Rovers Revisited

Do they really care

2011-09-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

Another abysmal performance by Blackburn yesterday which saw Rovers drop back into the bottom three. The false dawn of a victory over Arsenal last week has seen Steve Kean go on a media frenzy appearing on the radio and TV as he lapped up Rovers first Victory of the season in the league. I was half expecting to see a picture of Steve Kean on the Milk which was delivered yesterday in recognition of his 4-3 Victory over a shakey Gunners.

The victory was welcomed by all supporters and even had many changing their opinion of the great one. I listened to caller after caller on talk shows ringing to congratulate Steve Kean on the marvelous job he has done in turning a top 10 team into relegation favourites in just 10 months. Whilst on the TV his constant licking of his lips like a cat got the cream he purred with confidence as he spoke about the idiotic 1% of fans who wanted him out. I was amazed by the statistic, but as only 700 Marched last Saturday, I had no defence to the statistics Steve was playing. Nothing to throw back him to suggest that figure false, only a few online polls, and tweets from people wanting him gone.

He ridiculed the Rovers supporters who marched whilst alienating them as the 1% who did not get behind him and the team. I'm proud that I marched shoulder to shoulder with all the individuals who met with me at 11.am on a cold wet Saturday morning. Age, Race religion proved no barrier for us as we united as one to stand up and fight for the future of our club. I had never been to a protest before and did not know what quite to suspect, However what I saw was faces of desperation, passion and a group of people who was willing to do anything just to be heard.

Leading upto the March and after the March the fans who turned up have had insults thrown at them, been laughed at, been called an embarrasement to the club and supporters, and I have also had insults thrown my way on message boards and though my twitter account. We was told we have egg on our faces and should drift away into the night and never raise our pathetic voices again.

One week on and now the calls for the Managers removal are getting louder, What can we do as supporters? Every idea is shot down by a section of the supporters, yet they offer no other solution. Do we just take it on the chin? Do we let Venkys and Steve Kean take us so far down that we once again become that club which was struggling in the lower divisions before Jack Walker came along. I remember those days, because I was one of those fans who went on the games when we had nothing, Do I want to see Jacks Legacy finally ended by people who have no real concern for the club?
As fans we will always be here, Players, Managers ect can find new clubs. Owners can take their ball home and sell up, But until the day I die I will always bleed blue and white. There is no getting away from it, No changing of colours, No quick fix. Fans are the football team, and if we stand together we can achieve great things.

There is only so far down this ladder we can go before we hit rock bottom, Do we want to stand around and let that happen? As supporters of the club you can either approach this as, What will be will be, Or you can be pro-active and fight for it. Surely our club is worth fighting for? If you don't think it is then maybe we have already lost the battle, Maybe I'm just too passionate about my club, and others don't share the same hurt and pain.

All I do know is I will never stop fighting for something I believe in and although my voice may not be heard i'd rather try and fail, than not bother trying at all!!

Peas at Half-time

2011-09-22T06:03:00.000-07:00

Rovers Revisited is pleased to post another article done in humour from our guest writer Perth-Blue
Its all tongue in cheek and part one of the journey to Pune. I really hope you all enjoy it?

As I am luckily enough to be one of the chosen 9 Rovers supporters to visit the land of the clubs owners , I thought I would detail the visit in a blog

PEAS AT HALF TIME

Day 1 - THE FLIGHT

Arrived at airport and we were welcomed into the exclusive golden VIP waiting area , complementary drinks and snacks and a wall of 52 inch plasma screens, I don't think these screens were working correctly because all they did was keep flashing up images really quickly. I recorded one of the screens on my video camera and played it back slowly, every three seconds a picture flashed up first of Steve Kean , then it said love Kean, then a picture of Balaji which said love Balaji then the same with his brother and sister and finally the venkys logo which said love venkys, then it went back to the beginning.

Anyway as I said think they were faulty because i didn't understand that, but had an overwhelming desire for a chicken leg, luckily there was plenty on offer.

With chatting to the other supporters and listening to the gentle womb like celestial music with whispering in the background coming from the Walkmans that venkys had kindly supplied to us, time flew and we were ready to board the plane.

Transfer flight to London was pretty uneventful, good job really as Balaji had put some of his bollywood movies on the in flight video system.

Imagine our surprise when we boarded the India bound plane and all the players were sat there, the 9 of us were directed to a section in 5 rows of two seats, with instruction that every half hour somebody else had to sit on their own, unfortunately every time somebody new sat alone this bald drunk bloke staggered up and sat beside them and started rabbiting on about the grass not being wet enough and stuff like that, didn't really make much sense until you gazed at his eyes then everything seemed clearer.

After he had spent what seemed to be a lifetime talking at everyone twice , he went over and sat next to Michel Salgado, luckily I overheard some of the conversation, Salgado was explaining the importance of having cover as a right back, but the bald bloke wasnt interested and was chatting to his friend Jeremy? jeromey ? or something like that ,on the phone think they might be in business together because all I heard was "how's it going" "yeah can't believe we've got away with it this long" "how much" then burst out laughing

A long flight but the monotony was broken by Jason Roberts, he got the songs going, "Steve Kean's blue and white army" " we love you keano we do" and an hilarious version of the the spitting image chicken song before doing a touching rendition of "the wing beneath my wings" whilst kneeling in front of the bald bloke.

I was impressed by Dunny he can really turn on the charm when he wants to, while all of us got one bag of nuts, Dunny got two ,a bag of nik naks, and a wagon wheel, sure that air hostess in the yellow and blue chicken suit with the words eat me on it, fancied him.

I saw Yakubu looking over at Dunny , don't think he was impressed but he got his own back by slying off to the catering deck and eating everybody's Wild Salmon & Spinach Fish Cake and Chive Mayonnaise starters. Never mind feed the Yak and he will score, after that lot it was feed the yak and he will sleep

Don't think Samba likes flying, he was sat there in a 1971 Arsenal cup winners shirt looking grumpy all flight and only laughed once when Vince got up to get something from the overhead locker and pulled a muscle in his back. Because Chris is such a dominating figure all the rest of the lads were too scared to ask him could they have a go on FIFA 2011 that he was playing on the in flight entertainment centre.

I didn't know, but think Venkys had run a competition for somebody to spend some time with professional footballers, the lucky winner was a lad called Myles, think he had learning difficulties because the bald bloke seemed to like him and kept saying he was a late developer. He arranged for Myles to put on the captains hat and visit the cockpit, lucky sod.

It was all merry until the red wine ran out and the bald bloke had to drink Budweiser, by the end of the flight there must have been 20 half full bottles around the plane , and he was going round to everyone shouting, "what have you put in this" before finishing them off, must admit I got a bit scared when he pulled the pilot off his seat and tried to fly the plane whilst singing Gloria Gayners "I will survive"..

Think Venky's have sorted this trip on the cheap, the air stewardess came round with a dreadful wine a Chateau Mouton Rothschild think it was called, must be one of those bulk job lot wines because don't recall ever seeing it in Bargain Booze

The rest of the players were having a game of throw the peanut at Robinson, Paul was diving all over his seat flipping the peanuts all over the place, Unfortunately Jason spoilt the fun by wanting a go , he didn't get one peanut within 10 feet of robbo, rest of the players looked away in embarrassment. Stick to singing Jason!

After this Hoilett and Olsson started a race down the aisle it was supposed to be there and back , but once they ran forward they didn't seem as interested in coming back, Hoilett's a funny lad he was convinced he wanted to sit in seat number 6 but then stated if somebody offered him number 15 he would move, don't know what that was about.

Poor Ryan as club captain one of his duties involves looking after the creche on away trips so it was him who dealt with the constant shouts of "are we there yet" and "I wanna go toilet" which started 10 minutes after take off, once he stopped Junior and Martin running around the plane he arranged a game of pass the parcel with the rest of the young guns, it went well until the parcel got to Rochina and he wouldn't pass it on and opened it himself..Nzonzi not happy he didnt get his turn jumped up and started break dancing, then spinning on his head, not to be outdone Formica started some Latino moves down the aisle. at this point Ryan shouted over to Big Chris , Samba got up from his seat walked over to the creche and slammed a copy of the London property guide 2011 on the back of a seat and glared at the young uns who all rushed back to their seats , I did notice Jason Lowe giggling behind his hand and when samba turned his back pulling his tongue out.

The stewardess called that lunch was being served , the Yak and Dunny suddenly woke up, as the yak had eaten all the starters we had a choice of standard main course fair of Herb Crusted Rump of Lamb Thyme & Red Wine reduction with Scallion Crushed New Season Potatoes or Roasted Cod on a bed of Creamed Garlic Mash With Saffron Cream & Wilted Young Spinach, Goodwillie was not happy he wanted chips, I chose the herb crusted lamb, it was nice but if Venky's are trying to curry favour with us , they had better up their game. Choice of desserts was nice and a good touch for the lads in the creche is that they could put their own hundred's and thousands on their Ice cream. All of a sudden the creche erupted into giggles apparently young Slew had arranged his hundreds and thousands into the shape of a man's bits and was shouting "Im a goodwillie" in a scottish accent. Ryan had had enough and sent all the creche to bed.

By this time everybody was feeling a bit tired so the lights dimmed and as I was getting settled looked over at the seat across the aisle and saw Jason placing a blanket over the bald man , and softly singing a lullaby to him , he Lent down to kiss him on the forehead but missed and banged his nose on the seat headrest, I closed my eyes quickly put my in flight headphones on and pretended to be asleep. Funny it was the same smoothing music as on the walk man's that Venky's had supplied .

When I woke up , the plane was descending at the airport a sense of excitement in the air, before entering immigration imagine our surprise to be met by Anuradha and Venkatesh, I managed to capture this on my video camera.

Latter Day Kean

2011-09-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

My Blog has always been a place where I put my views and report on things as I see it, However after going through the forum posts on BRFCS today I came across a very interesting post that made me chuckle, which had been wrote with humour and was representative of how fans can change their minds. It's will publicised I organised the Protest March on Saturday for the removal of Steve Kean as Blackburn Rovers due to his poor points to game ratio, but this post has been done by someone who supported the Kean out campaign

PERTHBLUE02 : A BRFCS site member

After recently finding out I'm not a supporter of BRFC firstly because I didn't support Kean and now finding out that Venky's see supporters as UK based season ticket holders only (I do have a season ticket now at Perth Glory does that count? wouldn't class myself as a Glory supporter though ) despite attending games since I was 6 -1972 until I moved away 2008 and a couple when I could get back home) I have now seen the wrong of my ways and become a disciple in the Church of latter day Kean, let me tell you my story

Kean 3.16

On the Seventeenth day of the ninth month in the year 2011 (Old Calendar system, please refer to the Keanian calendar currently year 0 day 20, but is reset often to year 0 day 0) a miracle occurred which brought new followers and myself to the church of Latter day Kean

At Ewood Park now renamed the Temple of Sacred Miracle of the Saviour and witnessed by 700 (1%) non believers and 63,300 (99%) believers and a worldwide audience via television the great one Kean turned a run of the mill football team into an ensemble of Brazillianeseque proportions and only after two games into his reign which now sees us lead the official table and not the one run by dark forces of evil the premier league which says we have played 4 games but as we now know it is only 2 games played ever under the Lord Kean..

As a non believer I viewed and was not convinced until I watched the lord saviour's after match sermon and coming on this message board his flock inspired by the miracle and sermon had grown in numbers and convinced me it was only the year zero day 17 of our Lord Kean's reign, previously an impostor tainted by the anti Christ allardyceabob has been parading as the lord.

It was this impostor that had lied and bluffed his way through the previous 8 months (old year system) and forced the true lord to take the devils brew whilst breaking the law. But the Lord Kean helped by the Guardian Angel Anderson overcame the impostor and increased the funds to fight evil and rid the team of allardyebob and now it is told that Lord Kean is sending his own army, his team (except Robinson, Salgado, Olsson, Samba, Givet, Nelsen , Dunn, Grella , Pedersen, Bunn, N'Zonzi, Hoilett, Roberts etc) onto the battlefield and the new world begins

The non believers were berated by the growing believers , but yet the non believers remain.

The Lord Kean's most dedicated followers from the Temple of the Chicken in India are now welcoming only true followers of the 136 year old institution to train and send back to spread the Lords word. Would be missionaries will be bestowed gifts and allowed to question the Venkian order of the Chicken Temple regarding the warmth of pies and the fizziness of soft drinks in match day kiosks , before being granted a mass meeting with the Lord Kean who will work his hypnotic charm so that they can spread the word of unicorns, fluffy clouds, brilliant rainbows and European football

Excuse any typos I am currently sending this via my phone whilst going through my Baptism into the Lord of our Kean cult which involves shaving my head after drinking two glasses of red wine and a bottle of Budweiser (which i left unattended as instructed) and driving down the motorway at 90mph whilst on my mobile.

Praise The Kean

I've seen the light will you ? You get this free t-shirt

Blackburn Rovers sponsor WEC Group Interview

2011-09-10T05:36:00.000-07:00

In 2008 local Engineering company WEC teamed up with Blackburn Rovers to become one of the clubs main sponsors. This including the sponsorship of the Darwen End Stand which was renamed the WEC stand. WEC has been trading for over 30 years and has grown beyond all recognition to become a multi million pound enterprise.

Group Director Mr Wayne Wilde kindly agreed to do a question and answers session with me for the BRFCS Supporters site, to give fans an insight into off the field events which ultimately have an effect on the field, with extra revenue which these types of partnerships can generate for the club

1. Who are WEC and what do they do?

Family owned Metal Fabrication company. 32 years old. Mainly based in Darwen but also a factory in Knowsley and a new factory in Sherburn-in-Elmet.

Approx £30m turnover with >300 employees.

2. It's well documented that you are a avid Blackburn Rovers supporter, could you explain how you came to support Rovers?

