The 3rd Rovers goal at Bramall Lane on 3rd May…

Yes…what would you like it to be?

Lays off a square pass though…😉

Sprained hairstyle…

The fanbase’s knowledge of the Indian legal system 👍

Precisely…so if the coalition wants to be able to say “BRFCS are behind us…” then having the poll demonstrates the extent to which it might be a majority viewpoint. It’s a criticism I’ve levelled at WATR for a while, as they were seemingly carrying out a mandate without explicit affirmation from their members.

https://www.brfcs.com/articles/mick-mc-grath

I’ve waxed lyrical on a number of our podcasts & the one I did for the Roker Report in the match thread. See also my LT columns for the questions I regularly pose to the leadership.

That it doesn’t have to be like this…

I tried to find a way to make it so…

The purpose of the poll is to confirm objectively what many of us currently can only surmise thus removing any accusations of it being “just one group”, “undemocratic”, “not representative” etc & so on…👍

What is the objective of this poll? We have been asked to provide more formal & visible support to the coalition as ‘BRFCS’ (as opposed simply to making individual contributions) and so we have decided to poll YOU, the Forum members, in order to confirm that doing so, would represent the majority view of respondents. We are therefore inviting all BRFCS members to vote on whether you would like to support the manifesto of the Blackburn Rovers Fans Coalition. The aims and objectives have been laid out by Glen Mullan below. Please note that whilst BRFCS members are free to individually support or oppose the coalition, BRFCS itself is owned by Northern Horde Limited, which has no corporate involvement in shaping the coalition’s goals, objectives, or messaging. This vote is purely to gauge the stance of the BRFCS community as individuals. Your voice matters, and we encourage everyone to participate. What is the Background of ‘The Coalition’? (provided by Glen Mullan) For a long time, the stigma around groups, has been a prickly subject within the supporter base. What constitutes a group? How does it represent my views? It does not represent my views and so on. ‘The Coalition’ is not a group, it’s a banner which has been formed to allow any Supporter/Stakeholder an equal opportunity to be part of creating greater unity amongst the supporter base, by working together without prejudice in an inclusive environment where every opinion matters. No matter where a supporter sits on the spectrum regarding their current thoughts on Blackburn Rovers, the one thing which binds all of us together is our love for the club. Credibility and accountability are two critical ingredients when launching any campaign, whilst finding common ground has always been the hardest thing to achieve. No single group can claim to represent the entire supporter base, whilst a singular group approach to the concerns surrounding our club can always be batted off as a “minority”. Its fair to say every group has its members and supporters but also has its critics. The critical element can and will always be used as a foothold by the club to dismiss legitimate concerns of the supporter base, as we saw with our own eyes during the recent interviews carried out by Suhail Pasha, Steve Waggott and Rudy Gestede. We’ve heard the terms used by Pasha that it’s just one group, Rudy Gestede stated its not the core supporters (still not sure what this even means), whilst Steve Waggott has claimed an open-door policy where he’s met not only all groups but individual supporters regularly indicating that the latest rise of discontent is a minority and without mandate. Each group has its own mandate, objectives, or purpose, whilst some people just don’t want to be part of any group at all, and % wise there’s probably more non-aligned supporters than those considering themselves part of a group which democratically represents their views. Rovers have absent owners, where the opportunity to engage through diplomacy has for 15 years continued to be impossible, despite efforts of many to try and bring them to the table for discussions. The reasoning behind this like so many things is unclear. Is it more so that those between the owners and the supporter base continue to drive a wedge to prevent meaningful dialogue? This leaves us being dependent on the club employees passing on supporter concerns which if we are being honest is unlikely if part of the problem is the function of the said employees, or we must communicate by other means. That other means has become the media, and over the years the media has covered our story, without really capturing the consensus of why supporters are upset. This is where credibility comes in, the media don’t really want to cover the story if there is not a “person or entity” willing to put their name to it. One group may get the odd press release published but as quickly as it’s published it’s extinguished as a minority. If we use WATR as an example, their last published accounts would indicate they have 344 members (based on subscriptions paid). This is a public record and readily available to both the club and the media. Its easy to downplay, as those numbers clearly show that WATR does not represent the supporter base in any meaningful dialogue. However, under a coalition banner, which neither prejudices nor replaces a group mandate, if you put e.g. WATR, BRFCS, BRFCAG, Proud Rovers etc. as a collective endorsement, it creates a far more powerful message and becomes impossible for the club to dismiss through fancy PR. Remembering the club has millions to discredit and deeper pockets than the supporter groups, unless someone is willing to personally fund a campaign. ‘The Coalition’ banner is also a protective blanket for those involved as it’s a panel open to all regardless of affiliation, direct actions are formed by the panel with no action taken without a majority vote implemented, under the coalition, no one legal entity or party becomes exposed. It does not prevent any group or individual carrying on with their current works or campaigns under their own banners, whilst it allows those entities to own their own complementary initiatives and hold accountability of such, when not a ‘Coalition’ driven initiative. Accountability is one if not the most important ingredients to supporter action. Lots of people want action, until they are asked to put their name to it. Putting your head above the parapet in isolation can get very expensive if you get it wrong, in terms of legal bills, personal losses, for example the loss of your job, or your home. Working as collective mitigates personal loss, working in isolation increases the risk. At present several BRFCS members are on the steering panel of the Coalition and their input & work to date has been first class, aiding significant traction in bringing our club’s issues to the forefront of the national media. The coalition’s work to date, has landed directly on the owner’s desk, whilst huge questions are now being asked of the club. This traction would not have been possible without the many hands and groups which have thrown their weight behind the latest campaign. It would never have got past first base, if it had been led by one person or one group. An invitation to all supporter groups to come together as one, has been rolled out throughout the last few weeks. Every group bar three, have either endorsed the Coalition or have joined the coalition’s steering group. (Please remember, its not a group, it’s a think tank of minds to implement collective initiatives with equal ownership). What is the coalition’s objectives/mandate? (provided by Glen Mullan) I’ve been asked this since we have grown from just 2 people to it being 25 people on a steering panel. This really is your coalition; the mandate and objectives are there to be set by those wanting to get involved. The direction and shaping of the future is everyone’s responsibility within the coalition, It would be easier if I gave my own vision but this is not the democratic way, the panel is not here to replace current group’s mandates and objectives, its here to create strength in numbers so that supporters voices can be heard in mass rather than in minority. Removing stigmas will be critical on this journey. Have your say in our poll now.

APPLE https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/preview-safc-v-blackburn-ian-herbert-from-brfcs-joins-us/id1800684854?i=1000704169543 SPOTIFY Really enjoyed chatting - went on a bit…they were very accommodating 😆

For the record…😁