Tony Mowbray's Reign...& is he off to Sunderland ?

[Mike E]

4 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

WBA link to Mowbray taking the job there is a open secret according to Rich Sharpe and maybe there is meat on their bones to this story then some believe. 

 

 

That's not what he's saying Chad's, he's being sarcastic.

IE: This rumour this week, that rumour last week.

[tomphil]

The more he doesn't want to talk about it the more i'm thinking he's staying and it's already agreed. He could well be playing hard ball with the ownership who've asked him to stay but he wants them to beg.

Maybe it'll get him a better contract and maybe a budget although i doubt that bit.

Hopefully it would be a short or rolling deal because nothing will ever change under his management in terms of falling short.

[G Somerset Rover]

Is there anything that Tony does want to talk about these days?

Other than excuses for why we've won just 2 games in fifteen, that is?

[Paul Mani]

He isn’t staying on guys. I’m completely convinced….don’t believe there’s an appetite on either for that to happen.

The ‘open secret’ came from members of the squad who are being tapped up and advised not to sign new contracts elsewhere by Veno (Who is apparently a troublemaker) so that Mowbray and his team can make them offers once installed at WBA.

No suggestion that they’re telling them not to sign Rovers contracts but by the sounds of it that’s just purely financial. JR offered 4x what Rovers are and likely PL football whilst RN’s offer from Rovers is apparently a joke (Very low). The only one we have a chance with is DL…but I think he’ll wait for Tony et al to turn up at WBA and at least double his current offer 🙁

[Paul Mani]

6 minutes ago, tomphil said:

The more he doesn't want to talk about it the more i'm thinking he's staying and it's already agreed. He could well be playing hard ball with the ownership who've asked him to stay but he wants them to beg.

Maybe it'll get him a better contract and maybe a budget although i doubt that bit.

Hopefully it would be a short or rolling deal because nothing will ever change under his management in terms of falling short.

No way mate….watch any of his interviews in the last month or so. He talks in the third person..

”These players and the fans must continue this journey..” blah blah

I would be astonished if they’re not all gone (announced before the last game)

[Mattyblue]

All very plausible Paul, but didn’t we hear pretty much the same thing (maybe from yourself, but certainly others) this time last season.

This is just not a normal club when it comes to inside gossip, and I won’t believe it until I see him with scarf raised at The Hawthorns…

Edited April 19, 2022 by Mattyblue

[G Somerset Rover]

2 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

He isn’t staying on guys. I’m completely convinced….don’t believe there’s an appetite on either for that to happen.

The ‘open secret’ came from members of the squad who are being tapped up and advised not to sign new contracts elsewhere by Veno (Who is apparently a troublemaker) so that Mowbray and his team can make them offers once installed at WBA.

No suggestion that they’re telling them not to sign Rovers contracts but by the sounds of it that’s just purely financial. JR offered 4x what Rovers are and likely PL football whilst RN’s offer from Rovers is apparently a joke (Very low). The only one we have a chance with is DL…but I think he’ll wait for Tony et al to turn up at WBA and at least double his current offer 🙁

I'd be surprised if Rothwell wanted to play under Mowbray again. Utterly amazed if Nyambe did.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

1 hour ago, Cherry Blue said:

Club has massive problems. We have a manager that shouldn't be there and I'm not just talking about this season. Yet due to the structure, constitution,  way its run, CEO authority, call it what you want, all decisions come from India but they have a delay factor.

The whole set-up at the Club is wrong,the owners who make the decisions are detached from its running as a day to day business.The CEO and Manager are ALL culpable,they are not going to bite the Hand that feeds the Face...we'll employ you but you damn well make sure you tow the party line.

It's been like this from day one of their awful tenure...the merry - go - round turns full circle again.This football business model is designed to fail,or at very best be dysfunctional but the silly sods wonder why it's costing them Millions a decade on.

The real question is how long do we suffer this death by a thousand cuts?

[tomphil]

5 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

No way mate….watch any of his interviews in the last month or so. He talks in the third person..

”These players and the fans must continue this journey..” blah blah

I would be astonished if they’re not all gone (announced before the last game)

I hope so it would be best all around if he's going and he gets a respectable send off.

We've been on this road before where hes looked fed up every time we are in these death spirals and the 3rd person stuff has always been one of my biggest issues with him.  They/them has been his detachment from taking any responsibility for 2 years now.

