[Archived] Protest Ideas...

[Gav]

Probably a pointless waste of time, but I am going to mail a letter to the FA asking how they justify what Venkys has done to Rovers. Extremely unlikely that any sort of response will be made, but I want to write the letter nonetheless.

You never know Mr E, they may just pay you off to keep it quiet

[Gav]

Most of our fans deserve Venkys and I utterly give up. Read the following this week:

It's a must win game so we shouldn't protest.

Protesters want us to be relegated.

People who bring a whistle will have it shoved where the sun doesn't shine.

Fans are protesting for personal attention.

We should support the team.

It's just madness. This isn't the club I love, and most of our fans seem to care more about being seen as super fans than to actually fight for the club.

The murals have been mocked, the nature of protest mocked, people been accused of not being proper fans. What is their suggestion? Oh yeah, it's to sit on their hands for 90 mins thinking they're helping the club. And these people apparently want Venkys Out - absolutely no suggestion they may help force even a hint of pressure on them though.

Never felt more dependent or disappointed in our fanbase. I think a lot of our fans deserve Venkys, whether it's through their own pig headedness or whether it's just the fact they're absolutely thick as mince.

Still tempted to protest next Saturday, but is it worth the trek from Cardiff? What's left to save? Most of the fans are happy with how it is.

Protest because you want to sambo, I personally couldn't care less what anyone else thinks about the mural, protests or the shape of the matchday program, but what I do care about is a football club for my grand kids to support, a club thats run in the correct way, by people who have its best interests at heart.

Let the ones complaining carry on, it has no bearing on proceedings whatsoever, they're irrelevant.

[JAL]

Most of our fans deserve Venkys and I utterly give up. Read the following this week:

It's a must win game so we shouldn't protest.

Protesters want us to be relegated.

People who bring a whistle will have it shoved where the sun doesn't shine.

Fans are protesting for personal attention.

We should support the team.

It's just madness. This isn't the club I love, and most of our fans seem to care more about being seen as super fans than to actually fight for the club.

The murals have been mocked, the nature of protest mocked, people been accused of not being proper fans. What is their suggestion? Oh yeah, it's to sit on their hands for 90 mins thinking they're helping the club. And these people apparently want Venkys Out - absolutely no suggestion they may help force even a hint of pressure on them though.

Never felt more dependent or disappointed in our fanbase. I think a lot of our fans deserve Venkys, whether it's through their own pig headedness or whether it's just the fact they're absolutely thick as mince.

Still tempted to protest next Saturday, but is it worth the trek from Cardiff? What's left to save? Most of the fans are happy with how it is.

These people could well be people connected with the running of the club posing as supporters sambo.

[sambo]

These people could well be people connected with the running of the club posing as supporters sambo.

I'd feel a lot better if they were.

But I know for a fact most aren't and they are Rovers fans too.

But there are certain people attacking fans doing 18-75. I just couldn't believe it, and it's knocked me for 6 seeing this group of people hammering protesters. People have been aiming vitriol at fans who care!

Just at the end of my tether and don't know what we are even fighting for. Uncle Jack's legacy has been utterly trampled on, yet apparently a 6 pointer v Wolves matters more. Are they blind to the reason we have a relegation 6 pointer so early in the season? It isn't the fans, that's for sure.

[Crimpshrine]

Don't give up mate.

One day we will win and get our club back. When the great day comes we can all be proud of our actions during the dark days of Venky rule. Others won't

Venkysout

Protest and Survive

[sambo]

Don't give up mate.

One day we will win and get our club back. When the great day comes we can all be proud of our actions during the dark days of Venky rule. Others won't

Venkysout

Protest and Survive

If you could remove my quoted section that would be appreciated. Some things I shouldn't have posted that I didn't know weren't for the public domain - my post has been amended accordingly

[matt83]

I agree 100% with sambo. A lot of our fans deserve the Venkys and all the things that have happened. But I'll be protesting not because of those people but the people who deserve so much more.

[mustard]

I'd love it if the fan protests/actions directly lead to the Venky's leaving. Not just because we'd be rid of the poison, but to see the superfans scrambling down at Ewood or on their social media accounts in an attempt to rewrite history. "I always supported the protests". I'd love to call out every single one of them.

There are a core group of BRFC fans who should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves and when the Venky's are finally consigned to the history books, I hope everyone on here takes their time to remind them so.

