Senior officials at Blackburn Rovers have been asked to stay away from the club’s final eight games of the season.
A group of Blackburn supporters groups led by BRFC Action Group have urged Chief Executive Steve Waggott, COO Suhail Pasha and Head of Football Rudy Gestede to not attend until the season has ended, under the tagline ‘enough is enough’.
Rovers fans are disgruntled at what they perceive to be a lack of leadership and communication from the board and owners, Venky’s.
Off-field issues have also raised concerns among fans leading to the launching of the campaign for change at the club.
Former managers Jon Dahl Thomasson and more recently John Eustace both left the club in peculiar circumstances.
Thomasson was believed to be miffed about the lack of a project in place while reports suggest Eustace became embroiled in a falling out with Gestede.
BRFC Action Group was formed in 2012, two years after Venky’s completed their purchase of the club.
They have since been active in expressing their feelings on the direction of the club leading to the present situation aimed at sending a message to the owners.
“We’ve had a really difficult period since the takeover but especially in the last three or four years we’ve had numerous managers leaving for a lack of a project,” Rob Heyn from Kidder Street Noise Podcast told talkSPORT.
“The fans have got to a boiling point and we’ve got a lot of fan groups and individual supporters who have their opinions on how to change things for the future and improve things.
“We had to come together and discuss what we can do to improve the future of Blackburn Rovers.
“We had a conversation and we said how can we get the best outcome and the most attention without upsetting the majority of Blackburn Rovers fans.
“Many of them just want to go and support the team and enjoy football on a Saturday so the extreme idea of protesting and disrupting games is too much, we can’t get the majority behind that.
“But we feel this approach is asking the most divisive people in the ground to step away for these eight games and allowing fans to get behind the teams. I hope we get a good outcome from that.”
Asked what the club wants from their call for action, Heyn believes a change in ownership is the key focus for the club who still hold hope of a playoff push this season with Rovers just five points adrift of the top six with 24 points to play for.
“The ownership has to change, it’s become an untenable position now,” he added. “The reason we’ve asked these three to step away is because the owners haven’t come to Ewood Park for three years. October 2012 was the last time they visited.
“How can we aim chants at them? How can we communicate with them?
“These three people are the ones that communicate with them which is why this charge is aimed at those three people.”
BRFC Action Group released a statement explaining the reason for its measures in further detail.
It read: “A coalition of individual Blackburn Rovers supporters and fan groups including; BRFC Action Group, EWMC, Kidder Street Noise, The Rovers, ReadRovers, New York Rovers, and All Rovers, are calling for unity among all those connected with the club to create a positive atmosphere as the team enters a critical phase of the season.
“It is vital that all efforts are focused on supporting the players and backroom staff at this crucial time by fostering a positive environment at Ewood Park. The team needs the full backing of the supporters, especially when off-the-field matters have caused understandable frustration among the fanbase.
“With this in mind, we respectfully request that CEO Steve Waggott, COO and owners’ representative Suhail Pasha, and Head of Football Operations Rudy Gestede do not attend the remaining fixtures this season. We believe their presence has become a source of division for many supporters, and their absence could help foster a more unified and focused atmosphere.
“Our request is made with the best interests of the club in mind, as unity is essential for success in these decisive weeks. Supporters’ frustrations have grown due to concerns over the management of playing assets, declining matchday attendances, and reports of executive pay increases during a period of serious uncertainty for the club.
“The Rao family are not keeping their pledge to “respect the Jack Walker legacy” which the wider football community understands. As a result of this, there is a growing sentiment that Jack Walker’s legacy is slowly being eroded resulting in an increasing desire for new ownership.
“This appeal is not personal, it is a call for solidarity and a shared commitment to our ultimate goal: securing promotion to the Premier League.
“We remain fully committed to Blackburn Rovers and will continue working alongside supporters old and new, to ensure a brighter future for the club, one built on the values of our greatest supporter, Jack Walker.”