Local lad, born at Queens Park Hospital, went to Shadsworth School and supported Blackburn from very early on along with my dad.

3.In 2008 WEC signed a two year deal to sponsor the club and as part of the sponsorship deal the Darwen End was renamed the WEC stand, How proud a moment was it for you to incorporate your business with your passion as a supporter of the club?

Exceptionally proud moment for me personally. The Board of Directors at WEC are not generally football fans so its mainly driven through me so to see the naming of the Stand was a very proud time, and still is.

4. Has the extra exposure WEC gets worldwide had a positive impact on the companies profile?

It has been a very good branding building exercise locally to increase our profile. In terms of further a field it doesn’t really give much exposure.

5. Sponsorship is a two way street, how has this partnership worked for WEC?, and what support has the club been able to give you and the other directors in return? i.e. guest speakers ect

We have an apprentice of the year awards evening every year and BRFC has sent a guest awards presenter to each event which has gone done exceptionally well with the apprentices. We have had Andre Ooijer, Sam Allardyce and Ryan Nelson presenting so far.

6.The club was took over in December 2010, which spelled the end of the Walkers Era by Venkys. What are your first impressions of the new owners vision for the club?

In order to move forward we had to get new owners who would invest money in the club. The jury is out current as we have not seen this investment in the playing squad other than through trading. Hopefully once all the dust has settled and lessons are learnt from some of the PR mistakes made we can build a positive future.

7. Supporters were delighted that WEC signed a new deal to continue their sponsorship with the club this summer as it was great for continuity, and great for the town that a local company was playing an important role for the growth of the club. How long does this deal last? Has this deal got the potential to open up new avenue's for WEC due to the new marketing strategy the club wishes to explore with worldwide brand awareness?

The new deal is only a 1 year extension. 98% of our business is UK based so I don’t feel there is a great deal of potential for exports but you never know !

8.2006 saw the brith of WEC's Training Academy which has been given the personal seal of approval from the Prime Minister David Cameron. Can you explain how the academy works and potential opportunities for young people who are looking for a career in Engineering?

We introduce 10 new apprentices every year onto out training program onto a 5 year scheme. They are fully taught all aspects of welding and metalworking by our full time in house trainer and also receive off site training. Applications for a position are accepted annually and we would prefer local people to be accepted first for obvious reasons.

9.Does WEC have an executive box at Ewood Park? If so has WEC been able to utilise this to entertain both potential New customers and Existing clients within the companies portfolio?

We have 2 tables in the Premier Suite where we entertain customers. This is used to thank our customers for their business and to build relationships with them away from the work environment.

10. The growth of WEC has been phenomenal, What other projects are the company involved with, and what sort of things are we likely to see during the next 12 months?

We are currently building a replacement Dome for Darwen Tower and a 18 foot stainless steel sculpture of a Spitfire that will be erected in Darwen Town Centre. Both made in the Apprentice Training School and donated free of charge.

11. Finally what are your hopes for the season both on and off the pitch?

Large scale investment to help us compete at the top table, as has been promised ! Currently its to stay in the Premier League and build on stability with all the new staff and players that have arrived at the club recently.

A Big thank you to Wayne Wilde and the WEC Group for kindly giving their valuable time to share their experiences with the fans

No Excuses

2011-09-03T02:02:00.000-07:00

The Transfer window has closed, Steve Kean has picked his 22 Man squad and in the Managers own words “Now is the time to judge”

Its been a roller-coaster summer in the transfer market with everyman and his dog being linked with a move to Ewood Park, but as the window closes as fans its time to reflect.

Despite the sale of Phil Jones, Blackburn have managed to retain the other key element’s of the squad. The hawks have been circling Ewood Park all summer, as the club braced itself for bids for Captain Chris Samba, whilst young guns, Olsson and N’Zonzi were also linked with moves away. However as we go into the International break with the window firmly shut instead of us having a depleted squad we have retained these players and added, plenty of promise and experience.

The season could not of got off any worse, As Rovers have suffered their worst start in 60 years with three straight results. The pressure from the terraces is mounting on Manager Steve Kean as 90% of fans now want the club owners Venkys to act and replace the Rookie Manager. To date despite the unrest from the fans the owners have remained 100% behind the Manager. A week from now Rover’s travel to Fulham in search of their first points of the season and the general feeling and mood amongst the Ewood faithful is nothing but a win will do. Even a point at this stage will have the fans galvanised behind their call’s for “Taxi for Kean” Literally as the Manager also suffered the discrace of being convicted for drink driving other the summer which saw the role model for fans given an 18 months driving ban at Macclesfield Magistrate Court.

Last season Steve Kean could point to the fact that the squad he had at his disposal was inherited from previous Manager Sam Allardyce, and despite the previous Manager getting a better tune from the players Steve Kean successfully kept the club in the Premier league.

Over the summer the squad has had serious surgery no fewer than eight player have arrived through the doors at Ewood adding to the two Kean added in January. This is now the Managers team, and he has no excuses. He has publically stated that he highlighted the targets and is thrilled with Rovers summer business.

Now is the time for all talk to stop and Rovers to deliver on the pitch, We don’t want to hear the weekly “What could of been”. When Venkys took the decision to remove Sam Allardyce as Manager of the club, they took a mighty gamble. Allardyce’s style of football was not to everyone’s liking but its a points mean prizes business and one thing no-one can take away from the former Rovers Manager’s CV is his ability to deliver the points on the board. This is an art Steve Kean has yet to master as his record since being at the helm of our proud club is one of the worst in the clubs history.

Off the field communication between the owners and the fans has been non-existant, So much for keeping the family club mentality?

Steve Kean is currently on his monthly trip to Pune, and as a worried fan, I sincerely hope the message of “Last chance saloon” is being delivered in no-uncertain terms by the owners to Steve Kean. The club are happy to take our money each season through ticket and merchandise payments, but in return all we ask for is our investment is being used in the best interest of the club. Alienating fans or customers dependant on the business model the club is now adopting is not sustainable. We hear the call’s for patience and the glass half full mentality, however many fans Glasses appear to have sprung a leak and quite rightfully so.

My message to the owners and Steve Kean is in reply to your message, “You will be judged, the slate won’t be wiped clean, and its upto you to get the fans back on side. If you can deliver both on and off the pitch then happy days, However is you risk the clubs very future it won’t just be the poll’s for the Manager’s exit which will stand at 90%”

A New dawn

2011-08-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

“If you’re feeling low, don’t despair. The sun has a sinking spell every night, but it comes back up every morning. The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”

There was so many things I could of written about today especially with the different issue’s circling around our club which fans wish would go away.

However I have chosen this post to be the first of many which will hopefully have a positive spin on the journey each and everyone of us take as a Blackburn Rovers fan.

A new potential star has come to fore this season in young Argentinian International Mauro Formica. Having been signed by Steve Kean in January Rovers fans have needed to wait patiently to see the player who was hailed as “A Young Batistuta” By the gaffer to grace the Ewood turf with his presence.

Upon signing I was keen as mustard to see this boy in action and travelled to the reserve game against Everton earlier in the year to see him wear he famous Blue and White halves for the first time. I came away from that game a tad disappointed after a lacklustre performance . He looked unfit, had the touch of a baby Rhino and was overshadowed by fellow January signing Ruben Rochina who had me purring on my return journey home.

That debut match stuck in my mind all the way through to this summer’s pre- season. Had we bought a duck egg? Had I seen the wrong Youtube video’s?

Luckily for me and Rovers I’m no scout, and he hit the ground running in our pre-season fixtures. Showing all the attributes of a player who could be a massive hit with Rovers and the adoring faithful.

A debut goal against Wolves could not prevent Rovers from suffering an opening day defeat, but his performance at least gave us all something positive to talk about over a pint with our friends in the pub that evening. Quickly forgetting the Aston Villa match Formica again was at his very best when coming on as an early substitute against Everton this past weekend. His sublime touches and vision at times were a joy to watch. His ability to penetrate defences is something Blackburn have been starved off for years and along with the other young talented players we have at the club, this is a time to be excited in terms of potential we now have on our books at Ewood.

It will more than likely be next season when we see Formica as a well oiled machine, however if he can turn in the type of performances he did on Saturday on a regular basis then I do believe we are in for a treat. Its things like this that can get “The SUN to break the CLOUDS” , And give fans renewed hope that although results have not gone our way for one reason or another, we still have tools within our box capable of producing the goods. A couple more additions in this window and I will sleep more easily, but for now i’m quite pleased to say Mauro Formica is one who has wetted my appetite

Fans UNITED in campaign to preserve Jacks legacy

2011-08-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

The last four days have been frantic since the publishing of "Puppet or Puppeteer" On Rover Revisited, At the writing of this follow up post the article has received 33478 views from a Worldwide audience covering the UK, Scandinavia, Asia, India, Australia, India and the rest of Europe. Journalist and media outlets from around the world have been in touch about doing a follow up article of their own, after Blackburn Rovers fans United as one to protect the long term future of the club. Blackburn Rovers, Venkys and media outlets have been swarmed with letters and emails asking for the removal of Manager Steve Kean, whilst asking questions about Venky's future plans for the club.

Henry winter of the Telegraph after receiving calls from a number of fans published an article which was inspired by the Puppet or Puppeteer Blog post, Whilst over in Norway where Blackburn Rovers have a fantastic following, leading TV journalist Kaspar Wikestad has also done a follow up article posing even more questions of the Rovers administration the link to these articles can be found here.

http://www.tv2.no/sport/fotball/england/premierleague/fra-smak-av-fugl-til-raatten-kylling-3566141.html#.TlWstT3Ik58.twitter

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/blackburn-rovers/8716982/Henry-Winter-Venkys-falling-short-at-Blackburn-Rovers-compared-to-high-standards-set-by-Jack-Walker.html

In addition to this I have personally received hundreds of emails and messages offering support and asking what individuals can do to help rid the club of unethical practices.

Facebook and leading Rovers supporter sites have been running polls and drumming up supporters to stand as one in an attempt to try and get Venkys to see the light and move the club forwards. Steve Kean despite having one of the worst records ever held by a Manager of the club remains at the helm.

On Tuesday co-owner Venkatesh Rao came out fighting as news of discontent amongst the supporters was growing to a whole new level, with polls showing that 96% of fans wanted Steve Kean removing with immediate effect.

He told the Lancashire Telegraph:

"There has been wrong information and it looks really bad but we are financially very strong. The only issue is we want to spend very carefully."
"If the right player becomes available and we can get a good deal then we are going to grab it.
"We need to improve in some places and I am sure we are bringing in some players and we are working hard on that.
"This is our baby and we owe it to the fans to get results.
"Please do not be disappointed. We are very positive we will improve results."

Venkys also read a copy of the article on this Blog site and Vineeth Rao's reaction was to remove me off his facebook, This is the same Vineeth Rao who has been conducting Blackburn Rovers transfer activities and famously earlier this month asked a fan to draw up a list of transfer targets for Blackburn to have a look at. One of these players on this list was free agent Ciprian Marica, who Rovers subsequently made an approach to sign. This shows a complete lack of organisation that a fans view would be taken over the clubs scouting network.

There is still lots of rumours surrounding Blackburns relationship with Jerome Anderson, Rovers have in recent weeks tried to make people think that their relationship with the controversial agent was at a fractured level.

However on Wednesday Rovers played their second round League cup tie at Ewood Park against Sheffield Wednesday. In attendance was co-owner Balaij Rao who was clearly seen in the directors box with Jerome Anderson as his guest. Was this whole fallout rumour the club put out through Venkys PR company all a smokescreen? It certainly looked that way and with the Venkys/Kentaro relationship already under scrutiny with fans this public showing has only fueled rumours that Jerome Anderson is still pulling the strings at Ewood Park, Whilst his client Steve Kean remains the untouchable Manager.

Various sources alleges that Steve Kean was offered the Managers Job prior to the completion of the takeover of the club in December. If this is true, It would explain WHY, Steve Kean continues to be publicly backed by the owners in public.

With all the rumours going around and "In the Know" Individuals making others aware of the chain of events at Ewood during and after the takeover, Its become a worrying time to be a Blackburn Fan. However these frustration has been channeled by hard facts on the pitch. After narrowly escaping relegation last season Rovers have started this season with two successive defeats and sit 19th in the table. £25 Million has been raised in sales, whilst other players including longest serving player Brett Emerton are expected to leave before this window closes.

To date Blackburn have taken the stance to buy young players who have no experience of the Premier league, and all of these transfers have taken an age to complete. Blackburn are still in the market for another 3 or 4 players and their transfer dealings will go down to the last minute of this transfer window.

The club has promised to deliver on the transfer front and Steve Kean maintains that deals are close on a daily basis. I can confirm transfer activity behind the scenes is frantic as Rovers look to add faces capable of improving the squad. These will not be the marquee players that Venkys promised but cheap sensible buys with low risk factors in terms of sell on value

Saturday in normal circumstances would be like a cup final to supporters as we crave our first league win of the season, But some fans have said they would gladly take another defeat if it meant justice was done and Steve Kean was sacked with immediate effect. He has no experience of running a top flight football club from the front and he is tactically naive,. Managers are judged on results and he has just not produced them. Therefore he should be shown the door purely on his Management record, if Venkys were to take this step they might just get a few fans back on side. By keeping Kean at the helm they are showing they don't have the clubs best interest at heart, by their continued association with Jerome Anderson they are showing that they think they are above the rules.

INEXPERIENCED OWNERS, ADMINISTRATION TEAM, MANAGER AND PLAYERS

A football club can't exist without its fans, and if Venky's continue to alienate us fans for their own personal gain then the backlash will be vast.

I call out to all Rovers fans to show your hand and to continue the good work you are already doing to try and save our club from ruin. It takes many voices to make an impact, but if you stick together and tell the right people then Venkys will have no choice but to listen.

