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Now, where can I start? Well, Blackburn are a first division side in Lancashire and are aiming for promotion this time around after failing to do so last year where they ended up in an abysmal 12th place at the end of the season.
This year has been very different though. Blackburn Rovers are one of the most ambitious clubs in the country and they will, in my honest and most truthful opinion, get promoted back into the Premiership because that is where they belong. This is their second year in division one and are currently the most in form team in this league and they are now in a very respectable 2nd place - but Bolton seem to be the only team that could upset them now - let's hope Crewe win tonight! OK so they won't catch Fulham now that they have been crowned the Champions, but I'm confident of them getting an automatic promotion place.
I think that credit should be given where credits due and so I give respect to the whole Blackburn playing and managerial side as well as to all of the great coaches at Blackburn - namely Tony Parkes and the rest. They didn't get off to a great start, but Graeme Souness has firmly grabbed hold of the reigns and is steering them in to the top flight! Just 5 games to go! Each point, each goal - every second of play is crucial.
Blackburn did seem to be suffering this season mainly because of the sad loss of Jack Walker, Blackburn's chairman, owner and biggest supporter of the club. Jack fought a short battle against cancer but was always as involved with the club whenever he could. Jack Walker was incredibly well respected by all the players, staff and supporters and his death did have an impact on Blackburn and their performances. Blackburn has often been described as 'the club that Jack built' as he put a great deal of money into rebuilding the side and stadium as well as a brand new state of the art youth academy (which has been voted the best in the country), and I think that its a great idea to have a statue in commemoration for such a great man.
I think that the last half of the season's results speak for themselves Blackburn have lost around 3 games in division one, and nearly always been the better side even when losing - they should never have lost against Fulham! I hope that this great run of form continues (I'm sure it will) and I look forward to seeing Blackburn over take Watford and Fulham in the not to distant future.
Blackburn Rovers have Graeme Souness as their manager and in my view he has completely revitalised the team as a whole. Last season he took over from Tony Parkes (who was in an acting manager role - he's the assistant manager) after Brian Kidd was sacked two thirds of the way through the season. Before Brian Kidd took over there was Roy Hodgson (recently in the news over speculation about the England Manager's position) who in turn took over from Ray Harford, and of course Kenny Dalglish who was in charge when Blackburn won the FA Carling Premiership Trophy back in 1995 (what a great year that was for Blackburn!). In between the various appointments and sackings of these managers Tony Parkes has always stepped in to the Manager position (from his regular assistant managing role) and kept Blackburn away from any danger.
When Blackburn got relegated in 1998 from the premiership they had Roy Hodgson and Brian Kidd to blame in my view. Both managers showed that they could not do the job properly (especially Kidd) and so Division 1 beckoned. Now, after last year's mishaps, Blackburn are on the road to promotion - they even believe this strongly and have put a strong message out to fans that if they do not reach the playoffs then Season Ticket holders will get a large rebate and a deduction on next year's prices. But, it's now mathematically impossible for Blackburn not to finish in a top 4 position. With Graeme Souness in charge we have a very experienced manager who has had managerial spells at Rangers, Liverpool, Southampton and Benefica, so I'm sure he is the right man for the job.
What about the stadium? Ewood Park is the actual name of the stadium which has a very respectable 31000 + capacity. The stadium is a very modern one with 3 fairly recent stands: The Darwen end stand, The Blackburn End stand and the Jack Walker stand. The 4th stand is the oldest and smallest (the other 3 stands really show this up) and it's called the Walker steel stand (Both after Jack walker of course).
I've been to see around 5 matches at Ewood Park, but it's a long way away from me, so I rarely get the opportunity. There's a 'Rover the Moon' Blackburn shop and a McDonald's restaurant nearby, so there's enough things to spend your money on. The shop is really nice, and has only recently been built.
Blackburn now have the biggest average attendence in the division standing at just over 21,000 after a superb crowd of 29,500 + saw them beat Huddersfield on Monday. Let's hope that sort of figure is more common place when they reach the Premiership once more.
Now, moving on to the players: past and present. As with any football team it's all very well having vast amounts of money, but if you don't have the right training facilities for the players, and indeed the right players themselves, then you're going to struggle. In Blackburn's championship winning era they had a lot of quality players from the legendary Alan Shearer (at Newcastle) to the injury prone David Batty who is now (resting) at Leeds United. There were so many great players during 1993-1995 but nearly all of them have left for other clubs. In fact, I think the only remaining player that was part of that 1995 Premier League winning side is Jeff Kenna (and of course Henning Berg who has only recently moved back to Blackburn from Man United). We had: Tim Sherwood (now at spurs), Tim Flowers (Leicester), Chris Sutton (Celtic), David Batty (Leeds), Jason Wilcox (Leeds), Stuart Ripley (Barnsley), Graeme Le Saux (Chelsea), Alan Shearer (Newcastle), Colin Hendry (Coventry), Mike Newell (retired?), Ian Atkins, Ian Pearce (West Ham, I think), Paul Warhurst (Huddersfield? I'm not sure), Kevin Gallacher (Newcastle). There were many more, but these were the first team main players of 1995.
