Painful Acceptance

[Devon Rover]

This is difficult to write. But something I have found sad on here over the years has been seeing so many posters I've enjoyed reading just disappearing. So I thought I'd say farewell, for now.

Back in 1992, an elderly couple moved down from Blackburn into a semi-detached house across the road on our Somerset council estate. Being a horrible little teenager, I harassed them early on, with casual games of knock-knock-ginger. Once, they caught me at the door and “invited” me in for a chat. I suspected this might involve a blow to the head and a call to the police but, intrigued by their ‘strange’ accents, remembering my mum had the only landline in the street, and being a bit bored, anyway, I sheepishly went in. Anne made us all a cup of tea, while Doug and I sat in silence in big old armchairs in their cold living room. Out of the blue, Doug asked me if I liked football. Within 30 minutes we were onto our second cuppa and Doug was regaling me with stories of a club I knew nothing about – Blackburn Rovers – and his watching them through the 1960s and 70s. He showed me black and white collection cards of Bryan Douglas and Ronnie Clayton and he assured me, with a white-moustached smile, "the Rovers are on their way back; just you wait and see”.

Doug and I met up most Saturdays, to read the sports pages of the papers and to consider the Rovers’ chances in the afternoon’s game. Before I even knew it, Blackburn Rovers was my team, my club. A million miles away from me and my home, yet just across the road. In the next few years, supporting the Rovers gave me some of my happiest life memories, whilst dealing with the stresses of school, gangs, and adolescence. I clung to the Rovers, as a representation of hope and aspiration.

When Doug died in the late 1990s, I was already a big Rovers fan in my own right, despite never having been anywhere near Ewood Park. At nights, I dreamt of having the chance to be there, and during the day I knew I had to stick with the club, come what may, for Doug, as well as for myself.

Well, I have tried, Doug. I’ve given it a really good go, and I hope you wouldn’t be too saddened that I can’t keep it up, now. I suspect it would be nothing next to your sadness for what has become of your Rovers.

The truth is, for me the excitement of Rovers has gone, the enjoyment of our games has gone. But most of all, the 'hope' is gone. This club is no longer one Doug would recognise, and nor do I. It brings me only sadness rather than any fun, pleasure, or aspiration. Rainy drives to games at Ewood Park have left me with a deflated feeling – amplified by the stress of wondering if that game will even start/finish.

My wife asked me yesterday, after I had attended a different club’s match, successfully seeking something a bit more fun, why am I still following Rovers? What do I get out of it in return for my time, energy, money? What is the point if there is no expectation of things getting any better? Why would I travel 500-mile round trips in the hope of maybe seeing a couple of shots on target? She seemed genuinely sad and frustrated for me and at how this all makes me feel and behave. For the first time (we’ve had similar conversations before), I just responded with “I don’t know. I don’t really want to, anymore.”

So, with that, I now, sadly, withdraw my support for this previously great club – one that I have loved for 33 years, and always will, deep down, but which is now just the cause of unhappiness for me. I don’t know how many future seasons of football I will get to see, but I do know I don’t want them to be spent with bleakness and anger towards something that should, on some level/s make me happy.

I will remain registered on BRFCS, a place that is brilliantly run and has represented a rare place of ‘safety’ for me to share views about what has been the absolute destruction of what many of us, and those before us, were able to enjoy and love. But I’ll only really be looking out for Venkys leaving, and consequent hope that the great Blackburn Rovers can be reborn.

Until then, being a Rovers fan, for me, is no longer a place for happiness. The club has become a symbol of decline and disappointment, and I choose, painfully, not to have that in my life.

Thank you all for being interesting to interact with. Of course, each one of us behind a username is a person, with a story of our own. So, keep being kind. Take care. 

[windymiller7]

I didn't really want to 'like' this post, but it's probably the only appropriate reaction.

What a beautifully written piece & i'm not too proud to admit, had me welling up. Probably because it's certainly how I, and no doubt many others are feeling right now.

My daughter said to me yesterday,  "i'm fed up of this dad. It's not fun anymore. I hate this team". I'm pretty sure she meant 'club' rather than team, but her point stands & for once, I had no reply.

I'm praying for the day that we're rid of this cancer that is Venkys. I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet, but I can certainly sympathise with those that have.