Puppet or Puppeteer

2011-08-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

This instalment of my blog could be the worst thing I ever write, and could alienate me from thousands, I'm known by many who follow me on various Blackburn Rovers sites, and twitter as a positive individual who has a glass half full attitude,

I have dedicated many many hours to Blackburn Rovers throughout the years, bringing news and inside information to fellow Blackburn fans. During this transfer window in particular I can't remember last time I went to bed with my wife, or the last time we sat down together and had a conversation. In fact at the time of writing this I have been going 118 hours non stop.

People who know me always ask "When was the last time you went to bed?" The answer to that is, I don't really remember last time I had a nights sleep like most sane human beings would have.

Fans crave to know everything or anything if it involves their club, its the world we live in that football fans worldwide are addicted to football. Its a sport which is more addictive than any drug and a subject which draws more opinions than anything else that I can think of.

People put so many things on hold to get their weekly fix of football, and it takes your emotions to new extremes. This is part of the reason I have found myself dedicating most of my spare time to Blackburn Rovers. Answering questions the best I can which people ask me, Sometimes I find myself answering the same question a couple of hundred times a day, as I have always been approachable and honest.

Of course some questions I can't answer because I genuinely don't know the answer, but other questions I have found myself being unable to answer due to repercussions that these answers may bring both to the future of the club and me personally.

When you find things out or are told things in confidence, it comes at a hefty price if its about something you love and care about. Blackburn Rovers has always run through my families blood, If I was cut up into little pieces I would resemble a piece of Blackpool Rock where every layer would have the words Blackburn Rovers etched to it.

On the 28th October 1998 my brother Lee died of an Asthma attack in his sleep, he was living in Preston at the time of his death and was only 24 years old, I had just turned 20 and part of me died that day with him. Lee was buried at Pleasington Cemetery Blackburn miles away from his six young children and wife because the town of Blackburn ran through his blood, He was also buried wearing the full Blackburn Rovers strip, because as children growing up we never had flash things like other families, but one thing we did have was a passion for our football team Blackburn Rovers. It does not matter how many pounds you have in the bank, or how large your TV is, or indeed how nice your cloths are, football as a supporter is a great leveller, a little like a school uniform, Everyone is part of the same club therefore equal.

On the 19th November 2010 Rovers was taken over by the Venky's group, this was supposed to be the dawn of a new era.

Jack Walker was remembered this week as on the 17th August it was his 11th anniversary since he sadly passed away. To my horror after spending a few hours writing my personal remembrance to him, I noticed that the club had failed to recognise this important day. I personally emailed Vineeth Rao, Ken Beamish and the clubs official Website. Only Ken Beamish had the courtesy to email me back and he said that "It must of been an oversight by the club" and he would pass it on to the relevant department. Around 12.30pm a small piece was finally put on the clubs website with last years photo of the Uncle Jacks statue, This is despite fans leaving flowers and messages for Jack at the statue throughout the day. I asked myself, How can anyone involved with Blackburn Rovers forget the biggest man ever associated with the club?

This is just a small example of how things have changed in the space of 9 months and that incident is unforgivable.

Since the takeover by Venkys as supporters we have been promised the world but each and everyone of these promises has either not been followed through or has been adjusted at a later date.

Lies after Lies have been spoken in public, The owners promised that Sam Allardyce's job was safe, John Williams and various other board members were an integral part in their vision for this club to remain a family club which is built on the very values Jack Walker installed.

What happened next?

Within 5 weeks Sam Allardyce was removed from his position as Manager of Rovers,

Was this because of the style of football we played?
Was this because of the hefty defeat at Old Trafford?
Was this because of a clash of personality?
Was this because of something Sam had said?

I can tell you for a fact it was for none of these reasons, The Rao's and Mrs Desai know very little about football and it was never their desire to own a football club out right. They needed people to make decisions for them, some will say they was advised badly, but this was not about being advised this was someone else making decisions on their behalf.

It is well documented that Jerome Andersen and Philippe Huber were the individuals who brought Venky's

When you try and sell anything to anyone you need to believe in what you are selling so much so that you would buy it yourself. If you have don't personally believe it, then the likelihood is the buying party will decline the offer.

However Venkys were not the only people who was approached, and was certainly not the first. To own a football club in England which competes under FA Rules you must pass a fit and proper test, after going through due diligence, some of the candidates which Kentaro brought to the table had no chance of passing such a test, and the only ever chance they would have of owning an English team is if someone else would front it for them.

It was reported in December 2010 that Mumbai-based businessman Saurin Shah had claimed that he has issued a legal notice to the firm over a proposed tie-up for the Blackburn Rovers bid between Venky’s and his investment firm Qubic Group. The notice alleged that Venky’s was liable for the equivalent of 24 per cent stake in the club. Shah’s lawyers had written to Venky’s parent company Venkateshwara Hatcheries on December 22 threatening legal action unless the payment was made within a week. Venky’s was also bound to pay Qubic’s costs and expenses for its advice, reference and recommendations, according to the legal notice. These claims were refuted by Mrs Desai Chairperson of the Venkys group at the time and she claimed that the Qubic Group had been offered the role as advisories on a commission base in Venkys purchase of the club, however this option had not been taken up and Venkys had used their own advisers during due diligence.

Kentaro and the SEM Group worked as the adviser's, this was an issue which was carefully monitored by the FA, League rules ban any third-party ownership of clubs or players, and prohibit third parties from exerting “undue influence” over a club’s activities. When Sam Allardyce was suddenly removed as Manager it sent ripples round the English game and came as a massive surprise to everyone.

The SEM Group and Jerome Andersen were hand picking all Sam Allardyces transfer targets and offering second rate players, Allardyce was not impressed and had his own targets in mind, however Venkys were convinced/persuaded to follow their advise and they had Allardyce removed as Manager. It was very much a case of SEM saying "Jump" and Venkys responding with "How High".

Whatever SEM advised ,Venkys did, Why do you think Venkys would take someone else's advice with the biggest investment their family has ever made? Yes they are successful in the Poultry Business but a Football team takes lots of investment and far more than their yearly record profits had recorded the previous year.

When Venkys purchased the club they agreed to take on the clubs £18 million debt, as part of this agreement, terms were put in place on how this debt would be serviced. They also took out an £18 Million pound short term overdraft with Barclay's Bank which was over a term of 6 months. If Venkys had a long term vision for the club why was this overdraft short term from the offset? Venkys has promised to invest money not borrow against its assets, was they expecting investment from some-one else? Was it always Venky's idea to be here for the short term, to market their Venkys brand with no care for the club?

It was recently reported on the Insider bulletin by Marple Leaf
http://twitter.com/#!/who_to_follow/search/marple%20leaf

The mortgage debenture filed at Companies House gives long established bankers Barclays a charge over all income from commercial activities for this season.
The certificate of the registration of a mortgage or charge has been filed at Companies House.
It is not unusual for a bank to make such a move when a business has undergone a change of ownership, but Barclays never sought such legal security over their debts when the club was owned by the Jersey-based Walker Trust.

In addition to this came the resignation of auditors PM&M chartered accountants of Blackburn, who have had a relationship with Rovers dating back since clubs were required to produce audited accounts, is just the latest in a series of changes to the management affairs of the club following the Venky’s takeover.

Following the departure of Sam Allardyce and even more surprising his assistant Neil McDonald, First team coach Steve Kean a SEM client was put in temporary charge of the team. The coach who had no previous Management experience also felt the need to board a plane and fly out to Pune, claiming he wanted to know what Venky's plans was in the short and long term so he could relay this back to the players, as there was a lot of unrest in the changing rooms following the sacking of Allardyce which felt like an assassination.

Kean returned bullish that he was in sole charge for now and the club would continue as normal, It later emerged that Sam Allardyce spoke to Kean on the day of his sacking and Kean did not at one point let on he knew that he would be taking over. Since Sam's departure Steve Kean has failed to contact Sam once. Steve Kean knew long before Sam's departure he would be the next Manager of Blackburn Rovers and what happened after Sam's departure was co-ordinated statements claiming the club was looking for a new Manager, when the truth is these searches never took place, Kean has already been promised the job, and sure enough a few weeks later despite poor results on the pitch he was confirmed as Manager.

Who could have such an influence to have a manager sacked and replaced by Rookie? Especially when it goes against the grain of tried and tested methods

How could Steve Kean stab in the back the very guy who brought him to Ewood Park in the first place?

What did Venkys have to gain by replacing a Manager with a proven track record, and if they had nothing to gain who did?

The fans response to the appointment was very mixed, Some sections of the crowd were pleased Allardyce had gone citing his style of football as a good reason, however if we had beaten Bolton the day before he was removed Rovers would have been sat 6th in the league. However the appointment of Kean was not the man many imagined would be his replacement. Was it just a coincidence that he was Jerome Andersens client, and as the reported Chief adviser Venkys were trusting his word? What surprised me was Venkys speaking highly of Keans approach to Management coaching etc even though they lived in Pune and had not witnessed these events first hand. Had someone asked them to make this statement? It seemed a very precise statement to make about an individual they should not have had a lot of dealings with prior to Sam's removal.

On the pitch Results were beginning to cause concerns for the supporters as Rover started to spiral down the league. Communication from the club was beginning to be non-existent whilst John Williams seemed to have disappeared of the face of the planet, as the once open Chairman was not making any statements and was not available to do so.

January brought hope for the fans when star player Phil Jones and Chris Samba signed new long term contracts along with some other key players, whilst £5.5 Million was invested in new players. Rovers form was still poor on the pitch as they went through there worst run for nearly 40 years, Supporters were calling for Steve Kean's head however communication was still slow and when a statement was finally made it was to support the manager with claims his job is safe for at least the duration of his contract.

Off the pitch a mass culling was taking place as John Williams and Tom Finn both left the club on their own accord. To be fair to both individuals they have not spoken about their departure, however their departures is believed to have been because their positions had become untenable and their roles in decision making had been taken away from them. Why would Venky's who have no knowledge of running a football club give experienced individuals who are regarded as some of the best in the game no option but to leave the club? Was they advised to disregard Williams opinions and if so by who?

What did Venky's have to gain by having no recognised infrastructure within the club, especially as they was not taking a hand's on approach themselves? If they had nothing to gain who did?

New directors where added to the board but surprisingly not one of those directors are Mrs Desai or the two Rao brothers, So Venky's own a football club but are not members of the board, Why is this? Are their reasons behind the scenes why they would choose not to be a director?

The two new directors appointed to the board of the Premier League club are Mahesh Kumar Gupta and Reddy Gandhi Babu. Both are Indian nationals and hold directorships of no other UK companies. Who are these individuals? What track records do they have?

Its very interesting that earlier in the year whilst Watford FC where looking for someone to buy them out the name Jerome Andersen once again came to the forefront. Laurence Bassini was a front runner to invest in Watford and he claimed his good friend Jerome Andersen had offered him the opportunity to buy Blackburn Rovers, Nothing strange here yet, however Bassini is known to seek investment from deed poll specialist.

The Watford Observer ran a lengthy “exclusive” interview with Bassini on February 18th. But by then, Bassini had already been exposed as former bankrupt LaWrence BaZini, whose dodgy business past was far more in keeping with modern football times than all this “highly-respected” surgeon nonsense. To add to the confusion, it appeared that “there’s only one Lawrence Bazini” was a song that could be sung with neither confidence nor truth. An observant Observer reader noted that Bassini was “not a wealthy businessman..(but)… a bit of a Del Boy character,” who had “made applications to run strip clubs in the past” – which would at least give Davids Sullivan and Gold someone to talk to before West Ham’s games with Watford in next year’s Championship.

More detailed evidence unearthed by another reader, Roy Stockdill, revealed that Bazini/Bassini Had been made bankrupt as recently as October 2007, and that the family made regular appearances in the London Gazette’s insolvency section. But Stockdill concluded that the putative “strip club owner” was “perhaps not the same man.” And the WFC forum printed ‘information’ from a regular source that a six-man consortium would complete its takeover by February 18th and DID include the customary property guy – one who owned a lot of land in nearby Elstree “and has plans to move the club there within a few years.”

No takeover emerged by then. But Bassini had, ready to explain everything – the name change, the money problems, the Elstree move…and his friendship with Jerome Anderson, particularly that he turned down Rovers because “I have lived near Watford all my life…I am a Watford fan. This was one of the few bits of the interview that could be safely filed under ‘information.’ Bassini’s name change suggested he was no master of disguise, but he tried to disguise his business past, and succeeded in disguising the source of the money for the “on or around 1p-per-ordinary share” offer which the Stock Exchange statement said he and Thomas were considering.

These are alarming things to read as Jerome Andersen was entrusted in finding a reputable buyer for Blackburn Rovers but everyone he appears to have been involved with seems to have a dirty past.

One of the biggest bullets Rovers missed was when they went into due diligence with serial fraudster Ali Syed, after talks broke down with him he ended up buying Racing Santandar, but had left them high and dry as he defrauded millions of pounds out of thousands of individuals world wide offering false loans for up front set up fee's. This man was highlighted by Andersen as a potential buyer for Rovers, whilst the club was also offered to Bassini, these are serial fraudsters and good friends with Jerome Andersen, why would he try and get someone to buy Rovers who he knows to be unethical? What would he gain from this? Is it a case of "You turn and blind eye, and I will do likewise?"

I further investigated the Ali Syed and something alarming appeared

On investigating his serious fraud activities his partner in crime was revealed as Ashish Gupta, Could this individual possibly be related to the Gupta currently on the board of Blackburn's Directors?

