Boycott Or Not?

[Proudtobeblue&white]

I'll be back in a heart beat when they fuck off, I miss my club, they don't give a fuck, I do. I've tried the lottery again tonight, but 10k/month over thirty years may not be enough😟

[aletheia]

20 hours ago, Exiled in Toronto Mk2 said:

The last few pages demonstrate, to my mind at least, why the coalition remains a minority group. Endless circular arguments with Chaddy, rage-hating on fans who express a different opinion as tools or club plants, and no surrender from a maximalist set of views are not, I would contend, the way to build a mass, movement that the majority of fans can get behind. Rather than seek to demolish contrary opinions, looking for common ground might be more effective.

For example, yes we had 20,000+ crowds per-Venky’s but that was in the Premier League. Ironically, if we were in the Premier League, crowds wouldn’t matter any more eg Bournemouth, Brentford, Bumley etc., The notion that there are 10-15,000 people desperate to come back once Venky’s eff off ignores that fact that many of them have moved away, died, lost interest etc plus that the hopper has not been filled with new young fans at previous rates for 15 years. In other words, it’s a complex multi-faceted issue that’s not black or white, and that’s before you get to pricing, sponsorship etc etc.

The coalition cannot achieve its aims if it cannot engage with the stayaways, the die-hards and the people who currently disagree with it. “How do we get bigger” should, in my opinion, take precedence over “how do we get airtime?” The latter may well play a role, but it’s not an end in itself.

Eloquent but ineffective imo. 

First, how do you deal with a regime that cruelly threatens violence to fans, petulantly resists all forms of protest, pays lip service to rules regarding fan representation, is essentially absent and has no hesitation in peddling lies in the media to control the narrative?

Second, it would be nice to seek a broad base of protest and somehow get the majority on board as you say. But after 15 years and monumental efforts by some, if the fan base is so apathetic and willing to cover their eyes and ears and sing ‘la, la, la,’ then surely nothing will change their minds. As I mentioned in a previous post elsewhere –such fans are like the black knight clinging to their beliefs and routines even though savagely cut and effectively dying.

[Leonard Venkhater]

14 minutes ago, aletheia said:

Eloquent but ineffective imo. 

First, how do you deal with a regime that cruelly threatens violence to fans, petulantly resists all forms of protest, pays lip service to rules regarding fan representation, is essentially absent and has no hesitation in peddling lies in the media to control the narrative?

Second, it would be nice to seek a broad base of protest and somehow get the majority on board as you say. But after 15 years and monumental efforts by some, if the fan base is so apathetic and willing to cover their eyes and ears and sing ‘la, la, la,’ then surely nothing will change their minds. As I mentioned in a previous post elsewhere –such fans are like the black knight clinging to their beliefs and routines even though savagely cut and effectively dying.

 

Yeah..

This level of denial and refusal to make connections after 15 years is beyond ordinary conversation. It won't be shifted by simple, logical argument.

I think some supporters actually define themselves by their "undying support" of the club and their opposition to those making a stand against the ownership.

[davulsukur]

Leicester fans have also called for a boycott of their game against WBA tonight, unhappy with the running of the club/ownership.

We're not alone.

[glen9mullan]

20 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

Leicester fans have also called for a boycott of their game against WBA tonight, unhappy with the running of the club/ownership.

We're not alone.

Theyve been averaging 30k all season,  cant be 10k there tonight, proper effort

[TugaysMarlboro]

37 minutes ago, glen9mullan said:

Theyve been averaging 30k all season,  cant be 10k there tonight, proper effort

Be interesting to see what the announced attendance is.

[Mattyblue]

A night game is always a better option. Sheff Wed should have been the one. Very apt with their issues (and their own league game boycott was midweek against Boro, so is Leicester’s tonight).

Edited Monday at 21:08 by Mattyblue

[M_B]

7 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

A night game is always a better option. Sheff Wed should have been the one. Very apt with their issues (and their own league game boycott was midweek against Boro, so is Leicester’s tonight).

