mrwawild

Wayne Wild · @mrwawild

1st Apr 2013 from TwitLonger

It is with absolute and total frustration I write this. Our beloved football club is now on the brink of back to back relegation. For 18 months I have been publicly saying that if we got relegated from the PL there was a chance we could tumble through the leagues. This could become a reality in the next few weeks. We all hope and pray that we gain enough points from our final games for us to be safe, this gives us a chance to regroup in the summer and hopefully appoint an experienced manager who can rebuild a squad of players capable of competing for promotion.

But there is something fundamentally wrong with a football club that goes through this following chain of events......

Club purchased by a foreign owner at a relatively low value who have no knowledge or experience in football whatsoever.
The agent who was asked by the owners to find a buyer offers a number of potential suitors.
The eventual owner is then advised by the same agent going forward on various matters including player purchases.
An experienced manager with a successful history is sacked within 3 weeks of the owners buying the club whilst the team, a small town club, is still mid table in the premiership.
The agents client, the first team coach is appointed manager within a week of SA sacking.
This coach has never managed any team in any league ever, yet is appointed manager of a EPL team with the obvious huge pay package that goes with it.
A number of player signings are made including the managers' agent's son, who had previously been on trial and not offered a deal under SA. This contract had been reported to be worth £500k per annum in wages. This player never kicked a football for the first team.
A number of foreign players are signed whilst rumours of 3rd party ownerships and strange transfer values and stranger agents fees continue to leak through the media.
The team performances culminate in poor results which see us tumble down the league table.
Supporter groups are formed with protests calling for the manager to be removed.
The administration team of Williams and Finn send a letter to the owners detailing their absolute frustration and worry how the manager and his agent are sanctioning player signings without the agreement of the board of directors.
Within weeks the main board sign NDAs and are removed from their positions and the board.
Despite falling attendances, a drink driving conviction, poor performances, poor results, loss of sponsorships, strange manager comments, strange team selections, strange substitutions, strange team formation, the owners decide to keep faith with a manager that is universally disliked by the supporter base.
The deputy CEO writes a letter to the owners with a list of issues that need resolving urgently. This is leaked from within the club and he also signs a NDA and is removed from the board.
A number of senior players voice their internal frustrations with the way the club is being run, they are sold to the highest bidder.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club are relegated from the premier league. All our worries are now reality.

Despite this and despite the vast majority of the supporters calling for a change in manager the owners continually decide to keep faith with him. It is clear the owners value their relationship with the manager more than they do the voice of the supporters.
Shebby Singh, a media presenter from Malaysia is brought to England as a Global Advisor to the owners. He has no previous experience whatsoever with English football or football administration yet is given the authority to make the major decisions at BRFC.
Paul Agnew, PR consultant is appointed to the board, despite no previous experience at this level.
Within a few weeks of this, lifelong Preston North End fan Derek Shaw is appointed Managing Director of BRFC.
A number of senior players are sold. A number of unknown players are signed. There are again rumours of 3rd party ownership questions raised over the signing of these players. Some have played very little football for BRFC and some have been sold since.
SK resigns as manager during September and is rumoured to have received a settlement of c£1.5m. Despite the club also having to pay SA damages due to a foul mouthed video of SK released from a pre season tour of Hong Kong during the summer.
The vast majority of supporters are very happy at the resignation and hope that finally the owners appoint an experienced manager to help rebuild the club. Despite many high profile and experienced managers linked to the job, the club appoint former player Henning Berg as manager. He had not worked for a year after being previously sacked by Lillestrom for poor results. 57 days later HB is sacked after a run of poor results and is currently sueing the club for c£2m for unpaid settlement costs.
The supporters once again hope for the appointment of an experienced manager. The club appoint 37 year old Michael Appleton as manager. The manager with little experience is then also sacked, 67 days later. An alledgedly c£1m settlement is now also claimed. He was sacked by letter by our global advisor who had never met the manager.
Our Global Advisor and Managing Director do not have any communications whatsoever.
The supporters do not know who makes key daily decisions or who will be appointing our next manager.
41 year old Reserve team manager Gary Bowyer is now tasked with trying to save BRFC from a second consecutive relegation.
The club are reported to be running at an operational loss of c£1m-£2m per month.
We are now out of the relegation zone of the Championship on goal difference alone.

Blackburn Rovers are a football club and founders of the football league and premier league. It is one of only 5 past champions of the premier league with a fantastic and proud history. Regarded as one of the best run clubs in the game. The supporters are now pitied from the vast majority of football fans far and wide.

All supporters want is a full investigation into all the facts since our club was sold to the current owners.
We plead with the Premier League, the Football Association, Blackburn with Darwen Council, Lancashire County Council or any official body to investigate the facts and circumstances to what has crippled our proud club. Local MPs have publicly backed the supporters in their formation of supporter groups. It is their responsibility to use their powers of authority and contacts to make a real difference in getting an investigation commenced.

All the above are my personal views only, they are not authorised by any company or organisation I am connected to. As a fan, ex sponsor, proud Blackburnian, season ticket holder, corporate partner and father to 2 boys who have been Rovers mascots and hopefully lifelong Rovers fans, I appeal to any organisation, person of power or influence to get involved now to save our club. Before it is too late.


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