Ownership Issues

There seems a growing number of fans of clubs who are unhappy with their clubs ownership/operating models.

This however seems bizarre and pretty entitled.

 

I don’t think Blackburn really had a choice but to “let Eustace go”, but I’m intrigued why you consider them to be an “established” club compared to, say, Watford. Is it because you remember their brief period of success 30 years ago? Other than that, they have been a mediocre smallish-sized ‘town’ team operating outside the top division for many decades.

 

Jack Walker spent all his money buying them the title. Will never happen again.

 

They also had a decent run after they got back up early this century, finishing top 10 more often than not (including twice qualifying for the UEFA Cup through the league), winning the League Cup against favourites Hoddle's Spurs and reaching the semis on three other occasions, and getting to the FA Cup semis twice, narrowly losing to winners Chelsea in 2006/07. Even though their gates have been low even by Championship standards (probably they never had a large core fanbase) I'm surprised they've spent as long as they have down here, without even getting to the play-offs once.

 

They were in League 1 not so long ago! If anything, them being a mid-table Champo club with an eye on the play-offs is overachieving

 

If we ban the Dux and the Pozz we could start bringing our flasks back in?

 

Who hasn't bought it? Leicester maybe?

 

Nearly every single team that's won the title 'bought the title.'

I don't understand why Blackburn are singled out for this. Perhaps it is because it was the last time a local businessman with a relatively medium amount of wealth was able to throw his passion behind his boyhood club and actually beat the big boys.

 

Saw this after my post.

Exactly. Maybe Man Utd some years under Fergie, though arguably as time went on and Man Utd became so massive, it was easier and easier for them to hoard and attract young talent. Plus they had the budget to buy the best to fill any gaps when needed.

 

They were founder members of the FL.

 

"Unfashionable teams that have won the league in my lifetime"
Derby County
Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa
Everton
Blackburn Rovers
Leicester City

 

Obviously they had Shearer who was a British record transfer, and Sutton who cost a pretty penny, but how much did they spend overall on that team compared to United? I suppose United had a lot of academy graduates, but they also had some big name stars from further afield who were probably on a fair whack!

 

I mean, they're still under the control of Venky's 15 years on, and they still continue to run the club in a fairly clueless manner, with little sign of either of those things changing.

I don't think it's that unreasonable or surprising that their fans are up in arms against them. Eustace just left them, a club banging on the door of the playoffs under his stewardship, to move to a Derby County team fresh from years of utter chaos, League One relegation, and the immediate occupying of a relegation place once again in the current season.

Meanwhile, Blackburn continue to sell players for many millions and reinvest almost none of that in the playing staff. Blackburn fans believe Eustace left precisely because, much like Gino's exploits, he felt fuccked over by Venky's leaving him high and dry without the promised/clearly necessary recruitment, and with a squad left weaker after a transfer window. Under those circumstances, there's nothing entitled about fan groups expressing their displeasure.

That's not to say I'm of any other opinion than that asking random ownership patsy representatives like former notshot striker Rudy Gestede to stop appearing on match days is pointless and misguided/a strange indulgence that won't materially help fan groups achieve any of their objectives. But I entirely understand and sympathise with the animus for it, as I understand it.

 

"Careful what you wish for".

 

I’m not sure Villa and Everton could have been categorised as particularly ‘unfashionable’ when they actually won the league. The others, fair enough.

 

These are all fair comments from Blackburn fans but the reality of Championship football finances is that they lose money which has to be covered from either player sales or investment/loans from the owners.

Despite selling players for millions in the recent past based on c£20m of revenue pa (25% in their case from gate receipts -rest TV money& commercial income) the wages exceed that and then there are overheads/running costs so over the past 6 years even with the profits from player sales the club lost £83m and that has been funded by the Venkys with share capital (some is on lent to the football club but no interest is charged). I think they have put in c£180m as share capital since 2012 (when the Pozzos came to us).

So a bit like QPR, the owners will keep the club afloat by covering losses but to gamble on large player purchases and higher wages to get that possible promotion only to see likely relegation the following year is not an investable proposition.

This is what we are seeing this season and thereafter i suspect, unless some deep pocket investor (chancer) comes along.

 

Leicester only!

That squad was worth next to nothing - Okazaki was the "big" signing at £7m.

I don't think that will ever happen again. Look how much Forest have spent to mingle with the top lot.

 

I am not a fan of our owner by any stretch of the imagination, but I will say regardless on what you think of them, could always be worse as Blackburn fans have seen and plenty of other clubs fans around the EFL and England in general.

 

Yes, I think people are doing the usual thing of just looking at league position and assuming entitlement, “Blackburn are 9th in the championship, where else do they expect to be” with out being aware of the multiple decisions that probably get made week in week out that contribute to fans being unhappy with their owners outside of the single overriding metric of current league position.

We’re acutely aware when Pozzo bans flasks from the stadium, or sets up a fake interview with Dux and some podders to feed the fans some rubbish, or hand out a stupid contract to a dud player, or sign another Bayat player for way over the odds etc. etc. etc. all micro decisions that add up to a situation of many Watford fans being very happy with our owner irrespective of our league position.

Most of us aware of the Eustace situation, but beyond that I don’t think any of us are going to be a(chicken)breast of the day to day detail that gets fans into this position (the same as it does for many of us Watford fans) and this has been going on for 15 years now.

And let’s not forget, unlike Watford whose owner actually brought/bought us success for a period of time. The Venkys came in while they were a premier league club, sacked Allardyce for Steve Kean (!) and promptly got them relegated, so it’s not like there was much goodwill for them from day one.

is it a case that unless your owners plunge you into administration and run you out of business you just have to be happy because you’re never going to win the Premier League?

 

Haven't heard Rudy Gestede's name in a while!

 

I thought exactly that when I saw it!

 

Sheffield Wednesday not paying players wages for March. The manager looks odds on to be Southampton manager next season as well.

 

My gaffer at work is a Wednesday fan and apparently it's an open secret that Rohl is off to Saints pretty much as soon as the season ends.

 

Are the Wednesday fans resentful about the move or do they understand that they are a mess and don't blame him for going?

 

The latter, all of the resentment is aimed firmly at Chansiri. By all accounts he’s a total madman.

 

Exactly, our spoilt fans should be careful what they wish for!

 

Careful what you wish for.

 

CWYWF!

 

Come Won You Watford Fans?

 

Can't Wind Your Wife Forcibly

 

Cogs win yahoo, wetters fail ?

 

Welsh for 'Red Helmet' I think.