It's a great shame that so many quality players have left Blackburn, but I will always remember the day when I was listening to an the car radio of the dying few minutes of the West Ham v Man United and Liverpool v Blackburn games in May 1995. I thank you West ham for Drawing with Man United, because Liverpool actually won 2-1 at Anfield on that day, but we still won the league! I truly believe that the majority of the players I have just mentioned were in their prime at Blackburn, and had the best games of their careers in those famous Blue and White shirts; Alan Shearer scored around a hundred goals for the club, scoring 30 goals in 3 consecutive seasons I think (1993-1996).
But now the team is completely different, and I feel that there are some really impressive youngsters at the club, who could develop into world-class players. The current team is very large, with 4 very good quality keepers in the USA international Brad Friedel (just signed from Liverpool), Alan Kelly (Rep of Ireland number 1 or 2 keeper), John Filan who is in great form (the Australian number 2 I believe) and Alan Miller who signed last season as a relief keeper (from WBA) when everyone got injured. There's also a reserve keeper whose name I cannot remember (sorry!).
The Blackburn defence is very strong at the moment; there's the new boy John Curtis who came from Manchester United (he'll undoubtedly be in the England side soon), Henning Berg (back from United), Stig Inge Bjornabe (you might remember him from Liverpool, but he actually signed from Benefica), Craig Short (Everton reject!), Marlon Broomes (a very talented young defender who has made his way through the reserves and youth teams into the first).
The midfield isn't too bad either with the fantastic Alan Mahon, Eyal Berkovich, the amazing England U21 superstar David Dunn (who has scored 17! This season!), Jason McAteer is still around somewhere I suspect, Damien Duff (left wing) is a very highly rated Irish international who improves with every game, Keith Gillespie (from Newcastle) is a very able and skilful right winger, and there are lots of youth team players who will soon be in the full team - watch out for Burton O'Brien (already a South African international U21!). Garry Flitcroft is the skipper, and scored the other day with a great little nutmeg!
Blackburn's strike force is also of a very high standard. Matt Jansen is the youngest and most promising player up front who is currently scoring a lot of goals - 21 I believe, Nathan Blake has managed to fight his way into the team and has scored around 6 so far this year despite being told he did not fit in with Graeme Souness' plans (in my view this shows great determination - well done Nathan - although where has he gone now?), Egil Ostenstad (who swapped clubs with Kevin Davies in a very complicated transfer fiasco) is a proven goal scorer and will probably excel for the club early next year. Craig Hignett has joined from Barnsley and has already played in some very entertaining matches; he scored against Stockport in the final minute of time to win the points back for Blackburn. I'm sure he'll do well in the next couple of seasons. Ben Burgess is also another youngster to look out for! He’ll be the next Michael Owen I think, or maybe not, and the newest addition - Marcus Bent who's heading ability is up there with the very best.
Finally, we now have MARK HUGHES!!! How great is that! Well, Mark has already made his mark with 3 goals in 3 league appearances when he joined - most of them were spectacular volleys. Even if he is 37, he really is a great asset for any football club. In my view he's definitely worth more than he's transfer fee (he moved on a free transfer.) He's always getting 20mins at the end of the match, and is a very worthy player.
That just about rounds things up, as you may or may not have read (thoroughly), Blackburn Rovers are a very good side with great potential, and I can honestly see them being a top 10 premiership club next season.
-----------------------------------
CUP RUN:
"Wow! Can you believe it? If, like me you don’t have Sky sports then you may well have turned to ceefax page 302 after tonight’s FA Cup games to find out the result of your team! I was delighted to see that Blackburn Rovers, who drew back at home, actually WON against Premiership improvers Derby County – at Pride Park! What a result, in fact it was an emphatic result with the Rovers winning 5-2!!!!"
"Matt Jansen put his name on the score sheet alongside the fantastic Marcus Bent, David Dunn and Gary Flitcroft! Brilliant result for the team that I support"
Anyway, Blackburn managed to get themselves knocked out convincingly 3-0 by Arsenal, but they made it to the quarter finals!
I think they’ll make automatic promotion – I honestly believe they have the talent, the effort and commitment to keep ahead of Bolton.There’s no way Fulham will be caught, but I’m confident that Blackburn can get the 2nd automatic promotion!