After narrowly avoiding relegation on the final day of last season, More reassurances were offered to the fans. None of our top players would be sold and we would have a very healthy transfer budget to ensure the club does not find themselves in a relegation battle. These claims came from both the owners and Steve Kean. What followed was the sale of our most promising player Phil Jones to Manchester United, There was then reports that the bank was calling back its promise to us, and Rovers would have to pay this money back. There are claims that the bank has taken the Phil Jones money to service these debts. These could be very plausible as Everton has also found themselves a victim on the bank, However as the owners promised mass investment why are we suddenly at the mercy of the bank? What has changed? Where is the money they promised us? Or is this just a big smoke screen because they fully expected someone else to be running the club full-time now and there initial purchase was just a short term plan, were they would be the face of Rovers with no input on the football side, but they could use the club to Market their main business venture of Poultry farming.

There has been a major fall out behind closed doors with Kentaro, some say its because of the agent fee bill Venky's received from SEM, This is what they would want you to believe, the problem lies much deeper than that. Andersen groomed Venkys into purchasing the club for a short term investment with great returns quickly, He made promises along with Huber that Venkys would not have to get their hands dirty but they could still get the celebrity status by having the association with the club.

Football agents/Agencies can't own football clubs, and in the UK 99.9% of players are owned by the club. However in recent years a new bread of agent has come along. These agents own the players and as the Tevez saga over the last few seasons has proved, this type of ownership can make agents very rich very quickly.

Very few in comings and stories of failed transfers has been the story of our summer, whilst the communication coming out of the club through official channels has been none existent. Most information has been passed to individuals like me as off the record with strict instructions to keep quiet and not breathe a word. The Manager was given an 18 Month driving ban this week, but it was just brushed under the carpet, No comment from Steve Kean, and No Comment from the club. Some may say its a personal matter, but with his profile of being the face of the club, its a little more than just trivial.

The Managers position from Venkys has not changed, he is still the Iron man despite now being the worst Manager in the clubs history in terms of results to game ratio. WHY? If Venkys has really broke all links with Kentaro surely they would want to replace the Manager even more now?

There appears to be a lot of questions in this Blog, But if you read it properly word for word it will also answer those questions in your own mind as it paints the picture of where our club currently stands.

What are Venkys options? Are they someones puppet? Or are they the Puppeteers?

Once you can answer this question, you will be able to decide for yourself what options are available to the club long term, if indeed there is a future for the club long term!

I urge you to post comments on this article, it gets lots of coverage in India and will be read by Venkys.

Feel free to contact me

glenmullan@btinternet.com

Rovers summer wait set to be rewarded

2011-08-19T02:56:00.000-07:00

After a summer of frustration for Blackburn Rovers fans, it looks like the clouds are finally breaking.

All summer we have been linked with in comings at Ewood Park only for our hopes to be dashed with transfers not being completed. The National press have gone to town with their negative bombardment towards Rovers with rumours of behind the scene's unrest, financial issue's, whilst pundits and critics have also got in on the act by backing Rovers for relegation.

Blackburn's Manager Steve Kean went on record of saying that this summer we had a very competitive transfer budget available, Going on to claim it was one of the best the club had ever had. These claims brought renewed optimism from all supporters that a more equipped squad would be assembled over the close season to ensure last season's struggle against relegation would not continue into the new season.

However what followed was the sale of Phil Jones to Manchester United in a deal which could potentially rise to around £20 Million, Although to Rovers credit they fought tooth and nail to keep the player and their determination even brought a bigger fee, than the players release clause had set..

Obviously Rovers fans were disappointed but the promise that the funds would be added to the transfer kitty softened the blow. Weeks went by and in comings were thin on the ground and after initially being linked with some of Europe's elite, Suddenly Rovers appeared to be chasing free transfers and trials.

The un-rest amongst supporters has grown all summer as promises appeared to not being kept, despite the club maintaining that its a long transfer window, fans wanted to see action.

So far this summer Rovers have parted company with 14 players with a couple more still expected to leave, whilst only Myles Anderson (Free), Bruno Riberio (Free). Radoslav Petrovic £3 Million and David Goodwillie £2.8 Million. Rovers squad being thin on the ground was very evident in their opening day home loss to Wolves as Rovers found themselves with a defensive head ache as Samba, Nelsen and Givet were rules out the game which meant Steven N'Zonzi had to be drafted to play as an emergency centre back.

Just under a week on and suddenly Rovers appear to have got their act together.

Firstly it emerged on Monday that Rovers had made a move for Spanish Legend Raul from Schalke, The iconic Spanish player who is very friendly with Rovers star Salgado had indicated he would welcome a move to East Lancashire. This news got the Rovers faithful buzzing, only for it to be dashed just hours later when Schalke refused to sanction the move. However Rovers still remain hopeful that Raul of the Rovers may still yet occur, if not in this window possibly in January.

Then the news broke that talented Montenegro star Simon Vukčević was flying in for a medical ahead of a reported £2 Million move from Sporting Lisbon. The talented attacking midfielder has long been on Rovers radar with interest going back nearly three years but the player is now finally expected to complete a move and for a bargain price as earlier in the year the asking price was believed to three times that.

Who is Simon Vukčević?

Vukčević started his career at Partizan Belgrade and Blessed with boundless confidence, he spent two years in the youth ranks in Belgrade before bursting into the first team, scoring and creating goals from midfield. He was awarded the number 1 shirt, in recognition of his popularity among Partizan supporters. He was nominated for the Best Young Serbia/Montenegrin Player Award in early 2006.His talent landing him a £7 Million transfer to Russian side Saturn in January 2006 however the move never really worked out and a fall out with their head coach saw the player move on again just 18 months later to Sporting Lisbon. His time with Sporting has seen his brilliance excel on the pitch over the last four seasons, although his career in Portugal has once again been Topsy turvy off the pitch with reported fall outs with the coaching staff. This has culminated in Sporting finally deciding to cut their losses and sanction the transfer of Simon Vukčević to Blackburn. His talent has never been in question and if Rovers can channel his temperament then this could be one of the all time bargains.

Following this news it was revealed that Bosnian International Vedad Ibišević was also in talks with Rovers ahead of a potential £6 Million move from German club 1899 Hoffenheim.

Who is Vedad Ibišević

Vedad Ibišević has played in Switzerland, USA, France and Germany. The 27 year old is widely regarded as one of the top strikers in Europe and his style of play is expected to be well suited to the rigours of the English game. After going through 5 clubs in four years where his scoring record was quite impressive, Vedad Ibišević finally found a home at Hoffenheim in 2007 where his career finally took off. His first season saw him play in 31 games scoring just 5 goals in Hoffenheim's promotion season to the top flight, However his clubs first season in the top flight would see the player put himself on the map, as he bagged 19 goals in 19 games before his season was cut short with a career threatening cruciate ligament injury. His partnership with Demba Ba saw the newly promoted side top of the league at the half way stage of the season, but following his injury Hoffenheim dropped out of contention. He returned to fitness the following season and after 7 games was back amongst the goals as he bagged the second fastest hat-trick in Bundesliga history which included the quickest goal of the season timed at just 47 seconds. His scoring record over the last 3 seasons is impressive with 42 goals from just 88 appearances whilst he has 34 caps for Bosnia with 8 goals. Over the last couple of seasons some of Europe's Elite clubs have been credited with interest in the player and if Rovers can complete this deal it will be regarded as a fantastic capture from the watching world. Vedad Ibišević currently has a thigh injury which is expected to keep him out of action until the end of September and Blackburn are hopeful that this won't effect his medical which is scheduled for today.

Blackburn have also agreed a deal for George John who has duel Citizenship which would allow him to play for either the USA or Greece. He is a defender currently playing in the MLS for FC Dallas.

Who is George John?

Aged 24 the 6ft3 Central Defender has been a full time Pro for two seasons after being drafted by FC Dallas in 2009. His displays in the MLS have not gone un-noticed with both the USA and Greece keen to tie the player down to their National teams. He has managed 65 appearances over the last two seasons and is described as big powerful defender who is comfortable on the ball. He can also be used as a defensive midfielder and in the latest MSL player rankings he is ranked as the third best player in the league with only Thierry Henry and Landon Donavon ahead of him. Although the fee at this stage is unknown its believed to be a bargain capture for Rovers and the player is expected at Ewood today to undergo a medical.

As supporters we have suddenly gone from a slow summer to three players arriving at once, but Blackburn are not done just yet.

Henri Lansbury is also hot on Rovers radar, The England under 21 International has enjoyed a couple of successful loan spells away from his parent club Arsenal and Blackburn are keen to bring the talented wide player on a permanent transfer. Arsenal earlier in the summer rejected a £1.5 Million bid from Norwich City where he spent last season on loan, however Rovers are expected to go back in with a larger bid of around £3 Million pounds are confident this deal can also be concluded this window.

In addition to Lansbury Rovers also have a bid on the table for Nedum Onuoha. The Manchester City defender has found his opportunities limited since the arrival of City's billionaire owners and spend last season on loan at Sunderland. At just 24 and comfortable playing anywhere across the back four, he fits the bill for a utility defender which the club wishes to have on their squad list for this season/ Onuoha who has also been capped for the England under 21 team and despite interest from other Premiership clubs, Steve Kean remains hopeful that a permanent transfer can be agreed for the player.

Loans?

Rovers have been heavily linked with Liverpool defender Danny Wilson, Manchester City defender Anga Dedryck Boyata and Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson, Rovers are keen to bring a couple of loan players in later in this window and two from these three is the most likely outcome.

So suddenly have weeks of doom and gloom Rovers could now end this window with as many as 11 new players, and with January signings Ruben Rochina and Mauro Formica now deemed ready for first team action the future looks bright.

Blackburn's new owners always maintained judge us after 12 months, well if after 9 months all this players are wearing Blue and White halves then I can't see how there can be too many complaints.

In other news:

Ronnie Clayton Stand

Blackburn Rovers last weekend confirmed the Blackburn End would now be renamed the Ronnie Clayton stand after the Rovers legend who sadly passed away last year. Its a fitting tribute to the man who played 581 times for Rovers over a 19 year period. whilst winning 35 caps for England. As captain of club and Country Ronnie was regarded as one of the finest players of his generation.

Steve Kean gets 18 Month Driving ban

Steve Kean pleaded guilty this week at Macclesfield Magistrates court for drinking under the influence of alcohol following Rovers home draw with Manchester United in May. After initially pleading not guilty at an earlier hearing, Kean changed his plea and asked for exceptional circumstances to be heard by the court. The Rovers boss claimed he drink had been spiked after admitting only having two and half glasses of wine and a bottle of budweiser, However the court dismisses these claims and handed him an 18 month Driving ban, an £1800 fine plus court cost of around £700.

Jack Walker the ultimate football fan (19 May 1929 – 17 August 2000)

2011-08-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

Once in a lifetime someone comes along who touches the hearts of thousands, Someone who as every day goes by continues to touch generations with his Legendary status.

As children growing up we here about Legends and tales like King Arthur and Robin Hood, and sometimes these are used as goodnight stories for our children.

I was born on the 1st May 1978 in a town called Blackburn which runs through my blood. Being one of four children money was very tight in our house, and flash clothes, toys and holidays where just pipe dreams. However when I was around 6 I fell in love with a piece of leather which I would take everywhere with me, I was probably the only child in my street who wore wellies to play football, I would sneak down to Nuttall Street to take a look at what was my Holy Grail which was Ewood Park hoping that someone had left a turnstile open so I could peer inside.

During match days I would stand outside with my ball kicking it against the wall, listening to the atmosphere and praying that a ball would fly over the stand so I could have a memento from hero's who were playing in those beautiful Blue and White halves. All I ever wanted was to be close to the pitch and feel what the lucky fans who were in the ground were feeling.

Rovers never had any money and the crowds were low, but this did not bother me, as they were the only team in the world in my eyes.

Here begins the Legend behind the Man we like to call UNCLE JACK WALKER

Jack was a successful local business man who owned Walkers Steel a Business which he and his brother Fred took over following his fathers death in 1951. Together, they transformed Walkersteel from a back-street scrap metal business started by their father after the war into a steel stockholders concern. By 1990 they had built up the business so successfully that it had become the largest steel stockholder in Britain, employing 3,400 people at 50 sites. In 1956 the turnover was £46,000. In 1988 the business was making an annual profit of £48m. The Walker brothers bought GKN and then sold it to British Steel for a reported £360m, the highest price ever paid for a private company at the time.

In 1986 Jack donated the money to build the Walkers Steel Stand at Ewood Park which is now known as the Riverside stand, I remember at the time thinking wow look at our shiny new stand, unbeknown to me that this great man had paid for this out of his own back pocket. Around this time too, as I was managing to get on a few games by doing a few odd jobs here and there to raise the money to buy a ticket.

In 1987 Ossie Ardiles and Steve Archibald joined the club for short spells, this was also financed by Jack

In 1990 Jack sold Walkers Steel for a £360 Million to British Steel which was a record for a private company. In January 1991 in a move which would see Blackburn Rovers change forever Jack took full control of the club. He had in the previous five years always given Rovers donations which were not public knowledge at the time to help keep the club afloat but now he wanted to make Blackburn Rovers the best team in the land.

He had many motto's but the one that is always quoted is "THINK BIG"

The press went to town with Rovers in the early months ridiculing us as unsuccessful bids for some of England's best players including Gary Lineker were lodged by the club. Rovers were struggling in the second tier of English football and had cruelly in previous seasons on a shoe string budget narrowly missed out on promotion to the top flight via the play-offs. Don Mackay was Rovers Manager back then, But Jack felt if people were going to take us seriously we would have to bring in a Manager who could sell his vision to the rest of the world.

In October 1991, Jack pulled off the master stroke, a move which would see the whole world stand up and take notice, Don Mackay was replaced as Manager by Liverpool Legend Kenny Dalglish, In no-one wildest dreams would they have ever thought that Kenny would of entertained a club of Blackburn's stature, but Jack made it happen, Jack could make anything happen he was the man of very few words but the man with the Golden touch.

