ANDY CRYER COLUMN: Time for Rovers to start showing some respect

9:00am Thursday 10th January 2013 in Sport Photograph of the Author By Andy Cryer, Blackburn Rovers reporter

THIS weekly column has not exactly made for the happiest reading over the past two years with the Ewood Park faithful deserving no punches being pulled as their club has been systematically taken apart.

As Steve Kean once said ‘you’re very negative Andy’, and I guess – for once – he was right. I have been very negative and will continue to be until I see real progress being made behind the scenes.

But, while there remain some real problems in East Lancashire, the last few weeks have reminded us all that there are still some great things about this football club.

A lot of very good footballing people have been seen off by this chaotic regime but a lot still remain. Gary Bowyer and Terry McPhillips are the perfect example of that.

Both have been involved in the club’s youth set up for years now, quietly going about their business and getting results without ever hitting any of the headlines.

Now they have been thrown into the public glare, having been handed the temporary reins in what seemed impossible circumstances, and have responded admirably.

Who knows if the duo have any chance of landing the job full time – in fact that looks unlikely after last night's events – but their efforts deserve to be recognised and appreciated by a club who has all too often in recent times treated employees with disdain.

Last night's statement out of the blue was hardly a good sign that they are about to treated properly though.

The way former coaches Eric Black, Bobby Mimms and Iain Brunskill were told of their dismissals recently was nothing short of scandalous. To read it on Sky Sports before being told by the club is unforgivable. We should not be surprised as we have seen countless people behind the scenes at Ewood hounded out of the club, only to find how hard it is to get adequate replacements.

Bowyer and McPhillips will know nothing is certain. They have already seen Black do the caretaker manager’s job pretty well earlier this season before being booted out unceremoniously.

That can’t happen again. The duo may not be the men for the task long term – although I am of the mind if it is not broke don’t fix it – but they need to remain a part of the club’s future.

They have already contributed massively to some of the young players we are seeing emerge in the first team and, whoever comes in needs to be told they remain part of the furniture.

Bowyer and McPhillips aren’t the only people at the club who deserve better, they are just the obvious example after their achievements. There are a number of coaches, players, and plenty of others behind the scenes, who deserve their bosses to finally start showing some loyalty.

They say ‘You don’t know what you have got until you have lost it’, and how many times have we said that about Rovers under Venky’s control.

Comments(31)

moh says...
9:09am Thu 10 Jan 13

Mr Shaw is calling all the shots since his meeting in India. He wants to speak to Appleton. Appleton has a poor record. We are better off with GB than Appleton.

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brown cow warrior says...
9:13am Thu 10 Jan 13

Was Appleton available when Berg was taken on?

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cboyer says...
9:14am Thu 10 Jan 13

good post

VENKYS OUT!

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Abruzzorover says...
9:19am Thu 10 Jan 13

Quite simply put, Appleton is a BAD move.

Puzzled by the lack of comment regarding the public apology and financial settlement to Big Sam. Is A.C. suffering from Asian " loss of face" for not reporting this?

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roverfor60years says...
9:26am Thu 10 Jan 13

It just gets worse with every week that goes by. Venky’s only salvation now is to dispense with the services of Singh and Agnew and appoint an experienced ceo/chairman with complete authority – if they can find one. I am in abject despair.

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thommovat says...
9:43am Thu 10 Jan 13

roverfor60years wrote:
It just gets worse with every week that goes by. Venky’s only salvation now is to dispense with the services of Singh and Agnew and appoint an experienced ceo/chairman with complete authority – if they can find one. I am in abject despair.
..or if only the Venkys would sell...

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R.I.P. Rovers says...
9:54am Thu 10 Jan 13

this goes against "experience" as was broadcast on BBC 606

the only experience Appleton has is running a club in administration and using players that don't get paid

is this the message the board are trying to tell us?

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AndyW says...
10:16am Thu 10 Jan 13

Good comments Andy, fully agree.

Unfortunately you're calling on deaf/stupid/ignorant ears.