Take care my friend & I hope to see u back posting on here in the not too distant future.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

That well written piece sums up my feelings, and I dare say quite a lot of us on here. It’s the feeling of hopelessness. The feeling that there is nothing we can do to effect a change. I’ve been a Rovers fan since 1960. I’ve seen some truly great teams and quite a few not so great. In all that time and all those ups and downs I’ve never given up hope that we would rise again. Even in the dark days of the 1970’s when we were skint. There  always seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel. The Chicken Chokers have almost extinguished that light. At 76 I fear they may outlast me and I may never see a Blackburn Rovers run by people who love Blackburn Rovers. We live in sad times.

[K-Hod]

It's just not fun any more, is it?

I legit only go for the social aspect and that's adversely affected by poor rail connections and otherwise expensive taxis, so I've pretty much got to do those at half time and during the match.

 

 

[Lancaster Rover]

I think this sums up the feelings of a large number of Rovers fans these days, myself included. It’s just not fun anymore.

I don’t hate the team, if anything I feel sorry for them. They’re trying their best but due to being in positions above their ability and the complete lack of support from those in positions of power they’re hung out to dry. 
 

I hate what the club has become and no longer recognise it as ‘my’ Rovers. People may say they can never take Rovers away from us, they have. This is a sad version of a once proud and successful club. That bears no resemblance to anything that has gone before 

[roverandout]

I feel exactly the same way. I no longer actively look out for rovers games.  If I happen upon a rovers match on tv or in the final score I'll have a look. Otherwise I just don't feel any inclination to seek it out. I watch other matches on TV. I haven't felt any great connection to rovers for about 15 years. Since 'they' arrived.  I used to love taking my mum to matches but I no longer felt I could in all honesty justify going. Now my mum has since passed and that's been robbed from me. I will show my love for this great club once they have departed.

[Dreams of 1995]

Blackburn Rovers is now a club where apathy is endemic

I do not think that anyone can blame you. There is a malaise at boardroom level; a club and owners that see no real benefit in ambition. Instead, it is simply a case of moving from one account to the next, ensuring the portfolio of far flown billionaires is ticking over without any unusual activity required from the Chairs. The Venkys have shown no interest in anything Rovers since they embarrassed themselves on an international level.

I think back to the visit of the Queen, over 10 years ago now. As far as we know, this is the last time an owner stepped foot in Blackburn. They came for their state visit, rubbed shoulders with royalty and then flew home before the Rovers kicked off only the following day.

Can anybody blame fans for disengaging when our owners cannot be bothered to attend or engage?

The family feel of Rovers is all but gone. Long-term staff moving on with allegations of less than friendly behaviour behind the scenes; Suhail Pasha, faceless for over a decade, but now front & centre in all manner, has systematically ripped this club from the town. The truth is that under the Venkys nothing will ever change. The fans will continue to disengage and this element of their portfolio will wind down. It feels like such a hopeless task at times, to follow and remain engaged with Rovers, but at the same time it is impossible to shake both the joy or the unbridled sadness that comes with the final whistle and end result

I do not like using the word 'hate' but I hate the Venky's for what they have done to this club. A once great source of pride, trodden in to the dirt, and left in a position where an apathetic fan base have succumbed to this suggestion that we have 'found our place', that nobody else better will come along and that we should be grateful for the owners for paying their way. It is the most fantastic piece of business management that Suhail has provided the Venkys - one in which he is greatly recompensed for - to etch away the ambitions of an entire fan base and deliver a most extraordinary example of Stockholm Syndrome.

I am 32. I have confidence I will outlive Venkys. What condition the club will be at the end is the part that worries me.

Edited 2 hours ago by Dreams of 1995

[FairviewRover]

My story is creeping that way too I'm afraid... 

I'm from Stockport - and in 1990 I was 8 when my dad sadly passed away.  His best friend thought the way to support my mum and his mate's memory was to take her lad to the football - the only caveat being that he was a Rovers supporter.. .who were in Division 2.
A week before my 9th birthday we went to Ewood for the first time, losing against Wolves but I was reassured it was an anomaly as they hadn't lost for six games before that! Regardless of the result, it did something to fill a hole in me, my life, my Dad... and I fell in love with the family nature of the club, the booming Lancs accents of the men around us at the games and felt like a big part of me had found my home.
I wasn't disappointed with the ride... over the next few years nobody could have envisaged how it grew... Uncle Jack took over, and the stadium was thrown up around me.  For every kid giving me stick about the team buying it's way to success, there were days and nights of sheer enjoyment, being devastated that Alan Shearer was effectively replacing Speedie but then being catapulted into dreamland as he fired us to the title.  
In 1996 I turned 15 and my dad's friend stopped attending.... but Rovers was my life and I had made good friends with the season ticket holders around us.  As part of group of like-minded lads I started getting the train on my own from Manchester for every home game, having some hairy moments with a group of PNE fans at Mill Hill on one occasion and often encountering all kinds of scrapes with other fans at Piccadilly.  