[matt83]

I'd love it if the fan protests/actions directly lead to the Venky's leaving. Not just because we'd be rid of the poison, but to see the superfans scrambling down at Ewood or on their social media accounts in an attempt to rewrite history. "I always supported the protests". I'd love to call out every single one of them.

There are a core group of BRFC fans who should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves and when the Venky's are finally consigned to the history books, I hope everyone on here takes their time to remind them so.

The wolves game is a 6 pointer don't you know. How dare we protest against owners who are accepted by some outsiders as up there with the worst owners in football when some of our own fans don't think they're that bad.

[Iceman]

I'd love it if the fan protests/actions directly lead to the Venky's leaving. Not just because we'd be rid of the poison, but to see the superfans scrambling down at Ewood or on their social media accounts in an attempt to rewrite history. "I always supported the protests". I'd love to call out every single one of them.

There are a core group of BRFC fans who should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves and when the Venky's are finally consigned to the history books, I hope everyone on here takes their time to remind them so.

I was going to post something similar to this. How sad it would be, that those who are against the protesters, will come out happy that Venkys are gone.

[Mattyblue]

The main issue with the whole 18-75 idea and Ewood based protests generally since 2011 is that those organising/participating still haven't realised the mindset of the majority of matchgoers (though reading this thread I think people are finally cottoning on)

For the 20 years that followed 'majority shareholder Jack Walker' appointing Kenny Dalglish we were the very image of how a football club should be run.

Even in the final years of the Trust when we were left to sink or swim, you could see that the whole remit of the club was to do everything it could to ensure we won football matches- this was in contrast to many other clubs fans who had spent the previous decades hoping to 'sack the board' and suchlike.

Therefore when things went rapidly south in 2011, Rovers fans were just not prepared for it. I saw this for myself when I returned from a (very poorly attended) march before the Arsenal game. I got to my seat and naively expected a guard of honour, instead I was given a load of abuse, one bloke screaming in my face that I 'was the problem'.

The only real time that 'protests' got off the ground is when they were spontaneous, when fans were reacting to what was going on the pitch- think of the Bolton night game.

Now with 12000+ fans gone, many of them vocal, you are left with a motley crew of older folk, kids, those going out of habit and those that think you should 'just get behind the lads'. Those matchgoers up for an organised protest, small in number 5 years ago are even smaller now, spread thinly over 4 stands.

When I was at the Blakeys event it struck me that many fans still have the naivety that was shook out of me 5 long years ago;

'I ask boycotters to come back for one game'

'Fill the ground for Wolves and show the world how much this club means to the area'

'We need everyone to not come in till 18 mins'

All laudable aims, but they just won't happen, the fact the game is on Sky means even less will be there than on a normal Saturday. Of the 7 or so thousand home fans that will be in attendance, at least half would never dream of getting involved and would see those that are involved as the issue.

For all these reasons 18-75 just can't succeed, for whatever reason our matchday fans just aren't Charlton's, no mass disobedience here. Let's campaign, campaign, campaign but don't expect Ewood on a match day to be the focal point.

[Gav]

The protest publicity has almost been non existent, a full page add in the local press, alternative program or even 6ft (5ft If I'm doing it ) high writing on a wall for all to see would have sufficed, but nothing.

How can people buy into a protest when many don't even know about it?

[Jock]

There's a lot of bridges over the M65. If they're good enough for gouranga why havnt our young supporters not made use of them.

Our younger fans seem to be a spoilt lot without any devil in them.

[MCMC1875]

Anyone got any paint for the railway bridge by the Infirmary?

[Jock]

Anyone got any paint for the railway bridge by the Infirmary?

B & Q have loads of it. 😄

[MCMC1875]

B & Q have loads of it.

Anyone got a brush?

[pk1875]

The protest publicity has almost been non existent, a full page add in the local press, alternative program or even 6ft (5ft If I'm doing it ) high writing on a wall for all to see would have sufficed, but nothing.

How can people buy into a protest when many don't even know about it?

To be fair this has been mentioned in / by

Lancashire Telegraph

2BR Radio

10,000 leaflets

Twitter

Facebook

Posters in Pubs, shops, cafes

Thousands here on BRFCC

Online in many supporter forums

[Gav]

To be fair this has been mentioned in / by

Lancashire Telegraph

2BR Radio

10,000 leaflets

Twitter

Facebook

Posters in Pubs, shops, cafes

Thousands here on BRFCC

Online in many supporter forums

I spoke to 4 season ticket holders in the last week, they don't really use social media and had no idea about any protests and all 4 live within 3 miles of the ground, they'd not seen a leaflet at games and all 4 sit in Bburn end.