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lusorover says...
10:36am Thu 10 Jan 13

R.I.P. Rovers wrote:
this goes against "experience" as was broadcast on BBC 606

the only experience Appleton has is running a club in administration and using players that don't get paid

is this the message the board are trying to tell us?
Given the size of the crowds at Ewood, successfully managing a club on a shoestring is a very fine credential to be able to put on the table if applying for the Rovers job.

We all wish that were not the case but it is and we fans need to manage our expectations.

Given the current owners it is a miracle that anyone even considers the job.

I don´t know enough about Appleton to be able to say whether he would be right for the Club in the long term.

I do know that GB has done a fine job and the performances under his management have been the only bright thing to come out of Ewood / Pune in two years.

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Harwoodstblue says...
10:56am Thu 10 Jan 13

lusorover wrote:
R.I.P. Rovers wrote:
this goes against "experience" as was broadcast on BBC 606

the only experience Appleton has is running a club in administration and using players that don't get paid

is this the message the board are trying to tell us?
Given the size of the crowds at Ewood, successfully managing a club on a shoestring is a very fine credential to be able to put on the table if applying for the Rovers job.

We all wish that were not the case but it is and we fans need to manage our expectations.

Given the current owners it is a miracle that anyone even considers the job.

I don´t know enough about Appleton to be able to say whether he would be right for the Club in the long term.

I do know that GB has done a fine job and the performances under his management have been the only bright thing to come out of Ewood / Pune in two years.
Reg your last sentence......They'l
l probably get rid of them then !!!

It wouldn't do for Venkys to keep someone who was doing a good job.

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bluerob says...
11:12am Thu 10 Jan 13

Excellent article Andy, few could disagree with any of your comments.

Bowyer and McPhilips have done a tremendous job and deserve their rewards.

Andy, one good thing about your job is you will never be short of things to write about.

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fishcake 75 says...
11:20am Thu 10 Jan 13

A little bit better mr cryer however you still stop short of naming names and aying what action should be taken to put the club on the road to recovery,do you want singh out? do you want shaw and agnew out ? do you want venkys out?d you want the whole lot of them out?come on start a campaign the fans would have a much louder voice with you on our side,let us know what you would like to see happen.

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tugay please !! says...
11:23am Thu 10 Jan 13

I think the local press have shown too much respect to Venkeys and the Blackburn regime for over two years now, only on occasions and in the last few weeks have they really been critical and I personally dont think they have even touched the surface . Yes a good article but surely there should be a concerted effort now to stop pandering around and show Venkeys and the current management for what they really are. Even then I doubt they will ever understand the meaning of respect
because they dont have to or want too.

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roverfor60years says...
11:37am Thu 10 Jan 13

Several months ago Blackburn Rovers Action Group presented a ‘dynamite’ 400-page dossier to the FA and the Football League and they were assured there would be an investigation. From recollection, Glen Mullan warned that if BRAG did not receive a positive response by Christmas, then they would make public its contents.

Have you had a response, Glen? If so, tell us. If not, when are you going to blow Venky’s out of the water?

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A Rover 45 years and over says...
11:41am Thu 10 Jan 13

You was only being negative Andy because Kean was taking us on a downward spiral and you were speaking out for the rest of us. You are right about the treatment of staff but we are dealing with people from a different culture and understanding.Who knows, now that these two have been put in the shop window some one else may be willing to take a chance on them if we don't. They have done enough to give them the job till the end of season for me and see where it takes us.

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BlueSkies says...
11:58am Thu 10 Jan 13

fishcake 75 wrote:
A little bit better mr cryer however you still stop short of naming names and aying what action should be taken to put the club on the road to recovery,do you want singh out? do you want shaw and agnew out ? do you want venkys out?d you want the whole lot of them out?come on start a campaign the fans would have a much louder voice with you on our side,let us know what you would like to see happen.
I think if you actually bought a copy of the LT now and again you would know where the paper stands with regards to this circus.

Andy Cryer and LT have been against this regime for a long time and have declared their stance on several occasions.

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BRFC0808 says...
12:04pm Thu 10 Jan 13

ANDY CRYER SCORES GOAL ON BOTH SIDE!!!!!!!!
ITS TIME HE QUITS LT AND WE HAVE SOMEONE WHO'S SAME AT THE EVENINIG AS IN THE MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OUT U CRYER

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stefjam says...
12:37pm Thu 10 Jan 13

http://newsthump.com
/2013/01/10/blackbur
n-rovers-keen-to-app
oint-new-manager-aft
er-disappointing-run
-of-victories/

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owd nick says...
1:17pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Good post.

