• Paul Hunt urges Anuradha Desai to sack Steve Kean
• Letter suggests relegated Rovers face financial meltdown
Venky's controversial reign at the relegated Blackburn Rovers is under renewed scrutiny following the emergence of an extraordinary letter from the club's deputy chief executive that urges the owners to sack Steve Kean as manager, settle a £10m debt to avoid the threat of administration, and lays bare the dysfunctional relationship between the owners and the club's board.
The letter, from the deputy chief executive, Paul Hunt, to the Rovers co-owner Anuradha Desai and dated 21 December 2011, delivers the prescient warning that Blackburn are heading for relegation under Kean – an outcome confirmed by defeat against Wigan Athletic on Monday night – and risk being foreclosed by the banks or HMRC. Hunt fears that he and fellow directors could lose their homes should Rovers enter administration.
Venky's have since settled their entire overdraft with Barclays and have no outstanding debt with that bank. Hunt's letter, however, outlines the extent of the disconnect between the India-based owners and the executive team at Ewood Park and illustrates why Rovers supporters have been so vociferous in their protests against the poultry giant and manager Kean. The letter was revealed on Tuesday on the website sportingintelligence.com.
In a 10-point plan that proposes "significant changes to save the club, perhaps from relegation but also perhaps from administration", Hunt requests:
• His promotion to CEO to avoid confusing staff, supporters and media, including a modest increase in salary. "I am currently the lowest paid senior club official in the Premier League," he writes.
• A £10m loan from Venky's as Barclays are "very quickly losing patience as we cannot give answers". He also states: "The position with the finances is a cause for grave concern. Auditors KPMG have put as many obstacles as they can in the way of signing off the accounts due to their concerns." Money is also required in January 2012 to pay players' wages.
• A change of manager who, Hunt claims, has lost the crowd and the dressing room. The letter is dated the day after Blackburn's 2-1 home defeat by fellow strugglers Bolton Wanderers when supporters' criticism of Kean reached its height.
• That the executive team at Blackburn receive authority to run the club and trust from the owners in India. Hunt's letter states: "With our fiduciary responsibilities as directors, if the club goes under, the directors (including Vineeth, Mahesh and Gandhi Babu) are all potentially personally liable for that failing and the courts could take our houses from us. My family do not deserve this."
• An end to public statements being issued by Venky's in India and not from Blackburn.
• Regular visits to meet the owners in India. Six months after his appointment at deputy CEO, Hunt reveals, he has not met Anuradha Desai.
• At least one member of Venky's turn up for "at least a quarter of games". The Indian owners have rarely been seen at Ewood Park in the past 12 months and were absent when Blackburn's relegation was confirmed on Monday.
• Responsibility to "hire and fire staff", naming a club executive who Hunt says "is against the owners and spreads the word wherever he can".
• Action be taken to prevent the club "losing sponsors and suppliers". Hunt claims a £800,000‑a‑year contract with Umbro is at risk due to the manufacture of Rovers shirts in India and that "the Blackburn Rovers and Venky's brands are both suffering terribly".
The Guardian has yet to receive a response from Hunt or Venky's on the contents of the letter. Read More
انسخ الكود التالى و ضعه فى موقعك او مدونتك.