Cheers again
Dan2k1
This year has been very different though. Blackburn Rovers are one of the most ambitious clubs in the country and they will, in my honest and most truthful opinion, get promoted back into the Premiership because that is where they belong. This is their second year in division one and are currently the most in form team in this league and they are now in a very respectable 2nd place - but Bolton seem to be the only team that could upset them now - let's hope Crewe win tonight! OK so they won't catch Fulham now that they have been crowned the Champions, but I'm confident of them getting an automatic promotion place.
I think that credit should be given where credits due and so I give respect to the whole Blackburn playing and managerial side as well as to all of the great coaches at Blackburn - namely Tony Parkes and the rest. They didn't get off to a great start, but Graeme Souness has firmly grabbed hold of the reigns and is steering them in to the top flight! Just 5 games to go! Each point, each goal - every second of play is crucial.
Blackburn did seem to be suffering this season mainly because of the sad loss of Jack Walker, Blackburn's chairman, owner and biggest supporter of the club. Jack fought a short battle against cancer but was always as involved with the club whenever he could. Jack Walker was incredibly well respected by all the players, staff and supporters and his death did have an impact on Blackburn and their performances. Blackburn has often been described as 'the club that Jack built' as he put a great deal of money into rebuilding the side and stadium as well as a brand new state of the art youth academy (which has been voted the best in the country), and I think that its a great idea to have a statue in commemoration for such a great man.
I think that the last half of the season's results speak for themselves Blackburn have lost around 3 games in division one, and nearly always been the better side even when losing - they should never have lost against Fulham! I hope that this great run of form continues (I'm sure it will) and I look forward to seeing Blackburn over take Watford and Fulham in the not to distant future.
Blackburn Rovers have Graeme Souness as their manager and in my view he has completely revitalised the team as a whole. Last season he took over from Tony Parkes (who was in an acting manager role - he's the assistant manager) after Brian Kidd was sacked two thirds of the way through the season. Before Brian Kidd took over there was Roy Hodgson (recently in the news over speculation about the England Manager's position) who in turn took over from Ray Harford, and of course Kenny Dalglish who was in charge when Blackburn won the FA Carling Premiership Trophy back in 1995 (what a great year that was for Blackburn!). In between the various appointments and sackings of these managers Tony Parkes has always stepped in to the Manager position (from his regular assistant managing role) and kept Blackburn away from any danger.
When Blackburn got relegated in 1998 from the premiership they had Roy Hodgson and Brian Kidd to blame in my view. Both managers showed that they could not do the job properly (especially Kidd) and so Division 1 beckoned. Now, after last year's mishaps, Blackburn are on the road to promotion - they even believe this strongly and have put a strong message out to fans that if they do not reach the playoffs then Season Ticket holders will get a large rebate and a deduction on next year's prices. But, it's now mathematically impossible for Blackburn not to finish in a top 4 position. With Graeme Souness in charge we have a very experienced manager who has had managerial spells at Rangers, Liverpool, Southampton and Benefica, so I'm sure he is the right man for the job.
What about the stadium? Ewood Park is the actual name of the stadium which has a very respectable 31000 + capacity. The stadium is a very modern one with 3 fairly recent stands: The Darwen end stand, The Blackburn End stand and the Jack Walker stand. The 4th stand is the oldest and smallest (the other 3 stands really show this up) and it's called the Walker steel stand (Both after Jack walker of course).
I've been to see around 5 matches at Ewood Park, but it's a long way away from me, so I rarely get the opportunity. There's a 'Rover the Moon' Blackburn shop and a McDonald's restaurant nearby, so there's enough things to spend your money on. The shop is really nice, and has only recently been built.
Blackburn now have the biggest average attendence in the division standing at just over 21,000 after a superb crowd of 29,500 + saw them beat Huddersfield on Monday. Let's hope that sort of figure is more common place when they reach the Premiership once more.
Now, moving on to the players: past and present. As with any football team it's all very well having vast amounts of money, but if you don't have the right training facilities for the players, and indeed the right players themselves, then you're going to struggle. In Blackburn's championship winning era they had a lot of quality players from the legendary Alan Shearer (at Newcastle) to the injury prone David Batty who is now (resting) at Leeds United. There were so many great players during 1993-1995 but nearly all of them have left for other clubs. In fact, I think the only remaining player that was part of that 1995 Premier League winning side is Jeff Kenna (and of course Henning Berg who has only recently moved back to Blackburn from Man United). We had: Tim Sherwood (now at spurs), Tim Flowers (Leicester), Chris Sutton (Celtic), David Batty (Leeds), Jason Wilcox (Leeds), Stuart Ripley (Barnsley), Graeme Le Saux (Chelsea), Alan Shearer (Newcastle), Colin Hendry (Coventry), Mike Newell (retired?), Ian Atkins, Ian Pearce (West Ham, I think), Paul Warhurst (Huddersfield? I'm not sure), Kevin Gallacher (Newcastle). There were many more, but these were the first team main players of 1995.