Why Appleton? Seems an absolutely pointless move to me, he hasn't done anything anywhere, so not a lot of "experience" is there?

The only good thing about this is that Rovers appear to have silenced Shebby which was needed, but the constant infighting isn't helping.

The general reaction to Appleton I am getting from fans I know is negative, that doesn't augur well if we do sign him because they will be on his back immediately.

Rovers need to listen to the fans, pure and simple. either stick with what we have in place and see what happens or get someone in who knows this league, O''Driscoll would suit me, his teams play good football and he has a win ratio of around 36% and a win draw ratio of around 73%.

In a very short time at Forest he had them playing really well, unless something went on behind the scenes we don't know about they were idiots for getting rid of him.

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makaveli96 says...
1:19pm Thu 10 Jan 13

moh wrote:
Mr Shaw is calling all the shots since his meeting in India. He wants to speak to Appleton. Appleton has a poor record. We are better off with GB than Appleton.
So your flying the GB flag then moh, unlike Glentoranclaret!

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waggyonthewing says...
1:53pm Thu 10 Jan 13

sob sob sob sob sob sob...r.i.p my wonderful wonderful Blackburn Rovers i will never forget the 40 great years we had together, good and bad,it was a pleasure and a great honour to be part of your great history,so sorry it has ended.

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Dublin rover says...
1:59pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Cheers for your thoughts on the situation at the club andy would have to agree with you on the respect bit.

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buzzinfly says...
2:04pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Shaw seems to be throwing his weight around since his India trip.
After throwing his toys about and stamping his feet and crying, Venkys, agreed that it was his turn next to find a manager, because Shebbys had his.
Agnew didnt mind as he was playing in the sand pit with his old pal Kean.(Yep, thats where he is)!

Club Shop to start selling 'Where's Agnew' book. It should have been out for Christmas, but nobody could find a picture of him for the illustrations. In the end they just used a blank face because no-one knows what he looks like so it would be impossible to find him.

Singh, now scratching his head as decisions are being made over it. He's returned to colouring in articles for the mtchday programme.

Just a bunch of kids, well thats what they come across as.

For F**ks sake, sort it out!! Its not rocket science. Working together would be a start.

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waggyonthewing says...
2:07pm Thu 10 Jan 13

I will continue to attend Ewood after 40 years its hard not to,but lets be honest this isnt Rovers anymore its getting to be somewhere we go out of habit,theirs no pleasure in it anymore,somewhere to meet your mates have a few beers then go home wondering why you still do it,WE MUST BE MORE CRAZY THAN THE IDIOTS FROM INDIA..

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glp says...
3:32pm Thu 10 Jan 13

The circus that is Venkys Blackburn Rovers rolls on 2 years and no sign of ending unfortunately. Champions League football the chicken farmers will be lucky to keep the club in the championship. Totally useless owners and clueless board of directors. Utter disgrace what they have done to our wonderful club. So glad I ended my 39 years of support last season do not want to be associated with this neverending fiasco.

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say something positive says...
5:08pm Thu 10 Jan 13

aother one sided report. only negative to the rovers.
nothing good happening at rovers, whatver happes we only report thr negative.
we need new sportwriter and a paper thatt supports the local club.
time for a change
cryer out

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riversidefan says...
7:50pm Thu 10 Jan 13

say something positive wrote:
aother one sided report. only negative to the rovers.
nothing good happening at rovers, whatver happes we only report thr negative.
we need new sportwriter and a paper thatt supports the local club.
time for a change
cryer out
Why are you going to apply for the job? If so, please get your mum to help you with the spelling and grammar.

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jackmetickler says...
9:28pm Thu 10 Jan 13

say something positive wrote:
aother one sided report. only negative to the rovers. nothing good happening at rovers, whatver happes we only report thr negative. we need new sportwriter and a paper thatt supports the local club. time for a change cryer out
Or are you Shabby in disguise!

