IS THIS THE FIRST SIGN OF VENKY’S POSSIBLE EXIT ?

Blackburn Rovers controversial owners, Venky’s, have been offered the opportunity to make a ‘managed exit’ from Ewood Park by a group of wealthy supporters who admit to being ‘desperate’ to end the Indian Rao families ‘disastrous three year stewardship of the club.

Life-long Blackburn supporters Ian Battersby and Ian Currie have contacted Venky’s to inform the Pune based poultry processors that they have secured ‘significant investors’ to launch a take-over bid through connections to their company, SENECA PARTNERS, which offers Independent Investment and Alternative Asset Management Business for private individuals, entrepreneurs, companies, funds and charities.

Although Battersby and Currie flew to India for talks with Venky’s in October 2011, and followed this with further attempts to persuade the owners to sell the Ewood Park club last summer, the Indian family remain resistant to a sale and have repeatedly failed to respond to recent communications from the potential buyers.

However it is reported that the Rao family haven opened dialogue with a supporters group committed to fan ownership at Ewood Park. Giving Battersby and Currie some encouragement for their plans.

Wayne Wild (pic above) and Ozzie Jones co-Chairman of the Rovers trust wrote one of several letters to Venky’s supremo Mrs Anuradha Desai asking for talks between the two parties.

Blackburn Rovers released a statement last Tuesday (16^th April) confirming a response from Anuradha Desai requiring further information of the groups intentions.

A significant step given all the previous reticence of Venky’s to engage in such requests with anyone.

Stewardship of Blackburn Rovers under Venky’s has lurched from catastrophe to farce leading to two possible successive relegations. Amazingly there are still some Rovers followers who truly believe Venky’s are the right owners for Blackburn Rovers and will eventually lead the Rovers to success. They really do need a reality check. Administration is more the likely outcome of the Venky’s regime.

“FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS TRUST are the future for football ownership in this country” stated Wayne Wild (pic above). “Working with supporters in Lancashire will only benefit the owners and therefore Blackburn Rovers” added Wild.

News of the response has greatly encouraged Blackburn business man Ian Battersby and Ian Currie.

Although they have funds in place to mount a successful takeovers through there company SENCA PARTNERS. Repeated attempts to work constructively with Venky’s from the duo have fallen on deaf ears since that face to face meeting in October 2011.

“we have been trying for two years to get Venky’s to engage with us and have offered them a sensible and creditable plan to enable them a managed and dignified exit from the club, following relegation from the Premiership” stated Battersby.

“we have had no response what so ever and we email and text on a weekly basis, in an effort to get them to sit down with us to discuss the way forward” added Battersby.

“The news that they have responded to Rovers trust is encouraging” concluded Battersby.

Battersby and Currie went onto say “we are desperate to do something about it because there is a legacy of generations to protect here. “Blackburn is a Northern mill town and the club is at the heart of that community, but the picture just gets worse and worse under the current regime.

They have ruined our football team and consequently are ruining the town. Moral in Blackburn in the work place is at an all-time low due to the deteriorating fortunes of town’s football club. Production is down in the work place and the town is lurching into a crisis. All because of the Venky’s”.

“Venky’s told us of their objective when buying the club was to grow their brand in the west, but since they foolishly sacked Sam Allardyce as manager in December 2010, surely one of the worst decisions ever taken by a Premiership club in the leagues 20 year history, their brand has had nothing but negative publicity, and it has been one thing after another.

“It all led to the club dropping off a cliff last season, under the disastrous Steve Kean, when we were relegated from the Premiership.

“Their response to that has been a massive financial gamble aimed at getting the club promoted, but this season has been a disaster and there are now genuine fears of relegation and administration, which would be a nightmare for the club and the town”.

“There is a danger that the club is becoming almost un-buyable due to the financial picture and the utter nightmare that would follow any move into administration.” Said Battersby.

Reg.

SHEBBY BIDS FOR POWER AT EWOOD.

Shebby Singh is making a new bid for total power at Blackburn Rovers as the clubs Chief Executive – and wants to bring in his own manager this summer.

The controversial Malaysian, the clubs ‘global advisor’ is locked in battle with managing Director Derek Shaw, upon who Singh, has unfairly loaded most of the blame for Rovers misfortunes. Leading to the two men not even being on speaking terms.

Shebby Singh is supported by Balaji Rao (pic above), the brother of Venky’s supremo Anuradha (I like to be entertained) Desai.

Shebby (I’m looking for the next best thing) Singh seemed to have fallen from favour, when he wanted a new man to come in, rather than Gary Bower being promoted to run the team as caretaker. (as exclusively reported by Reg four days before the press / TV).

But the ever resilient Singh aims to convince Anuradha Desai that he can kick-start the club to life again. And she is just stupid enough to fall for it.

Singh has already exceeded his remit and sounded out his ideal candidate, Tim Sherwood. Tottenham’s development chief. Peter Taylor former England U/21 boss is also said to be on Singh’s hit list.

All this news has gone down ‘ like a lead balloon’ with Derek Shaw and his allay Operations Director Paul Agnew.

It has been leaked by reliable resources within the club that Balaji Rao is the stumbling block with regard to Venky’s selling Rovers.

Balaji, who has an ego bigger than India, still believes Rovers can make it back to the Premiership and restore his tattered image. The reality is that Rovers face a decade or more in the wilderness.

Brother Ventkatesh Rao has ‘washed his hands’ of the whole business and is concentrating his efforts on Venky’s sponsorship of the IPL (cricket). Whilst Anuradha Desai is faltering under worldwide criticism of her mis-handling of Blackburn Rovers.

Under the terms of their ownership of the Rovers all three have to agree to sell the club.

Balaji, encouraged by Shebby Singh, is the stumbling block. Shebby has convinced him to hold out and retain the Rovers against the other family members wishes.

Reg.