What do we do now?

[rustyshackleford]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new member - longtime reader going back years and years - my dad used to contribute here very occasionally and we'd often talk about what we'd been reading on the forum. I was a season ticket holder in the Blackburn end up until around 2005, my old man grew up in a house next to Ewood and his dad was at the 1960 FA Cup final so I've a fair bit of a family connection to the club/area.

I grew up in the North East outside of Newcastle and we always made the trip down for home games. Obviously the last few weeks have been more emotionally charged than usual with Eustace leaving and the club reverting to a state of managed chaos with the appointment of VI and the results that have followed. I've been angry and I've followed the anger. I've also become somewhat apathetic again and followed the apathy and fully understand the stance many are taking on season tickets and purchases around the club.

I've long thought of how we might rid the club of Venkys without any real epiphany occurring and from reading many viewpoints it appears there only two viable routes.

1. A total collapse of revenue (which seems unlikely)

2. Intense media scrutiny via the shining of an intensely sustained spotlight on the club.

I'm not sure how viable the second option is either to be honest - we've never particularly been media darlings - but I sat at home this afternoon with my two young daughters who were born just outside of Newcastle and felt an intense (in the football fan) sense of shame that they'd be better off just being Newcastle fans than following their dad's lifelong club. I remember being in Cardiff as a teenager with my dad watching Rovers beating Spurs in the league Cup final and it's not only one of the best footballing memories I have - it's one of the best memories I have of being with my dad who has long since departed to a Venky free existence.

Don't get me wrong - football certainly isn't the be all and end all - but for those of us that invest so much energy into following it alongside real life, this 15 year nightmare has been a real wrench in something we all love and it just feels such a shame to be in a position where I don't want to pass on a family heirloom of sorts - a genuine love and affection for BRFC.

So in the spirit of Newcastle's well earned win and in light of the nightmare position we find ourselves in yet again as the club begins a further unravelling back into league one next season I ask - what do we do now?

Have there been any serious targeted attempts at shining a spotlight on Venkys / Waggot / Pasha / Gestede in recent years? If not, is now perhaps the time? Does anyone have an urge to explore this as a possibility?

Does anyone have any potted histories of any previous attempts at documenting our plight?

Look forward to hearing from everyone and posting around here a bit more regularly!

 

Edited March 16 by rustyshackleford

[RevidgeBlue]

Great first post.  Welcome to the Forum.

I think that over here a lot more pressure needs to be exerted on Waggott and Pasha and the best way to hurt Venky's is to embarrass them back home in India. How best that is done Ive no idea but maybe others will have some decent suggestions.

On the Rovers/Newcastle aspect, I share your pain. My two daughters live in or near Newcastle and are both married to red hot Newcastle fans. I have two very young grand sons and used to buy them Rovers Baby grows (which their Dads wouldnt even let them try on) and joke about getting them full blown Rovers kits.

I havent even got the heart to crack the joke any more. I wouldnt want to embarass the poor little mites with the state the Club is in.

.

[Tom]

Let’s go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint and wait for this whole thing to blow over!

[...]

If your heart is with the club then you're a fan. Despite the utter shower of brown stuff that we are all currently wading through. I've brought my two kids into the Rovers realm and wouldn't change it. Blackburn born and bred, born a blue and white. Sometimes you can't change your colours no matter how much you wish you'd of picked otherwise. Football goes up and down. Just have to ride out the bad times and figure a way to deal with it. There's enough ideas on here now for people to attempt to do something. Just a case of someone making the first move and I think a good amount of people will get on board despite there not being alot of movement right now. Just has to be the right idea and organised

[...]

3 minutes ago, Tom said:

Let’s go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint and wait for this whole thing to blow over!

Shaun! Hob nobs! 

[Dan]

36 minutes ago, ... said:

Shaun! Hob nobs! 

 

41 minutes ago, Tom said:

Let’s go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint and wait for this whole thing to blow over!

 

[davulsukur]

We're getting towards the business end of the season, which is usually a depressing time for us, watching other clubs have success whilst we plod along as the least ambitious club in England. 

Made worse this season by the self inflicted, mortal wound we gave ourselves.

[WacoRover]

Rusty, welcome aboard! 
Rovers need all our fans who have invested so much time, energy, money, blood, sweat & tears in the club, to speak out. Your voice helps those of us here. 

Sadly, those people (I’m tired of seeing owners name/business) aren’t going to unload our club. Protests, not buying tix or not attending, etc, reflect our displeasure, but sadly, won’t do much to deter them. 

