Message boards, Forums, Facebook and Twitter have been overloaded in the last 24 hours with posts from Blackburn Rovers fans who feel the heart has been ripped out of their club.
Blackburn held a meeting with Jones on Monday over his future when the player indicated that he would like to speak to other clubs over a potential move. Rovers reaction to this was of total shock especially as the player had only signed a new deal in January, Steve Kean was also worried that the minimum release clause which was put into his new deal would leave Rovers powerless should this figure be met. Rovers reacted by putting a new contract on the table which would of doubled Jones wages and made him one of the highest earners at Ewood, However Jones was adamant that he wished to consider his options. This was relayed back through the players agent to potential suitors and the bidding war began.
Now Rovers up to the this stage had put up a good fight to retain the services of the highly rated England under 21 International, Rovers did not need to sell and had no wish to sell.
Enquiries started coming in for the player as Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool all made enquiries and the bids were lodged, some where straight cash deals whilst other clubs tried tempting Rovers into action by offering players in exchange. It is rumoured that Spurs bid especially was made up of a number of players coming to Rovers as part of the deal, and Harry Rednapp confirmed that they were keen to add Jones to their squad.
Now when Steve Kean was really needed to pull out the stops to try and persuade Jones to stay he was too busy spending the day in court answering charges of "Driving under the influence of Alcohol". Whilst he was missing in action Liverpool and Arsenal triggered the release clause fee which allowed Jones to hold talks with both clubs. It would prove to be a busy day for Liverpool and ex Rovers Manager Kenny Dalglish who was also busy trying to negotiate the transfer of Jones International team mate Jordan Henderson from Sunderland. As Tuesday came to a close Liverpool had agreed terms for Henderson and it looked highly likely that Jones would also be joining the Merseyside club as he had no wish to leave the North West, which rules the other three runners from London out of the running. At the eleventh hour on Tuesday Night Manchester United asked for permission to speak to the player although no fee was agreed with United at this time.
On Wednesday with Kean on route to India to meet Rovers club owners Venkys and the bookies freezing bets on Jones joining Liverpool, Jones travelled to Manchester to hold talks with United and under went a medical. Whilst this was all going on United started pinging various offers to Rovers including offering players as part of the deal, but Rovers would not move on the clause and United finally agreed to meet the asking price for the player. Its being reported that the clause and figure was around £16 million pounds although a source has today told me that the deal is a club record for a fee received by Rovers. It is also rumoured that the medical did not go without a hiccup and United are currently waiting clearance from their insurance company before they complete the deal, this however is just a formality.
Blackburn had promised fans that Jones would not be sold but with the clause in place they were powerless, Many are asking the question why Rovers allowed such a clause? This is simple when Jones new contract was agreed it would of been at the request of the player and the players agent that such a clause existed especially after Rovers had already turned down bids of £8 Million pounds earlier in the season from both Arsenal and Chelsea. If Jones had not signed the deal in January then Rovers could of ended up selling the player for well below the figure they are going to receive and this would of been as big as blow as losing the player.
With Kean still in India the bad news appears not to have stopped there, With Arsenal missing out on Jones they have now turned their attentions back to Chris Samba. Arsene Wenger made tentative enquiries in January and has also made further enquires since the end of the season. With Samba also adding meat to the bones by stating that he is at the time of his career where he would like to be playing in Europe and for a club that can realistically win trophies this will only encourage Arsenal to try Rovers resolve with another bid. Blackburn and Arsenal at present are a million miles away in terms of the players valuation as Rovers do not want to sell their inspirational Captain for less than £12 Million whilst Arsenal who are renowned for being penny pincher's value the player at around £8 Million.
Is it a case of pay up or shut up? I wish that was the case, but Samba has already once in the last 6 months demanded a transfer and if Arsenal do place the bid then he is expected to once again demand a move if Rovers stand in his way. Again like Jones Blackburn are keen to hold onto the player and have no desire to sell, but as history proves once a player wants out its more of a case WHEN and not IF.