Anyway fingers crossed....

[chaddyrovers]

12 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

The players have got to take some of the blame Chaddy. I’ve worked for some complete bell ends in my working career but I never thought once of giving less than my best. Even if I wanted too I couldn’t. I had pride in what I was doing and the machines I was building. It should be in your DNA irrespective of the management.

I agree that the players have to take some resposnible and blame here but they don't pick the tactics or team selection or where they are playing. 

Mowbray admitted post match yesterday that he was too loyal to some players and that why is wouldn't switch from back 5 to back despite it not working for weeks on end. He has to take most of the blame for being stubborn and not adapt his tactics. Mowbray has to go now.

11 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

How? We sold our top scorer for an 8 figure fee, of which he was given 500k to spend, and forced to only sign kids on loan. In January he was given a massive 700k budget (with 2 more loans) at a point when we was doing really well, and that wasnt even increased when the main signing was immediately injured. 

He also wanted to sell Rothwell to get a fee to reinvest in 2 players but Venkys interfered and prevented him. Since, Rothwell has been shocking.

The players we signed on loan aren't hardly kids are they. These loan players were in early 20's. Mowbray's mention this kids thing yesterday and its getting my nerves him keep mentioning it when its Mowbray's inability and stubborn with tactics why we done so poorly. No one is to blame in the main but Mowbray

But Mowbray has had more than enough backing over the last 5 years to get us promotion and to be honest I am fed up with his excuses now. Huddersfield didn't spend anything on transfer fees but are 3rd in the league now. Its time the excuses stopped and Mowbray should shoulder the blame for our drop off for the past 4 months and took ownership and responsibility for it

Edited April 19, 2022 by chaddyrovers

[glen9mullan]

My thoughts on Mowbray on the whole....

I was in the "Not impressed camp" when he was appointed, it appeared a boring appointment and was really unsure how he had become a contender for the role and who had access to Venkys to push him to the head of the que. With the circus that had come before in Kean, Berg, Appleton, Lambert, Bowyer and Coyle I felt at the time this appointment was very much make or break time.

Rovers eventually were relegated the season he arrived, and not down to him, but the clubs inability to remove Coyle in a timely manner. I was quite perplexed that everything was put at Coyle's door, as behind every poor run/appointment of a manager is the board, advisors, owners and their inability to act fast and in the best interest of the club. There was no blame laid at the door of anyone bar Coyle.

Mowbray said the right things during that relegation season, and clearly got a tune out of the players he had inherited. He spoke with dignity in the times I had spoken to him on a one to one, and he clearly got the supporters feeling around the club, and was also convinced himself that the owners had been conned, by those before. I began to warm of him, as his integrity was clearly there and if anything he was a polar opposite to what had come before.

League 1, the best squad does not always equal promotion!! He made some good signings, but equally managed to keep the core of the squad, this was further evidence the squad trusted him, wanted to play for him and that things on the playing side were starting to level out and look far brighter. After a difficult start to League 1, we got our act together and in the end were comfortably promoted at the first time of asking. We'd fallen that far under the ownership of Venkys, that Promotion to the Championship to some is the greatest day of their lives, mainly due to them not being about prior to the premier league years.

Back in the championship with mainly a championship squad due to the retention of most of the previous championship squad, you'd expect us to perform with credit, which in the main in the first season back we did. Stability was the word often used, but with some sprinkles of "Punching above our weight". 

Mowbray has used the loan market well, and in his time at the club brought some superb loan signings in, this is mainly due to the lack of investment on permanent signings. Persuading Armstrong to sign full time was superb, as he did appear to be unattainable.  We could argue that he wasted £5 Million on Gallagher and in most quarters prior to this season it was widely regarded he'd also wasted £7 Million on Brereton. The Brereton signing was always a weird one for me, blowing our whole transfer budget and more on a player which has taken a few seasons to impact the team. Should this money have been used more wisely at that time, where we could of got 3 or 4 players to aid a promotion push? Either way following the signings of Gallagher and Brereton and not much return on the pitch from either, there seemed to be a major lack of funds made available to replace players who left via being released, or indeed had left for a decent fee. Balancing the books, FFP, Easily brushed off any prolonged annoyance from the majority of supporters. 

