Blackburn Rovers

Venky’s not making any new friends at Blackburn – March 1st 2012

Ah Venky’s, you just don’t know when to stop do you?

If there’s anything less reliable in football than the ‘word’ of the Blackburn owners, then I’m yet to hear of it.

Here’s Venky’s director Vineeth Rao on the ‘ridiculous’ suggestion that a firesale is imminent at Blackburn:

“There are no plans like that there, that is ridiculous. There are no plans to sell any more key players, why would there be? Our immediate focus is on staying up in the Premier League.

We hope Chris Samba will be the last key departure. There are no plans to sell any more key players because we want to improve the squad.

We want to add to the squad and improve it, not sell the players we have got. We are not planning on selling any more key players.”

You know what, he’s probably telling the truth this time…BECAUSE THEY’VE ALREADY SOLD EVERYONE. And secondly obviously, because the transfer window is now shut. Mercifully for Blackburn fans.

I’ve written at length about the Blackburn owners on this site, and the same theme always comes out – deceit. Ultimately, Mr Rao should just save his breath, because why should any of the fans believe him now? Every promise is broken and every action has a hidden agenda.

Is the Fit & Proper Persons Test just a myth? Is it in fact just a media creation? Because what exactly do you have to have done, or what do your intentions have to be, to fail it?

Not to go all ‘Daily Mail’ on you, but this is an utter disgrace.

(Story courtesy of the Lancashire Telegraph)

A theory as to the real problem at Blackburn – February 4th 2012

Ryan Nelsen, Michel Salgado and Jason Roberts all leave Ewood Park in the same week, and Chris Samba refuses to make guarantees over his commitment to the club and is subsequently left-out of the squad traveling to Arsenal.

Ordinarily, that kind of situation would cause an almighty fracas between a manager and his board – after all, contractual issues are above the pay-grade of the football staff.

Only Blackburn is no ordinary situation. Gradually, a lot of aspects of the Steve Kean/Venky’s era are beginning to make sense, not that the added clarity will be of much comfort to the club’s fans.

This is just a theory, but…

When the new Indian owners bought Blackburn Rovers, they had a vision for the club – or at least, what the benefits of owning a football club actually were. That probably explains Sam Allardyce’s departure; the notorious stand-off between him and Jerome Anderson over transfer targets more than likely illustrated to Allardyce that this wasn’t going to be a project of the traditional British footballing sort. Most likely? Anti-achievement, low-cost, high-risk to Premier League status – players that would probably keep the team just about watchable, while not showing very much ambition.

Steve Kean? Steve Kean is just your Lee Harvey Oswald. He’s the fall guy here. Put a no-name manager into a Premier League job, and he’s not going to complain regardless of his working conditions. Kean is probably completely aware of the realities facing him – I dare say he’s also bound by some form of non-disclosure agreement in return for his lucrative contract – but saw this as an opportunity to ‘make a name for himself’. He’s a company man, he’ll tow the party line – he’s also represented by Jerome Anderson. He was employed specifically to tolerate Venky’s vision.

This is why you never hear of any dissatisfaction from Kean; he’s just happy to be there. Top-tier players sold, minimal reinvestment in the squad, bizarre contractual situations – never a word from the manager. That’s also why he hasn’t been sacked, because he’s actually irreplaceable. Not in the good sense, but because there would be no other British manager willing to put himself into this situation – nobody of good reputation anyway.

What Venky’s end-game is here, really we can only speculate. Anytime you have a ownership who renege on promises and projections, supporter suspicion is always going to intensify – and by a higher multiple if that ownership consistently fails to clarify what they really want to achieve in England football. No statements of intent, no interviews, no ego – how rare is that from a new set of owners? Rare and very unsettling.

Whether or not Rovers survive this season is irrelevant, this is only going to get worse. Unlike the Liverpool melodrama of 2010, this a true example of a football club being raped – stripped and sold for parts. It’s absolutely horrible.