achieve and actually do. Are you able to say, at this stage, or are you not yet that far along the road? Whatever, you are all to be applauded because if the status quo remains, we will forever be in this state of limbo that I mentioned earlier. If Venky’s can be ‘got onboard’ it could be so different.

 

 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

I applaud your heartfelt request darrenrover but fear it will fall on deaf Ears.

With over £200 Million invested,this should  have been so so much better for ALL concerned.

Edited February 21, 2021 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[darrenrover]

3 hours ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

I applaud your heartfelt request darrenrover but fear it will fall on deaf Ears.

With over £200 Million invested,this should  have been so so much better for ALL concerned.

You can't change the past: that's history.

You can however influence the present and the future: there lies the challenge and bring it on.........

[Miller11]

13 hours ago, darrenrover said:

I am the originator, 'ideas person', vision maker and leader of what has now become to be titled as The Old Blackburnians & Associated Partners, QEGS (1977-80), 'The Invincibles' Group of Friends.

We have all been Rovers fans since school days, dating back to the early 1970s, friends and trust each other implicitly since the mid seventies, most of us played in QEGS Under 18 First X1 between 1977-80, where we we were undefeated for 2 seasons and generally acknowledged as the best team in the country, have divergent skillsets ranging from Presidents of Multi-national Corporations, doctors, Financial Directors, Retired Senior Police Officers, Magistrates etc. Most importantly if you cut any one of us, we would bleed blue and white and unequivocally we all trust one another. None of us have an ego, are particularly private people and have always chosen to watch our football predominantly sat in The Riverside, although one or two have joined the @arbitro ranks in the JWU! (mard arses!)

No doubt some of you will have read my families Rovers following history dating back to 1919, I purposely didn't continue past 1960 because although my family continued to support BRFC, introducing me as a 5 year old in 1966, I felt that there were others on here that could tell the story, that I personally have been so proud to be a part of for 54 years, through thick and thin.

Our plea to you is: engage with us regarding the future governance of BRFC, we have more than the relevant skillsets between us to be a success and would be prepared to undertake whatever is required for love and on a completely FOC basis. Our vision is for involvement with every single stakeholder/supporter of Blackburn Rovers, young and old, far and wide but backed by your financial clout.

Wouldn't it be great if in 2025, the year of our 150 year anniversary, something of which we should all be proud,we were back as an established Premier League club, all supporters and united as one and singing from the same hymn sheet and paddling together in the same direction, you being revered instead of reviled by some, to welcome Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich to Ewood Park with a gate of 30,000, as the culmination of a years longs worth of celebrations by all?

In 1888, we were one of the 12 founder members of The Football League, "It's Preston, Blackburn, Burnley: it's where it all began" Madame Desai, you've read and endorsed my book 'A Century of Soccer' by Harry Berry, you know what it's all about!

It can be done, over to you..........

WE ARE THE ROVERS!

Best

darrenrover

Great post!!

I’ve just been revisiting these... a big part of my formative years these books

[Mike E]

What's the aim and how do you propose to get there?

Fantastic post btw!

[darrenrover]

53 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

Great post!!

I’ve just been revisiting these... a big part of my formative years these books

Thanks,

Curiosity may have killed the cat here, are you Duncan who used to live with your parents in the late seventies in a cottage at the bottom of Mellor Brow?

 

[Miller11]

8 minutes ago, darrenrover said:

Thanks,

Curiosity may have killed the cat here, are you Duncan who used to live with your parents in the late seventies in a cottage at the bottom of Mellor Brow?

 

No... I did grow up in Mellor, but wasn’t born til 82

[darrenrover]

22 minutes ago, Mike E said:

What's the aim and how do you propose to get there?

Fantastic post btw!

Mike, work in progress as you can probably appreciate.

It's pointless getting involved in finite detail and undertaking lots of planning, if you fall at the first hurdle.

Suffice it to say that there are a whole host of ideas that would meet with everyone's approval, should we be fortunate enough to get a green light. The general idea is that we all 'paddle the same ship collectively and in the right direction' without ANY ULTERIOR MOTIVES WHATSOEVER but born out of love.

It's a clean piece of paper, open to suggestions from all, if given the opportunity.

However, with one deliberate motivating factor: anything would have to be for the benefit of Blackburn Rovers Football Club and every stakeholder, including the owners. That would be non-negotiable.

[darrenrover]

1 minute ago, Miller11 said:

No... I did grow up in Mellor, but wasn’t born til 82

Phew, I won't ask you how's your sister then! 😉🤣

[Miller11]

1 minute ago, darrenrover said:

Phew, I won't ask you how's your sister then! 😉🤣

😂😂😂😂😂

[tomphil]

The recent issue is just the type of thing the proposal in this thread could advise the owners correctly on.  If you are trying to avoid and atone for mistakes of the past a direct line into the fanbase would certainly help. 