On the pitch a number of young players who have come through the ranks were starting to get games to plug the holes of no major investment. Mowbray often talks about the Brentford model, but ours has never been like theirs. They have bought wisely, sold wisely but have always reinvested into the playing side of the team. Our money has just covered operational cost, and limited the debt.

Last season was a strange season because of Covid, but the collapse with no fans in the stadium, now the collapse is because of the negativity in the stands? Really?

This season, we sold Armstrong and made a complete hash of the August window. Mowbray as the face of the club quite rightly gets some flack for this. However lets look further........

We have Waggott, the man who can pull wool over so many peoples eye's including some supporters. How does Venkys a Poultry company in India get introduced to this man? Who introduced him? Many in the this country did not really know who he was. How does he end up with the top job at Ewood?

We have Suhail, whose CV Points to how great he is in the food industry, how he has managed the operational side of the Poultry business, and now is the man sanctioning the spend, advising when the owners should or should not spend, is negotiating contracts with Waggott for players that won't sign them, and is signing off sell on clauses for players we buy, bonuses to everyone involved, and along with Waggott is feathering his own nest, and should be nowhere near a football club let alone making decisions in one.

We have Mike Cheston, I bet he is delighted that no-one ask him any questions anymore, how he survived the Shaw/Agnew cull is beyond me.

Ian (I just do as I'm told) Silvester. How is he still at the club? A man who threatened an elderly supporter (I still have the emails) if he gave his shares to anyone bar venkys that the club would recognise them and his shares would become void!!!!! As snakes go he is up there with the Kean's, Andersons of this world. I could certainly add lots here, but will leave that for another day.

Venkys, or Balaji Rao, which in reality is the only one involved in running the club with any interest. Where are they? Lots happy they have not seen their face, but are rovers not suppose to be their "Baby" Do they actually care? 

I still recall the day the Venkys asked me..... Can I find 6 people who require life saving operations, go into the community select these people, and we will pay!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously play god with the people's lives? Obviously it was something I declined to do instantly.

Back on to Mowbray, Its very much still a circus behind the scenes, the owners are not credible, the board are certainly not credible, they collect their cash and hit their own KPI's and drink at the well, with zero accountability or indeed responsibility. I think it's what you call parasites, sucking on the bones and getting every ounce of flavour. In Mowbray, he is probably the only honest one of the lot. However he has to be judged on what has happened on the pitch, and tactically its simply not been good enough. We have not performed above our station, he has tactically blown match after match, with a more than capable squad of players. This stick with a back 5 against the bottom teams, shows no imagination, and ultimately has been found out, by trying to be too clever, but also his defiance to admit he is wrong. He has stuck by his own beliefs and has drawn a blank, and we have are in free-fall. Any credible board would of sacked him at the end of last season, but knowing they were not going to invest, they knew bringing someone in with no budget, it was easier to stick. 

To be second at the turn of the year, he should of been swinging from the chandeliers for investment, instead the contract rebels made the headlines and January came and went with us signing a kid, a couple of loans and someone we could of had for free in the summer. None have impacted the first team, and we have fallen like a rock off a building. The board, the manager and ultimately the owners are all to blame for this. Expectation may have been low at the beginning of the season from the majority of supporters, as those expectations were based on constant downgrading of players, a poor end to last season and the general feeling that the current regime in the dugout and board had run its cause. However the team clearly over exceeded those expectations in the first few months, and with it raised the supporters expectations. I'm not sure the odds you'd of got in January of us failing to make the play offs or actually not finish in the top 10, but that's now looking more likely the end result.

Mowbray brought stability when needed, and has become the human shield for all that is wrong at our club, and has been wrong for the last 12 years. His time was up last season, but after the capitulation of the this season, 100% time to go and hopefully remembered for the good times rather than the last 6 months.

However unless those holding fort at Ewood also depart, then the likelyhood of a genuine improvement on Mowbray is doubtful.

Its my understanding that the owners are under the impression that we have a very unified supporter base, who support their regime, support those they have put in place, but are increasingly concerned by the Manager. They are also under the impression that a very small minority will find the negative out of everything and this is not overall feeling within the supporter base. On the whole they are pleased with the noises coming out of Ewood and are pleased that there is no negativity from conversations which have been held, and if anything there is a real desire from supporters to support all that is being done. 

