There is no doubt that there was plenty of attention focused on Blackburn last term, mostly for the wrong reasons. Protests were constantly made at Ewood Park for the removal of Steve Kean as manager and following the club’s relegation from the top flight, most people expected Rovers to finally remove Kean from his position.
As it turns out, they waited until they were sat in 3rd position in this division to make their decision – although officially Kean left by his own accord.
The Results
After starting the campaign with a dour 1-1 draw with Ipswich, Blackburn soon started to rack up the points and proceeded to win four of their next five games.
In fact, having drawn to Leeds in the middle of that run, Rovers soon established themselves as clear favourites for promotion and following that, many simply couldn’t believe the pressure that Kean started to come under following a 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough.
That was actually the club’s first loss of the season in the league although with the Ewood Park outfit fixed on fourteen points at this time, this was understood to be two fewer than a target set by the owners at the start of the season.
Following Kean’s exit, the club have proceeded to record draws against Charlton and Nottingham Forest and this means that they are now in 5th place at the time of writing.
The Summer Buys
Even though Blackburn’s owners have come in for plenty of criticism over recent months, few people can argue that they invested significant money in the transfer market over the summer.
Undoubtedly, the big purchase was Jordan Rhodes for a whopping £8m, although the former Huddersfield striker seems to be living up to his huge price tag having already scored three goals for his new club.
However, while that transfer has paid off, the acquisition of Leon Best certainly hasn’t, yet. Despite splashing out £3m on the Newcastle striker, Best has not played a single minute after suffering a serious knee injury in pre-season.
Players such as Dickson Etuhu and Danny Murphy have played a big part in Rovers’ midfield, while Nuno Gomes has perhaps raised a few eyebrows with his return of four goals, despite his advancing years.
Colin Kazim-Richards is another one who has certainly reaped the rewards in front of goal and he already looks like a warranted purchase following his two strikes.
The Verdict
There is no doubt that Blackburn hold a hugely talented squad for Championship level - perhaps the best in the division. Even though Steve Kean had his critics, few can argue that he made some impressive summer acquisitions and this has made Rovers into a very strong outfit.
However, how they perform depends entirely on the next appointment and while the likes of Alan Shearer and Tim Sherwood are both being suggested as potential candidates, whether or not these two possess the required experience for a promotion push would be debatable.
Therefore, this next appointment is absolutely massive for Blackburn Rovers.
Author Biography
Liam is a big fan of football and publishes a variety of betting offers to help fellow fans profit from the sport. As well as this, he also likes to watch horse racing, cricket and tennis.
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