The Lancashire Thread

[roversfan2001]

Bolton's attempts to force a rivalry with us by using what we call Burnley fans on us is laughable. Bolton's main rivalry seems to be with the taxman at the moment anyway.

 

[Another Walkley Owl]

You have that nickname because there are plenty of bell ends in Preston who gave it the big one and 'supported' you when you were good. Now they haven't been on for about 10 years and blame it all on the Venkys...

Your glory hunters are bigger twats than United and Liverpool fans.

Have to say as an "outsider" I do agree with this, I remember going to Kavos for an holiday in the early 90s (prior to Rovers winning the title, but after Jack had started spending big) there were Rovers shirts everywhere, I had never before seen a single 1, other than when we had played against Blackburn. Really don't know where they had crawled out from. Similarly since Rovers decline they all seem to crawled back into the woodwork and have disappeared. I know this happens with all clubs but seems more so with Blackburn than any other club I can think of. Also the few who have remained go on about the Venkys like they are the only club who have ever been mismanaged. Believe me it happens to lots of clubs, not just you.

Anyway as a proud Yorkshireman don't know what I'm doing reading this thread, never mind replying in it.

 

[roversfan2001]

Also the few who have remained go on about the Venkys like they are the only club who have ever been mismanaged. Believe me it happens to lots of clubs, not just you.

Is that why we had a joint protest with Blackpool fans then?

 

[markwwfc1992]

Is that why we had a joint protest with Blackpool fans then?

Have the Venkys taken Blackburn from the Premier League to the non league, and almost forced the club into extinction. No, then get over yourselves.

Don't remember you whinging when you were throwing money around in the Championship on players like Rhodes even though you fucked it up. You lot wouldn't know what a bad owner was if it slapped you in the face.

 

[roversfan2001]

Have the Venkys taken Blackburn from the Premier League to the non league, and almost forced the club into extinction. No, then get over yourselves.

Don't remember you whinging when you were throwing money around in the Championship on players like Rhodes even though you fucked it up. You lot wouldn't know what a bad owner was if it slapped you in the face.

So you're suggesting Venky's aren't bad owners?

They're destroying us, we're at our lowest level since 1980 and have only ever spent 5 seasons previous to this in the third tier, and never below. They may not have taken us to almost non-league yet but with them as owners it's not entirely an implausible scenario in a few years. We're over £100m in debt. Yes they spent £8m on Rhodes and a few million on other players using the parachute payments, do you know what else they did that season? Kept Steve Kean as manager after he got us relegated in his first full season, sacked a manager after 57 days in charge, sacked another manager after 67 days in charge, we were close to being relegated twice in a row, as you did end up doing that year IIRC. They didn't know relegation existed from the PL. They promised us Champions League football within 4 years. 7 years later, we're 22nd in the third tier of English football.

They don't have a fucking clue what they're doing and have made multiple failures in the running of a once proud club. Of course they're bad owners.

 

[markwwfc1992]

Go ask Darlington fans, Wimbledon fans, Hereford fans, Stockport fans, Luton fans (the list goes on) what bad owners are. All you have experienced is the Premier League and it's riches. As soon as you're relegated to what many would argue is your natural position anyway, Blackburn fans throw their toys out of the pram and declare they have the worst owners in the world and everybody should feel sorry for them.

It's football. Shit happens. Every club in England has had bad owners at one point. The Bhatti brothers at Wolves took us from division 1 to division 4 in back to back relegations whilst the club was only just saved from extinction by Sir Jack Hayward. Have your fans ever had to hold change buckets outside your ground in a desperate attempt to keep the club afloat. Every other club could tell you a similar story.

No offence mate, and I don't mean this as a personal dig, but you perfectly epitomise what a modern young premier league fan is like, clouded by Jack Walkers millions. Trust me; bad owners come and go to every club, you aren't the only ones who have suffered.

 

[roversfan2001]

So 6 years out of 142 means League 1 is our natural level? I've spent more years as a season ticket older outside of the PL than in the PL and supporting a team in the second tier or below is perfectly fine by me, indeed that was where we were for a while before the 90s. No-one is saying we are the only team to be ruined by shit owners, what we are saying is that we could end up going the same way as clubs you mention; it shouldn't be 'oh you haven't been minutes from going bust yet, it's not that bad', that's how clubs end up with shit owners they can't get rid of. Obviously Venky's haven't quite destroyed us to the extent owners at Wolves in the 80s, Hereford and Darlo a few years ago etc. but that doesn't mean we can't protest in an effort to remove them from our club before that happens, and to get the footballing authorities to change their owners test to try to stop it happening to other clubs.

 

[TomPNE94]

This is all karma for forcing big Sam out when you were a comfortable mid table Premier League club. Got ideas above your station and it's totally backfired

 

[SF_]

If it wasn't for Walker then that 'six seasons in the third tier' would be higher, without a rich benefactor or Premier League money clubs like Preston, Blackburn and Bolton will always drop down into the third tier eventually. Our crowds just don't stand up at this level due to Lancashire being such a congested area and having 2 football super powers on our doorstep.

