[Archived] Is It Time To Protest Against Venkys?

[Leonard Venkhater]

Yeah that's what countries should have done in the past while on verge of being invaded. Instead of trying to defend themselves they should have rolled out the red carpet. Maybe then the invaders might have said look how nice they are being lets turn back and go home!

Extreme example perhaps but it emphasises the point.

Brilliant. Parisians, hanging Nazi flags etc! That is the bit that makes me uncomfortable, sticks in the craw...but I still have to think there could be a place for something strategic.

Meanwhile, if you do see me in the JW in field grey, plus jackboots and monocle, come and say hello!

[Oldgregg86]

I think a loud strong vocal backing of lambert is the way to go. From start to finish sing your heart out to show our support that we are fully behind him. A positive show of support could rub off on the players to God knows we need some and at this time makes the most sense

[den]

Who would the trust ask for the meeting? Communications director has jumped ship?

They've ignored almost every request for talks for the past 5yrs and the one they hosted they lied to everyone in attendance, it's pointless in my opinion den.

Let's hope TJ's right and they're coming to give Paul some money as assurances are worthless coming from this lot.

The trust want to communicate with them Gav. IF they're coming over, the least they could do is ask for a few minutes. I understand the anger - don't we all - but, like it or not, these people have the survival of the club in their hands.

[Gav]

The trust want to communicate with them Gav. IF they're coming over, the least they could do is ask for a few minutes. I understand the anger - don't we all - but, like it or not, these people have the survival of the club in their hands.

Understand the sentiment, but disagree about the future of the club, clubs of Blackburn Rovers stature don't disappear, never have done, we'll survive with a fabulous training ground and stadium, I have no doubt about that.

[den]

Understand the sentiment, but disagree about the future of the club, clubs of Blackburn Rovers stature don't disappear, never have done, we'll survive with a fabulous training ground and stadium, I have no doubt about that.

Disagree about the future of the club? I didn't predict what the future holds. They do have the existence of the club in their hands though, that's a fact. They could call in their debts or shut us down tomorrow. That's why I suggest the Trust at least tries. It's up to them, but isn't that why they're here?

[ABBEY]

the existence of our club IS THE BLOOD ON VENKYSCUMS HANDS.

[Leonard Venkhater]

BLOOD ON VENKYSCUMS HANDS.

A new Dylan album?

[Gav]

Disagree about the future of the club? I didn't predict what the future holds. They do have the existence of the club in their hands though, that's a fact. They could call in their debts or shut us down tomorrow. That's why I suggest the Trust at least tries. It's up to them, but isn't that why they're here?

Yes and Ewood could get struck by a meteor, won't stop you going though I hope den as its very unlikely.

If you feel our only hope is with Venkys I'd give up now, I really would, if I felt that I'd never go again, well I shouldn't say that but I'd consider not going again for sure.

A new Dylan album?

Fallen Angels out May 20th

[tomphil]

Hands up those who really think they'll be there

[Iceman]

It's not about ignoring the past mate. It's about trying to steer them (and by extension, our club) upwards.

Sorry Mike, but after 5 or so years in charge of the club, they should have got it right. How much more do they want us to steer them? I know Abbey wants to steer them out of the club, but seriously they should by now know what it means to own a football club.

[Stuart]

Sorry guys but I feel an essay coming on but I need to get it off my chest, with apologies to Abs due to the nature of it...

Is it time to protest against Venkys?

No, I'm not convinced that it is the time. I think that the time has been and gone. We lost. They dug their heels in and strangled our club. The time was when we still had a Premier League income, or even when we still had parachute payments. The time was when there was a media spotlight on us, when we were still a Premier League club - with all the reputation issues. There were protests, which were too often vilified by other Rovers fans, but once Kean was gone many people thought that things would improve, and protests faded, but by that point we were a Championship side. Each time things looked worse, something would change a little. A new manager, a new chief exec, a new comms director. "Let's give it time" was the feeble response. "Things are looking up, they are learning, we finally have some stability, we can't do any better, what do you expect them to do". Excuses made over and over. No, the time has gone. The time may well come again though. We need to be ready. The club is likely to need us - barring a miracle.

Is it time to protest against Venkys?