Jack immediately started making any funds Dalglish wanted to get Rovers promoted available, and new players started to arrive on a weekly basis, this also saw the team move up the table rapidly, by the end of the season Rovers had once again made the play-offs. Was this finally going to be our year? The re branded top division for the following season was the promised land, Could Rovers who are founder members of the football league be one of those lucky 20 clubs to be a founder member of the very first Premier league?

You bet they could, I remember going Wembley that day against Leicester City with my Uncle just pinching myself all the way there that me Glen Mullan was going to see my hero's at Wembley, Jack was there just like me and 32000 screaming Rovers fans, He did not care about the fame or gratitude, he was a fan and the biggest fan any team could have.

There's only one Jack Walker rang out around the stadium drowning out the sound of the City fans screaming Rooster Rooster, in acknowledgement to their talisman Kevin Russell.

The game kicked off, I was shaking with nerves, SpeedieNewell smashed the ball home.

The noise was not like anything I had experienced before, There's only one Jack Walker rang out again amongst the fans. It was a nervous game but when that whistle went it was one of the best feelings I have ever had or will probably ever have again, My dreams had come true, Blackburn Rovers was next season going to be in the Premier League and the man that had made that happen was Jack Walker.

From that day on Blackburn Rovers grew from all recognition, Jack continued to put his own wealth into the club, but this time he wanted us to be the best team in England. Again everyone tried to write us off but Jack's response would always be

"THINK BIG"

Rovers assault on the Premiership was fairytale stuff as Kenny Dalglish backed by the greatest fan on the Planet started to assemble "The Team that Jack Built" ,Rover broke the British Transfer record in the summer of 1992 by bringing young England International Alan Shearer from Southampton for a record £3.3 Million, what was even more shocking than the record fee, was Rovers beat the Mighty Manchester United to his signature. The press would flock to Ewood Park on a weekly basis as more and more players arrived for big fee's, People were beginning to realise that Jack Walker and Blackburn Rovers were deadly serious and we was not going to go away or be halted in our journey to the top.

Off the pitch things were rapidly changing too, Jack financed a new Training centre/Academy whilst Ewood Park was transformed beyond all recognition as the old terraces were pulled down and the NEW EWOOD PARK was born, a 30000 all seater stadium which was one of the finest stadiums in the country when finished.

On the pitch Rover finished 4th in their first season in the top flight, just two years later after even more investment from Uncle Jack on a glorious day at Anfield in May 1995 Blackburn where crowned Champions of England. In just four years Jack had taken a struggling second division team on the verge of financial ruin and made them the best team in England this was a feat which had never been done before and will never ever be matched again.

Blackburn as a Town was put firmly on the map due to one Man's passion and love for it. He loved Blackburn the Town, He loved the people of Blackburn, but most of all he loved Blackburn Rovers.

Over the next 5 years Jack continued to back the team, Players and Managers changed a few times but Jacks commitment to Rovers never, Rovers went through a decline on the pitch and were relegated at the end of the 1998-1999, season, following a home draw with Manchester United. As fans we all shed tears that day, but its the pictures of Jack's tear's which will forever live in my memory. We was all heartbroken but none so than this great Man.

On the 17th August 2000 exactly eleven years today it was announced that "Uncle Jack" had lost his battle against cancer, he was 71. Tributes poured in from the world of football and beyond. One of the most fitting coming from Jack Straw the Home Secretary and Blackburn's Labour MP. He said:

"Jack Walker did more than any other individual in the last century to enhance the self-confidence and the prosperity of his home town. He was completely committed to the town and its people. Blackburn Rovers was in many ways the love of his life. His contribution to the club was enormous but that was based in turn on the prosperity he created through his astonishing development of Walker Steel and of many other investments in the area. I salute a great local hero and shall miss him very badly."

On hearing the news my heart sunk, as did every Rovers fan Worldwide, This was not just any man, he was one of us, he had spent the last 10 years making all our dreams come true. Everyone felt like they knew him, like he was family.

I could'nt accept it, I could not and would not believe it, I raced down to Ewood Park, and it was just a sea of flowers and people everywhere, Crying and hugging each other, even people they had never met before. Why?, was all I kept thinking, Why has he been taken away from us all?,

Jack touched so many people with his kindness and generosity, and even in death he ensured that Rovers would live in as he set up the Rovers Trust to ensure we would be Okay.

Jack has left us all many memories, and I share these with my children, Real life fairy tales that no-one can ever take away from me.

Around Blackburn his legacy lives on in each and everyone of us, His spirit will always be at Ewood Park, as he kicks every ball with each fan and player alike.

Jack was my hero, but he is such a big hero that there is enough to go round for us all to share him and cherish his memory.

We miss you, Forever remembered never forgotten

Actions speak louder than words

2011-08-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

Blackburn's season could not have got off to a worse start with an opening defeat to Wolves. Rovers went into the game with no recognised experienced centre backs with Samba, Nelsen and Givet all missing for one reason or another. The job of keeping Doyle and Fletcher quiet was given to youngster Hanley and surprisingly central midfielder N'Zonzi. Both tried their best throughout the game, but after seeing the starting 11 the writing did appear on the wall before a ball was kicked.

Why have we gone into the season with no defensive cover but more alarmingly a bench which only had Rochina on it with some first team experience?

Steve Kean pointed out that injuries had given him little choice, but is this a plausible excuse?

Blackburn have had all summer to replace the departed Phil Jones, whilst 11 players have left on total and Kean in his own words has admitted that after only 3 arrivals the maths don't add up and we are in serious need of bodies to bolster our squad.

Why has it took an opening day defeat for the Manager to state the obvious and Why have Rovers not addressed this over the summer?

We have had our well documented issue's with the bank but can Rovers use this as an excuse to why on paper our squad looks one of the weakest in the Premiership in terms of experience?

Blackburn's summer has been one of frustration, The owners have chose to use their own people to highlight transfer targets due to not wanting to pay agent fee's. The problem is in football every club encounters these fee's but what they get for paying such a fee, is a players signature on the dotted line, and not a summer of wild goose changes like Rovers have encountered.

Blackburn have been linked with over 100 players this summer and have made tentative enquiries for a number of these plus players who had not made it into the public domain, but despite this all that has walked through the doors is players who can only be considered as gambles.

David Goodwillie has come in from Dundee United, and despite being young Scottish player of the year for the last two seasons, never had a big list of established clubs looking to win his signature. Obviously Rangers made a few bids for him, but as they play in a two team league they can't honestly be looked upon as a better option than a club from England. Before signing for Rovers Goodwillie was highly expected to sign for a Championship team as both Blackpool and Middlesbrough appeared to be leading the chase, Then Rovers made their move and got their man, But this is not the signing the fans were expecting and unless Rovers back this up by bringing in two established strikers we WILL be in serious trouble. I see the Goodwillie signing as one of those which is a gamble, but is a gamble worth taking providing Rovers supplement it with some established experienced Centre forwards, Then if that occurs the Goodwillie signing suddenly becomes a good move, but I'm still cautious that no other Premier league team was interested in him.

Radoslav Petrovic has also joined the club and is an established young International. I'm quite lucky that I have seen lots of him over the last four years and was thrilled that we had made a move for him, as I fully expected to see him at a big club this season. However being just 22 and coming from a weak league he is going to take many months to come to terms with the speed and physical demand of the Premier league. A little like Goodwillie he is very much one for the future, however the Premier league is an unforgiving one and all teams need players that are ready to roll right now, Its okay buying for the future, but that's when you have a squad capable of competing now, Sadly for Blackburn we do not!!!

Bruno Riberio has also joined and is an unknown quantity, He is now 28 and is relatively unknown in his own native Brazil which is a worry. He has not played for any of the bigger clubs in Brazil and last season was part of a side which was relegated. He may turn out to be one of the finds of the season, or he may just flop and end up another player Rovers are trying to get off the wage bill in 12 months time.

All in all none of these signings are inspiring, and when you have a summer of being linked with players like, Witsel, Cisse, Raul, Barrios, Rondon, Soldado, Dann, Johnson, Piatti only to find your first 3 signings have come out of the bargain bin, as a fan you feel very short changed.

The infrastructure behind the scenes is inexperienced, and the ignorance of moving away from tried and tested methods to rewrite the book is not comical but scandalous.

Rovers have had many list of targets, and after speaking with my sources I do have to ask myself did they really have any serious ambitions to grab the players they went for or are still going for?

Especially when Vineeth Rao who is now overseeing transfer proceedings got one of his latest list from a fan!! Yes you read that RIGHT, a fan compiled a list of targets for Vineeth with the Marketing Directors blessing, (You really could not make this stuff up) Which included players for all budgets including free transfers, and some of those players including Ciprian Marica was approached by Vineeth. Can you imagine what the papers would think of they knew our trusted owners were taking transfer tips of fans?

This week there have been reports that the loan market and in particular loans from Manchester United is one option we are looking at. Blackburn made a move for Darron Gibson around 6 weeks ago around the time he was in talks with Sunderland, at the time Rovers agreed to match Sunderlands fee, and Gibsons wage demands but only after the player had joined initially on loan. However after getting the green light Rovers just didn't follow up their initial enquires and let that move go cold. There is still a possibility that this deal could happen, but surely they should of pushed it through weeks ago after the initial enquiry and given the player the opportunity to get a good pre-season integrated with the squad under his belt before our assault on this years Premiership.

Steve Kean after this weeks match finally broke his silence on transfers and after listening to him, it appeared to be a plea to the owners to give him the tools to do his job, and to back him in the transfer market. Kean will get all the flak if our season is destined to be one of struggle, but is this entirely fair if the owners won't give him what they promised?

I call out to Venkys to steady this ship and follow through with your promises, The blame lies entirely at your door, The inexperience card that you keep playing is wearing very thin, back the Manager and the team with the finance you promised and if you can't give the money then at least give him the money from sales. It is in your best interest to have a Rovers playing Premier league football, and unless you take your head out of the sand this will be the final season that you witness such a feat.

The fans deserve answers why you have not stood by your promises, and the TRUTH

The Smell Of Football

2011-08-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

The Smell of Football

On Thursday a big thud came through my letter box, I rushed to the door and found sat on my doormat a package which at this stage I did not realise would give me only 2 night’s sleep for the next week. After opening up the package I found inside Mick ‘BAZ’ Rathbones new autobiography “The Smell of Football. Over the years I have read many books and autobiographies but no book has ever had the effect on me than this one.

Initially on Thursday night around 21.30 I picked it up with the plan of reading one chapter, My wife asked me “What time are you coming bed” My answer was in about 20 Minutes. I started reading the book and my wife went off to bed.

The next voice I heard was my Wife’s asking “Why have you not been to bed its 7.30 am”

This is a book I did not want to put down, I could picture the events which where unravelling with each turn of a page and I just wanted to know what happened next.

Mick Rathbone is unique as he has been a Player, Manager and Physio; He started life out as a player at the very club he supported, which is any supporters dream. However those dreams can become a harsh reality if they don’t match up to how you dreamt it. This book is real lives story how football can be a lonely game, and how the boy next door had to struggle with self-confidence whilst he was submitted to the school ground bully treatment.

Baz would go on to make nearly 300 appearances for Blackburn Rovers in a career which would go full circle from Home town club Birmingham to Blackburn, Preston North End and Halifax. After a spell in Management, Mick has gone on to be one of the most respected Physio’s in our National game and became a valuable part of David Moyes back room staff both at Preston and Everton. Mick’s work has also seen him be involved with the next generation of budding International players as he is currently on the England under 17 back room staff.

After reading the book, I could not wait to meet the man; His self-criticism through confidence made him a reluctant hero to any young footballer wanting to make their way in today’s professional game. After meeting Mick to discuss this book, He said “That this was a book he felt he needed to write, many footballers would have thrown the towel in if they had been subjected to the treatment and in house bullying that Mick was subjected to as a young player. However it shows the strength of the man to brush himself down and get back on the horse. In life many people will get asked what their weaknesses are, which is a question many struggle to answer. People always like to talk about their strengths in self-promotion. Mick is the opposite, he is humble both in person and in his book, He is too self-critical, When people always put you down and tell you things you start to believe them, By writing this book Mick has let go of those demons, and has shown no hurdle is too big, He is the type of guy you can go for a quick drink with then realise you have had ten pints because he is so open you don’t want the conversation to end.

This book is a must have to anyone who has a genuine interest in football, It’s not about the flash cars or the money, or the rewards of what football can bring you, it’s about a simple guy who could easily be you or me whose dedication to work hard with no real interest in reward has made him one of the most respected individuals in a modern game which is full of people who are the opposite to him.

Its now available from all good bookstores, feel free to tweet Mick Via Twitter, with you thoughts on his new book,

http://twitter.com/#!/MickRathbone

Thank you Mick for your warmth and openness during our meeting, it was a real honour to have spent time in your presence and a moment I will always cherish

The Good the Bad and the Ugly

2011-08-01T03:23:00.000-07:00

THE GOOD

As Rovers return from their pre-season tour of Hong Kong there is a lot of positives to take. Maura Formica who was the big signing made by the club in January has been given some game time with the first team squad and did not disappoint. When Rovers purchased the Argentinian in January's transfer window Rover boss Steve Kean likened to the player to Argentina legend Batistuta, This was a big tag to stick on the player, however he failed to make a single appearance for the first team for the remainder of last season despite Blackburn paying nearly £4 Million for player.

During the tour Formica was outstanding during the 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa and looked Blackburn's biggest threat to the Villa goal. Showing good touches and movement. Rovers ended their tour by avoiding the wooden spoon by beating the host Kitchee 3-0 and once again the name left on every one's lips at the end of the game was Mauro Formica. He capped off a great tour by scoring the first goal of the game with a great diving header, whilst his creativity was evident throughout the game.

