01/04/2013

Welcome back, disappointment.

Blackburn Rovers well and truly entered the realm of yet another relegation battle today following a 3-0 pounding away to Cardiff. They sit at 19th and are only just above the drop due to their goal difference. 

The mood among Rovers fans is indescribable. There is a number intent on a boycott, considered by many as the only way to show the clueless and inept owners that this farce has gone on long enough. Other fans remain unwilling to tear themselves away from the circus, bound by an invisible contract that says never to turn your back on your team.


The one thing fans can agree on, is that Indian based poultry farmers - the naïve and often invisible Venky's, have utterly destroyed a title winning, once reputable, should be Premier League, founding member club.  A club built on foundations of passion, community and love lead by number one fan Jack Walker, has been subject to a vial of poison turning the beloved Lancashire club into a complete mockery.
The Steve Kean era surpassed in September, but the damage was already done. According to the media, Steve Kean was "dignified" for sticking by Rovers, whilst the 'aggressive, embarrassing' fans 'unjustifiably' protested against what was happening to their club. Kean managed to consistently persuade the Pune based owners that everything was ok back in Blackburn, that the fans were happy, that things were getting better. He seemed unsackable. 
 
After months of hearing manipulative lies, the "positives" of a match when there had been none (most famously the match against Tottenham where Rovers did not have a single shot on goal) and then videos of slander committed against ex gaffer - Allardyce, fans were still ostracised for protesting against the owners and manager. The manager that inevitably took Rovers down to the championship.
Steve Kean has gone now, but since his domineering reign over Rovers, things have not got better. The political struggle for power between Shebby Singh, Derek Shaw and Paul Agnew has proven detrimental, with both Shaw / Agnew, and Singh wanting completely different things. All three are venomous, with nothing commendable to offer to the club, just pure egotistical desire for higher positions.
 
Venky's once again have foolishly listened to people who are blatantly inept. People who can't even put aside their differences for the sake of a club, people who refuse to sit near each other at home matches, and people who continuously spout contradicting statements to the media and the fans.
 
The most disappointing thing for the fans, is the lack of fight in the squad. As unanimously agreed, the exception to this is David Dunn who clearly bleeds blue and white. Other players such as Scott Dann, Grant Hanley, Jake Kean are also exempt as they have continuously played well throughout the season. But there is a number of players who continue to take their hefty pay checks, and ignore the looming relegation battle which could thrust Rovers into League One.
 
Some fans would give anything to play for the club they love, and would go onto the pitch fighting. The majority of the squad at the moment appears to show not an ounce of care. It is as though they play because they have to, rather than play for the love of the club and the pride it should bring with it.
It is difficult to push the blame for the loss against Cardiff on temporary manager Gary Bowyer, as not only are Cardiff indisputably a good side, but Bowyer has been chucked in at the deep end and is to bear the heavy burden of managing the deteriorating Blackburn side. During his previous spell as caretaker manager, he revealed that he would not want to be appointed manager and was happy with his current position. 
 
Venky's did not listen to his earlier pleas and instead chose him to look after the team. Bowyer achieved a four game unbeaten run earlier this season, and players described him as 'refreshing'. But it is silly to ignore the fact that he is not officially a manager. What he did for the club earlier this season was fantastic, but it will be difficult for him to replicate. Especially in a relegation battle.

The media have finally started to listen to the cries of desperation coming from the crowds, and have recently questioned the capability of the owners of the club. This recognition is worthless without action. The "fit and proper" test that the FA administer to prospective buyers of English clubs clearly needs reviewing and modifying, for if the Venky's can pass it there is something clinically wrong in the investigations.
 
Despite there being no route for intervention by the FA into a football club's ownership, arguably - there should be. It is unfair on fans to leave undeniably inept owners to their own devices, with no investigation from the body that regulates the football league when such devastation has been caused.

The suffering goes on for fans of Blackburn Rovers, but the threat of relegation ignites a passion and unity deep inside their hearts.   The feeling of pain and anguish is so common that loss is no longer unexpected. The great hostility towards the owners continues to strengthen with each and every day. The systematic destruction of the club persists. The talk of a mass boycott is not such a radical idea any more. 

Even while all of this happens, fans will fight. Fans will fight for the club they love to be theirs once more.