Blackburn selling off training ground (1 Viewer)

BRFCHasta said:

Hi all,

Just popped across to get your opinion on activities up in Blackburn.

As you are no doubt aware we are currently managed by Tony Mowbray with Mark Venus as assistant head coach and Steve Waggot as CEO

On Friday night someone's had found that a screening request had been lodged to build houses on our current tsenior training centre at Brockhall in the rubble valleyThe reques is to build 170 houses on the current training site. This was despite our financial officer saying there were no plans to do this a couple of years ago.

The club hastily were forced to put a statement out on Friday promising consolidating the two sites would lead to us developing a 'state of the art' training facility on the existing academy site as the current facilities are 30 years old (they aren't quite yet). This despite the current facility being widely regarded as one of the finest in the land when it was built, and players who arrive regularly commenting how good the facilities are.

This obviously has striking similarities to what has happened to your training facilities, as well as a cross over of staff involved around the same periods.

There is a full (rather long) thread on our forum here Brockhall STC - planning permission application ? but I was just hoping for a brief summary of what actually happened with regards to your training facilities. There's plenty of news reports but it's difficult to follow the timeline, and what is reported in the news is often what people 'want' reported in the news.

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Mark venus is a dodgy bastard, I imagine he's partly the mastermind behind this

Doesn't venus have his fingers in a construction firm?

BRFCHasta said:

Hi all,

Just popped across to get your opinion on activities up in Blackburn.

As you are no doubt aware we are currently managed by Tony Mowbray with Mark Venus as assistant head coach and Steve Waggot as CEO

On Friday night someone's had found that a screening request had been lodged to build houses on our current senior training centre at Brockhall in the rubble valley. The request is to build 170 houses on the current training site. This was despite our financial officer saying there were no plans to do this a couple of years ago.

The club hastily were forced to put a statement out on Friday promising consolidating the two sites would lead to us developing a 'state of the art' training facility on the existing academy site as the current facilities are 30 years old (they aren't quite yet). This despite the current facility being widely regarded as one of the finest in the land when it was built, and players who arrive regularly commenting how good the facilities are.

This obviously has striking similarities to what has happened to your training facilities, as well as a cross over of staff involved around the same periods.

There is a full (rather long) thread on our forum here Brockhall STC - planning permission application ? but I was just hoping for a brief summary of what actually happened with regards to your training facilities. There's plenty of news reports but it's difficult to follow the timeline, and what is reported in the news is often what people 'want' reported in the news.

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I hope you are holding on tight as the start of the Mowbray seconf half of the season slump is well underway!

Sent from my I3113 using Tapatalk

Evo1883 said:

Mark venus is a dodgy bastard, I imagine he's partly the mastermind behind this

Doesn't venus have his fingers in a construction firm?

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I remember Venus being mentioned in relation to a property business of some kind yeah

I'm sure Venus was a part owner of consultant of a construction firm that did the plans for our training ground. Sport England blocked the plans until the club could show how they would replace the current pitches at the training ground with new ones or something like that. It was a few years back now and the memory isn't what it was.

Had a brief skim through your lots thread on this.
Interesting to see you have Mowbray, Venus and Waggott involved.

Venus is/or at least was somehow involved in a property company. This was documented when he was with us.
There were rumblings that our training ground was going the same way yours may do. That is basically the only thing CCFC own!

Mowbray, as you know, was manager here for around 18 months.
He set off like a steam train with some good young loans including Armstrong, Jacob Murphy and Ryan Kent, plus our own 18yr old James Maddison. We topped LG 1 in November, but Ryan Kent got recalled by Klopp and that was the catalyst for our season falling apart. Mowbray lived up to his own self-fulfilling prophecy of falling away half way through the season (he said to be wary that previously at Middlesbrough despite a great start they fell away badly, setting the scene himself for exactly what happened) from December, form was horrific and recruitment was a disaster (we had zero cash). January window was has-beens and summer recruitment was last minute dregs after he gambled on high profile loans ( EG tammy Abraham) who was never in a million years going to come to us. One win in ten and he stepped down leaving Venus in charge, who lasted until roughly Christmas. We were relegated with one of the worst sides in our history.

Waggott is an interesting one. Someone mentioned about picking up our training ground on the cheap through otium entertainment (him being a director)- that is our current trading name (after Sky Blue sports and leisure) after our last administration (our owners sold the club back to themselves basically!)

Not sure how long he lasted and whether he was here during the Mowbray/Venus era. Very interesting if he was. He was part of the shit-show period of the club and he was quite possibly advising very poorly at this point ,

I'm sure others will add their thoughts/knowledge on Venus, his property involvement and Waggott and his role at our club.

shepardo01 said:

from December, form was horrific and recruitment was a disaster (we had zero cash)

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Don’t give him that excuse, he signed joe Cole and Steven hunt

Don’t trust Mark Venus. He’s more interested in his property business. Sounds exactly what he was trying to flog to Sisu.

