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05-09-2008, 11:05 PM
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Banned
Join Date: May 2008
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Blackburn Rovers- Chasing A Dream
BLACKBURN ROVERS  Brief History Back at the top (1991-1994) Jack Walker's takeover was too late to save Rovers from finishing a dismal 19th in the Second Division at the end of the 1990-91 season, but the new owner had made millions of pounds available to spend on new players. Blackburn Rovers began the 1991-92 season with Don Mackay still manager, but he was soon sacked to make way for Kenny Dalglish - who had resigned as Liverpool manager some months earlier, after a six-year spell in charge had yielded five major trophies. Dalglish made several substantial signings during the season. After his appointment Rovers climbed the league, eventually opening up a significant gap at the top of the table. It seemed a foregone conclusion that Rovers would win the Second Division title, but an unexpected twist followed. Rovers lost six games in a row, causing them to fall out of the play-off places, but Rovers fought back and a 3-1 victory at Plymouth got Rovers to the final play off place. The club had got to the play-offs three times previously without success. The semi-final was against Derby County but Blackburn Rovers got off to a bad start as Derby went into a two nil lead. Rovers recovered strongly in the second half to win 4-2. A 2-1 Derby win in the second leg couldn't stop Blackburn Rovers reaching the play-off final at Wembley where they beat Leicester City 1-0 thanks to a Mike Newell penalty. Newell, a former Leicester striker, had missed most of the 1991-92 season due to a broken leg, but his stylish comeback was enough to book Blackburn Rovers place in the new Premier League for 1992-93 - ending 26 years outside the top flight. Rovers made headlines in the summer of 1992 by paying an English record fee of £3.5million for the 22-year-old Southampton and England centre forward Alan Shearer. Other expensive signings during the 1992-93 season included Chelsea defender Graeme Le Saux, Middlesbrough winger Stuart Ripley and Coventry striker Kevin Gallacher. An impressive Blackburn side remained in the title challenge for most of the season before finishing fourth in the final table, that season not quite enough for UEFA Cup place. Leeds midfielder David Batty and Southampton goalkeeper Tim Flowers were two key signings who helped Blackburn progress in 1993-94 and finish Premiership runners-up to arch rivals Manchester United. Rovers broke the English transfer fee record again a few weeks later when paying Norwich City £5million for 21-year-old striker Chris Sutton. Sutton's prolific striking partnership with Alan Shearer would be dubbed the "SAS", an acronym for "Sutton and Shearer" and the elite British special forces unit the SAS. Blackburn Rovers scored the 1000th goal in Premier League history. Mike Newell was on target in April 1993 in a 3-1 win at Nottingham Forest. Premiership champions (1994-1995) Early exits from the UEFA Cup, F.A Cup and League Cup were frustrating for Rovers in 1994-95, but turned out for the best as they could concentrate on the league and the challenge with arch rivals Manchester United for the Premiership title. During the season Blackburn Rovers suffered two highly controversial defeats to Manchester United. Firstly Henning Berg was wrongly sent off at Ewood Park with Rovers leading 1-0 as TV replays clearly showed he had won the ball from Lee Sharpe, with Eric Cantona equalising with the resulting penalty and Manchester United going on to win 4-2, and secondly an equaliser from captain Tim Sherwood was disallowed controversially at Old Trafford when Alan Shearer was ruled to have fouled Roy Keane in the build up, with United taking the game 1-0. Rovers led for most of the season but a 2-1 defeat at Dalglish's old club Liverpool on the final day of the season looked to have blown the club's dreams to pieces. But the news came through that their arch rivals Manchester United could only manage a 1-1 draw at West Ham United and the league title was back at the famous Blackburn Rovers for the first time since 1914. Jack Walker's dream had come true: within five years of buying the club, he had taken them from strugglers in the old Second Division to champions of the Premier League. Ray Harford era (1995-1997) Kenny Dalglish moved upstairs to the position of Director of Football at the end of the championship season, and handed over the reins to his assistant Ray Harford. Blackburn Rovers made a poor start to the 1995-96 season, and found themselves in the bottom half for most of the first half of the season. Rovers also struggled in the Champions League and finished bottom of their group with just four points. A 7-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on the day of the official opening of the redeveloped Ewood Park and a 4-1 win over Rosenborg (including a nine minute Mike Newell hat-trick, which is still the fastest hat-trick in Champions League history) were two highlights of an otherwise