Did the protests really work? Did they force Shebby in to calm the storm, and ultimately make Kean's position untenable? Or had the project run its course and it was time to bail out anyway? More than the protests, which were ignored by Venkys and laughed at by the media, I believe that the sterling work of a few relatively unsung heroes in the background, having long days and sleepless nights, may well have brought about enough pressure to make the project end slightly prematurely, purely in my hypothetical view of course. Would a protest work next time? For any chance, we would need to have a core aim as to what we would be protesting about. It's all well and good wanting owners out but I think what we would need next time is a campaign to get an alternative prospective owner in. If the RoversTrust are waiting and watching then they need to have close links with whatever consortium fancies the job. They need to be looking to get the likes of Garner on board and "the two Ian's" with a proposal ready. When the time comes to protest it needs to be all about getting Venkys to do the decent thing, clear the debt and hand the club over to local custodians. In whatever division we end up.

Is it time to protest against Venkys?

The alternative, whilst we await the Armageddon situation that would bring about such a change, may be not to protest against Venkys but to start to campaign in a more constructive, positive manner. An easy one is to show our support for Lambert and that we agree with everything he is asking for. "Back Lambert or Go" might be a bit strong but "Back Lambert or We Won't Back You" might be hard to mobilise, since we won't get a universal backing from our fanbase, and we will be back to the divided times when Kean was here. But showing support for the dissenting voice may be one angle.

Another option could be to articulate what exactly we want from them. Unlike Bolton, Rovers debt has not made the headlines - rather oddly - presumably because Venkys haven't yet done what Eddie Davis did and turn off the taps (yet). Or maybe they just don't think we are worth covering, last year's chip paper. If it's the debt that is the worry, then we need to be doing everything we can to get Venkys to allay fears. There are enough groups to do so, between the FF, BRFCAG, RoversTrust, local media, Simon Garner. Talk to us through them! A well-articulated letter outlining fans' fears and what they would like to be done to allay those fears, printed in the LT signed by all of these groups and a copy presented to Alan Myers to be forwarded to Venkys.

If there is still no response, and Lambert walks then things change. There may be a renewed visible cause [against].

If we had the coverage then there are ways to protest visibly but we aren't united and probably never will be. There is still a lot of ignorance and apathy. Many people just want to watch the football and forget about the rest of it: "don't worry worry until worry worries you" (loosely translating to "fail to prepare, prepare to fail"). Simple stuff like arriving late for a match, or leaving early en masse or turning our backs for 10 minutes, wearing certain colours (or all black). There will be other ideas but until Lambert walks it is unlikely to have any momentum. If/when he does then we would only have a limited window of opportunity before the brief media spotlight is taken away again.

Is it time to protest against Venkys? At the moment you would have to say no, not quite. Not just because of the above, and not because there is nothing to protest about, but because there are too many things and not enough protestors.

[Waggy76]

We should be hoisting banners thanking them for the money they have put in and the £100m debt we owe someone.

We might not get another chance to thank them personally.

A hand held missile launcher would do the trick !

[TBTF]

A hand held missile launcher would do the trick !

I just bloody know it won't snow on Saturday-well p1ssed off.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

"Back Lambert or We Won't Back You"

Like that very much...how about a banner or Twelve thousand?

[ABBEY]

Sorry guys but I feel an essay coming on but I need to get it off my chest, with apologies to Abs due to the nature of it...

Is it time to protest against Venkys?

No, I'm not convinced that it is the time. I think that the time has been and gone. We lost. They dug their heels in and strangled our club. The time was when we still had a Premier League income, or even when we still had parachute payments. The time was when there was a media spotlight on us, when we were still a Premier League club - with all the reputation issues. There were protests, which were too often vilified by other Rovers fans, but once Kean was gone many people thought that things would improve, and protests faded, but by that point we were a Championship side. Each time things looked worse, something would change a little. A new manager, a new chief exec, a new comms director. "Let's give it time" was the feeble response. "Things are looking up, they are learning, we finally have some stability, we can't do any better, what do you expect them to do". Excuses made over and over. No, the time has gone. The time may well come again though. We need to be ready. The club is likely to need us - barring a miracle.

Is it time to protest against Venkys?