It's a great shame that so many quality players have left Blackburn, but I will always remember the day when I was listening to an the car radio of the dying few minutes of the West Ham v Man United and Liverpool v Blackburn games in May 1995. I thank you West ham for Drawing with Man United, because Liverpool actually won 2-1 at Anfield on that day, but we still won the league! I truly believe that the majority of the players I have just mentioned were in their prime at Blackburn, and had the best games of their careers in those famous Blue and White shirts; Alan Shearer scored around a hundred goals for the club, scoring 30 goals in 3 consecutive seasons I think (1993-1996).
But now the team is completely different, and I feel that there are some really impressive youngsters at the club, who could develop into world-class players. The current team is very large, with 4 very good quality keepers in the USA international Brad Friedel (just signed from Liverpool), Alan Kelly (Rep of Ireland number 1 or 2 keeper), John Filan who is in great form (the Australian number 2 I believe) and Alan Miller who signed last season as a relief keeper (from WBA) when everyone got injured. There's also a reserve keeper whose name I cannot remember (sorry!).
The Blackburn defence is very strong at the moment; there's the new boy John Curtis who came from Manchester United (he'll undoubtedly be in the England side soon), Henning Berg (back from United), Stig Inge Bjornabe (you might remember him from Liverpool, but he actually signed from Benefica), Craig Short (Everton reject!), Marlon Broomes (a very talented young defender who has made his way through the reserves and youth teams into the first).
The midfield isn't too bad either with the fantastic Alan Mahon, Eyal Berkovich, the amazing England U21 superstar David Dunn (who has scored 17! This season!), Jason McAteer is still around somewhere I suspect, Damien Duff (left wing) is a very highly rated Irish international who improves with every game, Keith Gillespie (from Newcastle) is a very able and skilful right winger, and there are lots of youth team players who will soon be in the full team - watch out for Burton O'Brien (already a South African international U21!). Garry Flitcroft is the skipper, and scored the other day with a great little nutmeg!
Blackburn's strike force is also of a very high standard. Matt Jansen is the youngest and most promising player up front who is currently scoring a lot of goals - 21 I believe, Nathan Blake has managed to fight his way into the team and has scored around 6 so far this year despite being told he did not fit in with Graeme Souness' plans (in my view this shows great determination - well done Nathan - although where has he gone now?), Egil Ostenstad (who swapped clubs with Kevin Davies in a very complicated transfer fiasco) is a proven goal scorer and will probably excel for the club early next year. Craig Hignett has joined from Barnsley and has already played in some very entertaining matches; he scored against Stockport in the final minute of time to win the points back for Blackburn. I'm sure he'll do well in the next couple of seasons. Ben Burgess is also another youngster to look out for! He’ll be the next Michael Owen I think, or maybe not, and the newest addition - Marcus Bent who's heading ability is up there with the very best.
Finally, we now have MARK HUGHES!!! How great is that! Well, Mark has already made his mark with 3 goals in 3 league appearances when he joined - most of them were spectacular volleys. Even if he is 37, he really is a great asset for any football club. In my view he's definitely worth more than he's transfer fee (he moved on a free transfer.) He's always getting 20mins at the end of the match, and is a very worthy player.
That just about rounds things up, as you may or may not have read (thoroughly), Blackburn Rovers are a very good side with great potential, and I can honestly see them being a top 10 premiership club next season.
-----------------------------------
CUP RUN:
"Wow! Can you believe it? If, like me you don’t have Sky sports then you may well have turned to ceefax page 302 after tonight’s FA Cup games to find out the result of your team! I was delighted to see that Blackburn Rovers, who drew back at home, actually WON against Premiership improvers Derby County – at Pride Park! What a result, in fact it was an emphatic result with the Rovers winning 5-2!!!!"
"Matt Jansen put his name on the score sheet alongside the fantastic Marcus Bent, David Dunn and Gary Flitcroft! Brilliant result for the team that I support"
Anyway, Blackburn managed to get themselves knocked out convincingly 3-0 by Arsenal, but they made it to the quarter finals!
I think they’ll make automatic promotion – I honestly believe they have the talent, the effort and commitment to keep ahead of Bolton.There’s no way Fulham will be caught, but I’m confident that Blackburn can get the 2nd automatic promotion!