We had no expectations, just loved the club and whatever happened, Rovers would always have a go.. "get into 'em" was the visceral cry of the Blackburn End demanding commitment, passion and heart from every player.
Despite relegation, Graeme Souness came to the club and his Rovers side of the early 2000s became my favourite team of all.  Jansen, Dunn, Duff - young English (and Irish players) complimented by a smattering of experience from Berg, Short and Flitcroft...  Brad Friedel showing what an honest down-to-earth bloke he was.

I followed them home and away every game through University for three years, mounting debts but didn't care... By this time I knew that there would be no chance of a Premier League title again - the money gap was too vast - but I was fiercely proud of my family club, still overseen by the Walker Trust and with a creative attacking team (not averse to getting one over on Burnley from time to time!) and the Worthington Cup win was one of the best days of my life, jumping all over Big Ron Atkinson outside the ground in a haze of Euphoria... God I loved that time.  The smell of the pitch at Ewood on a Tuesday night for an evening kickoff... amazing.  What a childhood.  Didn't matter that we had been relegated, ups and downs, in fact it all enhanced the picture and my love for MY club.  I took great pride in supporting them through thick and thin - I felt like I was a part of Rovers, and they were a part of me.

My first daughter was born in 2006 and my son in 2009... work was a massive commitment and I struggled to get to games... but nobody wanted a free ticket anymore...  I persevered, taking the kids to the games whenever possible, decorating their rooms in Rovers merchandise, my son playing in Rovers kit and keeping up to date with the team selections and results... watching every game we could... watching the kids pin their hopes on their 'Speedie' or 'Shearer'.... Jordan Rhodes, Adam Armstrong, Ben Brereton, even Sammie Szmodics... all flickers of hope quickly extinguished as the reality that this football world, climate, landscape had changed.  Players like Phil Jones and Adam Wharton, coming through to great hope and promise - a throwback to an academy still capable of producing the highest quality of player... but now they didn't become David Dunn or Damien Duff, now they play a handful of games and are sold to the highest bidder to try and balance the books.  The experience of a Travis or a Hyam - no longer cherished and valued like a Short or Flitcroft... now the wages weren't sustainable and away they go.  A glut of foreign players - no xenophobia here - but a lack of relatability now... players who come and go overnight.  A pitch that was cutting edge, a stadium that was home, slowly being left to crumble as some overseas owners don't even visit, just wait for the next transfer fee incoming to try to balance the books on a failing asset.

I came with the kids to the Wrexham game last.  They tried their best, oohing and aahing as Baradji - a player lauded as being decent but who is anything but - hit the bar.  The Wrexham fans goaded us for our silence... but I couldn't muster a murmur.  There was no passion, no heart or determination... no "get into 'em"... I looked at the kids and just felt guilty.  Lamented the £110 it cost me to come and watch them and felt bad for subjecting them to this...  I never expected anything but being part of a family and community who pulled in the same direction even if it failed.  
It doesn't feel like the club is pulling in the same direction as the fans any more.  It hurts.

[ElTwis]

This thread is so sad! I wish the Rao family understood the human impact of their inaction. 

[AspRover]

I'm not a prolific poster on this message board, but I have been a member for 18 years now, and I'm close to signing out too.

My dad was my last tangible connection to the club really, I guess my brother too but we haven't really spoken about Rovers in a very long time. Dad passed away a little over a year ago.

Dad grew up in London, he supported Rovers because his dad, who died long before I was born, was from the town. Even Grandad had left Blackburn during or around the second world war - though I am told he maintained the accent immaculately - by the time I came around the connection was already getting a bit frayed.

I now live on the south coast, I guess Bournemouth are my local 'big' team, I used to go to away games with dad but haven't set foot in Blackburn in years, let alone Ewood. I probably have some relatives in the town - dad certainly had cousins who were still about, but I don't know them and wouldn't know how to find them.

I genuinely, sincerely, love this club, but it increasingly feels like that one relative you gradually grow up to realise isn't a very nice person and you actually don't enjoy spending time with. I deeply resent that the rovers of the last years of dad's life was this version. It's gutting. It should be a source of joy, and memories - I want to see results and think 'dad would have enjoyed that', 'dad would have liked this player' etc. and I can't. He wouldn't have.

