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Blackburn Rovers column: Ewood faithful unite in need for change (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Blackburn Rovers column: Ewood faithful unite in need for change
3:05pm Thursday 26th April 2012 in Blackburn Rovers blogs
By Andy Cryer, Blackburn Rovers reporter
IF anyone was still of the opinion that only the ‘minority’ of Blackburn Rovers fans were deeply concerned about the future of their football club, the past week has been further evidence that they are wrong.
No-one could argue that the ‘Venky’s out’ chant reverberating all around Ewood Park on Saturday afternoon was just a few.
It was from all stands and from fans from all walks of life.
It wasn’t vitriolic or full of hate either. It was just a heartfelt message from long-suffering supporters who have quite clearly, and understandably, had enough.
This was not just a reaction to another dismal showing on the field, with Rovers leading 2-0 to give new hope of top flight survival.
It was a spontaneous outburst of emotion from people desperate for change.
Just hours earlier a group of fans had met to discuss plans for a community buy-out of the club.
Represented by politicians, business leaders, Rovers supporters groups and ordinary fans, it was another sign of the strength of feeling around the place.
Whether the Blackburn Rovers Supporters Investment Trust will ever be able to raise the sort of money it would take to buy a football club is unknown, but to receive over £1million of pledges in a month is no mean feat.
I am not one of those who believe there is absolutely no way back for Venky’s, and I know there are many out there who feel there isn’t.
It was encouraging to hear the fans at the Trust meeting on Saturday talking about their willingness to work with Venky’s.
All they want is for the club to be able to look forward to a bright future – that is all anyone wants.
In an ideal world Venky’s would be able to provide that but, for every day that passes, that looks increasingly unlikely.
That is why Rovers fans are uniting in their call for change.
I am not talking about the small group of fans who have arranged organised protests over the past few months or those who chanted ‘Kean out’ during most of Saturday’s match. They are fully entitled to be doing what they believe is right though and undoubtedly have the club’s best interests at heart.
I am talking about the majority.
Those people, some who have probably never protested before about anything in their lives, are watching their beloved football club crumble before their eyes.
These aren’t ‘idiots’ like the outside world wants to portray them. They are hard working, honest people simply devastated at the direction Rovers are heading.
The task Venky’s face to ever win the Blackburn public around will become even more difficult if Premier League status is lost, after all they can have no-one else to blame but themselves.
But this isn’t about what league Rovers are in, it is about having a football club the fans can be proud of again. If Venky’s aren’t prepared to give us that, then they need to ask themselves what on earth they are in this for?
The chaos behind the scenes at Rovers over the last 18 months has divided supporters, with the small section or protesters criticised in some quarters and backed from others.
Everyone is united in the call for change though, either in the owners’ approach to running the club or to the owners themselves.
It has to be one of the two.
Comments are closed on this article.

Comments (63)
says...
3:19pm Thu 26 Apr 12
j bee says...
3:23pm Thu 26 Apr 12
carlmc says...
Whilst I was on holiday last week in Spain, I was having a casual chat with a couple of lads who knew only what the had read in the Nationals about us. When I showed them the comments made by the geunuine fans on the LET website and explained, what false promises, Venky's, Kean and the agents had made, they were genuinley shocked. It astounds me that we can't get our message out to the public.
I think if the real message was out there, football fans would genuinely unite and make a real stand against things.
I just wish I knew ho we could achieve this!
3:26pm Thu 26 Apr 12
gudari says...
3:30pm Thu 26 Apr 12
riversidefan says...
What other events attracts over 20,000 paying customers in East Lancs regularly? The fact is football clubs are the heart of a community and give their town much needed exposure when they do well.
3:35pm Thu 26 Apr 12
eddyo says...
*
Who has heard of Darwen, Hyndburn or Ribble Valley outside Lancashire? Practically nobody.
3:35pm Thu 26 Apr 12
givet82 says...
3:36pm Thu 26 Apr 12
RobbyRover says...
3:36pm Thu 26 Apr 12
riversidefan says...
3:59pm Thu 26 Apr 12
bring back the good old days says...
The desperation of the constant advert for the ST's on the radio tells its own story, this vocally illustrated by whole sections of the support shouting the message out loud and clear.
How will Venkys respond to this?
For myself, I have no idea, as they don't.