Cheers again
Dan2k1
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
Now, where can I start? Well, Blackburn are a first division side in Lancashire and are aiming for promotion this time around after failing to do so last year where they ended up in an abysmal 12th place at the end of the season.
This year has been very different though. Blackburn Rovers are one of the most ambitious clubs in the country and they will, in my honest and most truthful opinion, get promoted back into the Premiership because that is where they belong. This is their second year in division one and are currently the most in form team in this league and they are now in a very respectable 2nd place - but Bolton seem to be the only team that could upset them now - let's hope Crewe win tonight! OK so they won't catch Fulham now that they have been crowned the Champions, but I'm confident of them getting an automatic promotion place.
I think that credit should be given where credits due and so I give respect to the whole Blackburn playing and managerial side as well as to all of the great coaches at Blackburn - namely Tony Parkes and the rest. They didn't get off to a great start, but Graeme Souness has firmly grabbed hold of the reigns and is steering them in to the top flight! Just 5 games to go! Each point, each goal - every second of play is crucial.
Blackburn did seem to be suffering this season mainly because of the sad loss of Jack Walker, Blackburn's chairman, owner and biggest supporter of the club. Jack fought a short battle against cancer but was always as involved with the club whenever he could. Jack Walker was incredibly well respected by all the players, staff and supporters and his death did have an impact on Blackburn and their performances. Blackburn has often been described as 'the club that Jack built' as he put a great deal of money into rebuilding the side and stadium as well as a brand new state of the art youth academy (which has been voted the best in the country), and I think that its a great idea to have a statue in commemoration for such a great man.
I think that the last half of the season's results speak for themselves Blackburn have lost around 3 games in division one, and nearly always been the better side even when losing - they should never have lost against Fulham! I hope that this great run of form continues (I'm sure it will) and I look forward to seeing Blackburn over take Watford and Fulham in the not to distant future.
Blackburn Rovers have Graeme Souness as their manager and in my view he has completely revitalised the team as a whole. Last season he took over from Tony Parkes (who was in an acting manager role - he's the assistant manager) after Brian Kidd was sacked two thirds of the way through the season. Before Brian Kidd took over there was Roy Hodgson (recently in the news over speculation about the England Manager's position) who in turn took over from Ray Harford, and of course Kenny Dalglish who was in charge when Blackburn won the FA Carling Premiership Trophy back in 1995 (what a great year that was for Blackburn!). In between the various appointments and sackings of these managers Tony Parkes has always stepped in to the Manager position (from his regular assistant managing role) and kept Blackburn away from any danger.
When Blackburn got relegated in 1998 from the premiership they had Roy Hodgson and Brian Kidd to blame in my view. Both managers showed that they could not do the job properly (especially Kidd) and so Division 1 beckoned. Now, after last year's mishaps, Blackburn are on the road to promotion - they even believe this strongly and have put a strong message out to fans that if they do not reach the playoffs then Season Ticket holders will get a large rebate and a deduction on next year's prices. But, it's now mathematically impossible for Blackburn not to finish in a top 4 position. With Graeme Souness in charge we have a very experienced manager who has had managerial spells at Rangers, Liverpool, Southampton and Benefica, so I'm sure he is the right man for the job.
What about the stadium? Ewood Park is the actual name of the stadium which has a very respectable 31000 + capacity. The stadium is a very modern one with 3 fairly recent stands: The Darwen end stand, The Blackburn End stand and the Jack Walker stand. The 4th stand is the oldest and smallest (the other 3 stands really show this up) and it's called the Walker steel stand (Both after Jack walker of course).
I've been to see around 5 matches at Ewood Park, but it's a long way away from me, so I rarely get the opportunity. There's a 'Rover the Moon' Blackburn shop and a McDonald's restaurant nearby, so there's enough things to spend your money on. The shop is really nice, and has only recently been built.
Blackburn now have the biggest average attendence in the division standing at just over 21,000 after a superb crowd of 29,500 + saw them beat Huddersfield on Monday. Let's hope that sort of figure is more common place when they reach the Premiership once more.
Now, moving on to the players: past and present. As with any football team it's all very well having vast amounts of money, but if you don't have the right training facilities for the players, and indeed the right players themselves, then you're going to struggle. In Blackburn's championship winning era they had a lot of quality players from the legendary Alan Shearer (at Newcastle) to the injury prone David Batty who is now (resting) at Leeds United. There were so many great players during 1993-1995 but nearly all of them have left for other clubs. In fact, I think the only remaining player that was part of that 1995 Premier League winning side is Jeff Kenna (and of course Henning Berg who has only recently moved back to Blackburn from Man United). We had: Tim Sherwood (now at spurs), Tim Flowers (Leicester), Chris Sutton (Celtic), David Batty (Leeds), Jason Wilcox (Leeds), Stuart Ripley (Barnsley), Graeme Le Saux (Chelsea), Alan Shearer (Newcastle), Colin Hendry (Coventry), Mike Newell (retired?), Ian Atkins, Ian Pearce (West Ham, I think), Paul Warhurst (Huddersfield? I'm not sure), Kevin Gallacher (Newcastle). There were many more, but these were the first team main players of 1995.
