Fans Forum/Roverstore/Commercial Chat

[Hasta]

31 minutes ago, JBiz said:

I also don’t think you get people to engage with you by taking that approach, but I’m not or never will be involved in any of this because of the sheer time it must take up.

They won’t engage properly. They don’t want to. Fans opinions are a hinderance to their aim of cutting costs and cutting ambition.

Mike Graham spent years telling us we needed to keep engaging, and look at his speech as the outgoing chairman at the last Rovers trust meeting.

Edited 8 hours ago by Hasta

[Tomphil2]

1 hour ago, Hasta said:

They won’t engage properly. They don’t want to. Fans opinions are a hinderance to their aim of cutting costs and cutting ambition.

Mike Graham spent years telling us we needed to keep engaging, and look at his speech as the outgoing chairman at the last Rovers trust meeting.

He's a guy with more experience of that kind of thing than the whole Rovers upper office put together yet again as per usual they didn't listen.

[Mike Graham]

It gets worse.  In the later part of 2023 I was approached by an individual in the Community Trust as they were looking to submit a bid to the Premier League Charitable Fund to bid to the ‘Fans Fund’ for a Fan Engagement officer.  This was at the time when WATR, and me personally, were desperate for the Club to engage and build Rovers support base.

‘The grant is open to the official charities of the football clubs, with charitable objectives. We [Rovers] believe we can use the funds to support an event/fan engagement officer, providing both opportunities to enhance matchday engagement (at selected games), but also to assist in organising charitable events/family activities, to further enhance our reach and engage with fans currently not attending games.’

Four weeks after the approach I asked what had happened to be told it needed to be submitted within a couple of days but required support from an established fans group. I reminded the Trust that the bid would require WATR’s meaningful involvement as “fans should inform the design of the project” and be involved  “in the design and development of projects prior to application….”.

The Trust were desperate for WATR’s support and I wrote a supportive paragraph and arranged for fan groups such as Proud Rovers and others to also support the bid.  This was on the basis of:

1. WATR would have a copy of the bid document before submission;

2. The new Fan Engagement officer would be tasked to include working outside of BwD in areas such as Chorley and South Ribble;

3. WATR would be on the appointment panel for the Fan Engagement officer.

-  We never saw the bid document albeit it was promised on various occasions.

-  An appointment was made without our knowledge; the individual only stayed 2 weeks as it was not the role the appointee believed it to be.

-  A new appointment was made and the job title changed without us being consulted or advised;

-  I cannot see any evidence of any fan engagement work outside of BwD, nor can I see much with BwD.

-  WATR were duped into supporting the Club.  We did so for good reasons but were dropped as soon as the Community Trust got their money.

This is how the Club operates.  We tried engagement, it was only one way and on the basis the Club benefits.  Engagement will not work with the present owners and management (sic) team.

 

Edited 5 hours ago by Mike Graham

[Mattyblue]

Fair play to you Mike.

You tried your damnedest for the betterment of Blackburn Rovers in good faith… that sentence being the exact opposite of what the modus operandi of the regime is.

[islander200]

On 02/08/2025 at 09:54, chaddyrovers said:

Never seen so much interest in the minutes on here 👏

You go on about being a Rovers die hard which I don't dispute when it comes to whatever 11 players are pulling on the blue n White and whoever the head coach and coaching staff are 

But why are you not angry or worried over what is going on behind the scenes?

Don't you want answers over what the long term plan is?

Do the owners have any intention of s

Why we can't seem to get any of our better players signed up to new contracts?

Why do Managers and staff keep getting desperate to leave here?

What are they doing about trying to get the ground a bit fuller?

Etc Etc Etc I'd be here all night if I was to write down all the questions I'd like answering 

We want to know what was discussed at the forum what's your problem with it. Going on in another post about the club being more engaging because they have put up a few videos on their YouTube account.

[roversfan99]

For me, the lack of transparency is the issue. 

Im sure there will be nothing groundbreaking but for the club to need so long to approve the minutes suggests some tampering.

[wilsdenrover]

Publish and be damned. 

[chaddyrovers]

12 minutes ago, islander200 said:

You go on about being a Rovers die hard which I don't dispute when it comes to whatever 11 players are pulling on the blue n White and whoever the head coach and coaching staff are 

I am diehard supporter who will support his club through the good and bad times, and not walk away

12 minutes ago, islander200 said:

But why are you not angry or worried over what is going on behind the scenes?

behind the scenes? what are we talking about? 

12 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Don't you want answers over what the long term plan is?

Do the owners have any intention of s

Of course I would but the owners don't talk publicly. They should do now. Whoever the CEO is, Pasha and Gestede should communicate much better with the supporters and be more media friendly 

12 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Why we can't seem to get any of our better players signed up to new contracts?

Its a massive concern and something that shouldn't be happening, Brittain, Hyam, Tronstad and Brittain should have been 

12 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Why do Managers and staff keep getting desperate to leave here?