It’s our club, & the only Blackburn Rovers we will ever have. I live in Texas, but if I lived closer, I’d probably attend games regularly. All we can do is love the club. If anybody has any great ideas, to encourage those people to sell, I’d love to hear them. 

[ben_the_beast]

I don't think anything coordinated will work. The fanbase is depleted and those who remain are likely to disagree on the best course of action. Of those who'd be more willing to protest, I fear the spirit has been broken. Overall it feels as though there is an acceptance that we are powerless.

I've seen a lot of people saying boycott and hit Venkys in the pocket. The reality is that, that is likely to happen, but not through some coordinated effort, but as more people reach their own personal tipping point. I forsee attendances dropping off yet another mini cliff edge. It may get Waggott and Suhail sweating a bit, to the extent they may ask the overlords for a bit of funding, but it won't force them out. 

If they ever choose to sell the club, it'll be because that's what they've decided to do, be it on a whim or some other reason relating to their wider empire. No amount of telling them we want them out, protesting etc will ever influence their decision making process. 

That's my feeling. The only exception to that could be a word of honesty from Suhail if he is asked a few difficult questions regarding the drop in attendances. 

[rigger]

Not really for this topic, but anyway. On the official site there is a banner headline wishing our Irish rovers a happy St Patricks day, with a picture of Sammy Szmodics.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

17 hours ago, rustyshackleford said:

Hi everyone,

I'm a new member - longtime reader going back years and years - my dad used to contribute here very occasionally and we'd often talk about what we'd been reading on the forum. I was a season ticket holder in the Blackburn end up until around 2005, my old man grew up in a house next to Ewood and his dad was at the 1960 FA Cup final so I've a fair bit of a family connection to the club/area.

I grew up in the North East outside of Newcastle and we always made the trip down for home games. Obviously the last few weeks have been more emotionally charged than usual with Eustace leaving and the club reverting to a state of managed chaos with the appointment of VI and the results that have followed. I've been angry and I've followed the anger. I've also become somewhat apathetic again and followed the apathy and fully understand the stance many are taking on season tickets and purchases around the club.

I've long thought of how we might rid the club of Venkys without any real epiphany occurring and from reading many viewpoints it appears there only two viable routes.

1. A total collapse of revenue (which seems unlikely)

2. Intense media scrutiny via the shining of an intensely sustained spotlight on the club.

I'm not sure how viable the second option is either to be honest - we've never particularly been media darlings - but I sat at home this afternoon with my two young daughters who were born just outside of Newcastle and felt an intense (in the football fan) sense of shame that they'd be better off just being Newcastle fans than following their dad's lifelong club. I remember being in Cardiff as a teenager with my dad watching Rovers beating Spurs in the league Cup final and it's not only one of the best footballing memories I have - it's one of the best memories I have of being with my dad who has long since departed to a Venky free existence.

Don't get me wrong - football certainly isn't the be all and end all - but for those of us that invest so much energy into following it alongside real life, this 15 year nightmare has been a real wrench in something we all love and it just feels such a shame to be in a position where I don't want to pass on a family heirloom of sorts - a genuine love and affection for BRFC.

So in the spirit of Newcastle's well earned win and in light of the nightmare position we find ourselves in yet again as the club begins a further unravelling back into league one next season I ask - what do we do now?

Have there been any serious targeted attempts at shining a spotlight on Venkys / Waggot / Pasha / Gestede in recent years? If not, is now perhaps the time? Does anyone have an urge to explore this as a possibility?

Does anyone have any potted histories of any previous attempts at documenting our plight?

Look forward to hearing from everyone and posting around here a bit more regularly!

 

There are many Rovers fans who believe nothing can be done,almost an acceptance of our fate under the tenure of these utter Wreckingball Morons...I kid you not.

Our Proud 150th Year could well turn out to be a nightmare.

 

 

Edited Monday at 16:20 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[miqaayil]

Welcome brother ... i'm a fan from the time of King Kenny ...my dad was a liverpool fan till he died but i just felt at home only with rovers...i was one of first few to rejoice at venky's taking over (being a person of indian heritage) but the moment they sacked Sam and Mdm D talked about leasing , i just felt a sense of dread and i'm proven right repeatedly with their actions .. i live far away in Asia and if for a fan from long distance can feel this pain and disconnect , my heart goes out to those brethren going home and away games and witnesses the life sucked out of EWOOD. 

We are dying by "A THOUSAND CUTS" and parasites like waggot,pasha,kean,KENTARO, all profit by causing hurt to ROVERs. 

i'm the kind of FAN who ordered a ROVERS BABY jumper from UK and insisted it's the first jumper my daughter would wear back from the hospital ....now i'm going through dilemma that  i can't watch rovers play because of fear and i can't stop watching in hope we do well ...its a fuking miserable feeling ...