4:12pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Dukes says...
4:18pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Brfc24138931 says...
4:20pm Thu 26 Apr 12
1riversider says...
Some people on here, especially "morst" seem desperate to see the Walker Trust come riding to the rescue. I think there is more chance of platting fog.
When we are relegated, that is when the reality of what they have done will hit these shysters we call owners. The cupboard really will be bare, and I have a feeling that Barclays Bank will be the catalyst for what happens next. Hopefully the shysters will be forced out. We will be rid of them sooner or later!
Perhaps then, BRSIT will come into their own. One day we WILL have our Rovers back - what division we will be in is anyone's guess!
In the meantime, I for one will not be renewing my ticket until these shysters are gone!!
COME ON YOU BLUES
4:20pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Jimmy Jambone says...
They should be doing it twice a day. The lazy b@stards.
4:22pm Thu 26 Apr 12
merlinrabbit says...
4:41pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Rory257 says...
4:41pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Jerome and her son says...
The names of Martin Jol, Sven Goran Eriksson and even Diego Maradona have emerged as potential replacements though Desai’s desire for someone with experience of the English game appears to rule out the trio.
“We want good football and Blackburn to be fourth or fifth in the league or even better,” Desai told the Lancashire Telegraph.
“The fans should trust us because this is in the best interests of the club.
“It is nothing against Sam but we have a different vision looking forward and we want the club to grow.
“It is not about the Bolton match. It has been a long time in our minds. We wanted good football, wanted the games to be interesting and of course wanted to win and to have good players.
“The fans should trust us and have belief in us.”
Having rejected plans by the Venky’s group, the Indian-based poultry company which secured a controlling interest at Ewood Park last month, to rely on advice from the sports agency Kentaro in relation to transfer targets, Allardyce was sacked by chairman John Williams on the orders of Venky’s.
The owners’ list of potential transfer targets are said to have had former Hull City midfielder Geovanni and Middlesbrough striker Kris Boyd at its centre whereas Allardyce wanted to move for Robbie Keane and David Bentley at Tottenham and Roque Santa Cruz, the former Rovers striker who has been marginalised at Manchester City.
Blackburn will not be rushed in to an appointment, with the owners expressing confidence in Steve Keane, one of Allardyce’s coaches, as an able caretaker manager.
“Our thinking now is that it will be a British manager, but we are open if there is an outstanding candidate: someone who would be really, really good for the club,” said Desai.
“Right now Steve Kean will take over while we are looking for someone to take over on a permanent basis.”
http://www.telegraph
.co.uk/sport/footbal
l/teams/blackburn-ro
vers/8200889/Blackbu
rn-owners-sacked-Sam
-Allardyce-in-search
-of-good-football-an
d-to-be-fourth-or-fi
fth-in-the-league.ht
ml
5:14pm Thu 26 Apr 12
did you smash it? says...
.
When you won at Old Trafford it was apparently the players who won the game and it was all done DESPITE Kean, as soon as there is a defeat though it is all Kean's fault and the players get off scot free.
.
Embarrassing - you dolts are finally going to reap your rewards by crashing through the leagues and hopefully into administration.
5:14pm Thu 26 Apr 12
philmoulden says...
venkys out ,kean out ,anderson out
5:20pm Thu 26 Apr 12
1riversider says...
5:28pm Thu 26 Apr 12
did you smash it? says...
.
Just the same old ultra-boring rubbish every single day - I just pray for the day that you all decide to protest by finally stopping whining about it to all and sundry.
.
You are going down - like three clubs do every single year, so just **** deal with it and stop trying to blame everybody
5:32pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Sam-the-Man says...
DKO
5:33pm Thu 26 Apr 12
did you smash it? says...
STEVE KEAN IS A FOOTBALL GENIUS
5:36pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Jerome and her son says...
co.uk/football/2010/
dec/15/blackburn-mar
adona-sam-allardyce-
owners?INTCMP=SRCH
Blackburn Rovers owners have denied speculation that they want Diego Maradona to replace sacked manager Sam Allardyce.
The Indian firm Venky's, who dismissed Allardyce on Monday, also reiterated that they will not rush the appointment, and that Allardyce's first-team coach Steve Kean could be caretaker manager for some time.
