'I can't see..' - Claim made on the future of The Venky's at Blackburn Rovers as potential sale debated | OneFootball

The Venky's reign at Ewood Park has been extremely tumultuous

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Blackburn Rovers' recent history has been chequered to say the least, with the East Lancashire side enjoying some extremely great highs and lows over the course of the past three decades.

Just 30 years ago, Rovers were defending their unexpected Premier League title success under Sir Kenny Dalglish, which was a culmination of the millions which had been, and were continuously ploughed in by the late local businessman and millionaire, Jack Walker.

Fast-forward to where the club finds itself in the year 2025, and those heady days seem light years away for those who flock to Ewood Park almost every week, with their side rarely coming close to ending its current top flight exile which has lasted since the spring of 2012 after relegation under Steve Kean.

Indeed, just five years after returning to the Championship for the first time in a generation, Blackburn were relegated to League One for a first spell since the 1979/80 season.

Yet, whilst the Blues have since become an established second tier side in the years which have followed, a lack of ambition and spending continues to frustrate the locals, with it all coming back to The Venky's.

The Venky's "commitment" questioned as potential Blackburn Rovers takeover debated

Rovers' controversial ownership group - and Indian poultry company - acquired control of the club back in November 2010 for a reported £23m, after it was previously under the stewardship of the aforementioned Walker's family following his passing in 2000.

Since then, a lack of investment has seen the club plummet, with recent high-profile sales of Adam Wharton and Sammie Szmodics utilised to balance its overall cash-flow, rather than being reinvested into the playing squad.

The Venky's have continuously been locked in an ongoing court battle against the Indian Ministry of Finance, with a hearing, now delayed for the seventh time, due to occur in November.

The ownership group have continuously shown no desire to move the club into the hands of external investors, with a £4.85m investment being confirmed on Companies House in recent days, albeit this has been described as a 'standard request'.

Although it looks as if the Venky's controversial reign is set to continue for the years to come, Football League World asked our Blackburn fan pundit, Simon Middlehurst, what one particular trait they lack that must be demonstrated by a future ownership group.

"Ideally, we'd want them out the club as soon as possible and looking to sell up," he said. "But, they've already said that they're in it for the long haul.

"They've obviously been here for 15 years now. I can't see them selling up anytime soon and looking to get rid of Blackburn.

"The one trait they don't have that you'd want from the next owners is commitment to the club," Middlehurst stated. "They've shown no commitment at all. They've not been seen at the club since before COVID.

"Yes, they are investing every year to keep the club going. But, apart from that, there's nothing else that they're actually offering the club.

"Cuts have been made every year, so we're looking for an owner who's committed. You want an owner that's committed to the club, wants to invest and really be behind the club and move it forward.

"With Venky's, the only direction the club's gone is either backwards or sideways," Middlehurst claimed.

Blackburn Rovers supporters will hope for new investment sooner rather than later

As Middlehurst alluded to, whilst pumping in money that keeps the club ticking over is a minor positive, that has to be added to with long-term ambitions, which haven't been present at Ewood Park for a long time.

Valerien Ismael has been able to conduct a major squad reshuffle in his first pre-season and transfer window at the club, but the vast majority of those signings being a success are if the club has been able to unearth continental gems, rather than pushing to sign high-profile performers and asserting themselves as a dominant force in the Championship.

Such frustrations have also been showcased through attendance figures for Rovers' home games, with one of the largest stadiums in the division less than half-full on average.

Of course, Blackburn as a town, doesn't have the population to compete with other locations, but there isn't exactly much going on to entice the local community to spend their time and money at the club if their hard-earned cash isn't being reinvested with the on-pitch product.