Not really, not if you want a true reflection. 

[Mattyblue]

It’s about publicity for the cause and as few bums on seats as possible..ergo there’s a reason why everybody else choose night games.

Edited Monday at 21:20 by Mattyblue

[StHelensRover]

I just watched the short clips of the Leicester & WBA goals and the King Power looks empty, it is usually full every week. 

I'd give my left leg to have had the last 15 years Leicester have had while we've been tortured by the Venkys, but their fans aren't standing for having the piss taken out of them for the last two years. Fair play to them.

[Mattyblue]

And it’s now being reported across traditional/social media (with no disclaimer saying ‘well it is a night game’), a 3pm Saturday and plenty more would be there.

Maximum impact, canny move from the organisers.

Edited Monday at 21:27 by Mattyblue

[M_B]

9 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

It’s about publicity for the cause and as few bums on seats as possible..ergo there’s a reason why everybody else choose night games.

I know what it's about, but I said if you want a true reflection. 

As I've said before, if you weren't going anyway, it isn't boycotting, it's just not going. 

Edited Monday at 21:30 by M_B

[Exiled in Toronto Mk2]

21 hours ago, StHelensRover said:

If someone at this point still believes we are better off with Venkys than without, against a 15 year in the making, huge mountain of evidence, then it's as if they're speaking a completely different language or living in a different reality from my perspective. I can't see how the two opposing views are even mutually intelligible. I don't know what constructive dialogue there is to have.

Common ground also sounds like compromise, which is important in some areas of life, but I personally wouldn't be prepared to compromise on the view that the club should be rid of these owners tomorrow, there's no way I can climb down from that. What does a common ground approach look like? I don't think many people who want them out are prepared to water down their view on the Venkys, so I'm not sure where to start on common ground. What do you think?

I would think all fans would agree with something along the lines of “15 years of Venky’s ownership has resulted in gradual stagnation, decline and loss of ambition. The lack of hands-on interest at the top and parade of chancers at the helm has combined to gradually erode Jack Walker’s legacy” as a start point, followed by asking what could/should be done.

Where the debate with many is lost is two-fold IMO: “Pasha Out” is meaningless to anyone outside the coalition, and the maximalist position of Venky’s Out Now is better than not is an opinion rather than a fact. Yes they are bad owners but it could be argued there’s a lot of them about, hence multiple clubs’ fans calling for their owners to eff off.

I think many people not aligned with the coalition, while not enamoured with the current situation, wouldn’t see Venky’s as a terminal cancer where any surgery is better than not when past Bolton owners did turn off the taps, the Oystons openly pillaged Blackpool and Darlington’s (or was it Hartlepool’s?) owner burnt the main stand down.

Venky’s give us what appears to have zero importance to them - money - but give us nothing of what is more valuable to them - time - from which would flow attention, direction, engagement, humility etc. I would think most fans would agree we need both, but currently a lot of fans place significant weight on the money aspect and worry about losing it.

[Mattyblue]

Boycott, protest call it what you want. The whole point is a visual of the ground looking as empty as possible (backed up by a true FOI attendance figure) to give power to the arm of the anti-owner campaign - I.e midweek, just like Sheff Wed’s, just like tonight.

Who cares about a ‘true reflection’, ‘well this game is 30% lower than a standard 3pm’ ‘oh is it 🤷‍♂️’.

It’s about social media/traditional media eyeballs. ‘25,000 average crowds when they bought the club… just 3,000 home fans in the ground tonight’ accompanying said visuals.

Edited Monday at 21:41 by Mattyblue

[Leonard Venkhater]

14 minutes ago, StHelensRover said:

I just watched the short clips of the Leicester & WBA goals and the King Power looks empty, it is usually full every week. 

I'd give my left leg to have had the last 15 years Leicester have had while we've been tortured by the Venkys, but their fans aren't standing for having the piss taken out of them for the last two years. Fair play to them.