The fanbase feels increasingly fractured, even on here. I have encountered other Rovers fans in the wild and been almost reluctant to admit that this is my team for fear of the reaction if my views on Venkys or recent history don't align with theirs, if I am not sufficiently 'getting behind the boys' or whatever. A prolific poster late of this parish accused me of being a dingle infiltrator a few months back for suggesting I'd like to see the academy players get a run out in the cup.  Supporters of other clubs are unsympathetic or ignorant, and I find myself fed up of explaining, or attempting to explain the situation, so I shrug and move on.

I used to be proud of this club, and I find myself wondering when I lost that. I guess it's just been worn away gradually over the last fifteen years. At some point it will be gone entirely and I will probably have to make the same decision as Devon Rover.

I'm tired lads.

 

[Tim Southampton Rover]

I'm not sure how others feel but being a Rovers fan not from Blackburn is actually pretty strange. 

I live in Southampton and been a Rovers fan for more than 30+ years and have this affinity to the people and area of the country that is completely different from my life down here. I don't know anyone in Blackburn and I can count on 1 hand how many times I've had a proper discussion about the club with someone outside of Blackburn who has the same feelings towards the club as me. It can be quite lonely when you watch a game and can't talk to anyone about it except on social media - which can be a great or awful experience, depending on who is responding or what has happened. Even when Rovers win, you don't have that person to turn to and celebrate with. You just enjoy it on your own. It's a bit easier when Rovers lose because you aren't reminded of it because no one talks about them down here. 

It is strange when you're in the away end at Southampton, Portsmouth etc hearing Rovers fans slagging Southerners off....when you're a Southerner...but I wouldn't want it any other way. It's even better when you spot your friend in the home end at St Mary's giving them a w****r sign and they're smiling back. It isn't great when you're grabbed by throat outside the stadium being called a Northern so and so when you actually live and work 10 minutes down the road. Like I said - it's pretty strange! 

I love going to Ewood Park because it does feel like a pilgrimage to your football church to see the team you think about every day. Whether it's rainy and miserable or the sun is shining, you breath it all in and enjoy every moment - except the food inside Ewood - that really does taste awful! The flipside of that joy is having to watch the clock tick towards 90 minutes knowing that you might not be back any time soon, which makes you feel sad. 

The reason why I wrote all that is because it's difficult reading this post. I'm sure we've gone through similar experiences throughout our lives supporting the club from afar. Personally, I would find it very hard to stop supporting the team. I've dedicated too much of my personal life and time towards the club, however, Venkys are a cancer at the club that needs removing and if that isn't going to happen soon then you have every right to choose to do what you feel is right for you.

I hope you can switch that dedication that you have for Blackburn towards something else that brings you the joy that the club has brought you over the years. 

Good luck. 

[...]

31 minutes ago, FairviewRover said:

My story is creeping that way too I'm afraid... 

I'm from Stockport - and in 1990 I was 8 when my dad sadly passed away.  His best friend thought the way to support my mum and his mate's memory was to take her lad to the football - the only caveat being that he was a Rovers supporter.. .who were in Division 2.
A week before my 9th birthday we went to Ewood for the first time, losing against Wolves but I was reassured it was an anomaly as they hadn't lost for six games before that! Regardless of the result, it did something to fill a hole in me, my life, my Dad... and I fell in love with the family nature of the club, the booming Lancs accents of the men around us at the games and felt like a big part of me had found my home.
I wasn't disappointed with the ride... over the next few years nobody could have envisaged how it grew... Uncle Jack took over, and the stadium was thrown up around me.  For every kid giving me stick about the team buying it's way to success, there were days and nights of sheer enjoyment, being devastated that Alan Shearer was effectively replacing Speedie but then being catapulted into dreamland as he fired us to the title.  
In 1996 I turned 15 and my dad's friend stopped attending.... but Rovers was my life and I had made good friends with the season ticket holders around us.  As part of group of like-minded lads I started getting the train on my own from Manchester for every home game, having some hairy moments with a group of PNE fans at Mill Hill on one occasion and often encountering all kinds of scrapes with other fans at Piccadilly.  

We had no expectations, just loved the club and whatever happened, Rovers would always have a go.. "get into 'em" was the visceral cry of the Blackburn End demanding commitment, passion and heart from every player.
Despite relegation, Graeme Souness came to the club and his Rovers side of the early 2000s became my favourite team of all.  Jansen, Dunn, Duff - young English (and Irish players) complimented by a smattering of experience from Berg, Short and Flitcroft...  Brad Friedel showing what an honest down-to-earth bloke he was.

