Mattyblue

End of the day the only ‘on the record’ statement the regime even makes is in a quarterly FF and as you say they have said bugger all to the various releases from the Coalition, so I wouldn’t be worrying unduly about that lot.

Not sure about that. They’d certainly use the player angle, I imagine McLoughlin et al will be thrown in front of a camera again to mouth some platitudes, but seriously doubt they’ll try and paint the remainers as Venky supporters.

Pretty sure that’s been my point from the beginning, I.e there’s different camps of match going fans and if providing different ideas is ‘beating them with a stick’ you obviously have a very low tolerance for differing views. But do carry on.

If trying to explain the motivations of differing types of fans in a thread (a thread on a message board, not the Coalition’s executive committee) that is asking fans to make a choice is ‘hand wringing’ (it was ‘carping’ yesterday) then so be it. Speedie and ergo the Coalition get it, i.e other things will be tried too in this campaign, so I’m glad I’ve raised despite you trying to shout me down.

Good post, Speedie. Glad to hear that from the Coalition there’s an acknowledgement that protest does take different forms and different methods are planned to attract different folk. As there’s some very black and white posting on this thread for something that really isn’t easy.

What I’m trying to say is that there is a another group (out of 4) that is nuanced. 1) So there’s the folk that will do the boycott. 2)The ‘back the lads’ crew fundamentally aren’t interested in any of this, don’t as long as there are those lads in blue and white running about. 3) The Venkyclappers that still believe they are benevolent owners and we’d be dead without them (some cross over between 2 and 3). 4) This is the group I’m talking about. They fully agree that the owners have been an unmitigated disaster, no Venkyclapping to be seen, they do think about the club more than just once a fortnight, they care deeply - but boycotting just doesn’t enter the conversation. They are a match going fan and they’ll go to the match as it’s what they do, what they’ve always done as despite everything ‘your club’s your club’ and you get behind the team. For me, we need to keep group (4 onside.

Can only think it’s tied in with that Business Club thing they do with local firms, as yes, who the bloody hell else is shelling our 35 quid in early January and rushing round from work to attend that!

Only time you’d be happy to get a ban from the ground for asking a question they don’t like.

A first team game and that’s probably the best we can do if we want to rest some key players. It’s negligence from an unserious set up.

Because a lot of remaining match going fans fundamentally don’t think that’s what you do as a supporter. Crap owners but it’s their cross to bear. We may struggle with that, it’s one game, think of the big picture and all that. But not going to a game when they are a season ticket holder, when they think the team needs support, wouldn’t cross their mind for a second and are bemused by the whole thing. (and before you jump in Rev. This isn’t me ‘carping’, this isn’t me saying it isn’t the right thing to do, this isn’t me not supporting the Coalition. As it’s a thread to discuss it I’m just explaining the mindset of all those that sit around me that will be there. So let’s stop worrying about them and just try and work with what we’ve got.).

Let’s hope so, personally I’d just see them using it as an excuse to further cut costs and mothball/sell off the infrastructure we have left. A Wigan-esque lower league club. We’ll find out either way as BRFC will end up in League 1 sooner rather than later and ST sales will continue to decline.

Just my opinion, I think it’s a step they’ll back away from. Time will tell, I suppose. By the way, you are falling in to that trap of thinking these are normal owners. You’re not going to get them out by losing a couple more thousand ST holders either, as losing twelve thousand of them under their watch has shown. Boycott or no boycott we’ll be considerably down on ST holders next season and they will still be here .

Right, all agreed then, people that attend aren’t complicit, but Rovers fans, just like us, who happen to see things differently. I’d be surprised if the Coalition went there with season tickets.

Why would I be offended. But I take it you agree that those who will attend are not complicit with the owners?

Speedie Gonna Get Ya (member of Coalition) said ‘If you are content with the current ownership and the way the club is being run then attend’, that is complicity re-worded.

Yes, it makes perfect sense. Not sure why you are finding this so difficult. But once again: The Coalition needs support, there’s nobody else that’s going to front it and campaigns take many steps, so I’m happy to do my bit… but I think they should have chosen a different game and I don’t like language like ‘complicit’ aimed at anybody that doesn’t take part. Guess what, life and the decisions you make aren’t always easy, aren’t always black and white.

Well, no, you don’t have skin in the game for this particular protest as it’s an ask of people who do go, to not, as you already don’t you are a bystander, sorry. This is a place to exchange views. Unfortunately for you the thread hasn’t been locked after one post of ‘great idea, just get behind the Coalition FFS’. I’m going to do what’s being asked of me on the 24th and I’m a paid up member of one of the Coalition groups, so if I and others want to post an opinion (‘carping’ in your world) on a message board on what could be done differently, what might have been more effective, we will… and others are free to disagree, like Speedie further up, but at least they are doing it respectfully.

Pretty sure today is the first time I’ve even mentioned Suhail et al as being ‘the winner’, and that was after Herbie did, go after somebody else for once (you know, people that, unlike me, aren’t actually doing what’s being asked of them on the 24th) as being lectured to by somebody that doesn’t even go in the first place and ergo has no decision to make is getting tiresome.

So like I was saying the Coalition are struggling with the mindset of a lot of match goers. There are plenty in that ground that have no truck with the owners whatsoever, but they would not countenance not supporting the team. You can debate the rights and wrongs of that as a viewpoint, but that’s the reality, and saying ‘well, it means the attendees are all content with the owners and the regime’ is just another way of using loaded terms like ‘complicit’ and it isn’t helpful (well, it is to Suhail et al).

Think we can safely say it will be Crawley and Duckett opening the batting in the summer… it should be difficult to get in an international team, not out of it

As I’ve said previously, I think there’s a lack of understanding of match goers and their motivations. The lads around me aren’t particularly the happy clapper, turn up to Ewood to watch a team in blue and white and don’t think much else of if till the next game types (like some certainly are), they think the owners have been a disaster, we’ve had many a discussion about it. However, despite them, they see themselves as fans, as ST holders and as such they go and support the team. If you told them that they are ‘complicit’ because they are choosing to sit in a seat they’ve paid for to try and help the team stay out of the third division they’d see it as a very odd descriptor of them. As Herbie says above, only one winner from the looks of this thread.

It's the little things that (almost) grate as much. Making Blues Bar a beige shell, stripped of all Rovers memorabilia, a sports bar that doesn't even have a subscription for sport channels. The ground being in a state of disrepair and rot. Actively trying to empty out the Blackburn End Removing the history timelime murals (maybe it would have helped them remember when we last won the FA Cup). A club shop containing largely cheap tat (that doesn't even open on some working days). The 150th being a shambles from day one. A lack of care, attention, affection for such a fantastic, historic football club that goes back to the very beginning of the sport in this country.

Wasn't aimed at you.

I'm an actual attender that will be doing said boycott, so not sure what corner I'm painted into or how that makes me a 'naysayer', especially being called so from people that have no boycott to make as they already don't go! Some balls. However, this is a forum that is supposed to be about exchanging views and as I'm also a paid up member of WATR that is part of the Coalition, I'm more than entitled to offer some constructive criticism as to why, *in my opinion*, even though I'll do it anyway, this isn't the correct game.

Personally I don’t think an ‘official’ boycott is needed at all, but it’s out there now and if, and I think it is, the point of it is to get visuals and figures into the media as part of an overall campaign, then in my opinion a night game is preferable as the biggest bang for your buck - other club fan groups doing the same obviously pick said games for a reason.