By bypassing the self interested and self serving who might lurk in the middle this kind of opinion gathering would be less costly on several counts.

 

[DeeCee]

2 hours ago, tomphil said:

The recent issue is just the type of thing the proposal in this thread could advise the owners correctly on.  If you are trying to avoid and atone for mistakes of the past a direct line into the fanbase would certainly help. 

By bypassing the self interested and self serving who might lurk in the middle this kind of opinion gathering would be less costly on several counts.

 

If they hear it, will they listen? Good luck 👍

[RevidgeBlue]

On 21/02/2021 at 05:42, darrenrover said:

I am the originator, 'ideas person', vision maker and leader of what has now become to be titled as The Old Blackburnians & Associated Partners, QEGS (1977-80), 'The Invincibles' Group of Friends.

We have all been Rovers fans since school days, dating back to the early 1970s, friends and trust each other implicitly since the mid seventies, most of us played in QEGS Under 18 First X1 between 1977-80, where we we were undefeated for 2 seasons and generally acknowledged as the best team in the country, have divergent skillsets ranging from Presidents of Multi-national Corporations, doctors, Financial Directors, Retired Senior Police Officers, Magistrates etc. Most importantly if you cut any one of us, we would bleed blue and white and unequivocally we all trust one another. None of us have an ego, are particularly private people and have always chosen to watch our football predominantly sat in The Riverside, although one or two have joined the @arbitro ranks in the JWU! (mard arses!)

No doubt some of you will have read my families Rovers following history dating back to 1919, I purposely didn't continue past 1960 because although my family continued to support BRFC, introducing me as a 5 year old in 1966, I felt that there were others on here that could tell the story, that I personally have been so proud to be a part of for 54 years, through thick and thin.

Our plea to you is: engage with us regarding the future governance of BRFC, we have more than the relevant skillsets between us to be a success and would be prepared to undertake whatever is required for love and on a completely FOC basis. Our vision is for involvement with every single stakeholder/supporter of Blackburn Rovers, young and old, far and wide but backed by your financial clout.

Wouldn't it be great if in 2025, the year of our 150 year anniversary, something of which we should all be proud,we were back as an established Premier League club, all supporters and united as one and singing from the same hymn sheet and paddling together in the same direction, you being revered instead of reviled by some, to welcome Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich to Ewood Park with a gate of 30,000, as the culmination of a years longs worth of celebrations by all?

In 1888, we were one of the 12 founder members of The Football League, "It's Preston, Blackburn, Burnley: it's where it all began" Madame Desai, you've read and endorsed my book 'A Century of Soccer' by Harry Berry, you know what it's all about!

It can be done, over to you..........

WE ARE THE ROVERS!

Best

darrenrover

Great Post, didn't realise you were a fellow QEGS (very) old boy!. Sounds like you're about 3 years older than me and I left in 1982 so we probably would have been there at the same time.

My best friend also went to QEGS and  now lives in London and has been a financial controller for a big Company. His Dad was Indian and many years ago when we were pissed as farts we came up with the bright idea of having a holiday in India and pitching up on the V's doorstep to offer advice.

Needless to say once the hangovers kicked in the hare brained scheme was never mentioned again but yours is a sound idea. If you want any support or help just ask.

[Exiled in Toronto]

On 21/02/2021 at 15:01, darrenrover said:

Mike, work in progress as you can probably appreciate.

It's pointless getting involved in finite detail and undertaking lots of planning, if you fall at the first hurdle.

Suffice it to say that there are a whole host of ideas that would meet with everyone's approval, should we be fortunate enough to get a green light. The general idea is that we all 'paddle the same ship collectively and in the right direction' without ANY ULTERIOR MOTIVES WHATSOEVER but born out of love.

It's a clean piece of paper, open to suggestions from all, if given the opportunity.

However, with one deliberate motivating factor: anything would have to be for the benefit of Blackburn Rovers Football Club and every stakeholder, including the owners. That would be non-negotiable.

Key in my mind is recognizing from the start who you are trying to reach and figuring out not what to say but how to reach them. Owners and CEOs of a huge multinational company based in an extremely hierarchical society thousands of miles away are incredibly hard to get a hearing with. They don’t answer the phone or reply to email, they have countless minions to stop random people getting in front of them. Every consulting firm and banker in India would be banging their door down if they were actually accessible. So I think it needs a lot of homework: figuring out the management structure, how proposals get submitted and to who, who do they listen to, how do decisions get made etc etc. Imagine your group is McKinsey and you have a proposal on chicken vaccines you want to get in front of them - how would they do it?

I wish you luck, even though you did go to the wrong school on the wrong side of Corporation Park!!