Venky's chairperson, Anuradha Desai, said: "We are looking for a manager in the future but that is going to take time. We don't want to make a hurried decision. We want to understand, meet a lot of people, take opinions and study the scenario. For the time being we have given Steve Kean the job.
"I can assure you he is the guy who is hands-on, he knows the strengths and the weaknesses of the players. He has been working hard with the players and I am pretty sure he will do an excellent job."
Maradona, who coached his country with characteristic flamboyance at the World Cup last summer, was tipped as a candidate to succeed Allardyce in some reports but Desai has rubbished those suggestions.
She added on Five Live: "This is something that because we have offices everywhere somebody spoke about, but it is not true. There is no connection. This is something from before we got into the EPL – he knows one of our friends, but nothing beyond that.
"He is not being considered, not now and forever for the future. I can assure you we are having nothing to do with Maradona."
Desai also insisted that the decision to sack Allardyce was not provoked by his reported objection to the prospect of having new signings forced on him in the January transfer window.
"We have a long-term vision. We want to take the club up to higher heights in terms of position, in terms of overall betterment of the club, in terms of development of younger players – the future.
"In that, Sam definitely didn't fit in. We don't want to be, all the time, in danger of being relegated – three points away, five points away.
"I don't think this team deserves that. This team has a lot of potential and we can see that."
"My father once told me that out of 10 decisions you must get at least seven right. You can get two or three wrong - we're not gods.
"But to get nine or 10 wrong is not good and things have been going wrong with transfers, that's a fact."
My favourite quote is this:
"In that, Sam definitely didn't fit in. We don't want to be, all the time, in danger of being relegated – three points away, five points away."
5:48pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Morst The 88th Min Heartbreaker of Dingles! says...
.
Who cares if the ST renewal date is not extended - yet another cheap insulting PR trick from the Pinocchio gang.
.
34th Year And Still Counting!
6:14pm Thu 26 Apr 12
sonny says...
6:15pm Thu 26 Apr 12
sonny says...
6:18pm Thu 26 Apr 12
A Darener says...
To all those thinking of renewing.....Please don't.
6:29pm Thu 26 Apr 12
rovers1979 says...
Grow up and go comment on social deprevation in burnley.
7:24pm Thu 26 Apr 12
bulldogbrfc says...
7:27pm Thu 26 Apr 12
nontetleydrinker says...
What is required is for you lot to go out their and find a job, look at 'Derek aka morst' and 'keep darwen gay' for instance, these two clowns spend all day every day on here drumming up their hatred for steve kean and venkys
Steve and venkys do more work in a day than these two clowns have done in a life time. so hats off to steve and venkys as they are hard working people just like myself.
Venky soup kitchens are now off limits for Derek and KDG.
7:37pm Thu 26 Apr 12
RTID_norway says...
It will be interesting to get the actual figures! Anyone have any idea?
In other news, I do feel most people and even the media is starting to see more of the big picture, but the abuse the protester, and rovers fans in general, have had to put up with is nothing short of a discrase!
Was delighted to see all stands unite in the "Venkys out" chant on sat!!
7:51pm Thu 26 Apr 12
merlinrabbit says...
8:02pm Thu 26 Apr 12
ste.g says...
8:05pm Thu 26 Apr 12
merlinrabbit says...
8:21pm Thu 26 Apr 12
petergray says...
He seemed to be a very nice man; a very n**e man indeed (is that ok L.T. ?).
8:47pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Judge Nic Sanders says...
I hope he was eating BEEF on the sly. mmm lovely beef ,fried beef or braised beef, beef beef beef beef.
8:52pm Thu 26 Apr 12
4youreyesonly says...
9:07pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Jerome and her son says...
9:08pm Thu 26 Apr 12
floydbrfc says...
9:24pm Thu 26 Apr 12
petergray says...
I believe he WAS having BEEF, infact it was beef stew.
Mmmnnn - our manager loves b**f s**w!!
Not sure about Givet though - after all he IS FRENCH ;-)
9:27pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Bill Carson says...
NOT MEAN ON KEAN
Rovers boss is dragging the club down
Posted: 26th April 2012 19:20
Kean: Venky spokesperson?
If Kean has any dignity about him surely he would look at the statistics of his entire regime and recognise he is incapable then walk away.
.
..
