Boycott Or Not?

[Proudtobeblue&white]

1 minute ago, speedies gonna get ya. said:

A great post and sums up the lived experience of many of us. I keep hearing an argument about this not being a cliff edge situation used to imply we shouldn't boycott. I really dont understand that logic, I would much rather be proactive and try stuff before we get to that stage. If it prevents it great, if it speeds it up then I can live with that too. What I cannot stomach is more of this long painful demise.

I agree. It’s the inertia, I can’t bear it any more, we just drift like a rudderless ship, where we will end up anyone knows? Is that in the best interests of the club, our club?

Of course not, but just blindly turning up because it’s what we do, meet friends/family, you can do that anywhere. Have an alternative Watford day, make it Elton themed, sing That’s Why They Call It The Blues, shout Wankers Out, wear your colours, just don’t bloody go.

Spread the word, please.

[Athlete]

I am a ST holder and will be watching Darwen v Maine Road on the 24th for my football fix

 

[Upside Down]

12 hours ago, Hasta said:

If people choose not to boycott a single game with the Watford game, I doubt the same people would protest in the ground. For example turn their backs for 5 minutes, show red cards etc.. Any protest inside the ground will occur next to people who think it’s stupid / pointless and many people will naturally be less confrontational . Therefore an in ground protest as well on the 24th would be spun as “most people are happy”, as the majority who would take part won’t be in the ground.

The other point is @Dreams of 1995 says “I am of the opinion that all supporters have the same opinion - that the Venkys have been nothing short of a disaster for Blackburn Rovers.”, but we have to accept he is wrong. Not on the opinion, which I agree with, but there is a significant portion of attending adults who do not think they are doing that bad a job. For the abandoned games, a group around me were laughing at the Venkys out chants, saying Venkys cant control the weather whilst being unaware of the lack of investment in the pitch. Those people don’t read sites like this or social media. They won’t be aware of Brockhall, FF minutes, payday loans from some guy in Bolton, court cases in India etc..  They just think they put the money in and the managers fail.

Adults on the outside, toddlers on the inside.

[Upside Down]

10 hours ago, ... said:

Agree its hard to prove a point which is why I think being reflective is the better angle. What have we achieved in last 15 years. Look where we where compared to now. 

Look at the quality of players we were bringing in compared to now...etc

It's not hard to prove the point.

The problem is that these people are thick. They are in denial about reality and no time or effort should be wasted on them. 

It may seem harsh but I'm not sure how else to describe someone who can't see what's happening right in front of their face for 15 years. 

[Herbie6590]

7 hours ago, B16Rover said:

In 1922, Kafka wrote a novel entitled 'The Castle'.  How much of it is still relevant in the modern world?

The book follows K., a land surveyor who arrives in a village governed by an opaque and seemingly all-powerful bureaucratic authority centered in the Castle. Determined to justify his presence through reason and procedure, K. pursues permits, explanations, and official recognition, only to encounter contradictory rules, endless delays, and unclear chains of authority. Messages from the Castle are filtered through minor officials and messengers whose roles are ambiguous and whose statements often conflict, giving the impression of a meticulously ordered system that nonetheless resists logic. K.’s insistence on rational clarity exposes the gap between the bureaucracy’s formal appearance and its fundamentally irrational operation.

Crucially, the villagers themselves reinforce the system’s power by deeply respecting and rationalizing it. They accept bureaucratic confusion as a sign of higher wisdom, assuming that any apparent inconsistency must have a reason beyond their understanding. Rather than question the Castle’s authority, they internalize its rules and defend its officials, often viewing K.’s demands for clarity as naïve or disruptive. This collective belief sustains the illusion of bureaucratic order and allows the distant higher-ups to maintain their dominance without direct intervention. 

The Five Monkeys Experiment (which apparently never actually happened…).

[Leonard Venkhater]

7 hours ago, B16Rover said:

In 1922, Kafka wrote a novel entitled 'The Castle'.  How much of it is still relevant in the modern world?

The book follows K., a land surveyor who arrives in a village governed by an opaque and seemingly all-powerful bureaucratic authority centered in the Castle. Determined to justify his presence through reason and procedure, K. pursues permits, explanations, and official recognition, only to encounter contradictory rules, endless delays, and unclear chains of authority. Messages from the Castle are filtered through minor officials and messengers whose roles are ambiguous and whose statements often conflict, giving the impression of a meticulously ordered system that nonetheless resists logic. K.’s insistence on rational clarity exposes the gap between the bureaucracy’s formal appearance and its fundamentally irrational operation.

Crucially, the villagers themselves reinforce the system’s power by deeply respecting and rationalizing it. They accept bureaucratic confusion as a sign of higher wisdom, assuming that any apparent inconsistency must have a reason beyond their understanding. Rather than question the Castle’s authority, they internalize its rules and defend its officials, often viewing K.’s demands for clarity as naïve or disruptive. This collective belief sustains the illusion of bureaucratic order and allows the distant higher-ups to maintain their dominance without direct intervention. 

Significantly for us, it has no ending either!

[pedrob2014]

I will be attending the game as It is something i do with my 2 kids and dont know how much longer i will have to do this with them, they have been told though that we wont be spending any money at the ground like we usually do

[Hasta]

17 minutes ago, pedrob2014 said:

I will be attending the game as It is something i do with my 2 kids and dont know how much longer i will have to do this with them, they have been told though that we wont be spending any money at the ground like we usually do

I'd be taking them to the cinema or Arcade Club or something. Or doing something else I rarely do with them whilst I have a "free" afternoon.