Didn't the thing about Venus turn out to be bollocks and his company was just doing up old properties and flipping them? Sure I remember something like that and nothing on the scale of redeveloping Ryton or Blackburn's training ground.

chiefdave said:

Didn't the thing about Venus turn out to be bollocks and his company was just doing up old properties and flipping them? Sure I remember something like that and nothing on the scale of redeveloping Ryton or Blackburn's training ground.

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I dont know its all a bit coincidental, the company venus and his wife were involved in did get dissolved in 2019, however I still wouldn't put it past him to have his fingers in more companies and putting forward a plan/idea to the venkies...

Mark Venus' being involved in any plan is a red herring imo. The characteristics of this in reality are that both clubs are in the financial shite so the owners are looking to sell off assets to make a bit of money. In Blackburn's case, if they've got two sites already it does seem sensible to consolidate given that they look unlikely to reach the 'promised land' any time soon.

PS: The Ribble Valley is a lovely part of the world (I got married there)

This is spot on about Mowbray though, absolute echo of what happened here:

The slow build, journey excuse is also clearly a load of BS. Does he actually believe it?

1) there is no football identity. It’s dire and pointless. I see some other highlights and get envious at seeing teams shooting or crossing from wide areas. Oh the simple things.

2) lots of players out of contract and multiple loans to go back. That’s not slow build, that’s plugging holes and another needed imminent overhaul in the summer.

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Evo1883 said:

I dont know its all a bit coincidental, the company venus and his wife were involved in did get dissolved in 2019, however I still wouldn't put it past him to have his fingers in more companies and putting forward a plan/idea to the venkies...

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Unfortunately Mark Venus's wife has died of breast cancer since he left us
Although I have no inside information I doubt he is involved in any property dealing on behalf of Blackburn

better days said:

Unfortunately Mark Venus's wife has died of breast cancer since he left us
Although I have no inside information I doubt he is involved in any property dealing on behalf of Blackburn

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Ah OK that's terrible

Bump-
was hoping some others on here might chip in with views on Mowbray, Venus and Waggott for BRFChasta.

As it is not clear on the thread title, these three seem to be instrumental in possibly selling off the training ground for houses and scrapping the academy!

On their forum too, many comments about Mowbrays recruitment and post Christmas disaster of form! Sound familiar!!

shepardo01 said:

Bump-
was hoping some others on here might chip in with views on Mowbray, Venus and Waggott for BRFChasta.

As it is not clear on the thread title, these three seem to be instrumental in possibly selling off the training ground for houses and scrapping the academy!

On their forum too, many comments about Mowbrays recruitment and post Christmas disaster of form! Sound familiar!!

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Ryton and its land has a charge against it from Arvo, it's a myth that it was part of some plan specific to enriching Waggott, Venus and Mowbray. It is doubtful they'd have gained anything from it.

fernandopartridge said:

Ryton and its land has a charge against it from Arvo, it's a myth that it was part of some plan specific to enriching Waggott, Venus and Mowbray. It is doubtful they'd have gained anything from it.

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Think there still maybe some interest from the Blackburn lot in terms of Mowbray, his recruitment his self-fulfilling announcement/subsequent Christmas implosion.
Venus and his role.
Waggott and his involvement with the club....

shepardo01 said:

Think there still maybe some interest from the Blackburn lot in terms of Mowbray, his recruitment his self-fulfilling announcement/subsequent Christmas implosion.
Venus and his role.
Waggott and his involvement with the club....

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Yeah, I quote tweeted above a post from their forum which summed up exactly what happened here. I thought Mowbray came across as a decent enough bloke, but it feels a bit like he hasn't got any new ideas, relying on premier league loans when Blackburn has got its own Category 1 academy.

fernandopartridge said:

Ryton and its land has a charge against it from Arvo, it's a myth that it was part of some plan specific to enriching Waggott, Venus and Mowbray. It is doubtful they'd have gained anything from it.

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You can see their paranoia - Sisu dodgy appointments like Keane, Mowbray and Waggott have ended up there. Is Venus employed there as well?

Grendel said:

You can see their paranoia - Sisu dodgy appointments like Keane, Mowbray and Waggott have ended up there. Is Venus employed there as well?

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He is. I forgot Keane was here tbh

Isn’t this just a way of increasing the value of the club, the training ground is worth more with planning for houses, you don’t have to build, but it is worth more now then it was, all helps with fff

Venus seems more like an estate agent than a coach don't trust him rovers fans, when you got the venkys we had the origanol dodgy crew in SISU bur think your lot are of the same cloth.

Mmmm not sure about the property thing best thing would be let us take Armstrong off your hands for very little and find a way of getting the Venkys standing next to the KFC ceo outside waiting for a takeaway

I'm fairly sure they can't simply sell it off without a replacement already in place that's at least of the same/better standard. FA, local council & Sport England won't allow it.