 

Edited April 19, 2022 by glen9mullan

[Paul Mani]

13 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

All very plausible Paul, but didn’t we hear pretty much the same thing (maybe from yourself, but certainly others) this time last season.

This is just not a normal club when it comes to inside gossip, and I won’t believe it until I see him with scarf raised at The Hawthorns…

Yes, a friend of mine applied for an advertised job on the coaching team last March / April and was told the position had been “put on ice” as there was an expectation that TM was to be removed. Was also told that candidates had been interviewed (suspected Neill and Wilder) - obvs this didn’t happen most likely because were an absolute basket case of a club but also likely because TM & SW spun this tale of Covid etc…

This reason why I think (and hope) it’s different this time is because I believe there’s and appetite on both sides to call it a day. 🤞🏽

[Herbie6590]

[Herbie6590]

For completeness…here’s TM at Celtic…

The New Year brought 21 points from their first 13 games of 2010 before Mowbray was sacked after losing 4-0 at home to St Mirren. 

Neil Lennon then coaxed 8 straight wins out of the same squad…

 

[glen9mullan]

On another note, I cant believe I have just been told to show some appreciation to the owners for funding the academy.

Words fail me

[chaddyrovers]

very good post there @glen9mullanon Mowbray and the situation. 

He bought in Giles and Hedges in January but he has failed to get them to made an instant impact when that's was needed. Giles's strength is his crossing so why not play him with left side midfield with Gallagher or Brereton up front and get the crosses in. Hedges look good yesterday and had an impact on then game and almost scored but why hasn't Mowbray played him more. 

[PLJPB]

3 hours ago, 1864roverite said:

Its accountability and NOT ownership that is a major issue at Ewood.

But surely its the role of the ownership to ensure/enforce accountability?

[47er]

If we bought Hedges for next season we sure as hell weren't thinking we'd be in the Premier League!

At the time we bought him, (not prepared to wait and get him for free in the summer)we were very much fancied to go up.

So a really odd signing unless we weren't expecting to go up.

 

[AllRoverAsia]

If someone considered 'probably the only honest one of the lot' works for a corrupt regime for 5 years and continues to lavish nothing but praise on that regime then something doesn't add up.

Having decided upon the 'honest' tag then it becomes a 'face' thing to consider that call may have been inaccurate.

Fortunately I don't have that dilemma.

[SuperBrfc]

If I knew how to share tweets on here, I would. However, Honeyman has just tweeted this half an hour ago:

"The sense of entitlement from some football fans is genuinely frightening!".

I wonder which fans he's referring to here. I also wonder if a certain manager has been moaning to him about how the fans expect too much. "It's not 1995 anymore, Craig, you understand that".

There's no doubt for me that these snakes are keeping an eye on the forum. Honeyman gets called out last night, this morning he tweets the above.

[Bbrovers2288]

1 hour ago, Paul Mani said:

Yes, a friend of mine applied for an advertised job on the coaching team last March / April and was told the position had been “put on ice” as there was an expectation that TM was to be removed. Was also told that candidates had been interviewed (suspected Neill and Wilder) - obvs this didn’t happen most likely because were an absolute basket case of a club but also likely because TM & SW spun this tale of Covid etc…

This reason why I think (and hope) it’s different this time is because I believe there’s and appetite on both sides to call it a day. 🤞🏽

I too was told around March time that he was going at the end of last season, I was really surprised when it didn’t happen , I imagine this led to the poor window as nobody quite knew what was happening. The start we had must have been a real shock and in complete contrast to the mayhem going on behind the scenes 

[XLM]

31 minutes ago, PLJPB said:

But surely its the role of the ownership to ensure/enforce accountability?

Not specifically to you because there's been a few responses, but...

I think he means the problem is no one is accountable for performance (on the pitch, financially etc etc), rather than no one "owns" those things. I don't think he's saying that there is no problem with the owners of the club.

In which case he's right, there is no accountability. Not even to the fans. But it's a bit pedantic.

[Miller11]

1 hour ago, glen9mullan said:

Its my understanding that the owners are under the impression that we have a very unified supporter base, who support their regime, support those they have put in place, but are increasingly concerned by the Manager. They are also under the impression that a very small minority will find the negative out of everything and this is not overall feeling within the supporter base. On the whole they are pleased with the noises coming out of Ewood and are pleased that there is no negativity from conversations which have been held, and if anything there is a real desire from supporters to support all that is being done. 