disappointing seasons. Alan Shearer was instrumental again, becoming the first striker to score more than 30 Premiership goals in three successive seasons. Blackburn Rovers improved as the season went on, finishing seventh in the Premiership and narrowly missing out on a UEFA Cup place. Alan Shearer was top goalscorer at Euro 96 and was linked to domestic and international clubs. The main talk in the national media was of Shearer joining hated rivals Manchester United. However Shearer was sold to hometown club Newcastle United for a then world record fee of £15million in the summer of 1996, and Rovers were unable to find a suitable replacement. A terrible start to the 1996-97 Premiership campaign saw Harford resign in late October with the club bottom of the division, having failed to win any of their first ten games. Relegation looked a real possibility, just two seasons after winning the league. The club immediately began the process of recruiting his replacement. On 16 December 1996 with Rovers hovering above the relegation zone, it was announced at an Ewood Park press conference that Sven-Gφran Eriksson had signed an "unconditional contract" with Rovers to take over as manager at the end of the season on 1 July 1997 when his contract with Italian Serie A club U.C. Sampdoria expired. The Swede had already visited Ewood Park and the club training facilities at Brockhall as well as sending representatives to watch Rovers' Premiership clashes on his behalf. It was hoped that the signing of Eriksson would usher in a new era of success after the continuing difficulties following Ray Harford's disappointing tenure as manager. "Not only do I want us to be a top club in this country, I want European football to be the norm for us", said club owner Jack Walker. "If we get support as high as we want it and the public back us in every way they can then we could even consider [redeveloping] the Walkersteel Stand".[2] Eriksson's move to Lancashire would not come to fruition, however. Renewed Hope & Downfall (1997-1999) Roy Hodgson joined the club from Inter Milan in the summer of 1997, and appeared to have had a positive effect on the club. He marked his arrival with the signings of highly rated Swedish striker Martin Dahlin and promising defender Stephane Henchoz. Chris Sutton and Kevin Gallacher led a prolific attack, and were able to help the team overcome the disappointing form of Dahlin, who struggled with a back injury. UEFA cup football was secured with a 6th place finish, and there were plenty of entertaining games, such as a 4-3 defeat to Leeds which saw all 7 goals coming within the first 32 minutes, and a 5-3 success over Leicester at Ewood Park. Although some of these results went against them, it summed up Hodgson's newly installed attacking ideology. With European football coming up, and the prospect of a title challenge on the horizon, things looked promising at the start of the 1998/99 season. However, Rovers made a poor start to the campaign and Hodgson was sacked in December less than an hour after a 2-0 home defeat to bottom side Southampton, a result that locked Rovers in the relegation zone. The £7.5m signing of young Southampton striker Kevin Davies was a disaster, with Davies only netting once, against Charlton in a rare win, in 24 games. To make matters worse, team captain and midfield enforcer Tim Sherwood was sold to Tottenham Hotspur, leaving the side without a leader. Brian Kidd, the hugely successful Manchester United assistant manager, was named as Hodgson's successor. However, he could not save them as the club slipped away, relegation was confirmed with a scoreless draw at home to Manchester United in the penultimate game of the season. So, just 4 years after lifting the Premiership title, Blackburn Rovers were now back in the second tier of English Football. The New Millennium 199900 was a massive disappointment for Rovers, who began the season as promotion favourites. Brian Kidd was sacked in October with the club hovering just above the Division One relegation zone, and first-team coach Tony Parkes was named caretaker manager once again. Parkes was eventually given the job on full-time time basis until the end of the season, but only remained in charge until March when the club appointed Graeme Souness as their new manager. The final humiliation of the season came in the form of a 1-4 home defeat to Manchester City, a result that secured them promotion, something Rovers should have but did not achieve. Jack Walker died just after the start of the 200001, and the club dedicated its promotion challenge in memory of their benefactor. Fittingly, they returned to the Premiership after a much improved season, albeit that they finished second to Fulham. Blackburn Rovers relied on the form of their young stars Matt Jansen, Damien Duff and David Dunn and on the performances of goalkeeper Brad Friedel, whom Souness had previously coached at Galatasaray and whom he signed on a free transfer when he arrived at Rovers. Return and League Cup glory The Jack Walker Stand during a matchIn 200102, Blackburn record signing Andy Cole was bought in for #8 million, as was Turkish