With Rochina also getting on the pitch against Kitchee we now have two players available to us who are like new signings due to their limited game time last season. Suddenly things look a little brighter especially as Rovers confirmed during the tour that Serbian International Radoslav Petrovic is set to join the club in a £3 Million deal subject to a work permit. Whilst David Goodwillie is expected at Ewood today for a medical as he rubber stamps a £2.8 Million pound move from Dundee United.

Steve Kean went over to India for clear the air talks and took Ryan Nelsen with him, to show a United front that the players are fully committed to the Manager. It also gave the owners the opportunity to give the players an insight into their future plans for the club. This resulted in the owners giving an interview re-iterating their support for the Manager and plans for the future of Blackburn. This was refreshing as communication to the fans is slowly improving especially as the clubs website is being update more often.

THE BAD

During the tour many newspapers quoted that Chris Samba wanted to play Champions league and he would welcome a move to Arsenal. Now Arsenal and Spurs interest in the player has been well documented since January and Rovers have been bracing themselves for a bid fro the player, however to date no bid has hit Rovers door mat. Samba said on Twitter that he had been mis-quoted and he never said the things which were written in the paper. Saturday's game against Kitchee fueled rumours Samba's exit is imminent as he was not involved in the game and watched on from the stands. Blackburn desperately need to hold onto Samba especially after the exit of Phil Jones earlier in the summer, and although Rovers appear to be active in the transfer market the only deal which has been COMPLETED Was the free transfer of Myles Anderson and this deal had already been agreed prior to the season ending.

David Hoilett has now been offered a new contract but to date this has still not been signed, although its widely reported its just a matter of time before the ink hits the paper. This will be a big relief when its finally done but until then its keep your fingers crossed time.

THE UGLY

Throughout this summer the National press have took every opportunity possible to have a dig at Blackburn and in particular our Indian owners. The Daily Mirror has been one of the parties guilty of continuous digs at the new regime down at Ewood Park.
Constant references to the owners industry back ground , with every article using the term "Chicken Farmers" Is now getting beyond the joke, this puts a stereo type into readers minds and its being done purely to be malicious and disrespectful. I never ever read other clubs owners being mocked for their industry backgrounds so why single Blackburn Rovers out?
In addition to this references to Blackburn's current financial position has caused widespread panic, and the longer it takes for Rovers to secure new players, the longer this rumour will carry on.

El Hadj Diouf did not report back for Pre-season after he was told he never had a future at the club. His whereabouts where unknown by Steve Kean and the player has been hit in the pocket with a club fine. Rovers are trying to off-load the player as his time at Rovers has run its cause.

Blackburn's transfer dealings have not gone down well with the supporters. On off transfers, Last minute withdrawals, not following through with enquires and not communicating with the fans has fuelled the rumour that their is in-house turmoil. An example of this was the abrupt end to their interest in Mariano Pavone. The player came over with his family, passed a medical and agreed terms only for Rovers to pull the plug on the deal at the eleventh hour. Other live targets like Mongongu have also faltered as Rovers don't appear to be able to finalise deals for reasons which are still unknown. The season is now less than two weeks away and much work has still to be done to make the squad competitive for the up-coming season

Rover and OUT!

2011-07-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

After months of broken promises and more drama's than a best selling Novel, Its very worrying times for everyone supporter of Blackburn Rovers.

Venkys since taking over have promised the World but to date have failed to deliver on those promises.

The National press have gone to town in breaking revelations over the last few weeks, Rovers being in financial difficulty with the Banks, In house fall outs, Rovers inability to make any meaningful moves into the transfer market. More and more individuals leaving the club from the back room staff and Board and also a lot of rumours of players unrest.

Our Local Paper on the other hand has broken very little news and seems incapable of either asking the right questions or incapable of asking the right people.
As the local paper which many Rovers fans rely on to break the news especially those with no Internet its been a very poor showing and I'm afraid they should hang their head in shame.

There is very little point in writing a weekly blog in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph stating what fans are worried about if the reporter has not got the balls to ask the question, Maybe this is why he is still working as a local reporter and has not been given an opportunity at a more prestigious level.

Since the end of last season three players have returned to their parent clubs after being on Loan at Rovers, We have sold our best player and other players have either exited or are close to exiting.
Even today Niko Kalinic's agent has spoke of his disgust that Rovers have been unwilling to talk to the £6 Million star who has not flown out with the rest of the squad for their Asia Cup tour.

What are Venkys playing at?

Is this really the asset strip that so many fans predicted months ago?

Have they been stringing everyone along including the remaining members of the board?

Is there anyone left at Rovers we can honestly trust?

Whatever any one's stance is on Venky's no-one can disagree that we are in a lot weaker position now than we where before they bought the club.

We don't appear to have any direction or any plan

We have a rookie Manager in Steve Kean which targets appear to be avoiding with the plague with even one Premiership player stating "He would rather retire than play for Kean". He should never have been appointed and he has to shoulder some of the responsibility.

The clubs owners know nothing about football, or the way it works or indeed how to negotiate with other clubs and agents for new players.

Has Blackburn Rovers really been bought with the best intentions or has Venkys bought us to market Chickens Worldwide?. After speaking to a few people who live in India their general feeling is the latter which spells further trouble for us.

How can this all be put right?

Get rid of the Manager, Bring in a Manager who has worldwide respect of players and the press alike,

Show us the money, We need at least four new players and not something you'd buy from Trotters Independent Traders.

Employ someone who can answer questions and not feed us Porky's after all you sell chickens not pigs!

If you have got it wrong, hold your hands up and find a buyer for the club before we disappear down the shoot like Wimbledon.

We don't need your lies, and false press releases, we want facts, and we shouldn't have to be going undercover to get them.

We are now sick of waiting for good news and actions speak louder than words
Venkys need to come to the party and if they don't I'm afraid that final nail may already be in the coffin, and Rovers position may just be irretrievable

11 Men who could make a difference

2011-07-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

We are now halfway through the transfer window and although the wheels have been turning slowly they have been at least turning,

I thought I would have a little fun and look at Eleven players who could make a difference to our squad. These players are just my opinion and should not be looked at as current Rovers targets!

Goalkeeper-Matthew Gilks Free Transfer

Following the departure's of Jason Brown and Frank Fielding Rovers now find themselves with only one experienced goalkeeper as back up in Mark Bunn. Tony Warner has been linked with a move to Ewood but how about we make a move for Matthew Gilks?
The Blackpool goalkeeper had lots of rave reviews for some of his performances last season and is available on a free transfer. Despite him starting the season as Blackpool's number 1 he spent most of the season injured following a knee injury he picked up against West Ham United. He returned from injury in April and managed 11 appearances in total. Signing back up keepers can be hard as they want first team football, but at 29 with lots of experience under his belt he wouldn't be a bad choice.

Right back-Emmanuel Eboué £4 Million

Michel Salgado will be 36 in October and he was arguably one of Rovers most consistent performers last season. However in terms of natural cover Blackburn are really lacking on options. Its no secret that Arsenal are trying to raise funds so they can themselves move into the transfer market for players and one player rumoured to be available for around £4 Million is Emmanuel Eboue. The 28 year old Ivory Coast International has 61 caps and has a wealth of Premiership experience. His time at Arsenal has not always been plain sailing after he had sections of the crowds turn on him a couple of season's ago. Although he managed 27 appearances last season only 13 of those came in the league. He is comfortable at Right Back and Right Midfield and is a big powerful player. He would offer genuine competition for a starting berth and although not spectacular would be deemed a positive signing for the club.

Left Back- Erik Pieters £6 Million

Although the club already have Givet and Olsson at the club, neither player has always looked comfortable playing at left back. Olsson's main strengths are his forward burst which have proved fruitful for the team. Whilst Givet's distribution or lack of over lapping runs takes an attacking threat away from the team. Givet's future has been under the spotlight for a number of months with a move back to France muted.
Erik Pieters has been a revelation since joining PSV in 2008 and is now Hollands first choice left back. The Dutch league has always struggled to hold on to its better players and Pieters is already been linked with a move away. £6 Million could be enough to capture the player who PSV paid £2.5 Million for 3 years ago.
Known for being aggressive and attack minded Pieters would be deemed a top signing for a club of our stature, whilst being only 22 he would also rise in value if he can carry his current form into the rigours of the Premiership.

Centre Back- Jonny Evans £6 Million

With the departure of Phil Jones and the possible departure of Samba Rovers are finding themselves short of experienced options at the heart of their defence. Many players have been linked with moves to the club but one player who could be of interest to Rovers is Jonny Evans. The Manchester United centre back will ultimately now be 5th choice at United with Smalling and Jones waiting in the wings to replace Ferdinand or Vidic. Still only 23 Evans seems to have been around forever and has plenty of games under his belt, both at club level and Internationally. A bid of £6 Million would be enough to tempt United to sell and the player would welcome the opportunity for first team football. Blackburn could do a lot worse than Evans and he ticks all the right boxes being home grown and also only 23.

Centre Back- Steven Taylor £5 Million

The talented defender has had his injury problems in the past but his ability has never been in question. Former captain of the England under 21's Steven Taylor is now 25 and its not always been plain sailing for him at Newcastle. He asked for a transfer in 2010 after a breakdown in contract talks and a change of scenery may suit the player who came through the ranks at Newcastle. Taylor can play anywhere across the back four and being home grown is highly desirable. A sensible fee of a round £5 Million may be all it takes to get the player on board and his leadership qualities would certainly add a bit of steel to the squad.

Centre Midfield- Steven Defour £6 Million

Rovers have been heavily linked with his former team mate Axel Witsel, However Defour is the heart beat of the Standard Liege team and is their current captain. In July 2011 Defour was being linked with a move to Lokomotiv Moscow but rumours have since circulated that negotiations had broken down. English Premier League club Wigan Athletic are rumoured to have bid £6 million for the player. Which is a steal for a player who is just 23 and has over 30 caps for Belgium. Bigger clubs have been linked with him over the years and Manchester United have been keen followers of his development. Defour is described as a dynamic play maker with craft and vision and he would add so much to the Rovers midfield should we make a move for the player.

Centre Midfield- Leroy Fer £4 Million

Leroy Fer has already been capped by the Dutch national team and is only 21. Fer is a no nonsense defensive midfielder currently playing for Feyenoord in Holland, who has been likened to Patrick Viera. He is currently vice captain at his club and would not command a massive fee despite his potential. At 6ft 2 Inches Fer has played over 100 league games in the top flight of Dutch football scoring 13 goals. With Jermaine Jones return to Rovers looking ever increasingly unlikely due to the big fee being demanded by Schalke, Fer would be considered good value at just £4 Million especially with age on the players side.

Right Winger- Henri Saivet £2 Million

Saivet currently plays for Bordeaux but spent last season out on loan. At only 20 Saivet has much potential and Arsenal and Chelsea are just two of the clubs who have been linked with him in the past. Saivet is described as a player with the skill as Zidane, but with the pace and swagger of Henry. He has been capped at all levels from under 16's to under 21's by France and is highly rated over there. The club has never really replaced David Bentley and Hoillet's best form has come when he has played on the left hand side. At £2 Million Saivet would be a snip as he has the potential to be one of the next generation of World superstars.

Left Winger- Santi Cazorla £15 Million

Santi Cazorla would be deemed a marquee signing and one which is not impossible. Villareal are aware many clubs are weighing up bids for the Spanish international who is described as an out an out play maker. He can comfortably play down either wing or centrally and his vision to see a pass and change the pace of the game is amongst the best around at present. He has over 30 caps for Spain and has a keen eye for goal. Cazorla is now 26 and his best years are still ahead of him. He is not a player Villareal would happily sell and have tried to scare people off by slapping a £17.5 Million price tag on the player. However the player is keen to move to England and although Blackburn would not be his first choice of club, If the club can put the right deal on the table its not out of the question. Villareal would more than likely compromise on their valuation and £15 Million which is less than we got for Phil Jones could be easily financed by Rovers.

Striker- Lucas Barrios- £15 Million

After scoring 49 goals in 53 games for Colo-Colo Barrios Transferred in 2009 to Dortmund in Germany for a fee of just under £4 Million .He has had a similar impact in the Bundesliga in his two seasons their and is averaging more than a goal every other game. A Paraguay International is is equally as strong in the air as he is with the ball at his feet and has formed a potent partnership for the International team with Santa Cruz which is leaving Cardozo out in the cold. Dortmund are no longer the team of old and Barrios would welcome a move to the Premiership. He will also be well aware of Blackburn as a club due to being an International team mate of Santa Cruz who only has nice things to say about the club. A fee between £12 -15 Million would be enough to secure the players services and in some quarters he may be considered a Marquee style player.

Striker-Jermaine Defoe £8 Million

Defoe has been heavily linked this transfer window after it emerged Spurs were willing to let the England International go for a fee of around £8 Million. Defoe struggled for goals last season and found himself in and out of the side, however he excelled at international level and has 15 goals for England from over 40 caps. Defoe has scored goals wherever he has been and playing for a less fashionable club would not bother the player as it proved when he joined Portsmouth. Defoe is the type of player who just wants to play and if a club can offer him first team football he will be in the car to sign the deal. He would offer experience but most importantly he is a 20 goals a season player with regular football. He can be a fox in the box or can lash the home from 30 yards and would be a massive coup for the club. Rovers biggest weakness is up front and Defoe's capture would certainly put many an anxious fan at ease to where the goals are coming from next season.

So there we have it Rovers Revisited's 11 men who could make a difference if Steve Kean wishes to have some transfer pointers ahead of the new season.

Please feel free to leave comments on who you would like to see Rovers make a move for, after all the press has been coming up with bogus names for weeks

Blackburn to capture Pavone

2011-07-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

Blackburn Rovers are set to announce Mariano Pavone as their first significant signing of this window.

The once capped Argentinian will join the club on a Bosman Free transfer after spending much of last season on loan at River Plate from Real Betis. However following the Argentinian Giants relegation this past season the player who bought out his contractual rights from Betis in March 2011 for a fee of around 400,000 Euros has once again become a free agent.