I followed them home and away every game through University for three years, mounting debts but didn't care... By this time I knew that there would be no chance of a Premier League title again - the money gap was too vast - but I was fiercely proud of my family club, still overseen by the Walker Trust and with a creative attacking team (not averse to getting one over on Burnley from time to time!) and the Worthington Cup win was one of the best days of my life, jumping all over Big Ron Atkinson outside the ground in a haze of Euphoria... God I loved that time.  The smell of the pitch at Ewood on a Tuesday night for an evening kickoff... amazing.  What a childhood.  Didn't matter that we had been relegated, ups and downs, in fact it all enhanced the picture and my love for MY club.  I took great pride in supporting them through thick and thin - I felt like I was a part of Rovers, and they were a part of me.

My first daughter was born in 2006 and my son in 2009... work was a massive commitment and I struggled to get to games... but nobody wanted a free ticket anymore...  I persevered, taking the kids to the games whenever possible, decorating their rooms in Rovers merchandise, my son playing in Rovers kit and keeping up to date with the team selections and results... watching every game we could... watching the kids pin their hopes on their 'Speedie' or 'Shearer'.... Jordan Rhodes, Adam Armstrong, Ben Brereton, even Sammie Szmodics... all flickers of hope quickly extinguished as the reality that this football world, climate, landscape had changed.  Players like Phil Jones and Adam Wharton, coming through to great hope and promise - a throwback to an academy still capable of producing the highest quality of player... but now they didn't become David Dunn or Damien Duff, now they play a handful of games and are sold to the highest bidder to try and balance the books.  The experience of a Travis or a Hyam - no longer cherished and valued like a Short or Flitcroft... now the wages weren't sustainable and away they go.  A glut of foreign players - no xenophobia here - but a lack of relatability now... players who come and go overnight.  A pitch that was cutting edge, a stadium that was home, slowly being left to crumble as some overseas owners don't even visit, just wait for the next transfer fee incoming to try to balance the books on a failing asset.

I came with the kids to the Wrexham game last.  They tried their best, oohing and aahing as Baradji - a player lauded as being decent but who is anything but - hit the bar.  The Wrexham fans goaded us for our silence... but I couldn't muster a murmur.  There was no passion, no heart or determination... no "get into 'em"... I looked at the kids and just felt guilty.  Lamented the £110 it cost me to come and watch them and felt bad for subjecting them to this...  I never expected anything but being part of a family and community who pulled in the same direction even if it failed.  
It doesn't feel like the club is pulling in the same direction as the fans any more.  It hurts.

Fully relate to this in its entirety.  Trying to pluck pennies from here there and everywhere to take the kids down to watch the Rovers.

Walking down with pride knowing I'm presenting an experience to my kids that I worked hard for. 

Though financially better off these days, my heart breaks with every stride toward Ewood knowing that its not the place I used to cherish. 

It'll always be Ewood Park.

It'll always be Rovers.

But the passion is fading too.

Hard as I try it just doesn't resemble anything as it used to be.

Heart and soul torn from a working class town, born into Blue and White for the most part, our release, our heritage, our Pride of Lancashire and no one could take that away from us. But it has.

[Herbie6590]

This thread resonates so much for me, as anyone who has listened to our latest 4000 Holes episode will already know. 
 

The club is reaching a tipping point. Season ticket renewals will be interesting. So many fans are simply exhausted. 
 

Thanks to everyone who has shared on here…🙏

[...]

And for all those that may not share same opinions going forward, we all have one thing in common at the end of the day. No one wants to pick holes in opposite opinions really but it's just got to, as Ian said, a tipping point. We don't want to see people throwing the towel in now because they might not come back if/when they leave.  But look how it resonates with everyone. We've all got our own stories. But it's affecting people more than we think.  

[RoverKyle]

Definitely echo everything that's been said so far. I'm 35 and grew up in Cumbria, which isn't famously known for it's football. The biggest team (Carlisle) weren't at all local and played in non League, so coverage was really poor. School had a mix of all of your traditional big teams, but you could count on one hand the number of kids that went to any games. My Dad wasn't a massive football fan and didn't have a club, so I essentially had a free choice on who to support. NW, play in blue, massive history, I can watch them on MOTD and maybe I'll be able to get to a few games... Went to well over a hundred games with my Dad and brother growing up, driving a 240 mile round trip to watch our heroes in Blue and White. The connection we grew with the club was special and it's given me some of the best moments of my life. I don't believe any other club in the English football leagues could rival us in terms of the family feel you'd experience on match days and we were pound for pound one of the best run clubs around. I've always been so proud to say that I'm a Rovers fan, even when others would laugh.