playmaker Tu*** Kerimoglu, Italian hotshot Corrado Grabbi and full back Lucas Neill were signed to strengthen an already solid squad. With David Dunn and Damien Duff both shining, the season was a memorable one. More significantly, Blackburn Rovers won their first-ever League Cup by beating Tottenham Hotspur 21 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff - where Cole proved his worth by scoring the winning goal in the 69th minute after Matt Jansen had put Rovers in front. Their cup success meant a place in the UEFA Cup for 2002-03 The following season, Souness signed Dwight Yorke from Manchester United, as Matt Jansen was involved in a motor cycle accident during pre-season that left him with serious head injuries. Blackburn Rovers progress continued as they finished sixth on the last day, with an impressive 40 win away at Tottenham, to qualify for the UEFA Cup for the second season running. Again it was Duff and Dunn who shone brightest, while goalkeeper Brad Friedel was one of the league's best players, However, the club had to be content with a disappointing exit from the UEFA Cup to eventual finalists Celtic, despite this, the club went into the 2003-04 with great expectations. At the start of 200304 the sale of fan favourites Damien Duff and David Dunn meant that Rovers were always going to struggle to emulate the previous season's form. With transfer funds would be available, Souness replaced Duff with the highly rated Australian winger Brett Emerton from Feyenoord and Stephen Reid, while Lorenzo Amoruso, the Rangers defender, was also signed. Henning Berg was among the other departures. The season started promisingly, as newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers were defeated 5-1 at Ewood. The signing of Rangers captain Barry Ferguson for £7.5 million prompted talk of a surprise title challenge. However, results dipped, and the club began a long sequence of home defeats that left them in towards relegation danger. Souness's job was put on the line, and the club eventually were left needing a late turnaround, inspired by little known striker Jon Stead, to avoid relegation back to the English first division. 15th place was secured by a run of 4 wins from the final 6 games, sparked by a 4-3 victory at Fulham. Mark Hughes era (2004-200  Souness left just after the start of 2004-05 to take charge at Newcastle. Rovers appointed Welsh national coach Mark Hughes as his successor, a key player in the club's promotion and League Cup successes a few seasons earlier. Hughes secured Rovers Premiership survival for the 200405 season as well as an FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, with Rovers finishing 15th once again, with Hughes's arrival coinciding with the team becoming one of the most solid teams in the league, thanks to astute signings such as Ryan Nelsen and Aaron Mokoena, and good motivational skills. He was able to strengthen the setup for 200506 with the £3.2 million transfer of much sought-after Wales international striker Craig Bellamy from Newcastle United. Following a 10 victory over league champions Chelsea F.C., Blackburn Rovers secured the 6th place in the league and a spot in the UEFA Cup for the 200607 season - their third European qualification in five years, and their sixth foray into Europe since 1994. After qualifying for Europe, Rovers signed South African striker Benni McCarthy from Porto as a replacement for the departed Craig Bellamy. Blackburn Rovers finished top of their group and were drawn against Bayer Leverkusen; they suffered a narrow 32 defeat in the first leg of their tie against Bayer Leverkusen, but a 00 draw in the second leg saw them bow out of the competition. The club was busy during the January transfer window, signing David Dunn, Stephen Warnock, Christopher Samba and Bruno Berner. Rovers reached the Semi Final of the FA Cup in 2007, they defeated Everton, Luton, Arsenal (after replay) and Manchester City. However they would go on to be defeated by Chelsea in the semi-final, with the game going into extra time. Rovers finished the season 10th in the league, with McCarthy netting 18 league goals. The club also qualified for the Intertoto Cup, which they successfully came through. To prepare for the 200708 season Rovers invested in three new players, signing Paraguay international Roque Santa Cruz from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, Dutch under-21 star Maceo Rigters and young goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen. Blackburn would be knocked out of the UEFA Cup by greek team Larissa, and also suffer a defeat to Coventry, in the FA Cup. Rovers confirmed an application to the following season's Intertoto competition. However, Blackburn lost 4-1 to Birmingham City on the final day of the season to deny them the Intertoto spot, which went to Aston Villa. Rovers ended in a respectable 7th. position in the Premiership, their third consecutive top half finish. Paul Ince era (2008-) In May 2008, Mark Hughes left the club for the vacancy at Manchester City . Several names were mooted to replace Hughes, including former players Mike Newell and Alan Shearer. Other