Pavone, 29, arrived in Spain in 2007 from Estudiantes with a great goal-scoring reputation, but failed to shine and was put up for sale at the start of 2010. The player is now looking to rebuild his career in England and held talks with the club on Tuesday accompanied by his agent Ohne Berater and his family, The player also underwent a medical and the formalities of this transfer are expected to be completed today.

So who is Mariano Pavone?

* Pavone is a two footed striker who has 76 goals in 270 appearances which equates to a goal every 3.5 matches.

* He has 1 International cap which was in April 2007 against Chile

* He spent 7 years at Estudiantes finishing the top scorer in the Argentine league in 2005 with 16 goals

*He moved to Real Betis for €6.8 million in July 2007 and suffered relegation with them at the end of the 2008-2009 season

* A move to Catania in Italy fell through in February 2010 and the player eventually joined River plate on loan for the 2010-2011 season.

* Pavone would suffer his second career relegation as River plate where relegated at the end of the 2010-2011 season, Pavone misses a penalty in their final match.

I'm sure there will be mixed opinion on the imminent capture of Pavone and message boards up and down the country are already doing overtime. Some fans very disgruntled whilst others open minded. This is a shrewd move by Blackburn in my Opinion, The player is not a journey man and has only two full time clubs and a loan on his CV. Although things didn't work out for him Spain, he was at one of the more unfashionable clubs. Big players have gone to Betis in years gone by and failed due to the lack of quality within the squad. One player who springs to mind is Denilson , Real Betis broke the world record transfer fee when they paid Sao Paulo £21.5 million for his services following an impressive Copa America in 1997. Denilson was regarded in some quarters as one of the best players in the world however his time at Betis was not memorable with the player only showing glimpses of his brilliance before Real Betis were relegated.

The Pavone situation is very similar to that of Denilson's and despite River Plates relegation Pavone was one of their shining lights in what was a poor season for the club. Blackburn are not getting a player who has not featured for a season but a player who made 32 appearances whilst scoring 9 goals.

We also have to remember that Bosman signings are not free, So this is not a penny pinching exercise by the board, With all Bosman signings comes a large signing on fee, and as the player owns his own rights Rovers will still be paying a nice chuck to secure the player.

Other positives can be taken from this move, We already have Mauro Formica at the club who has yet to feature for the first team, and having a fellow countryman in the squad can only have a positive reaction on his development.

Pavone Will join fellow new recruits Myles Anderson and young Paraguayan Rodrigo Baez

Blackburn are also expected to hold talks with other players today as they look to tie up a few more in comings before the weekend whilst youngster Tom Hitchcock is due to join Plymouth Argyle on loan
.

Very difficult to remain patient?

2011-07-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

So far this summer its been one of the most interesting ever in terms of teams strengthening, unfortunately all the hype and excitement has been happening at other Premiership clubs and NOT Blackburn.

Add into the mix a certain website who likes to portray they have very close links with Blackburn Rovers and Venky's PR Machine - They have started a rumour on their message boards that Venky's have had enough and now wish to sell the club, They claim to have got this information from a very reliable source who has always been on the money for them in the past. They also say that they debated long and hard before putting the rumour on their site, However bar the site in question no-one else has touched the story, That includes other Rovers site's, The National press, or even sites which are renowned for making fairy tale stories.

The big problem with Rumours is they spiral out of control and any type of mud which can be thrown at it makes it spiral out of control, However is there any meat being put on the bone to support such claims?

I looked into this story myself and asked the question to the sources I use for getting information for Vital Blackburn and the answer was simple, Venky's are still very focused in taking this project to another level, They have organised a trip for the squad to Pune in a couple of weeks as they wish to introduce their new venture to the people of India. The family have a long term vision, although certain things have been an eye opener for them, due to no prior Knowledge of running a football club, They are not the type of people who run at the first sign of disappointment. They bought the club for cash and not borrowed money like so many other takeovers. Any money generated from sales included the Phil Jones money will be made immediately available to the manager for new players in addition to the budget which was already set a side.

There is a wide spread opinion that their inability to communicate with the fans is causing real problems, The clubs official website appears to be running very few stories despite taking hard earned cash for subscriptions, whilst season ticket sales have been very slow as many fans refuse to commit for the new season until all these questions are answered.

So are things really this bad and has optimism turned to despair?

Its easy to get frustrated when you see one of your best players sold to Manchester United whilst other clubs appear to be buying new blood ahead of the new season. The truth is Rovers did all they could to get Phil Jones to stay at Blackburn, but his mind was made up, He wanted to join a club who could challenge for Trophies now instead of years down the line. Would he of stayed had Big Sam still been in charge and we was under a different Administration? I very much doubt it, One thing which has always happened at Rovers is our better players have always jumped ship when a Bigger club has come calling, and this is mirror imaged at other clubs in our position up and down the Country.

If we look closely at the clubs who have actually bought players its mainly Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City who have been spending big, However these are clubs who have aspirations to win the league THIS season, of the other clubs Sunderland and Newcastle appear to be adding to their squads every other day, but have they really bought anyone who would wet the appetite had Rovers signed them instead?

Rovers hunt for players has hit somewhat of a brick wall in recent weeks, Clubs and Agents are asking the World for Players on their books, and although we all want to see new players being unveiled on a daily basis we can ill afford to jump in with two feet and buy the wrong player at an inflated price.

We have had reports that Rovers have anything between £5 Million and £50 Million to spend this summer on improving the squad and depending on what sources you believe this could include the wages/signing on fee's. Rovers have been linked with over 50 players in the press whilst there is targets which have not even hit the press rumour mill yet.

One player who looks certain to join Blackburn is Cédric Mongongu. The 22 year old Congo DR international has become available due to Monaco's relegation to the second tier of French football and will join for a fee in the region of £2.3 Million. The young Congolese defender's career has been monitored by some of Europe's elite clubs since his breakthrough into the first team at Monaco at the age of 20 and he has gone on to make other 70 appearances over the last couple of seasons. Those clubs include AC Millan, Juventus and Arsenal and this could prove very shrewd business for Rovers. The player has not suddenly come onto Rovers radar and he has been watched and monitored for many months, Rovers in fact made contact with the players representatives weeks ago when negotiations over a deal was put on the table, Mongongu will be the first of many new players which are expected to come through the door next week.

My stance has always been the same, Judge Venky's when the Transfer window closes at the end of August, They must be given at least this time to prove if they are Buyers or Liars, If September 1st 2011 comes and they have not fulfilled their promises then that is the time to ask the questions and have a full scale inquest, Unitil then I will remain with a glass half full mentality and remain hopeful that this window will be our best ever!

The Press playing the numbers game

2011-06-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

This summer transfer window is the strangest one that I can ever remember. The press seem to pull another name out of the hat on a daily basis to whom they think Rovers may be chasing, So far many of the names that have been mentioned have been a million miles wide of the mark.

If a player appears available then straight away he is linked to Rovers and its getting quite annoying, and is what I like to call "Lazy Journalism". Everyone likes to hear Rovers are chasing this player or are chasing that player, but that jubilation soon turns to despair as the rumour mill goes into overdrive and very few stories have any real substance in them.

Behind the scenes Rovers have been careful to keep their dealings away from the press, Some quarters of the press would have you believe that all is not well at Blackburn and no-one is making any decisions, Their evidence of this is simply they are not been told anything, However if you look at the facts, ever since Venky's took control of Blackburn they have been given a torrid time by the red tops.Whilst contract clauses ect have also appeared in the press which has helped engineer moves for players away from Ewood. Put yourself in Venky's shoes, Would you trust the press and risk letting the cat out of the bag so you find yourself in an auction for a target?

July 1st is when the business end of transfers commence, Players from oversea clubs are not eligible to join another club officially until that date. I have read the message boards and it appears that the press have inflicted widespread panic amongst Rovers fans. You need to remember many players are away on Holiday whilst others have had International commitments.

Signings are far closer to being done than the press would have you believe, The truth is, they don't know and need to sell papers, so many of the stories are fabricated in hope that they strike it lucky with a name so they can say a few weeks down the line that they brought you the news first.

I plead with all Rovers fans to keep the faith, and go with the flow, good things come to those who wait,

I'm getting tired of reading "I wouldn't pay that for him" or "He is not worth that" or "we should buy this one"

We have the largest transfer budget in the history of the club and the club intends to get value for money by bringing players in who can hit the ground running. They want to bring players both for the short term and the long term, but most importantly that are ready for the challenge which is the Premiership come August.

A senior source at the club has shared many things with me over the last few weeks which should give us all optimism for the future and due to the nature of the source I have to remain quiet at this point to the content of those discussions, However what I will say is take things with a pinch of salt what you are reading in the press or on message boards with quotes from the press, or it will just drive you crazy.

What next for Rovers?

2011-06-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

Message boards, Forums, Facebook and Twitter have been overloaded in the last 24 hours with posts from Blackburn Rovers fans who feel the heart has been ripped out of their club.

Blackburn held a meeting with Jones on Monday over his future when the player indicated that he would like to speak to other clubs over a potential move. Rovers reaction to this was of total shock especially as the player had only signed a new deal in January, Steve Kean was also worried that the minimum release clause which was put into his new deal would leave Rovers powerless should this figure be met. Rovers reacted by putting a new contract on the table which would of doubled Jones wages and made him one of the highest earners at Ewood, However Jones was adamant that he wished to consider his options. This was relayed back through the players agent to potential suitors and the bidding war began.

Now Rovers up to the this stage had put up a good fight to retain the services of the highly rated England under 21 International, Rovers did not need to sell and had no wish to sell.

Enquiries started coming in for the player as Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool all made enquiries and the bids were lodged, some where straight cash deals whilst other clubs tried tempting Rovers into action by offering players in exchange. It is rumoured that Spurs bid especially was made up of a number of players coming to Rovers as part of the deal, and Harry Rednapp confirmed that they were keen to add Jones to their squad.

Now when Steve Kean was really needed to pull out the stops to try and persuade Jones to stay he was too busy spending the day in court answering charges of "Driving under the influence of Alcohol". Whilst he was missing in action Liverpool and Arsenal triggered the release clause fee which allowed Jones to hold talks with both clubs. It would prove to be a busy day for Liverpool and ex Rovers Manager Kenny Dalglish who was also busy trying to negotiate the transfer of Jones International team mate Jordan Henderson from Sunderland. As Tuesday came to a close Liverpool had agreed terms for Henderson and it looked highly likely that Jones would also be joining the Merseyside club as he had no wish to leave the North West, which rules the other three runners from London out of the running. At the eleventh hour on Tuesday Night Manchester United asked for permission to speak to the player although no fee was agreed with United at this time.

On Wednesday with Kean on route to India to meet Rovers club owners Venkys and the bookies freezing bets on Jones joining Liverpool, Jones travelled to Manchester to hold talks with United and under went a medical. Whilst this was all going on United started pinging various offers to Rovers including offering players as part of the deal, but Rovers would not move on the clause and United finally agreed to meet the asking price for the player. Its being reported that the clause and figure was around £16 million pounds although a source has today told me that the deal is a club record for a fee received by Rovers. It is also rumoured that the medical did not go without a hiccup and United are currently waiting clearance from their insurance company before they complete the deal, this however is just a formality.

Blackburn had promised fans that Jones would not be sold but with the clause in place they were powerless, Many are asking the question why Rovers allowed such a clause? This is simple when Jones new contract was agreed it would of been at the request of the player and the players agent that such a clause existed especially after Rovers had already turned down bids of £8 Million pounds earlier in the season from both Arsenal and Chelsea. If Jones had not signed the deal in January then Rovers could of ended up selling the player for well below the figure they are going to receive and this would of been as big as blow as losing the player.

With Kean still in India the bad news appears not to have stopped there, With Arsenal missing out on Jones they have now turned their attentions back to Chris Samba. Arsene Wenger made tentative enquiries in January and has also made further enquires since the end of the season. With Samba also adding meat to the bones by stating that he is at the time of his career where he would like to be playing in Europe and for a club that can realistically win trophies this will only encourage Arsenal to try Rovers resolve with another bid. Blackburn and Arsenal at present are a million miles away in terms of the players valuation as Rovers do not want to sell their inspirational Captain for less than £12 Million whilst Arsenal who are renowned for being penny pincher's value the player at around £8 Million.

Is it a case of pay up or shut up? I wish that was the case, but Samba has already once in the last 6 months demanded a transfer and if Arsenal do place the bid then he is expected to once again demand a move if Rovers stand in his way. Again like Jones Blackburn are keen to hold onto the player and have no desire to sell, but as history proves once a player wants out its more of a case WHEN and not IF.

They say bad luck comes in three's and a source within the club has now put another spin on the Hoilett contract saga. Steve Kean said earlier in the season that Hoilett would be offered a new deal in the summer and he wanted him to concentrate on the job in hand which was helping Rovers stay up. It was strange that other players including Roberts signed new deals in January whilst Hoilett's, who has been the stand out performer this season was left despite him now only having a year to run on it. Hoilett spoke a few weeks ago, and said he was enjoying life at Rovers now he is enjoying regular football and he was looking forward to penning a new deal. Kean then went on record by saying he would be Travelling to Canada to discuss a new deal with Hoilett and his Father. That trip has to date not occurred or been arranged, and the other point to make on this is its the club that puts terms to the the players and not Managers. A strong source who has been reliable over the years in other news I have broke has today said "The deal has stalled, There are a number of clubs interested in Hoilett and think they can get him on the cheap due to him entering the final year of his contract". This is worrying and could potentially see Rovers losing their three best players from last season. Contract talks stalling is not something new and is usually rectified, However with Jones already outward bound this will undoubtedly have an effect on Hoilett's decision to re-sign, especially if Samba also joins Jones out the door. However another source questioned the validity of this claim as he said he had spoken with Martin Olsson who had told him that Hoilett is without question staying.