Did the protests really work? Did they force Shebby in to calm the storm, and ultimately make Kean's position untenable? Or had the project run its course and it was time to bail out anyway? More than the protests, which were ignored by Venkys and laughed at by the media, I believe that the sterling work of a few relatively unsung heroes in the background, having long days and sleepless nights, may well have brought about enough pressure to make the project end slightly prematurely, purely in my hypothetical view of course. Would a protest work next time? For any chance, we would need to have a core aim as to what we would be protesting about. It's all well and good wanting owners out but I think what we would need next time is a campaign to get an alternative prospective owner in. If the RoversTrust are waiting and watching then they need to have close links with whatever consortium fancies the job. They need to be looking to get the likes of Garner on board and "the two Ian's" with a proposal ready. When the time comes to protest it needs to be all about getting Venkys to do the decent thing, clear the debt and hand the club over to local custodians. In whatever division we end up.

Is it time to protest against Venkys?

The alternative, whilst we await the Armageddon situation that would bring about such a change, may be not to protest against Venkys but to start to campaign in a more constructive, positive manner. An easy one is to show our support for Lambert and that we agree with everything he is asking for. "Back Lambert or Go" might be a bit strong but "Back Lambert or We Won't Back You" might be hard to mobilise, since we won't get a universal backing from our fanbase, and we will be back to the divided times when Kean was here. But showing support for the dissenting voice may be one angle.

Another option could be to articulate what exactly we want from them. Unlike Bolton, Rovers debt has not made the headlines - rather oddly - presumably because Venkys haven't yet done what Eddie Davis did and turn off the taps (yet). Or maybe they just don't think we are worth covering, last year's chip paper. If it's the debt that is the worry, then we need to be doing everything we can to get Venkys to allay fears. There are enough groups to do so, between the FF, BRFCAG, RoversTrust, local media, Simon Garner. Talk to us through them! A well-articulated letter outlining fans' fears and what they would like to be done to allay those fears, printed in the LT signed by all of these groups and a copy presented to Alan Myers to be forwarded to Venkys.

If there is still no response, and Lambert walks then things change. There may be a renewed visible cause [against].

If we had the coverage then there are ways to protest visibly but we aren't united and probably never will be. There is still a lot of ignorance and apathy. Many people just want to watch the football and forget about the rest of it: "don't worry worry until worry worries you" (loosely translating to "fail to prepare, prepare to fail"). Simple stuff like arriving late for a match, or leaving early en masse or turning our backs for 10 minutes, wearing certain colours (or all black). There will be other ideas but until Lambert walks it is unlikely to have any momentum. If/when he does then we would only have a limited window of opportunity before the brief media spotlight is taken away again.

Is it time to protest against Venkys? At the moment you would have to say no, not quite. Not just because of the above, and not because there is nothing to protest about, but because there are too many things and not enough protestors.

ITS ALWAYS TIME TO PROTEST !!!

VENKYS OUT

[MrT]

That's right Abbey, pretty sure Sir Jack would agree and be at the front leading the way.

🙏🏻😢

[Husky]

The time to protest is in August.

Nobody protests properly when it's cold.

May Day isn't in January for a reason

[VinjayV4]

Been thinking about Jack's legacy tonight and what can be built upon for the future. So many clubs have big modern stadiums, academies, etc now it won't mean as much in the eyes of interested buyers. The on field product has been destroyed in comparison (no offence to most of the current squad its not their fault) and really what's left of Jack's legacy is the memories. Of course he built the stadium and academy but I expect the club would have built a reasonably modern (albeit it not as good as it is now) new stadium (and perhaps moved from Ewood) at some point in the 90's anyway. Other clubs outside top flight managed to do it (largely through grants I imagine) and really suggesting the club was on verge of going out of business before Jack came in isn't true. 1983 it was really bad but 84, 85 the club made slight profits. The Riverside being condemned was obviously a problem but attendances were not exactly through the roof anyway.

A new academy/training ground almost certainly wouldn't be Brockhall standard but it might not have been terrible either. Not like the appalling training ground Blackpool still have (as far as I know) which Holloway even refused to use at one point.

We have our memories but Jack set the foundations for an excellent on field product for years to come. Unfortunately as we know the club might have been relegated (even prior to Venkys) eventually thanks to the trustees. Of course we know Jack's money wouldn't have meant as much (especially from 2003) and he probably would have accepted that himself. He certainly wouldn't have wanted the on field product destroyed by sheer incompetence, greed and stupidity. If the club had been reasonably better funded by the trustees (I asked for fair amounts not insane amounts) it could still have slipped into the Championship. Of course its hard to get out but at least that wouldn't have been the fault of the owners. If it was an owner who took over and invested as much as Venkys relegation may still have happened. That would have just been unfortunate if they were good owners in most ways.