They say bad luck comes in three's and a source within the club has now put another spin on the Hoilett contract saga. Steve Kean said earlier in the season that Hoilett would be offered a new deal in the summer and he wanted him to concentrate on the job in hand which was helping Rovers stay up. It was strange that other players including Roberts signed new deals in January whilst Hoilett's, who has been the stand out performer this season was left despite him now only having a year to run on it. Hoilett spoke a few weeks ago, and said he was enjoying life at Rovers now he is enjoying regular football and he was looking forward to penning a new deal. Kean then went on record by saying he would be Travelling to Canada to discuss a new deal with Hoilett and his Father. That trip has to date not occurred or been arranged, and the other point to make on this is its the club that puts terms to the the players and not Managers. A strong source who has been reliable over the years in other news I have broke has today said "The deal has stalled, There are a number of clubs interested in Hoilett and think they can get him on the cheap due to him entering the final year of his contract". This is worrying and could potentially see Rovers losing their three best players from last season. Contract talks stalling is not something new and is usually rectified, However with Jones already outward bound this will undoubtedly have an effect on Hoilett's decision to re-sign, especially if Samba also joins Jones out the door. However another source questioned the validity of this claim as he said he had spoken with Martin Olsson who had told him that Hoilett is without question staying.
Rovers are beginning to feel the effects of having no chain of command on these shores, and with Venkys still running their operations from afar in India internal organisation seems to be slipping. Despite all the revelations at Blackburn over the last 48 hours there has been no official statement from the club, This has infuriated the fans as communication seems to have come to a stand still, and the only news being drip fed to the fans is coming out through the Red Tops and Sky.
So where does this leave Rovers?
Venkys have done a great Job over the last 8 Months of making statements then weeks down the line changing their mind,
They told us Sam would remain the Boss then 6 weeks later they sacked him!
They said they knew who the new Manager would be and Steve Kean would be in charge until the new man is appointed?
They said Kean would be in charge for the remainder of the season as they did not want to rush the appointment.
They then appointed Kean on a 2 and half year deal and said he would not be sacked under any circumstances?
They promised no players especially our young players will be sold as we are no longer a selling club
They have promised a substantial budget for new players and also promised that any money that is made from sales will be made available for new signings.
Now is the time to stop the talk and for Venkys to show their hand, The administration which served Rovers so well over the years when balancing the books to stay afloat has now gone. John Williams was always open about Rovers capabilities, which although was hard to take always left us under no illusion that the club would make every penny available which was physically possible without taking the club into major debt.
Venkys promised investment and that they would turn Rovers into a top 5 side, Now they have the opportunity to show the fans they mean business. If reports are to be believed then Blackburn now have at their disposal the biggest Transfer budget in the history of the club, This budget was decided long before the season ended and with now the added income of Jones pending sale, This puts Rovers in a strong position to compete for players which would of only been pipe dreams over the last few years. Venky's have already since their arrival made moves for big names in Beckham and Ronaldinho and although they were not successful and the club was ridiculed for their pursuit it gave a little belief that Rovers would continue to try and entice big name players to the club.
Steve Kean's admission that he would like to sign last season's loans, Cruz, Diouf and J Jones has not gone down well. As apart from Jermaine Jones its widely agreed that the other players did not do enough to warrant a permanent deal at the club. Rovers have also approached Sebastian Larsson who is available on a Bosman free transfer although Sunderland now look like favourites to sign the player. These type of signings are not getting many pulses racing and both Steve Kean and Venkys need to raise the bar by a lot if they are going to get the fans back on side. Most fans want Steve Kean out, whilst a number of fans also want Venkys out, There is a worry that Kean's inexperience of signing players could see either Rovers miss out on targets or that Kean will waste the money on players who are not of the desired quality to move the club forward, this could see Rovers once again fighting for their lives to remain in the Premiership come May 2012.
Now is the time for everyone to stand together and get behind the team and the Management, I know they have not done enough to warrant such support, but they took over during a season and they did say judge them in 12 Months. Rome was not built in a day and this is a marathon not a sprint. Lets wait and see who Rovers sign and how much they spend, and if they come up trumps then the last 48 hours will be a remembered as not the day it all fell apart but the day Rovers got a platform to build on the future. We all hurt when players leave who we adore, but no player is bigger than any team and when they have gone new hero's are born. Blackburn Rovers has existed for 136 years and in that time we have seen them come and go.
Blackpool Manager Ian Holloway was asked last season how he remained so upbeat and he replied
" I treasure everyday and love it, and each day you remain at a club as the Manager you are 1 day closer to the sack, One day the club will decide I'm no longer the Manager of Blackpool but that's life"
We must look forwards and not backwards, what has been cannot be changed and with a full summer to rebuild its a good time to be a Rovers Fan
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