Deep inside the heart of Lancashire lies a fallen giant; Blackburn Rovers were a force in English football in the 1990s, winning the Premier League in 1994/95. But, the Riversiders have not played in the top-flight for over a decade. A once-united fanbase has become fractured by the current ownership as supporters choose whether to attend Ewood Park or protest against Venky’s by hitting them where it hurts.
How exactly have Blackburn reached this point?
In the 1990s, lifelong fan and businessman Jack Walker purchased Rovers. Walker had vowed to turn his boyhood club into an English powerhouse.
In 1995, Blackburn were crowned Premier League champions despite losing to Liverpool on the final day of the season. Title rivals Manchester United could only draw against West Ham as Kenny Dalglish’s Rovers won their first top-flight league trophy since 1914.
Walker had bankrolled the signings of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton amongst other names with the two strikers forming one of the greatest goalscoring partnerships in Premier League history. Both attackers contributed to 49 goals in Rovers’ title-winning season and were fondly nicknamed the ‘SAS’; Shearer and Sutton.
However, with Shearer no longer around, the club were relegated to the second tier after a dismal campaign in 1999. Walker’s lucrative spending was not enough to keep the Riversiders afloat, as they looked to bounce back into the top-flight.
Blackburn hired Graeme Souness to replace Brian Kidd during the 1999/2000 season as Rovers struggled to adapt to being promotion favourites. Souness guided the club to survival in a poor season. However, the following campaign led to devastating news.
Early in the 2000/01 season, Walker passed away. The boyhood Rovers fan had invested heavily in his club, allowing them to compete and win the Premier League trophy. Blackburn dedicated their promotion to the man who made the fans believe again.
Turmoil in the 2010s
After a period of relative stability, including a League Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur and several seasons of qualifying for Europe, Blackburn were under new ownership.
In November 2010, Venky’s bought Rovers for a fee in the region of £43m. The Indian poultry company would very quickly become despised by the fanbase.
Manager Sam Allardyce was sacked just four days after Venky’s takeover due to a disagreement over the club’s transfer policy. Allardyce was set to face Man United but was sacked shortly before kickoff in a decision that Sir Alex Ferguson called “absolutely ridiculous.”
Despite having a meagre transfer budget, Allardyce guided the club to 10th place and a League Cup semi-final in the previous campaign. The decision to sack a manager who was doing a fantastic job was questionable at best.
Coach, Steve Kean, was appointed as interim manager in a deal that many fans found bizarre. Kean had no previous managerial experience and was represented by his agent Jerome Anderson; the same agent who had assisted Venky’s with the purchase of the club.
In the 2011/12 season, Rovers were relegated from the Premier League in Kean’s first full campaign in charge. The club have not returned to the top-flight since.
The question is, how could the Venky’s allow non-football personnel to dictate the running of the club? Jerome Anderson and the ownership group had single-handedly destroyed a massive footballing institution.
However, it would only get worse for the Riversiders. After several average seasons in the Championship, Rovers were relegated again in 2016/17. Venky’s had taken an established Premier League club into League One.
Rovers returned to the second tier at the first attempt and even challenged for the playoffs, narrowly missing out on two occasions.
However, the sheer lack of investment has left managers competing with shoestring budgets for the last few seasons.
Where are Blackburn now?
Rovers are currently sitting in ninth place and are just five points adrift of the playoff positions. New manager Valerien Ismael has taken charge of four games, winning none.
Off-the-pitch turmoil continues to inflict chaos upon the club. The lack of assurances over transfers has led to the previous two managers departing the Lancashire outfit. John Eustace recently opted to depart Rovers for relegation-threatened Derby County.
The fact that a manager has seemingly found more hope in a club embroiled in a relegation dogfight tells the tale of Venky’s tenure.
Venky’s continues to make losses of £15m per season barring a significant sale. The departures of Sammie Szmodics, David Raya and Adam Wharton have alleviated some financial concerns, but the money generated from these sales has failed to make its way into transfers on the pitch.
Ismael is already losing backing from the fans despite a short stint in charge. Attendances have continued to drop as fans protest against the ownership in a move that has resulted in the club having one of the lowest turnouts in the division.
One thing is clear. Venky’s needs to leave the club in order for Blackburn to get close to the heights of the 1990s. Hopefully, Rovers can make a return to the glory days soon.