Time spent in a league is an irrelevant stat, we've spent 46 years in the top flight but all of them were before 1961, it means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Look at Wigan for example, spent 8 or 9 years in the Prem but that's because Whelan bought their way up the leagues, nothing else.

Regardless of who owns them, a club with Blackburn's crowds would always find themselves edging towards League One unless they were promoted at the first attempt. Any Blackburn fan who doesn't realise that is fucking deluded.

 

[Aber gas]

So 6 years out of 142 means League 1 is our natural level? I've spent more years as a season ticket older outside of the PL than in the PL and supporting a team in the second tier or below is perfectly fine by me, indeed that was where we were for a while before the 90s. No-one is saying we are the only team to be ruined by shit owners, what we are saying is that we could end up going the same way as clubs you mention; it shouldn't be 'oh you haven't been minutes from going bust yet, it's not that bad', that's how clubs end up with shit owners they can't get rid of. Obviously Venky's haven't quite destroyed us to the extent owners at Wolves in the 80s, Hereford and Darlo a few years ago etc. but that doesn't mean we can't protest in an effort to remove them from our club before that happens, and to get the footballing authorities to change their owners test to try to stop it happening to other clubs.

 

[LancashireTrotters]

Bolton's attempts to force a rivalry with us by using what we call Burnley fans on us is laughable. Bolton's main rivalry seems to be with the taxman at the moment anyway.

You're as irrelevant as the next to myself and a lot of others, but there's plenty on either side who would consider each other rivals. Mainly down to proximity and being at the same-level for prolonged periods.
Good example of our rivalry when we were both fighting for promotion to the Premiership in 00/01. Great season for both clubs, each going full-pelt to outdo one another. There doesn't have to be a 'hatred' to be a rivalry.

 

[roversfan2001]

If it wasn't for Walker then that 'six seasons in the third tier' would be higher, without a rich benefactor or Premier League money clubs like Preston, Blackburn and Bolton will always drop down into the third tier eventually. Our crowds just don't stand up at this level due to Lancashire being such a congested area and having 2 football super powers on our doorstep.

Time spent in a league is an irrelevant stat, we've spent 46 years in the top flight but all of them were before 1961, it means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Look at Wigan for example, spent 8 or 9 years in the Prem but that's because Whelan bought their way up the leagues, nothing else.

Regardless of who owns them, a club with Blackburn's crowds would always find themselves edging towards League One unless they were promoted at the first attempt. Any Blackburn fan who doesn't realise that is fucking deluded.

Before Walker came in we were a top half second tier team pushing for promotion every year. Time spent in a league is perfectly relevant in terms of 'natural level', which for us has been the top 2 tiers, more recently the top tier.

 

[roversfan2001]

This is all karma for forcing big Sam out when you were a comfortable mid table Premier League club. Got ideas above your station and it's totally backfired

Again, that's at the top in a very long list of bad decisions by Venky's.

But it's the fans fault, obviously.

 

[SF_]

Before Walker came in we were a top half second tier team pushing for promotion every year. Time spent in a league is perfectly relevant in terms of 'natural level', which for us has been the top 2 tiers, more recently the top tier.

That was the 80's, it has no relevance to now as English football was on its ass, one year you averaged less than 6k in the second tier back then. I'd say crowds will always define a clubs natural level in the long run.

All the Lancashire clubs were getting big crowds in the 50's/ 60's and then there was a big decline in the 70's as money started to become more important. Clubs like us need a rich benefactor to compete at the top for a sustained period as we don't have the fanbases to pay big wages.

Like I say, any Blackburn fans who thought League One wasn't a massive possibility following relegation (regardless of owned the club) is deluded.

 

[roversfan2001]

That was the 80's, it has no relevance to now as English football was on its ass, one year you averaged less than 6k in the second tier back then. I'd say crowds will always define a clubs natural level in the long run.

All the Lancashire clubs were getting big crowds in the 50's/ 60's and then there was a big decline in the 70's as money started to become more important. Clubs like us need a rich benefactor to compete at the top for a sustained period as we don't have the fanbases to pay big wages.

Like I say, any Blackburn fans who thought League One wasn't a massive possibility following relegation (regardless of owned the club) is deluded.

Well given that if Venky's hadn't taken over we might well have still been a mid-table Premier League side like we were for years I'd say relegation to League One was far, far in the distance before they took over. We get similar crowds to you, does that mean you're punching above your weight?

Also anyone saying it's just us throwing our toys out of the pram because we got relegated: the protests were at their highest when we were still in the PL...

 

[SF_]

Well given that if Venky's hadn't taken over we might well have still been a mid-table Premier League side like we were for years I'd say relegation to League One was far, far in the distance before they took over. We get similar crowds to you, does that mean you're punching above your weight?

Also anyone saying it's just us throwing our toys out of the pram because we got relegated: the protests were at their highest when we were still in the PL...