I've experienced the highs (post Premier League win). The competitive league finishes, the European and Domestic cup runs, winning the Worthington Cup in Cardiff, promotion from the second division twice, playing at Ewood Park as an adult twice. I've also experienced the real lows. I was sat in the stands for my 3rd ever game as we were relegated against Forest. I was at Brentford when we slipped into L1. There was however always hope.

For me, there has never been an expectation of winning. I bought into a club that honoured tradition and fought by skill and hard work. Peaks and dips are part and parcel of football but what we're currently seeing isn't that. It is managed decline. It has nothing to do with trying to run a successful football club. Everything that the club once was and stood for has been completely ripped away. Until that changes - and I think that means everyone gone from behind the scenes even remotely linked to Venky's, as well as the clowns themselves - I'm struggling to see what there is for me anymore. There is no ambition, no attempt to be better and the club now just feels soulless. I would love to take my 2 year old daughter to more games and be able to share my football passion and memories with her, but it's really got to the stage where I can't line their pockets anymore. They need to go before they cause even more damage. It's not just the football side they are destroying, it's the club and the will of the supporters that follow it.

[RevidgeBlue]

3 hours ago, Devon Rover said:

This is difficult to write. But something I have found sad on here over the years has been seeing so many posters I've enjoyed reading just disappearing. So I thought I'd say farewell, for now.

Back in 1992, an elderly couple moved down from Blackburn into a semi-detached house across the road on our Somerset council estate. Being a horrible little teenager, I harassed them early on, with casual games of knock-knock-ginger. Once, they caught me at the door and “invited” me in for a chat. I suspected this might involve a blow to the head and a call to the police but, intrigued by their ‘strange’ accents, remembering my mum had the only landline in the street, and being a bit bored, anyway, I sheepishly went in. Anne made us all a cup of tea, while Doug and I sat in silence in big old armchairs in their cold living room. Out of the blue, Doug asked me if I liked football. Within 30 minutes we were onto our second cuppa and Doug was regaling me with stories of a club I knew nothing about – Blackburn Rovers – and his watching them through the 1960s and 70s. He showed me black and white collection cards of Bryan Douglas and Ronnie Clayton and he assured me, with a white-moustached smile, "the Rovers are on their way back; just you wait and see”.

Doug and I met up most Saturdays, to read the sports pages of the papers and to consider the Rovers’ chances in the afternoon’s game. Before I even knew it, Blackburn Rovers was my team, my club. A million miles away from me and my home, yet just across the road. In the next few years, supporting the Rovers gave me some of my happiest life memories, whilst dealing with the stresses of school, gangs, and adolescence. I clung to the Rovers, as a representation of hope and aspiration.

When Doug died in the late 1990s, I was already a big Rovers fan in my own right, despite never having been anywhere near Ewood Park. At nights, I dreamt of having the chance to be there, and during the day I knew I had to stick with the club, come what may, for Doug, as well as for myself.

Well, I have tried, Doug. I’ve given it a really good go, and I hope you wouldn’t be too saddened that I can’t keep it up, now. I suspect it would be nothing next to your sadness for what has become of your Rovers.

The truth is, for me the excitement of Rovers has gone, the enjoyment of our games has gone. But most of all, the 'hope' is gone. This club is no longer one Doug would recognise, and nor do I. It brings me only sadness rather than any fun, pleasure, or aspiration. Rainy drives to games at Ewood Park have left me with a deflated feeling – amplified by the stress of wondering if that game will even start/finish.

My wife asked me yesterday, after I had attended a different club’s match, successfully seeking something a bit more fun, why am I still following Rovers? What do I get out of it in return for my time, energy, money? What is the point if there is no expectation of things getting any better? Why would I travel 500-mile round trips in the hope of maybe seeing a couple of shots on target? She seemed genuinely sad and frustrated for me and at how this all makes me feel and behave. For the first time (we’ve had similar conversations before), I just responded with “I don’t know. I don’t really want to, anymore.”

So, with that, I now, sadly, withdraw my support for this previously great club – one that I have loved for 33 years, and always will, deep down, but which is now just the cause of unhappiness for me. I don’t know how many future seasons of football I will get to see, but I do know I don’t want them to be spent with bleakness and anger towards something that should, on some level/s make me happy.