Unfortunately the club wasn't taken over by someone else. If the club was still in the PL now we would still largely have Jack to thank for any good football on the field. The foundations would have been in place simply by having established PL status. The new owner would have been able to build on those foundations. If someone takes over now and gets the club promoted it won't really be down to Jack so much and that's sad. Its what we want certainly but it would have been so much better if a successful takeover had happened in the PL.

There is one thing though where Jack's legacy might still mean a lot in the World of football. That's winning the PL in 1995 and the club is still very much in the public eye thanks to that far more than in the 80's. If a new owner buys the club and the title win is a major reason then we will have Jack's legacy to thank for it. Not just us but the younger fans as well and that's what I hope happens one day. Of course football didn't start in 1992 (as I've pointed out by saying Leicester's win would be the most surprising since Leeds not to mention the most surprising in history) but particularly overseas the PL name carries great weight. The badge, shirt and the name of Rovers are all marketable too as far as I'm concerned and of course were in place before Jack's takeover.

Thanks to the debt and FUP however everything is just so uncertain.

[Leonard Venkhater]

..... not because there is nothing to protest about, but because there are too many things and not enough protestors.

You really nailed it there.

That certainly speaks to my own sense of powerlessness.....

[Bucksrover]

"Back Lambert or We Won't Back You"

Like that very much...how about a banner or Twelve thousand?

Maybe - "Back Lambert - Save Rovers"

[JHRover]

Anymore developments/news on Venkys possible biannual visit to Ewood Park on Saturday?

Of course our local paper has chosen to dodge this point as it would require them to do some digging and find out information the public don't already know.

Instead they've filled today's paper with the easy stories of trying to promote Premier League interest in Grant Hanley on the basis of Lambert merely saying he's been excellent under him this season and could probably make the step up and a piece from Dan Grabko who warns of the club ending up like Wimbledon and going out of business in the near future.

That's the agenda the Telegraph want to run and its the reason I'll never buy a copy of it again.

[T J Hooker]

I think the £10 offer, that they've sprung up for the Huddersfield game could be an indicator that they're trying to bump the attendance up a bit(possibly to make things look a like ttle rosier for the venks)

[tomphil]

Instead of doing a detailed piece on Hanleys improvements this season and why that is they basically just say he's played well under Lambert and basically start the old come and get him routine in not so many words.

Do these scouse agents run the telerag as well these days ? We've not even finished another poor championship season and Hanley has been good to ok, more steady than spectacular. We're nowhere near the Prem and don't look like going there anytime soon so why headline it like that ? It's not even the managers words.

[JHRover]

Instead of doing a detailed piece on Hanleys improvements this season and why that is they basically just say he's played well under Lambert and basically start the old come and get him routine in not so many words.

Do these scouse agents run the telerag as well these days ? We've not even finished another poor championship season and Hanley has been good to ok, more steady than spectacular. We're nowhere near the Prem and don't look like going there anytime soon so why headline it like that ? It's not even the managers words.

In the last 7 days we've had Kevin Gallacher promoting Shane Duffy and Grant Hanley, saying the club will struggle to keep hold of them, a story yesterday about Ben Marshall and Shane Duffy soon to be entering the final 12 months of their contracts with rival clubs aware of this, and now the Hanley to the Premier League story, which has been based purely on a sentence in an interview with Paul Lambert when he said that Hanley had been excellent under him this season and could probably get back to the Premier League.

They have an agenda and are in overdrive at the moment, filling their daily columns with rumours and speculation with negative connotations for BRFC. If that's the way they want to go about things then fine. But I won't be supporting the 'local paper' if that's so.

This is what happens when they employ a series of people who aren't Blackburn Rovers supporters. There are Burnley supporters galore writing in that paper, even though they sell far more copies in the Blackburn region than in Burnley, and as such there will never be any negative stories about them. Notice a lack of stories about Dyche possibly leaving or their better players leaving if they don't go up.

[chaddyrovers]

Anymore developments/news on Venkys possible biannual visit to Ewood Park on Saturday?

Dont see them coming

The owners dont tell the club officials until 24/48 hours before the game so dont see how anyone would know they were coming.

Alan Myers said the 24/48 hours thing at the Rovers A and Q session in October