It's a great shame that so many quality players have left Blackburn, but I will always remember the day when I was listening to an the car radio of the dying few minutes of the West Ham v Man United and Liverpool v Blackburn games in May 1995. I thank you West ham for Drawing with Man United, because Liverpool actually won 2-1 at Anfield on that day, but we still won the league! I truly believe that the majority of the players I have just mentioned were in their prime at Blackburn, and had the best games of their careers in those famous Blue and White shirts; Alan Shearer scored around a hundred goals for the club, scoring 30 goals in 3 consecutive seasons I think (1993-1996).
But now the team is completely different, and I feel that there are some really impressive youngsters at the club, who could develop into world-class players. The current team is very large, with 4 very good quality keepers in the USA international Brad Friedel (just signed from Liverpool), Alan Kelly (Rep of Ireland number 1 or 2 keeper), John Filan who is in great form (the Australian number 2 I believe) and Alan Miller who signed last season as a relief keeper (from WBA) when everyone got injured. There's also a reserve keeper whose name I cannot remember (sorry!).
The Blackburn defence is very strong at the moment; there's the new boy John Curtis who came from Manchester United (he'll undoubtedly be in the England side soon), Henning Berg (back from United), Stig Inge Bjornabe (you might remember him from Liverpool, but he actually signed from Benefica), Craig Short (Everton reject!), Marlon Broomes (a very talented young defender who has made his way through the reserves and youth teams into the first).
The midfield isn't too bad either with the fantastic Alan Mahon, Eyal Berkovich, the amazing England U21 superstar David Dunn (who has scored 17! This season!), Jason McAteer is still around somewhere I suspect, Damien Duff (left wing) is a very highly rated Irish international who improves with every game, Keith Gillespie (from Newcastle) is a very able and skilful right winger, and there are lots of youth team players who will soon be in the full team - watch out for Burton O'Brien (already a South African international U21!). Garry Flitcroft is the skipper, and scored the other day with a great little nutmeg!
Blackburn's strike force is also of a very high standard. Matt Jansen is the youngest and most promising player up front who is currently scoring a lot of goals - 21 I believe, Nathan Blake has managed to fight his way into the team and has scored around 6 so far this year despite being told he did not fit in with Graeme Souness' plans (in my view this shows great determination - well done Nathan - although where has he gone now?), Egil Ostenstad (who swapped clubs with Kevin Davies in a very complicated transfer fiasco) is a proven goal scorer and will probably excel for the club early next year. Craig Hignett has joined from Barnsley and has already played in some very entertaining matches; he scored against Stockport in the final minute of time to win the points back for Blackburn. I'm sure he'll do well in the next couple of seasons. Ben Burgess is also another youngster to look out for! He’ll be the next Michael Owen I think, or maybe not, and the newest addition - Marcus Bent who's heading ability is up there with the very best.
Finally, we now have MARK HUGHES!!! How great is that! Well, Mark has already made his mark with 3 goals in 3 league appearances when he joined - most of them were spectacular volleys. Even if he is 37, he really is a great asset for any football club. In my view he's definitely worth more than he's transfer fee (he moved on a free transfer.) He's always getting 20mins at the end of the match, and is a very worthy player.
That just about rounds things up, as you may or may not have read (thoroughly), Blackburn Rovers are a very good side with great potential, and I can honestly see them being a top 10 premiership club next season.
-----------------------------------
CUP RUN:
"Wow! Can you believe it? If, like me you don’t have Sky sports then you may well have turned to ceefax page 302 after tonight’s FA Cup games to find out the result of your team! I was delighted to see that Blackburn Rovers, who drew back at home, actually WON against Premiership improvers Derby County – at Pride Park! What a result, in fact it was an emphatic result with the Rovers winning 5-2!!!!"
"Matt Jansen put his name on the score sheet alongside the fantastic Marcus Bent, David Dunn and Gary Flitcroft! Brilliant result for the team that I support"
Anyway, Blackburn managed to get themselves knocked out convincingly 3-0 by Arsenal, but they made it to the quarter finals!
I think they’ll make automatic promotion – I honestly believe they have the talent, the effort and commitment to keep ahead of Bolton.There’s no way Fulham will be caught, but I’m confident that Blackburn can get the 2nd automatic promotion!