Not spending on the ground, as a tactic, would only really work if it was implemented across a period of time / games rather than a one off which won't be either felt by the club or noticeable. 

Edited Monday at 12:21 by Hasta

[RevidgeBlue]

Anyone who doesnt see the need for a boycott or any other form of action should read Devon Rover's beautifully written post on the "Painful Acceptance" thread and take a moment to reflect.

Edited Monday at 14:14 by RevidgeBlue

[wilsdenrover]

17 hours ago, Herbie6590 said:

The Five Monkeys Experiment (which apparently never actually happened…).

I read that as five Mowbrays 😁😁

[Gav]

19 hours ago, Herbie6590 said:

The Five Monkeys

I've been in the pub, Crookes Sheffield, or is that the Blind Monkey........

[Upside Down]

2 hours ago, wilsdenrover said:

I read that as five Mowbrays 😁😁

Now that's terrifying 

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Spoke to a lass at work who has a st in the bbe.

She hadn't heard of the boycott - but is onboard with doing so.  

[speedies gonna get ya.]

4 minutes ago, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

Spoke to a lass at work who has a st in the bbe.

She hadn't heard of the boycott - but is onboard with doing so.  

Thank you 

[Penwortham Blue]

23 hours ago, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

Spoke to a lass at work who has a st in the bbe.

She hadn't heard of the boycott - but is onboard with doing so.  

Well done for showing her the 💡 

[Madon]

https://x.com/i/status/2011156964051722572

[Tugayslongwalkoff]

20 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

 

Probably an even sadder post than the OP. This chap bleeds blue and white, like we all do, but he's battled hard over many years to break the Venky's regime, at great personal and emotional cost according to his postings - and now even he's given up.

There is cause for optimism here - however slim it might be. It's often said that it is darkest before the dawn and these grimmest of grim times might be the nadir. Something, somewhere, maybe soon, will cause Venky's to sell up and leave.  We have to cling to that hope. 

 

The only thing I see making them leave is either old age or their chicken choking empire disintegrating.

[Tomphil2]

13 minutes ago, Tugayslongwalkoff said:

The only thing I see making them leave is either old age or their chicken choking empire disintegrating.

Perhaps the older ones have already stepped away from it all and have just left it in the hands of their finance people because they don't trust their younger nearest and dearest with the keys to the safe.

[Tugayslongwalkoff]

28 minutes ago, Tomphil2 said:

Perhaps the older ones have already stepped away from it all and have just left it in the hands of their finance people because they don't trust their younger nearest and dearest with the keys to the safe.

Possibly. People ask why they’re still here, it has to be one of two things in my opinion. 
 

A - They are happy to leave us in limbo in the hope we will have a miraculous season whereby we are promoted on peanuts - waiting for the day somebody informs them that has happened and they can return to the stage as conquering heroes. 

B - They’re scared of what shady business dealings will be uncovered from their tenure during any potential takeover. 
 

 

Edited Tuesday at 21:30 by Tugayslongwalkoff

[rovgers]

I don’t think the boycott will any difference at all, especially when it’s a league game. I think, at best, the owners are indifferent and any news seems to go through Pasha. He’ll just point to the official attendance figure that will be around 10k, if not higher.

[Upside Down]

35 minutes ago, Tugayslongwalkoff said:

Possibly. People ask why they’re still here, it has to be one of two things in my opinion. 
 

A - They are happy to leave us in limbo in the hope we will have a miraculous season whereby we are promoted on peanuts - waiting for the day somebody informs them that has happened and they can return to the stage as concerning heroes. 

B - They’re scared of what shady business dealings will be uncovered from their tenure during any potential takeover. 
 

 

B

[speedies gonna get ya.]

14 minutes ago, rovgers said:

I don’t think the boycott will any difference at all, especially when it’s a league game. I think, at best, the owners are indifferent and any news seems to go through Pasha. He’ll just point to the official attendance figure that will be around 10k, if not higher.

Lets not bother then and continue in this perpetual cycle of purgatory. 

This is a visual message to Pasha as much as it is the owners. If he sees how many have not bothered going he will be very concerned for his position moving forward. Massive reduction in season tickets next season, he will have to do something more than fleece the loyal die hards. I genuinely think he believes it is a minority who want him and the Venkys gone, he lives on an echo chamber of sychophants. We all need to do our bit to show the true numbers. No other way to be seen or heard.

[JHRover]

If getting back to the PL was even remotely of interest or on their radar then they would have conducted themselves very differently over the last 3-4 years. 

Like offering a drop of support to the 3 managers that got them within touching distance, not sold off all their best players, not undermined them, not allowed the last two to engineer moves away mid-season. That sort of thing. 

So we can safely drop the notion that they are waiting for a miraculous / unexpected return to PL riches. They've made it as clear as they possibly can they aren't interested and will actively sabotage our prospects of promotion if they can. 

[rovgers]

I don’t believe the notion that they’re sabotaging our prospects of promotion or wouldn’t want it. I’ve no idea why they still want to own us, the only reason I can think off is they don’t want the shame of walking away as failure (even though most would agree it is). I can see them more likely to sell the club if we were in the Premier League, which unfortunately won’t happen.

[JHRover]

Surely they'd be less likely to walk away in the PL (if they ever allowed us to get there)?

Overnight their annual losses would stop and even an immediate relegation would take away the financial pressure for a few years.

No doubt they'd also bask in the glory and turn up for a game against Man Utd / Liverpool with their mates as well.

No I'm convinced the only way it ends is through financial or legal necessity. I had hoped the legal 'issues' in India were the start of the end but it seems not. So instead I'll just have to go back to hoping that their empire collapses and can no longer sustain the cost of this pointless project.