Rovers are beginning to feel the effects of having no chain of command on these shores, and with Venkys still running their operations from afar in India internal organisation seems to be slipping. Despite all the revelations at Blackburn over the last 48 hours there has been no official statement from the club, This has infuriated the fans as communication seems to have come to a stand still, and the only news being drip fed to the fans is coming out through the Red Tops and Sky.

So where does this leave Rovers?

Venkys have done a great Job over the last 8 Months of making statements then weeks down the line changing their mind,

They told us Sam would remain the Boss then 6 weeks later they sacked him!

They said they knew who the new Manager would be and Steve Kean would be in charge until the new man is appointed?

They said Kean would be in charge for the remainder of the season as they did not want to rush the appointment.

They then appointed Kean on a 2 and half year deal and said he would not be sacked under any circumstances?

They promised no players especially our young players will be sold as we are no longer a selling club

They have promised a substantial budget for new players and also promised that any money that is made from sales will be made available for new signings.

Now is the time to stop the talk and for Venkys to show their hand, The administration which served Rovers so well over the years when balancing the books to stay afloat has now gone. John Williams was always open about Rovers capabilities, which although was hard to take always left us under no illusion that the club would make every penny available which was physically possible without taking the club into major debt.

Venkys promised investment and that they would turn Rovers into a top 5 side, Now they have the opportunity to show the fans they mean business. If reports are to be believed then Blackburn now have at their disposal the biggest Transfer budget in the history of the club, This budget was decided long before the season ended and with now the added income of Jones pending sale, This puts Rovers in a strong position to compete for players which would of only been pipe dreams over the last few years. Venky's have already since their arrival made moves for big names in Beckham and Ronaldinho and although they were not successful and the club was ridiculed for their pursuit it gave a little belief that Rovers would continue to try and entice big name players to the club.

Steve Kean's admission that he would like to sign last season's loans, Cruz, Diouf and J Jones has not gone down well. As apart from Jermaine Jones its widely agreed that the other players did not do enough to warrant a permanent deal at the club. Rovers have also approached Sebastian Larsson who is available on a Bosman free transfer although Sunderland now look like favourites to sign the player. These type of signings are not getting many pulses racing and both Steve Kean and Venkys need to raise the bar by a lot if they are going to get the fans back on side. Most fans want Steve Kean out, whilst a number of fans also want Venkys out, There is a worry that Kean's inexperience of signing players could see either Rovers miss out on targets or that Kean will waste the money on players who are not of the desired quality to move the club forward, this could see Rovers once again fighting for their lives to remain in the Premiership come May 2012.

Now is the time for everyone to stand together and get behind the team and the Management, I know they have not done enough to warrant such support, but they took over during a season and they did say judge them in 12 Months. Rome was not built in a day and this is a marathon not a sprint. Lets wait and see who Rovers sign and how much they spend, and if they come up trumps then the last 48 hours will be a remembered as not the day it all fell apart but the day Rovers got a platform to build on the future. We all hurt when players leave who we adore, but no player is bigger than any team and when they have gone new hero's are born. Blackburn Rovers has existed for 136 years and in that time we have seen them come and go.

Blackpool Manager Ian Holloway was asked last season how he remained so upbeat and he replied

" I treasure everyday and love it, and each day you remain at a club as the Manager you are 1 day closer to the sack, One day the club will decide I'm no longer the Manager of Blackpool but that's life"

We must look forwards and not backwards, what has been cannot be changed and with a full summer to rebuild its a good time to be a Rovers Fan

Jones exit nears as Rovers agree £15 Million pound deal with United

2011-06-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

Phil Jones has today had his medical at Carrington ahead of a £15 Million pound move to Manchester United. Its been all systems go over the last 48 hours as Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, Manchester United went head to head to capture the highly rated England under 21 International. The player held talks with Wenger last night but as soon as it was evident that Ferguson wanted the player, Then Jones his mind was made up to stay in the North West.

This news will come as a blow to the majority of Rovers fans who have seen their club fall to pieces in the 6 months with so much uncertainty surrounding the new owners. However this was an episode which was always going to end in tears as it became public Knowledge that clause had been put in the young centre backs contract back in January. There will be many days of people trying to lay the blame at individuals doors, but the club had very little power, but to insert the clause or risk losing the player for much less than the reported agreed figure.

Steve Kean is currently on route to India to discuss Blackburn's own transfer activity and moves for players are expected to be imminent. Blackburn had already for casted their transfer budget long before the season ended and this was not dependant on sales. However the club have also indicated that should money be generated from sales that this would be added to any budget which has already been set aside.

There have been many conflicting reports over what has been made available to the Manager to spend, and many individuals are speculating, Reports of £5 Million plus bringing forward £5 Million forward from the January window is wide of the mark. A strong source who has always been 100% reliable has suggested to me that this figure is double that, and no figure's have been banded into the press officially from the club due to effect it would have on clubs bumping prices up. This untimely departure of Jones will also be a concern for Rovers as club's will automatically be holding Blackburn to ransom knowing that money is now available.

The news of Jones departure has already had agents trying to punt their clients to Blackburn as possible replacements, although Rovers will not be panic buying.

So where do we go from here?

When all the dust settles Rovers will find themselves minus one player, But on the other hand they will also find themselves with a much bigger than anticipated transfer budget, which will also open another window when it comes to paying wages. Rovers are in still in the market for a marquee player and despite Jones departure he is not a household name beyond these shores.
His departure will not have a negative effect on targets and provided those targets are in place before the start of pre-season it should not have a negative effect on the rest of the squad. Chris Samba has been heavily linked with a move away this summer, but that has cooled due to Rovers asking price and not many potential suitors.

Steve Kean has assured everyone that we will buy quality to prevent a repeat of last season when Rovers survived relegation on the final day of the season, and its important that as fans we allow him the opportunity to put his words into action. Its too easy to be critical today, and we must all look at the bigger picture. Blackburn now find themselves with the biggest transfer budget they have ever had in the history of the club, and its a time to be optimistic and excited that we can finally attract the right profile of players to Ewood Park

£16 Million is the figure

2011-06-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

After weeks of speculation surrounding club Captain Chris Samba's future it appears that has now cooled a little and all the talk is where Phil Jones is going to go.
News has come out today that the player has a £16 million pound release clause in the contract he signed in January, Which has come as a shock to many Rovers fans.
More intriguing in my opinion is "Who has let the cat out of the bag?"

Agents always play tricks at this time of the year to try and engineer moves for their clients, whilst it appears unlikely that the information has come directly from the club due to the obvious backlash it would cause from the fans towards the owners as their relationship is already a fragile one.

Other sources are claiming that this revelation has come via individuals close to the player which if this is the case would suggest that the player would like to move on and try his hand at a bigger club.

It's disappointing to think one of our own who has had lots of development and investment put into him since his arrival at the club as a young boy would be so quick to jump ship, especially as it has been quoted on many occasions that he is a fan of Blackburn.

Phil Jones has made a big impact since coming on the scene at Blackburn and has had many rave reviews for some of his performances, However it remains to be seen if any club is willing to match the £16 Million which will trigger the release clause.

Jones has remained tight lipped during the speculation over his future and the silence only add's to the speculation that he has played his last game in a Rovers shirt. If the player has decided he wants to leave then it would be best for all concerned if he goes now, So that any money we receive for the deal can be reinvested into the squad at an early stage of this transfer window.

Liverpool are the 4/5 Favourites to land the player which Arsenal next best in the market at 12-1, The bookies very rarely get these things wrong and it appears its only a matter if time before the youngster makes the move. The question is will it be a straight cash deal or will Rovers see this an opportunity to try and entice players from Liverpool as part of any deal? David Ngog has been linked with Rovers on numerous occasions over the last 12 months, Whilst Joe Cole has also been told he can leave Liverpool, but his injury problems are well highlighted. Steve Kean has made no secret he is in the market for a Striker and a Midfield player and Joe Cole's versatility may just fit the bill. A player comfortable down either wing or playing in an advanced midfield role is certainly something which will be of great interest to Rovers. The national press believe Cole could be available for as little as £3 Million and with Ngog thrown into the equation it may be that those 2 and £8 Million would trigger a positive response from Rovers to do Business. By taking the player plus cash option, It also opens up Rovers to have extra things tagged into the transfer deal such as, Sell on Clauses, Appearance for both club and Country Clauses and off course Trophy clauses should Liverpool go on to win any whilst Jones is their player.

Phil Jone's still lives at home and a move out of the Area seems very unlikely, as living alone at such a tender age for the first time may be too much especially with the pressure of having a big transfer tag on his head.

Is this good Business for Rovers? Only time will tell, If the money is reinvested into the playing staff with good quality then this could propel us up the table by quite a few places. Buying a striker has to be our priority, Defenders can be replaced but goalscorers win you matches and at present Rovers do not have a centre forward capable of getting in double figures for a season.

Finally I would like to say I don't think the club can be faulted for their efforts to try and keep the player, By getting the player to sign a new deal in January it gave Rovers a bigger bargaining tool for the summer as it was quite clear at this time that interest in the player would be renewed by clubs who had previously placed bids in the region of £8 Million pound. The player and players agent would of insisted on a release clause and the club had to play ball to ensure we didn't lose the player for well below his market value.

Can Rovers afford to let Jones Go?

2011-06-05T00:57:00.000-07:00

Its going to be an interesting summer with Rovers players being linked with moves elsewhere. The press love a good story and at this time of the season they link just about anyone with any club hoping that a few weeks down the line that they can say "We brought it to you first a few months back".

Samba and Jones are both being linked with big money moves as the so called bigger clubs look to rebuild for the new season. However its Phil Jones who I wish to write about.

Its around 18 months ago that the talented young defender made the breakthrough into the first team when former Manager Sam Allardyce took it upon himself to take a closer look at the Academy and the Reserves, Rovers had a few injury problems at the time and Big Sam was looking at what defenders we had at the club who could perhaps act as cover for the first team. The young boy from Leyland was the man Sam selected which at the time came as a surprise to so many, as other players from the younger ranks had shown far more ability and looked much closer to potential first team action at either Rovers or indeed on loan at a lower division club. Jones was a unknown quantity and being only 17 at the time many thought it was just Sam giving a young player an early opportunity to be part of a first team match day. I think its fair to say no-one would of expected the impact Jones would have on the First team and such a tender age, but due to circumstances he was thrust into first team action immediately and acquitted himself very well against the likes of Drogba. His early performances had tongues wagging around the Premiership especially as his early appearances where in front of the Sky Camera's. Already despite a handful of appearances teams like Arsenal where being linked with a big money move for the youngster. England recognition was soon forthcoming as Jones was named in the under 21 squad, and his value was inflating daily in the National press.

Last season Jones started life in centre midfield as Big Sam wanted to add another string to his bow and he did not look out of place, at just 18 he was playing regular Premiership football and the scouts continued to flock to Ewood. Following Sam's sacking Jones suffered a nasty injury which looked to have ended his season. This coincided with Rovers terrible form as the club edged closer to the relegation zone. Following Jone's earlier than anticipated return Rovers form improved remarkably and our Prem status was secured for another year.

Now all the talk is where will Jones be come August? Venky's have already stated the club no longer needs to sell players and that includes Jones. Rumours are that Steve Kean will have between £5 and £10 Million to spend this summer, it is also rumoured that any funds the club can generate from sales will also be given to Kean to improve the squad. Now here Lie's the question, with £10 million can Rovers realistically expect to be pushing for Europe in the 2011-2012 season? I would confidently say that is unlikely

However if Jones was to be sold and we had a war chest of £30 million then I would say that it would be a good possibility. My reasoning behind this is we could by 4 top players with £30 million whilst with just the £10 million on offer at present we may just sign last seasons loans. Jones is a good player, but is he just that? Rovers squad is currently lacking any real quality and maybe its more we want to believe he is the great hope, than him actually being so. As already mentioned other players were ahead of him at Rovers Academy but it was Jones who was given the chance. If Gunning had been given the same chance and had not been loaned out and ended the season at Motherwell maybe we would be having the same speculation about him today. As an individual who has seen both play at youth level, Gunning always stood out.

£20 Million good business or not? I would see this as great business for Rovers, Jones undoubtedly has potential but would you part with £20 million for potential when you could perhaps buy the finished product for much less elsewhere. Over the years our modern game has seen so many players being dubbed "The next Gazza" or "Next Shearer" but so many have fallen off the map after being in the spotlight for a couple of years. Player like Francis Jeffers, who went to Arsenal for Big Money, scored for England on his debut then suddenly fell back to Earth with a bang, and now at the age of 30 has no club after once again being released.

Jones has been a big plus for Rovers this year after so many off the squad have failed miserably to produce the goods, Its been a season where our young players have come to the fore and have put many seasoned Pro's to shame with their application.

The thing with young players is they have the hunger to succeed, but its down to the Management to decide if they are ready for the first team or surplus to requirements.

I today asked England under 21 Goalkeeper Frank Fielding -Who in your time at the academy at Rovers was regarded our best player or future prospect?

His answer - Joe garner was class when we were in the youth team together.

Joe Garner was a player Mark Hughes agreed to let go as competition for places at the time in the striking department was too great for the youngster to get a look in. After initially going to CarliseCarlise made the move permanent in the summer of 2007 for £140,000 which was then a club record fee for Carlise. The following season after scoring 14 goals for the Cumbrian side Garner joined Nottingham Forest for just over £1 million pounds, Its not quite worked out for Joe so far at Forest and he ended the current season out on loan at Scunthorpe where he hit 6 goals in 14 appearances

Football is about opinions and being in the right place at the right time for Garner it didn't happen for him at Rovers, Perhaps other youngsters like Gunning will also find themselves looking at pastures new to make a first team breakthrough. Jones has had the opportunity and taken it with both hands the question is "Is he really worth £20 million",