managers linked included Henk Ten Cate, former England Manager Steve McClaren and former Rangers boss **** Advocaat, former Newcastle United and Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce and Paul Ince, who took Milton Keynes Dons to the League Two title in 200708, was also linked with the manager's job. On 19 June 2008. On 22 June 2008, it was officially confirmed by the Blackburn Rovers website that Ince had indeed been brought in to manage Rovers, signing a 3 year deal at the club. Ince was presented to the media on Tuesday 24 June. Ince's first job though as the Blackburn manager was to persuade some of the wantaway players to stay. On 4 July, Ince signed experienced coach Archie Knox, who will be taking over as first team coach for the oncoming season. Before the start of the 2008/09 season, regular goalkeeper Brad Friedel and England international winger David Bentley left the club. Goalkeeper Paul Robinson then became Ince's first signing on the 25 July for a fee of £3.5 million. Club Honours 1994-1995 Premiership Champions 1884,1885,1886,1890,1891,1928 FA Cup winners 1882,1960 FA Cup runners-up 1959 FA Youth Cup winners 1998, 2000 FA Youth Cup runners-up 2002 League Cup winners 1987 Full Members Cup winners 1912 Charity Shield winners 1882,1883,1884,1885,1896,1901, 1902,1904,1907,1909,1911, 1945,1983,1985,1987,1989 Lancashire Senior Cup winners 1993-94 Premier League runners-up 1911-12, 1913-14 League division 1 (now Premier League) champions 2000-01 League division 1 (now the Championship) runners-up 1938-39 League division 2 (now the Championship) champions 1957-58 League division 2 runners-up 1974-75 League division 3 (now League One) champions 1979-80 League division 3 runners-up Managers 1884-1896 Thomas Mitchell 1896-1903 Joseph Warmsley 1903-1925 Robert Middleton 1922-1926 Jack Carr 1926-1930 Bob Crompton 1931-1936 Arthur Barritt 1936-1938 Reg Taylor 1938-1941 Bob Crompton 1944-1947 Eddie Hapgood 1947 Will Scott 1947-1949 Jack Bruton 1949-1953 Jackie Bestall 1953-1958 Johnny Carey 1958-1960 Dally Duncan 1960-1967 Jack Marshall 1967-1970 Eddie Quigley 1970-1971 Johnny Carey 1971-1973 Ken Furphy 1974-1975 Gordon Lee 1975-1978 Jim Smith 1978 Jim Iley 1978-1979 John Pickering 1979-1981 Howard Kendall 1981-1986 Bobby Saxton 1987-1991 Don Mackay 1991-1995 Kenny Dalglish 1995-1996 Ray Harford 1997-1998 Roy Hodgson 1998-1999 Brian Kidd 2000-2004 Graeme Souness 2004-2008 Mark Hughes 2008- Paul Ince Managers Since 1991 with time started to time left Paul Ince June 2008 Present Mark Hughes September 2004 June 2008 Graeme Souness March 2000 September 2004 Brian Kidd December 1998 November 1999 Roy Hodgson June 1997 November 1998 Ray Harford June 1995 October 1996 Kenny Dalglish October 1991 June 1995 Current Manager  Paul Ince Stadium Information Name- Ewood Park Records Record Attendance: 62,522 v Bolton Wanderers, 2 March 1929 (FA Cup 6th Round). Average attendances 2003-04: 24,376 2004-05: 22,315 2005-06: 21,015 2006-07: 21,275 2007-08: 23,369 The average attendance for 2006-07 was approximately 21,275. This represents a 5,000 decline in average attendance in just four years, despite the success experienced by Blackburn Rovers in the 2005-06 Premiership. Rovers have taken action to reverse this by reducing ticket prices by 25% for the coming season, a move which has been commended by everyone involved in the game. An adult Season ticket now costs £250.00 in the Fraser Eagle Stand, £300.00 in the Blackburn End, and £350.00 in the Jack Walker Stand, Adult Matchday Prices Range from £15.00 to £35.00 Jack Walker Stand The Jack Walker Stand view from the Darwen End Formerly the Nuttall Street Stand, this stand carries the name of Jack Walker, former club owner. It has 11,000 seats and is one of three stands extensively rebuilt for the modern premiership. This stand contains the home/away dressing rooms and media/conferencing facilities. Prior to the most recent rebuild the stand was renewed back in 1984 after a fire in the summer months, this was two banks of executive boxes. Blackburn End Capacity 8000 seats, constructed in the early 1990s, and as its name suggests the stand nearest Blackburn town centre. The boardroom in the Nuttall Stand was dismantled piece by piece and, when rebuilding was finished, reassembled in the Blackburn End. Rovers fans consider this to be the main stand of the ground. Riverside Stand The newly-named for 2007-08 season Fraser Eagle Stand provides 5,000 seats and is now the only part of Ewood Park to date from before the 90s. It was rebuilt in the 80s after being deemed unsafe in high winds. The steel for this construction was provided by Walkersteel, then owned by Jack Walker, who was later to buy the club. Darwen End 8000 seats, houses away supporters in a two tier stand mirroring the Blackburn End. Location-Blackburn Lancashire England Built-1882 Opened-1882 Capacity-31,367 Field dimensions 115 x 76 yards Tenants Blackburn Rovers (1890-present)  (Aerial view of Ewood Park)  (Inside view of Ewood Park) Current Strip Home  Away 
Last edited by Nino; 05-09-2008 at 11:25 PM.. |
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