The beating of Leeds, reconnecting club and fans again

When Blackburn Rovers fans of a certain age are gathered together, nostalgia bursts to the fore. So it was when I did an event at Ewood Park with Graham Jones, the MP for Haslingden and Hyndburn (pictured above with a Jack Walker portrait).

Even though our early memories are of Second and Third Division football, the high watermark for football, entertainment, emotion and atmosphere was in the mid-1990s. Foremost amongst those memories was a 1-1 draw with Leeds in the title winning season. It had incidents aplenty and was a powerful statement of intent that this was a team ready to fight even when down to 10 men. I think it was the best performance I ever saw from Alan Shearer and there were plenty to choose from.

So there we were on Saturday with a full away end and Rovers riding high. I don't think I have ever enjoyed an undeserved win as much in years. It felt like it should do at Ewood Park. The players responded to a plea for a fightback, something that's been lacking. It felt like there was a connection between players and supporters again.

That's what has been missing. Football is such an important part of everyday life and the clubs are a centre of the community. But as I've banged on about before, there's a danger it's disappearing up its own greedy orifice.

Fair play to Graham Jones then for the tremendous work he's done in seeking the truth about the ownership issues at Rovers and for supporting the Labour policy on football involvement in clubs.

A summary, from Graham:

The plan, which has been drawn up in consultation with 95 football supporters’ organisations, and which are fully in accordance with European competition and procurement law, would require supporters to come together to form a single accredited trust in return for the right to:
appoint and remove up to a quarter and not less than two of a football club’s board of directors; purchase up to 10 per cent of the shares when a club changes ownership, if they so wish.  

Supporters made clear during the consultation that this is the only way to ensure those running clubs share information, power and responsibility with them. Labour's proposals mean fans could hold the owners of their club to account on all issues on and off the field including ticket prices, shirt sponsorship, ground naming rights, and changing the colour of the strip or the name. I am sure Newcastle United and Cardiff City fans will be very interested in these aspects of the proposal.

At Ewood I have detected a desire on the part of the management to rebuild what has been destroyed over the last few years. The future of the club will only be meaningful and successful if a new covenant with the fans is created.