A season of painful torture, wholesale changes and false promises is how most of the Ewood Park faithful would summarise the 2011/2012 campaign.
The national media and managers of other clubs have continued to heavily criticise the Blackburn fans for their hostilities towards their manager Steve Kean and club owners Venky's. Yet this crusade against the Rovers fans has no substance whatsoever when backing Kean's tenure in charge.
Venky's had initially pledged to expect grandeur adventures in the Premier League with solid financial backing. They promised to keep Big Sam and European football. All of these promises have been broken. There are many things Venky's have failed at whilst owning the club and will probably continue to be the most incompetent football club owners in the history of the sport. However, the focus here will remain upon the manager as he remains the spokesperson and 'yes man' for the club owners.
Steve Kean has continued to lie about issues such as Samba not being sold this season, the club have no financial difficulties (then states the club had to restructure financially) and then the most comical moment of Kean's idiocy of the season had to be the statement at Christmas time (when Blackburn were bottom):
"We have a points tally in mind for us to finish in the top 10 and we are slightly off it at the moment but I would stress it is very, very slight." (December 2011).
Kean inherited a squad of players that had previously finished 10th under Sam Allardyce to which Kean narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the season in which most of the points keeping the club safe were gained through his predecessor. This season Kean has apparently had confrontations with Ryan Nelsen, Christopher Samba, Steven N'Zonzi, Gaël Givet in addition to Diouf and Keith Andrews last year.
These are players that have calibre and experience to guide a club through adversity within the league, these are players who have charisma required to raise morale in camp and most importantly, these are the players that can win football matches in order to survive.
Steve Kean is rapidly dismantling the football club and unless he can perform a miracle and go against his 17 wins in 63 match record then it's difficult to see anything other than Championship football next year. For a man whom reportedly 'stabbed Sam Allardyce in the back' to obtain the role as manager and looks set to lead us into the Championship, the media and managers should not only look at these facts before leaping to his defence. If Kean has any dignity about him surely he would look at the statistics of his entire regime and recognise he is incapable then walk away. Dignity remains out of Kean's vocabulary.
As the national media and Kean's managerial counterpoints continue to criticise the Blackburn Rovers fans' public animosity towards Kean it has to be asked should fans just sit silently and watch their club enter an abyss? There is nothing more than the fans would like than Kean to prove us all wrong and guide us to safety. Kean continues to disappoint and is both tactically & strategically clueless.
So, for those whom criticise the Rovers fans should consider what has occurred at a club since Kean's appointment as manager. Blackburn Rovers, a club that has been well established in the top flight of football for the past decade, a club that co-founded the Football League, a club that is only one of just four to ever win the Premier League now face a bleak future with clueless owners who look set to stick with an even more clueless manager.
Fans cannot simply just sit back and watch their cherished club face oblivion, they cannot sit in silence as the club becomes butchered and one thing that is certain is that anybody will fight for something they love in the face of danger.
I am positive that I speak for most BRFC fans when I say, "We will not go quietly into the night!" One day soon, we will have OUR Rovers back. We will be heard.
Rovers 'til I die.
11:16pm Thu 26 Apr 12
yamthejam says...
11:26pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Keep Darwen Green says...
12:12am Fri 27 Apr 12
buzzinfly says...
Oh, and your hilarious as well. Not!
Retard
2:46am Fri 27 Apr 12
KingKellad says...
5:29am Fri 27 Apr 12
craftandgraft says...
Whilst the Venkys are the major shareholders and obviously the high profile owners of BRFC it should not be forgotten that they are advised by KENTARO.
Kentaro are a huge worldwide agency whow have a proven track record of bleeding vast amounts of money from sport and football in particular.
A vast amount of their money comes from tv revenue.
Venkys won't communicate and so we don't know what is really going on.
There will not be any published accounts till later this year.
Venkys have no track record of dodgy dealings.....I don't think.
We need to at least keep trying to communicate with them in order to find out what is happening.
Extreme anti Venkyism in my opinion is counterproductive...
.it's surely going to make them less likely to want to talk.
I don't know the best course of action; but I do believe in brsit....Jack Walker's main aim was to preserve BRFC for generations to come.....that's what brsit wants to ensure....the survival of BRFC as an integral part of the whole Blackburn with Darwen community.
In the current climate fan based ownership is the way forward.