Whilst not exactly a cross section of supporters views, thats pretty damming in my opinion.

I hope its a massive success, but it needed advertising much more in my opinion, time will tell.

Credit to everyone thats tried to get the word out by the way

[Stuart]

Is this the leaflet?

[Paul]

Is this the leaflet?

It's not the one I was shown tonight.

[bazza]

Is this the leaflet?

Couldn't read the small print until I clicked reply.

Thanks for the information. First time I've seen all this info re exactly what to do.

[Turkish Delight]

My first post on here for a while. The Venkys nightmare has gone on long enough - they demonstrated to the world of football they were an incompetent joke when they sacked Sam and appointed that clueless money-grabbing amateur Kean. They were never NEVER going to bring success to Rovers after that and never will. The appointment of Owen Coyle is taking the @#/?, pure and simple. After years of decline, humiliation and mediocrity, they signal a bright new dawn by appointing...tada!...a FAILED Dingles manager. Coyle has lost 79 out of his last 165 matches for Bolton, Wigan and Rovers, nearly 50%. I compared his stats with Bryan Robson. Fantastic player, I've nothing against the guy, but most folks know he was a high profile managerial failure...similar stats at his last 3 clubs Sheff Utd, Bradford, West Brom. He lost 50% - 70 from 141. Actually Coyle right now has a worse win percentage than Kean.

In my opinion Rovers fans in general have been far too complacent, just stopping going, doing nothing and hoping something changes for the better was not going to bring a change for the better. Fans protest, direct action, getting involved, was and is vital to force Venkys to sell.

Come on "We are Rovers", Venkys aren't ffs and THEY MUST GO!!!

[Turkish Delight]

In terms of the entire fan campaign I think we've got to look at it logically. What is it we can achieve that would make Venkys want to sell? There's 2 things IMO:

1. Damage their public image.

2. Damage their logistical ability to run the club.

The first one is having no effect because Venkys clearly don't care about their public image. Or they don't care about it to the extent that we can damage it. They're already regarded as farcical in England, they're not bothered, so anything based around that is wasting our time. They might have a reputation to preserve in India but we are tiny fry when set against their overall company and minute fry when set against the interests of the Indian public.

The second one requires either illegal acts such as espionage or a financial boycott. Both have to be done to an extremely severe extent because, again, Venkys have shown they don't even care about significant losses, they can absorb it. Now I wouldn't want to encourage anyone to start setting the stadium on fire or invading the pitch every game so we're back to what many of us have thought for a while:

The only thing that has any chance of working is a full, long-term boycott.

Literally anything else anyone does is a complete waste of time in my opinion. You may as well not do anything. Either full boycott, keep going to games and expect decades more of decline, or walk away.

The first won't happen because of some fans and that's what will always cause friction because it drives other fans to do the 3rd.

I realised a long time ago that a total financial boycott was the only way to hurt them. It would force the media to cover it, force the FA to act. No club can carry on with zero fans at home games, zero season ticket renewals and no merch income, or very near that. Not when it's a co-ordinated mass action. If that can't happen then what is hurting the club more than Venkys arguably are these Stockholm Syndrome superfans. They aren't even superfans though, they sit on their hands, don't sing and contradict anything anybody says with their superior technical knowledge. I was saying to a season ticket holder in the Blackburn End year before last "Course they'll have to sell Gestede and Rhodes next season". His response "Are you a Burnley fan or something?" He'll be looking forward to his 6 pointer against Wolves, next season his 6 pointer against Fleetwood and so on.

[Amo]

Six years of this @#/? and some fans are still humming and hawwing over whether to protest or not. What depths do the owners have to plumb before there's a backlash?

[sambo]

Six years of this @#/? and some fans are still humming and hawwing over whether to protest or not. What depths do the owners have to plumb before there's a backlash?

I can see it now. March 2019, Rovers cut adrift in League Two with a game at the weekend at home to Morecambe. Some fans mention a protest, only to be shouted out by the usual:

"GET BEHIND T'LADS"

"It won't make any difference"

"They're keeping us going, where would we be without them"?