Do they really care

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

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.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YZXeF7RqHQ0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Latter Day Kean

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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.