Cheers again
Dan2k1
This year has been very different though. Blackburn Rovers are one of the most ambitious clubs in the country and they will, in my honest and most truthful opinion, get promoted back into the Premiership because that is where they belong. This is their second year in division one and are currently the most in form team in this league and they are now in a very respectable 2nd place - but Bolton seem to be the only team that could upset them now - let's hope Crewe win tonight! OK so they won't catch Fulham now that they have been crowned the Champions, but I'm confident of them getting an automatic promotion place.
I think that credit should be given where credits due and so I give respect to the whole Blackburn playing and managerial side as well as to all of the great coaches at Blackburn - namely Tony Parkes and the rest. They didn't get off to a great start, but Graeme Souness has firmly grabbed hold of the reigns and is steering them in to the top flight! Just 5 games to go! Each point, each goal - every second of play is crucial.
Blackburn did seem to be suffering this season mainly because of the sad loss of Jack Walker, Blackburn's chairman, owner and biggest supporter of the club. Jack fought a short battle against cancer but was always as involved with the club whenever he could. Jack Walker was incredibly well respected by all the players, staff and supporters and his death did have an impact on Blackburn and their performances. Blackburn has often been described as 'the club that Jack built' as he put a great deal of money into rebuilding the side and stadium as well as a brand new state of the art youth academy (which has been voted the best in the country), and I think that its a great idea to have a statue in commemoration for such a great man.
I think that the last half of the season's results speak for themselves Blackburn have lost around 3 games in division one, and nearly always been the better side even when losing - they should never have lost against Fulham! I hope that this great run of form continues (I'm sure it will) and I look forward to seeing Blackburn over take Watford and Fulham in the not to distant future.
Blackburn Rovers have Graeme Souness as their manager and in my view he has completely revitalised the team as a whole. Last season he took over from Tony Parkes (who was in an acting manager role - he's the assistant manager) after Brian Kidd was sacked two thirds of the way through the season. Before Brian Kidd took over there was Roy Hodgson (recently in the news over speculation about the England Manager's position) who in turn took over from Ray Harford, and of course Kenny Dalglish who was in charge when Blackburn won the FA Carling Premiership Trophy back in 1995 (what a great year that was for Blackburn!). In between the various appointments and sackings of these managers Tony Parkes has always stepped in to the Manager position (from his regular assistant managing role) and kept Blackburn away from any danger.
When Blackburn got relegated in 1998 from the premiership they had Roy Hodgson and Brian Kidd to blame in my view. Both managers showed that they could not do the job properly (especially Kidd) and so Division 1 beckoned. Now, after last year's mishaps, Blackburn are on the road to promotion - they even believe this strongly and have put a strong message out to fans that if they do not reach the playoffs then Season Ticket holders will get a large rebate and a deduction on next year's prices. But, it's now mathematically impossible for Blackburn not to finish in a top 4 position. With Graeme Souness in charge we have a very experienced manager who has had managerial spells at Rangers, Liverpool, Southampton and Benefica, so I'm sure he is the right man for the job.
What about the stadium? Ewood Park is the actual name of the stadium which has a very respectable 31000 + capacity. The stadium is a very modern one with 3 fairly recent stands: The Darwen end stand, The Blackburn End stand and the Jack Walker stand. The 4th stand is the oldest and smallest (the other 3 stands really show this up) and it's called the Walker steel stand (Both after Jack walker of course).
I've been to see around 5 matches at Ewood Park, but it's a long way away from me, so I rarely get the opportunity. There's a 'Rover the Moon' Blackburn shop and a McDonald's restaurant nearby, so there's enough things to spend your money on. The shop is really nice, and has only recently been built.
Blackburn now have the biggest average attendence in the division standing at just over 21,000 after a superb crowd of 29,500 + saw them beat Huddersfield on Monday. Let's hope that sort of figure is more common place when they reach the Premiership once more.
Now, moving on to the players: past and present. As with any football team it's all very well having vast amounts of money, but if you don't have the right training facilities for the players, and indeed the right players themselves, then you're going to struggle. In Blackburn's championship winning era they had a lot of quality players from the legendary Alan Shearer (at Newcastle) to the injury prone David Batty who is now (resting) at Leeds United. There were so many great players during 1993-1995 but nearly all of them have left for other clubs. In fact, I think the only remaining player that was part of that 1995 Premier League winning side is Jeff Kenna (and of course Henning Berg who has only recently moved back to Blackburn from Man United). We had: Tim Sherwood (now at spurs), Tim Flowers (Leicester), Chris Sutton (Celtic), David Batty (Leeds), Jason Wilcox (Leeds), Stuart Ripley (Barnsley), Graeme Le Saux (Chelsea), Alan Shearer (Newcastle), Colin Hendry (Coventry), Mike Newell (retired?), Ian Atkins, Ian Pearce (West Ham, I think), Paul Warhurst (Huddersfield? I'm not sure), Kevin Gallacher (Newcastle). There were many more, but these were the first team main players of 1995.