That was my reaction too...Their last 15 years includes a premiership title and a promotion!

Edited Monday at 21:37 by Leonard Venkhater

[Exiled in Toronto Mk2]

10 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Its a great question, The honest answer I don't know. Maybe other people who have similar thoughts and opinions to myself could come up with something that I can't

Think you made some very good points there tho. 

Come on, Man. At least give it a go, it’d be worth more than all your other posts combined! 

[JHRover]

Leicester fans right now are probably about where Rovers were in 2011. A year or two into grievances against the ownership, and by virtue of them being successful and in the PL so recently they still have that energy/good number behind them to shout and act.

Not that their owner will ever get to Venky levels of negligence but I'm sure if they continue on their current trajectory for the next 12-13 years - flailing around the middle/bottom half of the Championship, maybe hit League One, remain under the same ownership/management and no change at all other than a mountain of debt and ever diminishing product then their fanbase will collapse too, as will the appetite among those still going to do something about it. Eventually they'd end up beaten into submission like many at Ewood are. It won't ever reach that point though because their owner will either turn it around or pack up and sell. 

That's what owners do see, they either try to turn the club around or they admit defeat and give up. For some reason people in the Rovers support base think we should do neither and just exist under Venkys whilst every other club moves on in life.

I'm sure there won't be many Leicester fans pointing at their own and shouting 'who would buy us' and 'we were crap in the 80s so what are you moaning about?' despite the fact they've had a decade or so that 99% of other clubs would have loved to have. No, they'll be demanding better and new ownership if they don't get it, just like everywhere else other than the head-in-sand gang at Ewood.

 

[Penwortham Blue]

On 04/01/2026 at 10:47, barry_ said:

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but i saw it on FB and it's certainly not my opinion... 

'

Why it is a fantasy we will get new owners 👇

You may have seen a post this week from the ‘Rovers Coalition’ highlighting other clubs getting new owners and suggesting Blackburn Rovers should be in the same position.

What that post doesn’t show you is the reality of those clubs versus Rovers, and why comparing ownership situations without context is dangerously misleading.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: history does not drive financial return or investment potential. Investors don’t buy nostalgia they buy future cashflows, market size and upside.

Here are a few uncomfortable but factual findings.

1. Attendance and matchday revenue
Blackburn average around 12,000 fans.
Most of the clubs people point to (Birmingham, Coventry, Southampton, Sheffield United, West Brom) average 20,000 to 28,000.

That alone equates to £5 - 10 million more per season in ticket revenue before food, drink, hospitality or merchandise are even counted.

2. Population and catchment
Blackburn’s population is roughly 117,000.
Most comparator clubs sit in cities or metro areas ranging from 250,000 to over 1 million.

That directly impacts:
How many fans you can realistically grow
How many casual supporters exist
How much commercial interest a club can attract

You cannot scale revenues in a small town the same way you can in a major city.

3. Wealth and spending power
Blackburn sits at around £26 to 28k per capita.

Many of these other areas are £32 to 40k+, with London significantly higher.

Higher income areas spend more on:
Hospitality
Corporate boxes
Sponsorship
Merchandise
Matchday food and drink

This is why sponsors pay more elsewhere. It’s not sentiment, it’s audience value.

4. Corporate sponsorship base
The clubs listed have companies operating HO operations in the area such as:

Major banks
Multinationals
Large regional employers
Dense SME networks

Blackburn simply does not have the same corporate ecosystem. That caps sponsorship value regardless of who owns the club.

5. Competition vs scale

Ironically, Blackburn has high competition for a small population (Burnley, Preston, Bolton, Wigan nearby).

Other clubs either dominate their region (Hull, Southampton) or can absorb competition due to sheer population size (Birmingham, Sheffield).

That matters far more than league position in the long term.

So what does this actually prove?

It proves that Blackburn Rovers are punching well above their natural financial weight.

It proves that the losses being sustained now are not commercially rational for a new investor looking for return.