I will remain registered on BRFCS, a place that is brilliantly run and has represented a rare place of ‘safety’ for me to share views about what has been the absolute destruction of what many of us, and those before us, were able to enjoy and love. But I’ll only really be looking out for Venkys leaving, and consequent hope that the great Blackburn Rovers can be reborn.

Until then, being a Rovers fan, for me, is no longer a place for happiness. The club has become a symbol of decline and disappointment, and I choose, painfully, not to have that in my life.

Thank you all for being interesting to interact with. Of course, each one of us behind a username is a person, with a story of our own. So, keep being kind. Take care. 

I think this is the best post I've ever seen on here.

So sad and so poignant.

I hope you keep in touch on here from time to time and take care.

Edited 1 hour ago by RevidgeBlue

[sharpysharps86]

Think I can certainly put myself in the category of almost giving up. I can absolutely relate to a lot of what has been said in the posts above.

My son, age 9, is not into football at all. He has his own special interests, so the love for Rovers in my family will end with me. I do find myself questioning 'what's the point' now, when all supporting Rovers seems to bring me is misery.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

1 hour ago, ... said:

It'll always be Ewood Park.

It'll always be Rovers.

But the passion is fading too.

Hard as I try it just doesn't resemble anything as it used to be.

Heart and soul torn from a working class town.

That's how it is for many now.

[RevidgeBlue]

11 minutes ago, RoverKyle said:

For me, there has never been an expectation of winning. 

Sorry to hear you're struggling with it all as well.

I dont think there can be "an expectation of winning" unless you support four or so Clubs in England or Rangers or Celtic or Real Madrid or Barcelona etc.

However even though I've voted with my feet some time ago the thing I still struggle with more than anything else about the Club currently is not simply the lack of  actual success but the fact that there doesnt even seem to be any desire whatsoever within the Club win football matches or even try and be successful. We're simply a vehicle to exist so a few people who work at the Club and associated hangers on can hopefully make a very good living off it while it lasts.

If I felt there was a genuine desire within the Club to be successful, I could forgive a lot. Everyone makes mistakes. But that desire and good faith (with the exception of Eustace and JDT) has been absent for a good number of years already now.

If I felt at any point that the feeling of ambition and wanting to do well had genuinely returned Id like to think so would I.

 

[rog of the rovers]

The fact members have taken the time to write on a Rovers forum shows we still care enough to keep going through these muddy waters.

We've got to believe that our time will come again and personally I think it will, when that may be who knows? Hopefully sooner, rather than later!

You only get 'one team' and ours is Rovers.

In the meantime, keep checking in here, keep seeing what the scores are, cope with the current malaise in whatever way you see fit.

No one can tell you personally the right or wrong thing to do when it comes to Blackburn Rovers Football Club. Keep everything in perspective, life, health (physical and mental), friends, family are all far more important.

Edited 46 minutes ago by rog of the rovers

[RevidgeBlue]

1 hour ago, Tim Southampton Rover said:

I'm not sure how others feel but being a Rovers fan not from Blackburn is actually pretty strange. 

I live in Southampton and been a Rovers fan for more than 30+ years and have this affinity to the people and area of the country that is completely different from my life down here. I don't know anyone in Blackburn and I can count on 1 hand how many times I've had a proper discussion about the club with someone outside of Blackburn who has the same feelings towards the club as me. It can be quite lonely when you watch a game and can't talk to anyone about it except on social media - which can be a great or awful experience, depending on who is responding or what has happened. Even when Rovers win, you don't have that person to turn to and celebrate with. You just enjoy it on your own. It's a bit easier when Rovers lose because you aren't reminded of it because no one talks about them down here. 

It is strange when you're in the away end at Southampton, Portsmouth etc hearing Rovers fans slagging Southerners off....when you're a Southerner...but I wouldn't want it any other way. It's even better when you spot your friend in the home end at St Mary's giving them a w****r sign and they're smiling back. It isn't great when you're grabbed by throat outside the stadium being called a Northern so and so when you actually live and work 10 minutes down the road. Like I said - it's pretty strange! 

I love going to Ewood Park because it does feel like a pilgrimage to your football church to see the team you think about every day. Whether it's rainy and miserable or the sun is shining, you breath it all in and enjoy every moment - except the food inside Ewood - that really does taste awful! The flipside of that joy is having to watch the clock tick towards 90 minutes knowing that you might not be back any time soon, which makes you feel sad. 