It's a great shame that so many quality players have left Blackburn, but I will always remember the day when I was listening to an the car radio of the dying few minutes of the West Ham v Man United and Liverpool v Blackburn games in May 1995. I thank you West ham for Drawing with Man United, because Liverpool actually won 2-1 at Anfield on that day, but we still won the league! I truly believe that the majority of the players I have just mentioned were in their prime at Blackburn, and had the best games of their careers in those famous Blue and White shirts; Alan Shearer scored around a hundred goals for the club, scoring 30 goals in 3 consecutive seasons I think (1993-1996).
But now the team is completely different, and I feel that there are some really impressive youngsters at the club, who could develop into world-class players. The current team is very large, with 4 very good quality keepers in the USA international Brad Friedel (just signed from Liverpool), Alan Kelly (Rep of Ireland number 1 or 2 keeper), John Filan who is in great form (the Australian number 2 I believe) and Alan Miller who signed last season as a relief keeper (from WBA) when everyone got injured. There's also a reserve keeper whose name I cannot remember (sorry!).
The Blackburn defence is very strong at the moment; there's the new boy John Curtis who came from Manchester United (he'll undoubtedly be in the England side soon), Henning Berg (back from United), Stig Inge Bjornabe (you might remember him from Liverpool, but he actually signed from Benefica), Craig Short (Everton reject!), Marlon Broomes (a very talented young defender who has made his way through the reserves and youth teams into the first).
The midfield isn't too bad either with the fantastic Alan Mahon, Eyal Berkovich, the amazing England U21 superstar David Dunn (who has scored 17! This season!), Jason McAteer is still around somewhere I suspect, Damien Duff (left wing) is a very highly rated Irish international who improves with every game, Keith Gillespie (from Newcastle) is a very able and skilful right winger, and there are lots of youth team players who will soon be in the full team - watch out for Burton O'Brien (already a South African international U21!). Garry Flitcroft is the skipper, and scored the other day with a great little nutmeg!
Blackburn's strike force is also of a very high standard. Matt Jansen is the youngest and most promising player up front who is currently scoring a lot of goals - 21 I believe, Nathan Blake has managed to fight his way into the team and has scored around 6 so far this year despite being told he did not fit in with Graeme Souness' plans (in my view this shows great determination - well done Nathan - although where has he gone now?), Egil Ostenstad (who swapped clubs with Kevin Davies in a very complicated transfer fiasco) is a proven goal scorer and will probably excel for the club early next year. Craig Hignett has joined from Barnsley and has already played in some very entertaining matches; he scored against Stockport in the final minute of time to win the points back for Blackburn. I'm sure he'll do well in the next couple of seasons. Ben Burgess is also another youngster to look out for! He’ll be the next Michael Owen I think, or maybe not, and the newest addition - Marcus Bent who's heading ability is up there with the very best.
Finally, we now have MARK HUGHES!!! How great is that! Well, Mark has already made his mark with 3 goals in 3 league appearances when he joined - most of them were spectacular volleys. Even if he is 37, he really is a great asset for any football club. In my view he's definitely worth more than he's transfer fee (he moved on a free transfer.) He's always getting 20mins at the end of the match, and is a very worthy player.
That just about rounds things up, as you may or may not have read (thoroughly), Blackburn Rovers are a very good side with great potential, and I can honestly see them being a top 10 premiership club next season.
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CUP RUN:
"Wow! Can you believe it? If, like me you don’t have Sky sports then you may well have turned to ceefax page 302 after tonight’s FA Cup games to find out the result of your team! I was delighted to see that Blackburn Rovers, who drew back at home, actually WON against Premiership improvers Derby County – at Pride Park! What a result, in fact it was an emphatic result with the Rovers winning 5-2!!!!"
"Matt Jansen put his name on the score sheet alongside the fantastic Marcus Bent, David Dunn and Gary Flitcroft! Brilliant result for the team that I support"
Anyway, Blackburn managed to get themselves knocked out convincingly 3-0 by Arsenal, but they made it to the quarter finals!
I think they’ll make automatic promotion – I honestly believe they have the talent, the effort and commitment to keep ahead of Bolton.There’s no way Fulham will be caught, but I’m confident that Blackburn can get the 2nd automatic promotion!
Cheers again
Dan2k1