Well yeah, finishing in the top half of the Championship when clubs are spending £20-30m in a single transfer window probably does mean we're punching above our weight.

Any mid-table Prem team is at risk of relegation, the likes have Newcastle and West Ham have all been down here recently. Poor managerial appointments and decision making happens.

But i'm not talking about your time in the Prem, i'm talking about dropping to the Championship and not returning while the club still recieved parachute money. I don't think it can be argued that the Venky's were particularly stingey with that money either.

The same could have happened when you were relgated in 2000 but you had a good team and managed to get back up within a season or two. Look at Leeds and Wednesday, they've been down here for about a decade and both of them dwarf our clubs, both have been in League One too.

Blackburn fans act like them playing League One football was an impossibility if it wasn't for some nasty Indian men.

 

[HtfcWArrior]

This is golden!

 

[SF_]

This is golden!

You need to invest in a good book.

 

[HtfcWArrior]

You need to invest in a good book.

Books are boring arguments are exciting

 

[SF_]

Books are boring arguments are exciting

I think its been quite civil, I think you would have liked the Preston/ Blackpool stuff when that bullshitter, Seasider Kurt was still around.

 

[TomPNE94]

Again, that's at the top in a very long list of bad decisions by Venky's.

But it's the fans fault, obviously.

Haha of course it is, you were holding protests to get him sacked ffs.

 

[roversfan2001]

Haha of course it is, you were holding protests to get him sacked ffs.

If you could point me to that that'd be great, seen as any protests didn't start until it was "Kean Out, Venky's Out"...

Sent from my SM-J100H using Tapatalk

 

[roversfan2001]

Well yeah, finishing in the top half of the Championship when clubs are spending £20-30m in a single transfer window probably does mean we're punching above our weight.

Any mid-table Prem team is at risk of relegation, the likes have Newcastle and West Ham have all been down here recently. Poor managerial appointments and decision making happens.

But i'm not talking about your time in the Prem, i'm talking about dropping to the Championship and not returning while the club still recieved parachute money. I don't think it can be argued that the Venky's were particularly stingey with that money either.

The same could have happened when you were relgated in 2000 but you had a good team and managed to get back up within a season or two. Look at Leeds and Wednesday, they've been down here for about a decade and both of them dwarf our clubs, both have been in League One too.

Blackburn fans act like them playing League One football was an impossibility if it wasn't for some nasty Indian men.

Well no, us being in League One after 2 relegations in 5 years wasn't an impossibility pre-Venky's. But it was highly unlikely given the fact we were a superbly run small town club with football people at the helm, our league positions in the seasons before 10/11 were 10th, 15th and 10th: little to no risk of dropping to the Championship. The parachute money (other than buying Rhodes, who was sold for a profit with nothing re-invested) was spunked on releasing shit players on big-money contracts (Murphy, Orr et al) and paying off managers on 3 year contracts that we sacked after 2 months.

 

[SF_]

Well no, us being in League One after 2 relegations in 5 years wasn't an impossibility pre-Venky's. But it was highly unlikely given the fact we were a superbly run small town club with football people at the helm, our league positions in the seasons before 10/11 were 10th, 15th and 10th: little to no risk of dropping to the Championship. The parachute money (other than buying Rhodes, who was sold for a profit with nothing re-invested) was spunked on releasing shit players on big-money contracts (Murphy, Orr et al) and paying off managers on 3 year contracts that we sacked after 2 months.

No doubting the Venky's have made poor decisions, appointments and signings but its hard to be sympathetic as that situation isn't remotely unique. We had it worse not too long back when we employed Maurice Lindsay as chairman to cut costs and then endured the Westley era.

Blackburn have just been fortunate to have had good owners for so long, when that ownership changed there was always a risk of the club becoming unstable.

 

[roversfan2001]

No doubting the Venky's have made poor decisions, appointments and signings but its hard to be sympathetic as that situation isn't remotely unique. We had it worse not too long back when we employed Maurice Lindsay as chairman to cut costs and then endured the Westley era.

Blackburn have just been fortunate to have had good owners for so long, when that ownership changed there was always a risk of the club becoming unstable.

I agree that a section of our fanbase think that we're a special scenario because of the Prem title and so on. Luckily most fans don't side with that, we know it's not unique, but that's even worse that it's not, that a lot of clubs have their soul ripped out by owners who don't give a shit.

 

[markwwfc1992]

Kurt was a good lad

 

[Muzzle]

This all sounds like we need to mob up in a local and discuss, i'd be the oldest there but I can tell you all about the 70's, 80's and early 90's, Wigan wouldn't come up in that conversation though

 

[markwwfc1992]

I could discuss with you how much I dispise John McGinlay.

 

[SF_]

Kurt was a good lad

If by good lad you mean massive c*** then yes I agree.

 

[SeasideKurt]

If by good lad you mean massive c*** then yes I agree.

I must really get under your skin if you're talking about me and I have looked or posted on this forum in a year.

Bless you. You never did quite like factual information did you? How's life post Grayson?