 

Just focusing on this bit, because herein lies the problem.

I can see why Venky’s would believe everything is rosey, they are supremely arrogant and have proven to be completely delusional. They will absolutely want to believe this and for all his faults, Waggott is crafty enough to recognise this and play it up.

As someone who generally does find the negative in everything they do, I’ve probably made it easy for Waggott and Suhail to push that narrative to them, but not as much as those who have deluded themselves into believing that they are wonderful, caring owners. Then there are those that for whatever reason, have started to publicly provide the sycophantic, slavish gratitude and praise the Venky’s crave and will obviously lap up.

The supporter base has been eroded so much over the last decade that a lot of those left are desperate to believe in Venky’s, or at the very least they can’t be arsed with the shenanigans anymore so ignore it. A lot of the agitators are gone, many to probably never return. The disenfranchised don’t really have a voice at the moment, and even when we do it’s met with fingers in the ears from those within the club, and abuse from other more content supporters.

I wonder what it will take for the tide to turn against Venky’s again. I think they will no doubt push their luck this summer, so maybe we will see.

[Bbrovers2288]

1 hour ago, glen9mullan said:

My thoughts on Mowbray on the whole....

I was in the "Not impressed camp" when he was appointed, it appeared a boring appointment and was really unsure how he had become a contender for the role and who had access to Venkys to push him to the head of the que. With the circus that had come before in Kean, Berg, Appleton, Lambert, Bowyer and Coyle I felt at the time this appointment was very much make or break time.

Rovers eventually were relegated the season he arrived, and not down to him, but the clubs inability to remove Coyle in a timely manner. I was quite perplexed that everything was put at Coyle's door, as behind every poor run/appointment of a manager is the board, advisors, owners and their inability to act fast and in the best interest of the club. There was no blame laid at the door of anyone bar Coyle.

Mowbray said the right things during that relegation season, and clearly got a tune out of the players he had inherited. He spoke with dignity in the times I had spoken to him on a one to one, and he clearly got the supporters feeling around the club, and was also convinced himself that the owners had been conned, by those before. I began to warm of him, as his integrity was clearly there and if anything he was a polar opposite to what had come before.

League 1, the best squad does not always equal promotion!! He made some good signings, but equally managed to keep the core of the squad, this was further evidence the squad trusted him, wanted to play for him and that things on the playing side were starting to level out and look far brighter. After a difficult start to League 1, we got our act together and in the end were comfortably promoted at the first time of asking. We'd fallen that far under the ownership of Venkys, that Promotion to the Championship to some is the greatest day of their lives, mainly due to them not being about prior to the premier league years.

Back in the championship with mainly a championship squad due to the retention of most of the previous championship squad, you'd expect us to perform with credit, which in the main in the first season back we did. Stability was the word often used, but with some sprinkles of "Punching above our weight". 

Mowbray has used the loan market well, and in his time at the club brought some superb loan signings in, this is mainly due to the lack of investment on permanent signings. Persuading Armstrong to sign full time was superb, as he did appear to be unattainable.  We could argue that he wasted £5 Million on Gallagher and in most quarters prior to this season it was widely regarded he'd also wasted £7 Million on Brereton. The Brereton signing was always a weird one for me, blowing our whole transfer budget and more on a player which has taken a few seasons to impact the team. Should this money have been used more wisely at that time, where we could of got 3 or 4 players to aid a promotion push? Either way following the signings of Gallagher and Brereton and not much return on the pitch from either, there seemed to be a major lack of funds made available to replace players who left via being released, or indeed had left for a decent fee. Balancing the books, FFP, Easily brushed off any prolonged annoyance from the majority of supporters. 

On the pitch a number of young players who have come through the ranks were starting to get games to plug the holes of no major investment. Mowbray often talks about the Brentford model, but ours has never been like theirs. They have bought wisely, sold wisely but have always reinvested into the playing side of the team. Our money has just covered operational cost, and limited the debt.

Last season was a strange season because of Covid, but the collapse with no fans in the stadium, now the collapse is because of the negativity in the stands? Really?

This season, we sold Armstrong and made a complete hash of the August window. Mowbray as the face of the club quite rightly gets some flack for this. However lets look further........