We know why JDT left and we know why Eustace. Staff will moved for a range of reasons. Rosen and Remy would always leave when JDT does or similar with Gardiner and Downing with Eustace

12 minutes ago, islander200 said:

What are they doing about trying to get the ground a bit fuller?

Yes I would like more fans inside the stadium of course

12 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Etc Etc Etc I'd be here all night if I was to write down all the questions I'd like answering 

We want to know what was discussed at the forum what's your problem with it. Going on in another post about the club being more engaging because they have put up a few videos on their YouTube account.

Of course we want to read the minutes. 

[J*B]

2 hours ago, Mike Graham said:

It gets worse.  In the later part of 2023 I was approached by an individual in the Community Trust as they were looking to submit a bid to the Premier League Charitable Fund to bid to the ‘Fans Fund’ for a Fan Engagement officer.  This was at the time when WATR, and me personally, were desperate for the Club to engage and build Rovers support base.

‘The grant is open to the official charities of the football clubs, with charitable objectives. We [Rovers] believe we can use the funds to support an event/fan engagement officer, providing both opportunities to enhance matchday engagement (at selected games), but also to assist in organising charitable events/family activities, to further enhance our reach and engage with fans currently not attending games.’

Four weeks after the approach I asked what had happened to be told it needed to be submitted within a couple of days but required support from an established fans group. I reminded the Trust that the bid would require WATR’s meaningful involvement as “fans should inform the design of the project” and be involved  “in the design and development of projects prior to application….”.

The Trust were desperate for WATR’s support and I wrote a supportive paragraph and arranged for fan groups such as Proud Rovers and others to also support the bid.  This was on the basis of:

1. WATR would have a copy of the bid document before submission;

2. The new Fan Engagement officer would be tasked to include working outside of BwD in areas such as Chorley and South Ribble;

3. WATR would be on the appointment panel for the Fan Engagement officer.

-  We never saw the bid document albeit it was promised on various occasions.

-  An appointment was made without our knowledge; the individual only stayed 2 weeks as it was not the role the appointee believed it to be.

-  A new appointment was made and the job title changed without us being consulted or advised;

-  I cannot see any evidence of any fan engagement work outside of BwD, nor can I see much with BwD.

-  WATR were duped into supporting the Club.  We did so for good reasons but were dropped as soon as the Community Trust got their money.

This is how the Club operates.  We tried engagement, it was only one way and on the basis the Club benefits.  Engagement will not work with the present owners and management (sic) team.

 

All these posts must be remembered in the future - it’s always fans showing the best intentions, but the people operating this football club are only ever playing ball if they are getting the ultimate benefits. If they’re not getting anything out of it, they’re not doing it. 

[chaddyrovers]

41 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

For me, the lack of transparency is the issue. 

Im sure there will be nothing groundbreaking but for the club to need so long to approve the minutes suggests some tampering.

the club did approve the original minutes and then some members of FF wanted to revisit them and now supposedly they are now waiting for the club to approve them 

[J*B]

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

the club did approve the original minutes and then some members of FF wanted to revisit them and now supposedly they are now waiting for the club to approve them 

If your standards are being hit then I’m really happy for you. The rest of us think they’re an absolute disgrace, so if you wouldn’t mind accepting that we disagree with you that would be great. 

[roversfan99]

4 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

the club did approve the original minutes and then some members of FF wanted to revisit them and now supposedly they are now waiting for the club to approve them 

So the wait is the club?

At least we had some hilarious videos from the training camp.

[chaddyrovers]

29 minutes ago, J*B said:

If your standards are being hit then I’m really happy for you. The rest of us think they’re an absolute disgrace, so if you wouldn’t mind accepting that we disagree with you that would be great. 

Eh? Care to explain?.where I have said any of that. 

25 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

So the wait is the club?

Currently now but they were agreed 

25 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

At least we had some hilarious videos from the training camp.

Been good social media plus fans being able to see all 3 overseas games. 

[RevidgeBlue]

2 hours ago, Mike Graham said:

-  WATR were duped into supporting the Club.  We did so for good reasons but were dropped as soon as the Community Trust got their money.

Got to be careful how I put this but if you have incontrovertible proof that 

a) The Club applied for and actually received charitable funding for the appointment of a Fan Engagement Officer

but that

b) No such officer was ever appointed 

then depending on the degree of good faith involved on the Club's behalf, that is potentially obtaining money under false pretences and fraud.

Perhaps a detailed complaint to the Trustees of the Premier League Charitable fund and /or the Police would be in order?

[Mattyblue]

So social media posts and YouTube  streams of friendlies- how is that any different than any other season or any other club at this level for that matter? Just the very basic stuff a Championship club should be doing, it doesn’t even need referring to, is your bar for the people running Blackburn Rovers really that low? (It’s a rhetorical question BTW)

Edited 2 hours ago by Mattyblue

[RevidgeBlue]

45 minutes ago, J*B said:

All these posts must be remembered in the future - it’s always fans showing the best intentions, but the people operating this football club are only ever playing ball if they are getting the ultimate benefits. If they’re not getting anything out of it, they’re not doing it. 

Potential bombshell this one if anyone acts on it - as per my post above.