[darrenrover]

1 minute ago, Exiled in Toronto said:

Key in my mind is recognizing from the start who you are trying to reach and figuring out not what to say but how to reach them. Owners and CEOs of a huge multinational company based in an extremely hierarchical society thousands of miles away are incredibly hard to get a hearing with. They don’t answer the phone or reply to email, they have countless minions to stop random people getting in front of them. Every consulting firm and banker in India would be banging their door down if they were actually accessible. So I think it needs a lot of homework: figuring out the management structure, how proposals get submitted and to who, who do they listen to, how do decisions get made etc etc. Imagine your group is McKinsey and you have a proposal on chicken vaccines you want to get in front of them - how would they do it?

I wish you luck, even though you did go to the wrong school on the wrong side of Corporation Park!!

A 5-0 stuffing that Tommy Duxbury described as the best schoolboy performance he'd ever witnessed says differently! 😉

I think you are spot on with your observations though too. Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.

[darrenrover]

29 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Great Post, didn't realise you were a fellow QEGS (very) old boy!. Sounds like you're about 3 years older than me and I left in 1982 so we probably would have been there at the same time.

My best friend also went to QEGS and  now lives in London and has been a financial controller for a big Company. His Dad was Indian and many years ago when we were pissed as farts we came up with the bright idea of having a holiday in India and pitching up on the V's doorstep to offer advice.

Needless to say once the hangovers kicked in the hare brained scheme was never mentioned again but yours is a sound idea. If you want any support or help just ask.

Head Boy too for my sins Rev!

[Exiled in Toronto]

41 minutes ago, darrenrover said:

A 5-0 stuffing that Tommy Duxbury described as the best schoolboy performance he'd ever witnessed says differently! 😉

I think you are spot on with your observations though too. Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.

The team went downhill after Arbitro and CLB left. I, sadly, was only good enough for the Second XI.

The trick will be getting a hearing with some or several underlings at the base of their pyramid of trust, and then getting them to push the idea upwards. Which, of course, they would each have to see it be in their interests to do so, which means it’ll have to be something very different to what’s gone before. All the Venkys Out!, Kean Out!, Mowbray Out!, Apologise!, Admit your mistakes! Give us the club for free! never stood the slightest chance of getting a hearing, let alone a response.

[darrenrover]

6 hours ago, Exiled in Toronto said:

The team went downhill after Arbitro and CLB left. I, sadly, was only good enough for the Second XI.

The trick will be getting a hearing with some or several underlings at the base of their pyramid of trust, and then getting them to push the idea upwards. Which, of course, they would each have to see it be in their interests to do so, which means it’ll have to be something very different to what’s gone before. All the Venkys Out!, Kean Out!, Mowbray Out!, Apologise!, Admit your mistakes! Give us the club for free! never stood the slightest chance of getting a hearing, let alone a response.

Mick Duxbury, Danny Keough, Moran Brothers, downhill?...... 'twas a bloody good hiding of a team who'd just been crowned Lancashire Champions! (We were not allowed to enter any competition back then because of some dispute between The School and The FA)

I totally endorse your Rovers based comments too, as do we all.

We wish to help re-establish everything and are 'totally in peace', ideally no intentions of confrontation but with hearts and minds to do a 'proper job' without any ulterior motives whatsoever.

It SHOULD be a 'no-brainer'......

[oldjamfan1]

16 hours ago, darrenrover said:

A 5-0 stuffing that Tommy Duxbury described as the best schoolboy performance he'd ever witnessed says differently! 😉

I think you are spot on with your observations though too. Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.

Tommy Duckworth?

Just passed away recently in his 90s. 

Tommy said my younger brother was the best individual schoolboy footballer he had ever seen, and he must have seen some good 'uns!

[Claytons Left Boot]

16 hours ago, darrenrover said:

A 5-0 stuffing that Tommy Duxbury described as the best schoolboy performance he'd ever witnessed says differently! 😉

Exiled in Toronto, Arbitro and I are two or three years older than you Nick, I think. The first game I remember playing was at your place and finished 7-7!

Sky would have called it the Corporation Park derby 😆

[tina]

56 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Tommy Duckworth?

Just passed away recently in his 90s. 

Tommy said my younger brother was the best individual schoolboy footballer he had ever seen, and he must have seen some good 'uns!

I think he played with my dad for somewhere in north Darwen. Said he was a good un 

[oldjamfan1]

18 minutes ago, tina said:

I think he played with my dad for somewhere in north Darwen. Said he was a good un 

His strength was his biggest strength - he was massive, pretty much fully grown, by the age of 11. He remains the only Blackburn and Darwen schoolboy to ever make 100 appearances. A poster on here, I can't remember who, reckoned that was impossible, but the records state otherwise. 

If your dad played for Marsh House that might be where he knows him from?

[tina]

It was. My dad played on the right wing. Ronnie Farnworth. Used to brag about all the goals he got but was in awe about Tommy. His lads never made it but I did get a cup or two in the US at a late age. Cheers