With everybody's support from all backgrounds and with different viewpoints the brsit can and will succeed.
If our team do play in the Championship next season....it's not ( in my opinion ) disasterous...but we still need to put the club back into good order.....back to the principles it was founded on in 1875.
www.brsit.co.uk
Arte et Labore.
7:33am Fri 27 Apr 12
alphajono says...
8:07am Fri 27 Apr 12
craftandgraft says...
7:33am Fri 27 Apr 12
craftandgraft wrote:
Thanks Andy Cryer.
Whilst the Venkys are the major shareholders and obviously the high profile owners of BRFC it should not be forgotten that they are advised by KENTARO.
Kentaro are a huge worldwide agency whow have a proven track record of bleeding vast amounts of money from sport and football in particular.
A vast amount of their money comes from tv revenue.
Venkys won't communicate and so we don't know what is really going on.
There will not be any published accounts till later this year.
Venkys have no track record of dodgy dealings.....I don't think.
We need to at least keep trying to communicate with them in order to find out what is happening.
Extreme anti Venkyism in my opinion is counterproductive...
.it's surely going to make them less likely to want to talk.
I don't know the best course of action; but I do believe in brsit....Jack Walker's main aim was to preserve BRFC for generations to come.....that's what brsit wants to ensure....the survival of BRFC as an integral part of the whole Blackburn with Darwen community.
In the current climate fan based ownership is the way forward.
With everybody's support from all backgrounds and with different viewpoints the brsit can and will succeed.
If our team do play in the Championship next season....it's not ( in my opinion ) disasterous...but we still need to put the club back into good order.....back to the principles it was founded on in 1875.
www.brsit.co.uk
Arte et Labore.
God all this whole scenario reminds me of a film called Mars Attacks where the aliens from outer space come and visit the earthlings in America... with the motto "we come in peace...we come in peace. As soon as the people give there had of peace they pull out there lasers and shoot everyone down they then ask for peace again and the same thing happens.....for me no way back for venkys there silence alone speak volumes they have gone down the path of no return because they can no longer be trusted to run this great institution that is Blackburn Rovers football club.
There is no way back for Anderson!
Balaji Rao has tweeted that he is ' the villain '!
Venky's love BRFC and have good intentions.....they too have been 'had' by Anderson!
It's not the first time he's done it...look at Man City!
We need to open positive dialogue with Venkys.
www.brsit.co.uk
Arte et Labore
8:56am Fri 27 Apr 12
Dan11 says...
-
We simply need two wins and 6 points from Tottenham away and Wigan home. 37 points like it may be enough to keep us up! Just maybe.
I think everyone given Cheski's form has written off that game!
-
We may well finish above QPR with 37 points, however I have doubts if that will be enough to finish above Bolton. So that leaves a razor sharp finish with Wigan, assuming of course that we can beat them.
-
Even with 2 wins against both Tottenham and Wigan we may still go down!
9:02am Fri 27 Apr 12
philmoulden says...
venkys out ,kean out
9:08am Fri 27 Apr 12
Morst The 88th Min Heartbreaker of Dingles! says...
.
that should keep him busy for ..........5 minutes!
.
34th......
9:24am Fri 27 Apr 12
merlinrabbit says...
9:37am Fri 27 Apr 12
merlinrabbit says...
9:54am Fri 27 Apr 12
Cha'mone MF says...
..... Another rancid nail in your filthy chicken shaped premiership coffin!
9:57am Fri 27 Apr 12
cloggyjimmybrfc says...
10:02am Fri 27 Apr 12
Sir Bill Taylor says...
10:22am Fri 27 Apr 12
gudari says...
10:24am Fri 27 Apr 12
gudari says...
10:27am Fri 27 Apr 12
gudari says...
2:26pm Fri 27 Apr 12
Reality50 says...
9:56pm Fri 27 Apr 12
i8dingles says...
g **** my lord, spouting ****, oh lord spouting ****, 6 fingers my lord, 6 fingers lord, oh lord 6 fingers, interbred my lord, interbred, oh lord interbred, pound shop town my lord, pound shop town, oh lord pound shop town, smashed it up my lord, smashed it up, oh lord smashed it up, rovers beat us again my lord, rovers beat us again, oh lord rovers beat us again
9:07am Sat 28 Apr 12
MatthewCA says...