The reason why I wrote all that is because it's difficult reading this post. I'm sure we've gone through similar experiences throughout our lives supporting the club from afar. Personally, I would find it very hard to stop supporting the team. I've dedicated too much of my personal life and time towards the club, however, Venkys are a cancer at the club that needs removing and if that isn't going to happen soon then you have every right to choose to do what you feel is right for you.

I hope you can switch that dedication that you have for Blackburn towards something else that brings you the joy that the club has brought you over the years. 

Good luck. 

Another very good post.

Hope you can stick it out until better times return.

[Muffin]

All of these are so sad to read but inevitable. This is a great forum and I respect all views but I never post. This feed has inspired me to do so however. Many people have rightly talked about a heart and soul being lost. 

My Rovers journey began on 24 March 1979 aged six against North End. My grandad had been desperate to take me to Rovers and eventually my mum relented. It was Duncan McKenzie’s debut but Rovers lost 1–0 in the middle of a truly shocking campaign that ended in relegation without a whimper. But  there was heart and soul.

The early 80s meant growing up in the Nuttall Street stand with my grandad. Garner’s five against Derby, countless near misses in the promotion race, gates barely above five thousand, unpaid bills everywhere. Still there was heart and soul.

My grandad passed away in 1986 and I stood alone on the Riverside. I tried to persuade friends to come with me until a glorious day in March 1987 changed everything. Once again there was heart and soul.

Then came Archibald and Ossie choosing Rovers as their temporary home in 1988. We were so proud. Heart and soul.

The Blackburn End, the class of 89, Gayle, Garner, Sellars, a house music soundtrack to the season, joy belief and most importantly fun, until a June day next to a floodlight pylon brought heartbreak. We were not 'Glad all over' but even then there was a heart and soul.

University life began with a disastrous 90–91 season and sit down protests outside Nuttall Street against Bill Fox and company. We did not realise how good we had it with locals who cared. Heart and soul.

Jack Walker changed everything. Kenny Dalglish as our manager. Kenny Dalglish!  We could hardly believe it. 4 incredible years. Heart and soul.

Success could not last. Some who had only known glory drifted away. Many stayed. Relegation hurt but following a football club isn't all about winning titles. There was still heart and soul.

The new millennium brought Souness, Tugay, the kids and a day to remember in Cardiff.  By then I had moved South. The 9.30 from Euston on a Saturday morning was worth it. Win lose or draw the togetherness remained. Heart and soul.

Hughes followed a similar path. European nights. Planes, trains, automobiles and boats to Feyenoord and back in fourteen hours. A MGP header away from becoming the first side to play at the new Wembley. Heart and soul.

Big Sam came and went and something shifted. Children arrived in my own life. I tried to pass the club on and succeeded at first but the magic was fading. The Rattler from Euston every fortnight felt heavier. We had a brief nostalgic season in League One when it seemed lessons had been learned and unity was returning. It did not last.

Now we reach the present. A generation lost. A club detached from its town and the very people who are its' biggest cheerleaders in good and bad times. Supporting a team is not only about success. It is also about failure, shared together. There can still be heart and soul in hard times. Sadly those two no longer seem to live at Blackburn Rovers.

Edited 17 minutes ago by Muffin

[RoverKyle]

26 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Sorry to hear you're struggling with it all as well.

I dont think there can be "an expectation of winning" unless you support four or so Clubs in England or Rangers or Celtic or Real Madrid or Barcelona etc.

However even though I've voted with my feet some time ago the thing I still struggle with more than anything else about the Club currently is not simply the lack of  actual success but the fact that there doesnt even seem to be any desire whatsoever within the Club win football matches or even try and be successful. We're simply a vehicle to exist so a few people who work at the Club and associated hangers on can hopefully make a very good living off it while it lasts.

If I felt there was a genuine desire within the Club to be successful, I could forgive a lot. Everyone makes mistakes. But that desire and good faith (with the exception of Eustace and JDT) has been absent for a good number of years already now.

If I felt at any point that the feeling of ambition and wanting to do well had genuinely returned Id like to think so would I.

 

That line was more of a bite back to the narrative you see amongst some fans, that if you have any sort of grievance about where club is at the moment, then you need to forget about the Premier League days and that we are now at our level. 

I think winning means something different to different people. For Rovers - you're right - it's not the same as the clubs you've mentioned. But being a well run club, that shows care to its fans and does everything it can to remain competitive is our version of winning. And we should want that collectively as supporters. In my opinion it is a reasonable bare minimum expectation. We had that and there's not a sniff of it left. 

It saddens me that the disillusioned can see that but the supposed hardcore are happy to ride the decline as long as we win a match or two every now and then.