 

i never shared this but thank you ...

 

p.s this feels like an A.A meeting , we all having RWS (ROVERS WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME)

[davulsukur]

Is this guy on here?

[Upside Down]

7 hours ago, davulsukur said:

Is this guy on here?

You mean this planet or....

[StHelensRover]

18 hours ago, davulsukur said:

Is this guy on here?

Doesn't take a genius to work out that this is their default position and has been for years now. So not sure why he is announcing it as some kind of epiphany -That they know they'll only ever get their money back if we get promotion. They must be hoping that eventually we'll fluke our way up like B*rnley did under Coyle or Blackpool did under Holloway, that the law of averages says at some point we'll get promoted. 

We know it's nowhere near as simple as that. That clubs like Forest were stuck in this division for 20 years and that other clubs like Bristol City and PNE who are both better run than we have been have been stuck in this division a very long time. As we saw in 2016 and last year, we're more likely to accidentally fall out of this division than fluke a promotion from it under their stewardship 👎

Edited Tuesday at 13:41 by StHelensRover

[Wheelton Blue]

I call bollocks on that supposed 'jigsaw'.

If they genuinely saw it as a 'failed investment', then they'd cut their losses and run. The longer it goes on, then the more money they lose etc etc...that's basic business sense.

There's other reasons beyond financial ones as to why they hang on.

[Dan]

Maybe potential buyers contact Swag and the Shadow man and they get ignored because those two twats are very comfortable in their jobs? 
 

Any decent owner would get rid of those two arseholes right away. 

[simongarnerisgod]

the best chance of promotion was with jdt,so why did they undermine him if they want to get promotion to the premier league,all very strange and very dodgy,they patently don`t want us to get promotion,they ****** over 3 decent managers so it`s pretty obvious

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

2 hours ago, Wheelton Blue said:

I call bollocks on that supposed 'jigsaw'.

If they genuinely saw it as a 'failed investment', then they'd cut their losses and run. The longer it goes on, then the more money they lose etc etc...that's basic business sense.

There's other reasons beyond financial ones as to why they hang on.

That’s the only conclusion anyone can come to.

[broadsword]

I'm up for an octagon death match against fat lad. If he loses, venkys sell up. If I lost, I won't be around to live the misery of venkys jackboot

[KyleBRFC]

I feel your pain, I Currently live just outside newcastle have 2 kids aged 1 and 4, the little girl is 4 and I try my best (taking her to games when we're down, buying her kits ect) to keep the support alive, but I know its going to be an uphill battle as they get older, the wife's family are split 50/50 Sunderland, Newcastle and finding it harder and harder whilst both their fortunes are beginning to look up whilst ours are looking ever so bleak and its gotten to a point I feel like just giving up, its just embarrassing the way the club is run.

[miqaayil]

On 19/03/2025 at 02:56, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

That’s the only conclusion anyone can come to.

i've always said ...common misconception is its VENKY's monies .... the answer is a big fat NO... the monies are a credit line against SBI (STATE BANK OF INDIA) ...venky's put up collateral or even used their clout to get this instrument which they monetized and spending freely and got caught with personal expenditures instead of using it for its intended purpose of BRFC hence the court case... 

i also strongly believe income from player sales and ST's and any kind of tangible income is somehow vanishing and expenditures are through SBI funds(hence BRFC goes further in debt) and thus no reinvestment in squad except minimal to keep suspicion out only a financial forensic expert or top notch audit firm will sniff this and hence sale of club is not entertained.

As due to judiciary systems in INDIA "calling" of the bad investment by SBI will next to never happen ...and we rot to non existent by a thousand cuts ... 

p.s the snowball incident just fuked us with a vendetta too... 

 

SO the logic guy in me tells ...we are a corpse of a club rotting. But the relentless FAN in me is hoping for a miracle 

Finally promotion puts us in spotlight and makes us a viable purchase so that is sabotaged at every turn... L1 income is too less for the pumpout so logically championship is a sweet spot of expenditure and income.

Edited Thursday at 16:14 by miqaayil

[davulsukur]

On 18/03/2025 at 02:48, Upside Down said:

You mean this planet or....

Ha, I meant on these boards but either I suppose. He's been very active on Twitter lately but also taking a lot of flack for telling people what to do, whilst they are in New York.

Would have been interesting to try and get a bit more from him, based on these discussions he's claiming he's had.