The recent proposal from the Supporters Coalition to boycott the Rovers v Watford game on 24th January - (see graphic below) - has generated mixed opinions -
Some fans believe the team needs all the support they can get, in a season that has already seen low attendance figures. The other section of Rovers fans believe that firm action needs to be taken now to make a stand against the ownership.
The recent example of Sheffield Wednesday fans boycotting their championship game against Middlesbrough brought success for Owls’ fans. The protest was against former owner Dejphon Chansiri who had run the club into the ground according to Wednesday fans.
Their aim was similar to that of the Blackburn Rovers Supporters Coalition - starve the owners of income and force them to sell. Barring a miracle, Sheffield Wednesday will be relegated this season due to their severe points deductions, but many of their fans would’ve taken that in exchange for a fresh start and new owners.
Blackpool fans also boycotted games in protest against Karl Oyston who treated the club “like a cash machine” after their Premier League relegation.
However, fans of the tangerines went a step further and forced a game to be abandoned in 2015 with a pitch invasion - resulting in a fine being issued against the club. The former Blackpool owner was forced to sell in 2019, and the club is now stable in League One and owned by a Blackpool fan.
There are clubs up and down the country with a history of bad owners: Blackburn, Blackpool, Charlton, Coventry, Derby, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Sheffield Wednesday, Reading, Morecambe, the list goes on.
Newcastle are now playing Champions League football after Mike Ashley sold the club, Portsmouth are now back in the championship after fighting their way back from league two under after a chaotic couple of years of awful owners. Protest can bring change for the better, the evidence is there.
It is easy to see why Rovers fans want change and an end to the incompetence of the last 15 years - the recent pitch issues, players running down their contracts costing the club millions of pounds, the refusal to fund the women’s team after 3 of their academy products became European champions this summer. The average home attendance the season before the Venky’s came to Ewood was 25,428. This season just 14,569.
But could it be worse? Yes. Staff and players have always been paid on time. The ownership has always paid bills and kept the lights on at Ewood and at Brockhall. Money has been invested in the team, by no means the most in the league but enough to try and improve the team. The academy remains category one and continues to punch above its weight at various age groups. There is a refusal to break the wage structure and negatively impact the finances on the club by spending above their means.
I think if the Venky’s have any chance of getting fans on their side, they must return to Ewood Park. 13 years since their last visit is far too long and unheard of for business owners to not visit their asset for such a long time.
The 150th anniversary could’ve been the perfect time to attend a game and celebrate the club’s historic milestone. But would they have received a barrage of abuse? Probably. It is a lose/lose situation for them - stay away and get stick from afar or come to a game and receive it from the stands.
It is widely said that they are proud people and want to get the club back to the Premier League to avoid looking like they have failed in English football. But with the current business model that looks almost impossible.
Fans are bound to have differing opinions, it’s what makes supporting a club so unique. Many fans go to games as a social event, part of a routine, to see friends and catch up after a week of work over a few drinks. Those fans should be allowed to do so.
The fans that want to boycott should also be applauded; they want the owners to take accountability for what has gone wrong over the last 15 years. Every fan wants the best for Blackburn Rovers, and it is important that those fans are not ostracised.
