Venky's is in a soup – and it's not chicken

Blackburn Rovers, the team owned by Venky’s, beats Swansea 4-2 in a match that lifts the side off the bottom of the table. For some time now, Blackburn Rovers’ supporters have been wearing T-shirts which shout “100% Rovers, 0% Kean, Venky’s”. ‘Kean’, Of course, refers to Steve Kean, Rovers’ manager.

If the T-shirts were not bad enough, every non-performance by Rovers sees a renewed call for the sacking of Kean, whom Venky’s has reposed confidence in, and boos that greet both Kean and Venky’s.

Nothing changed on Saturday, even on a day that Rovers won the game. As Yakubu scored the first goal in the match (he scored all four of Rovers’ goals) and ran over to celebrate with his manager, Kean, the crowd — even at this positive moment of the game — continued to boo Kean.

Kean’s lack of popularity stems from the poor run of results. Before the win over Swansea, Rovers has lost eight matches, drawn four and won just one. The fans’ angst is understandable; it would happen to any manager with a run such as Kean’s.

As far as the animosity towards the new owner, Venky’s, is concerned, the reasons are many.

The first is that Venky’s have not delivered on their commitment to retire the club of debt. “Venky’s paid £23 million to buy the club from the Jack Walker family trust last year, assuming responsibility for £21 million of debt to Barclays that the club were already carrying,” reports the Telegraph.

Next comes reports that the local council is concerned over the state of affairs at the club and has written to Venky’s, demanding answers. “Blackburn council’s leader is demanding urgent talks with Rovers owners Venky’s as concerns grow about the relegation-threatened side. Kate Hollern wants a face-to-face meeting with Anuradha Desai after hearing supporters are concerned over the day-to-day running of the club. The news comes on the heels of Rovers’ sponsors WEC Group meeting senior officials at Ewood Park to discuss what he described as a “lack of leadership”,” says the Mirror.

And the last straw is when Venky’s seems to have gone back on the smallest of promises. “Rovers chief Balaji Rao pledged to fork out for a handful of supporters who made their own way to see the club’s historic match against their ‘local’ side Pune. However the handful club diehards, whose story initially touched Rao when he met them, have still not had their expenses paid as promised. Venkys splashed out a fortune on Steve Kean, his staff and players, and also flew over nine supporters in an official party. But a further four were due to have their bills settled too,” says the Mirror.

Venky’s now has the bank and  the local council ganging up on them. If there one way to fight the battle with more confidence, it would be if the club’s most important supporters, the fans, were on their side – and they’re not.

Venky’s is in a soup – and it’s not chicken.