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steve18gls says...
9:47pm Thu 10 Jan 13

jackmetickler wrote:
say something positive wrote:
aother one sided report. only negative to the rovers. nothing good happening at rovers, whatver happes we only report thr negative. we need new sportwriter and a paper thatt supports the local club. time for a change cryer out
Or are you Shabby in disguise!
Thats a very duluded view of things considering what has gone on in the last 2 years.At least Andy cryer is trying to do something to change things and not constantly whining like you, and a portion of other so called fans !!

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steve18gls says...
9:47pm Thu 10 Jan 13

jackmetickler wrote:
say something positive wrote:
aother one sided report. only negative to the rovers. nothing good happening at rovers, whatver happes we only report thr negative. we need new sportwriter and a paper thatt supports the local club. time for a change cryer out
Or are you Shabby in disguise!
Thats a very duluded view of things considering what has gone on in the last 2 years.At least Andy cryer is trying to do something to change things and not constantly whining like you, and a portion of other so called fans !!

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100%RoverVenkysOut says...
10:50pm Thu 10 Jan 13

I have supported Rovers for over 20 years, my uncle for about 50 years. We have both been utterly heartbroken by the near complete destruction of nearly ever singe aspect of the club.
From the disgusting and disrespectful treatment of long serving players and even longer serving (and on the whole first class) backroom/boardroom staff, to the employing and promoting of the odious, back stabbing, lying, tactically vacant K***, not forgetting the endless stream of lies and ridiculous, deeply embarrassing statements (on the rare occurrence one was made) from the V...V...V...VENKYS (sorry, difficult to even write that name). Our club was once one of the most respected and well run in the country, fact. The Jack Walker Trust and Premier League should hang their head in shame at the betrayal of Uncle Jack's legacy. John Williams, no matter how much I want him back, should also take some responsibility. A few simple questions to the Venky's during the takeover surely would have set off enough alarm bells to prevent this tragedy taking place, eg "Rao, can a team be relegated from the premier league?"
I knew we were in SERIOUS trouble within approx. 4 months of Venkys takeover when I heard Her Ladyshi* (you choose final letter) responding to criticism of them in an interview on the radio: "people have been critical saying that I've never been to a live game. While that is true, I am a good listener"!!!! WHAT!!??!!
Andy, I think you're articles have never been overly negative. You seem to be the one voice in the media that's nearly realistic and aware enough of the whole situation. I don't mean that as a slight, I just think we, the fans, need someone in the media to really rip the lid of this festering pot of cockroaches and expose them for the scumbags they are. I think it would make an incredible Panorama episode, but of course the southern based media couldn't actually give 2 hoots and will only generally write to be critical of the people who matter the most, the fans (and I say that as someone who's born and raised in Oxfordshire).

The action group and the media really need to get a proper strategy together to oust Venkys once and for all, not suck up to Shebby because he actually speaks to the fans (90% utter nonsense, but still the only one to apologise for ANYTHING that they've done). He seems to only have the job of Global-Utter-Meaning
less-Title because he's apparently been a fan for a number of years...well so has my uncle Graham, and he would be a million times better at ANY job on the board than Venkys/Singh.
The manager situation for instance, how hard is it to understand...GET A MANAGER WITH PROPER EXPERIENCE, LEARN FROM AT LEAST ONE OF YOUR MISTAKES. But, no, there will be no lessons learnt. We'll **** money up the wall on Scumbag K***, but we won't shell out 2mill for Gus Poyet. We won't approach Alan Curbishley, O'Driscoll, managers who've got experiance and ARE OUT OF WORK! No, we'll go after yet another unproven manager...Literally nothing surprises me at MY/OUR club anymore.

I wish I could see an end to it, but while these "people" "run" our club, I can only see a Portsmouth or even Rangers situation on the horizon...and the worst part is that by that point their behavior and treatment of human beings will have **** off so many people that no one, outside of the fans, will care.

Andy, is there something we can do to get someone to truly look into what's going on behind the scenes? Raise media/public awareness to the fact that this isn't the fans fault, that one of the historically important clubs in England is being decimated, and that no one is doing anything to help us.

Thank you for your articles, don't back away from the good fight, attack!

DS

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