We have Waggott, the man who can pull wool over so many peoples eye's including some supporters. How does Venkys a Poultry company in India get introduced to this man? Who introduced him? Many in the this country did not really know who he was. How does he end up with the top job at Ewood?

We have Suhail, whose CV Points to how great he is in the food industry, how he has managed the operational side of the Poultry business, and now is the man sanctioning the spend, advising when the owners should or should not spend, is negotiating contracts with Waggott for players that won't sign them, and is signing off sell on clauses for players we buy, bonuses to everyone involved, and along with Waggott is feathering his own nest, and should be nowhere near a football club let alone making decisions in one.

We have Mike Cheston, I bet he is delighted that no-one ask him any questions anymore, how he survived the Shaw/Agnew cull is beyond me.

Ian (I just do as I'm told) Silvester. How is he still at the club? A man who threatened an elderly supporter (I still have the emails) if he gave his shares to anyone bar venkys that the club would recognise them and his shares would become void!!!!! As snakes go he is up there with the Kean's, Andersons of this world. I could certainly add lots here, but will leave that for another day.

Venkys, or Balaji Rao, which in reality is the only one involved in running the club with any interest. Where are they? Lots happy they have not seen their face, but are rovers not suppose to be their "Baby" Do they actually care? 

I still recall the day the Venkys asked me..... Can I find 6 people who require life saving operations, go into the community select these people, and we will pay!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously play god with the people's lives? Obviously it was something I declined to do instantly.

Back on to Mowbray, Its very much still a circus behind the scenes, the owners are not credible, the board are certainly not credible, they collect their cash and hit their own KPI's and drink at the well, with zero accountability or indeed responsibility. I think it's what you call parasites, sucking on the bones and getting every ounce of flavour. In Mowbray, he is probably the only honest one of the lot. However he has to be judged on what has happened on the pitch, and tactically its simply not been good enough. We have not performed above our station, he has tactically blown match after match, with a more than capable squad of players. This stick with a back 5 against the bottom teams, shows no imagination, and ultimately has been found out, by trying to be too clever, but also his defiance to admit he is wrong. He has stuck by his own beliefs and has drawn a blank, and we have are in free-fall. Any credible board would of sacked him at the end of last season, but knowing they were not going to invest, they knew bringing someone in with no budget, it was easier to stick. 

To be second at the turn of the year, he should of been swinging from the chandeliers for investment, instead the contract rebels made the headlines and January came and went with us signing a kid, a couple of loans and someone we could of had for free in the summer. None have impacted the first team, and we have fallen like a rock off a building. The board, the manager and ultimately the owners are all to blame for this. Expectation may have been low at the beginning of the season from the majority of supporters, as those expectations were based on constant downgrading of players, a poor end to last season and the general feeling that the current regime in the dugout and board had run its cause. However the team clearly over exceeded those expectations in the first few months, and with it raised the supporters expectations. I'm not sure the odds you'd of got in January of us failing to make the play offs or actually not finish in the top 10, but that's now looking more likely the end result.

Mowbray brought stability when needed, and has become the human shield for all that is wrong at our club, and has been wrong for the last 12 years. His time was up last season, but after the capitulation of the this season, 100% time to go and hopefully remembered for the good times rather than the last 6 months.

However unless those holding fort at Ewood also depart, then the likelyhood of a genuine improvement on Mowbray is doubtful.

Its my understanding that the owners are under the impression that we have a very unified supporter base, who support their regime, support those they have put in place, but are increasingly concerned by the Manager. They are also under the impression that a very small minority will find the negative out of everything and this is not overall feeling within the supporter base. On the whole they are pleased with the noises coming out of Ewood and are pleased that there is no negativity from conversations which have been held, and if anything there is a real desire from supporters to support all that is being done. 

 

Great post, agree with most of it apart from the parts you give mowbray some credit , I didn’t want him on appointment and he has done nothing to show me he was the main to progress us since 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, glen9mullan said:

On another note, I cant believe I have just been told to show some appreciation to the owners for funding the academy.

Words fail me

Who is 'telling' you this? What is their agenda? Are they asking you to state your appreciation publicly, such as on this forum? 

More importantly, did you 'tell' them to shove their ideas back up their despicable arse?