And it proves that the idea of a “better owner” coming in, spending more, and magically competing higher up the pyramid is not grounded in any sense of reality.

The uncomfortable truth is this:

No rational new owner will sustain these losses long term

No investor will overpay for a structurally limited asset

And wishing Venkys away without a viable commercial alternative risks something far worse

Administration and a slide down the pyramid is what happens when spending detaches from revenue fundamentals.

If anyone can argue otherwise using a commercial, data-backed case, not emotion or history, I’d genuinely like to see it.

Because right now, the numbers don’t support the fantasy people are selling.

Pack the stadium, get behind the team so we don’t go down and all the stay aways prove there is a viable business and your not just going because we aren’t in the Premier League anymore'

I’m glad JB beat me to a reasoned response to this Venky supporting propaganda. What chance has our club got with goons like this telling everyone that we should be grateful to exist, never a clearer case of Stockholm syndrome !

[TugaysMarlboro]

10 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Its a great question, The honest answer I don't know. Maybe other people who have similar thoughts and opinions to myself could come up with something that I can't

Think you made some very good points there tho. 

I appreciate the reply and I do take the 'i don't know' at face value.

Let me try to narrow it a bit, not to put you on the spot, but to make it more concrete. This isn’t about persuading you to support a boycott as it currently exists.

Imagine the coalition came to you and said: we want to design something that committed match going supporters like you could at least engage with, even if you never fully signed up. In that situation, is there anything you would actively want them to do, or to stop doing?

It doesn’t need to be a perfect solution or a fully worked position. Even something you definitely wouldn’t accept is useful, because it helps define the boundaries of what engagement could look like.

I’m asking this because without moving from general disagreement into those kinds of specifics, it’s very hard to know whether there’s actually a gap to bridge, or whether it’s simply a difference in outlook that no campaign could realistically resolve.

Edited Monday at 21:49 by TugaysMarlboro

[RevidgeBlue]

13 minutes ago, Penwortham Blue said:

I’m glad JB beat me to a reasoned response to this Venky supporting propaganda. What chance has our club got with goons like this telling everyone that we should be grateful to exist, never a clearer case of Stockholm syndrome !

 It appears to be the grand-son of former Rovers Chairman Derek Keighley.

Which you could possibly understand, BUT bizarrely some years ago he appeared to be completely anti Venky's and attempting to set up a rival phoenix Club!

[Penwortham Blue]

12 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

 It appears to be the grand-son of former Rovers Chairman Derek Keighley.

Which you could possibly understand, BUT bizarrely some years ago he appeared to be completely anti Venky's and attempting to set up a rival phoenix Club!

It is indeed, no excuses for his propaganda and rhetoric. Advised by someone I trust, that he is an odious attention seeker.

[...]

@glen9mullan hi mate where has the boycott message spread to? I know weve seen it here in the group, and facebook etc is there anything for those not on social media at all or is that reliant on word of mouth? Flyer? How can the opportunity be maximised?

[glen9mullan]

31 minutes ago, ... said:

@glen9mullan hi mate where has the boycott message spread to? I know weve seen it here in the group, and facebook etc is there anything for those not on social media at all or is that reliant on word of mouth? Flyer? How can the opportunity be maximised?

Where doing our best mate, its gone through media, been discussed in the ground, been in paper, on TV/Radio.

We are doing our best with no funds,

Happy for people to buy leaflets/distribute, needs many hands to the pumps, be that sharing across all social media, or buying leaflets and distrbuting.

[Exiled in Toronto Mk2]

2 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

it

It’s about social media/traditional media eyeballs. ‘25,000 average crowds when they bought the club… just 3,000 home fans in the ground tonight’ accompanying said visuals.

Which eyeballs and to what end? The local MP has lambasted them in the Mother of all Parliaments several times so I don’t think they are going to be bothered by a few social media posts.

Awareness is only a relevant goal when lack of awareness in a specific target group is a barrier to success. Who would you want to become aware and how would you think they could helpfully act once they were aware?

[Polky]