Shane
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My name is Shane and I have been supporting Rovers since I was 9 years old. My first game was the legendary 1972 Watney Cup Final, which I attended with my granddad (he was a C**y fan!), and I was hooked. I remember the parachutist delivering the match ball to the ref in the centre circle before kickoff, and singing Dick Sheppard’s name during the penalty shootout.
As a teenager, my friends and I used to walk to Eastville & back from Staple Hill every home game, which could often get a bit dicey when going past the Queens Head and the corner of Eastville Park . . .
During my 50-odd years of following Rovers there have been some ups and (quite a lot of) downs, false dawns regarding new stadiums moves, ground-shares etc., and it’s now getting to the point where I have to question the current ownership and governance of the club It seems to me that the current owners, although apparently willing to put money into the club, are completely disengaged from the fanbase and don’t really understand the relationship between a football club and its fans. Moreover, I feel they are not being particularly open or transparent about their vision for the future of the club, or if they actually have a plan or strategy that they are working to (and what that plan is);
in addition, they appear to have completely failed to understand the nature of English football, or that you need to employ ”football people” at all levels to assist in the day-to-day operations and effective running of the club.
All this combined is making me worried about the future of the club I have loved and followed for over 80% of my life, and so I have decided to pitch in and help set up this independent supporters association in the hope that we can shine a spotlight on what I believe are the failures & shortcomings of the current owners and, by doing so, help to bring about the change I think is needed to effect more positive outcomes for our club.”