Category: Blackburn


BLACKBURN NET WIN

Blackburn Rovers most recent Championship match saw them defeating Reading with a lonely goal from Craig Conway at the 36th minute. Reading enjoyed having the better half of possession throughout the entire match but it was not enough for them to score a single goal against the side of Gary Bowyer.

Reading launched a total of 18 shots against the goalkeeper of Blackburn Rovers, Paul Robinson but none of them actually caused much danger to the veteran shot-stopper. Rovers on the other hand fired fewer shots but they still managed on scoring the goal that gave them all 3 points and the crucial victory.

It was an important triumph for Gary Bowyer’s side as his team continues surfing the middle section of the standings.

Bowyer expressed his satisfaction as he saw his team overcome Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

Bowyer said: “It’s a great win as it’s a difficult place to come and they are a very good team who will be in the shake up for the play-offs, if not automatic promotion’’.

“They’ve scored seven and five here recently but the lads took that challenge on, scored a great goal on the counter-attack and their goalie has made a couple of good saves in the first half’’.

“We were pleased with how we went about it and we kicked on in the second half to keep that clean sheet. We had to match everything they threw at us and I thought the lads showed great character and spirit.”

The manager of Reading, Nigel Adkins admitted that Rovers displayed great spirit and that they indeed deserved to win but he also had a few things to say concerning a penalty set-piece which was not awarded to his team.

Adkins said: “It was a clear penalty but give Blackburn credit they had something to hold on to, which they did. They showed great spirit so I’m not going to take anything away from them.”

RHODES MIGHT GO

The manager of Blackburn Rovers, Gary Bowyer, has made it clear that if somebody comes to him with a high bid for the young English striker Jordan Rhodes, he might let him go.

Rhodes who is in his early twenties at the moment is being considered as an exceptional young talent. There have been speculations that he would be bought by a Premier League side pretty soon and the statement made by Bowyer suggests that these speculations might turn out to be true.

Rhodes had come through the ranks at Barnsley and then, he made a move at Ipswich Town. But, the club where he developed the most as an attacking player was Huddersfield Town. He made close to 150 appearances there and found the net regularly.

Rhodes’ Blackburn career started in August 2012. The Riversiders bought him after paying 8 million Pounds as transfer fee. He started delivering right from the word go at Ewood Park. In his debut season, he played 48 matches and struck 27 times.

The 23 years old striker has continued on his merry way this season too and has already scored quite a few goals. According to the reports, he is wanted by some top clubs.

When asked about Rhodes being linked with other clubs, Bowyer said, “Look, we are not in a mood to put him on sale. His value for us is significant, but, if we are offered an unbelievable amount to let him go, we would have to think about it quite seriously.”

Blackburn has suffered huge defeats in the last couple of games. First, they got thumped by Manchester City in the 3rd round of the FA Cup on Wednesday and then, Nottingham Forest handed them a 1-4 humiliation in a Championship game during the weekend.

RHODES MISSED OUT

The top goal-scorer of Blackburn Rovers Jordan Rhodes had to be taken out of the Scotland squad’s against USA and Norway on international friendly matches after sustaining an injury during the training session of his national squad.

It was initially suspected that he would be missing out from a number of matches with his club Blackburn Rovers but after completing scans it was later revealed that no extensive damage was made and was fit to play in the upcoming matches of his club.

“I thought at the time that I’d cracked a bone,” Blackburn’s record signing told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“Luckily enough, the things afterwards have proved otherwise and hopefully I’m on the mend now.” Injuries are part and parcel of football and life. It’s not the first and it won’t be the last. You just continue to do the best you can’’.

“I’ll try and live my life the best I can from now until I get fit, and I’ll try and get myself out on the field as soon as possible.”

The head coach of Blackburn Rovers Gary Bowyer also spoke about their current financial situation that will force him to offload player if they want to bring fresh talent from the next transfer window.

He admitted the playing squad must be trimmed in January if Blackburn are to bring down debts and avoid financial penalties but promised Jordan Rhodes, who already has 10 goals to his name, would not be sold.

Following a number of expensive but unsuccessful signings and despite having a mid-table position Bowyer admitted that the squad has to be trimmed down in January in order to cope with all the debts and financial penalties that have been given to them.

MATCH UP

Bournemouth and Blackburn Rovers will be facing each other for the first time in nine years this week, and Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has said that he is very much looking forward to the match. Back in 2004, the two sides met each other in the League cup. Bournemouth managed to stun their opposition, who were in the Premier league back then, by beating them on penalties. Howe was playing for Bournemouth back then, and he is now managing the club. He has said that he has fond memories of the game because they played extremely well.

Bournemouth and Blackburn managed a 3-3 draw and the game went into penalties. Bournemouth managed to win the match courtesy of the winning penalty from Howe after the shootout had gone into sudden death. Bournemouth had managed a 7-6 victory on penalties. Howe has said that he has always regarded the match as the best ever he had in a Bournemouth shirt. Now, he is looking to repeat the feat as a manager knowing that Blackburn are not in the best of shapes right now. Blackburn have since been relegated from the Premier league into the Championship and they are in the mid-table right now.

Gary Bowyer’s men come into this match on the back of a winless run of three matches.

“When you play well, you tend to remember it and forget the bad games. I have good memories, let’s hope we have some more on Saturday. I didn’t want to take a penalty, it was not one of my strengths, thankfully Tugay missed and that took the pressure off and I didn’t have anything to lose. It was a fantastic advert, we showed great character which was a hallmark of that 2004 team and is also a hallmark of this team,” said Howe.

OLSSON MAY STAY

Blackburn Rovers manager Gary Bowyer he wants to keep defender Martin Olsson at the club, but he has admitted that it may be extremely difficult to keep the Swedish international in the Championship. Olsson has been linked with a move away from Ewood Park ever since the relegation of the club from the Premier league. He has been linked with the likes of Norwich in the past, while there was even a time when he was linked with a move to Chelsea as well. Now, he appears ever closer to leaving Ewood Park after the club failed to secure promotion last season.

The defender, who is also capable of playing in the midfield, has not officially requested for a transfer away from the club. However, it is very well known that he is not happy at Blackburn right now. The club will also have to reduce the wage bill and selling Olsson will help them achieve it. The Swedish international has been at Blackburn since 2006. During this period, he has made 146 appearances for the club in all competitions. Given his age and talent, he has found no shortage of takers since the relegation of Blackburn from the Premier league.

“He might have ambitions to play in the Premier League, and I do understand there’s a World Cup coming up as well. Martin is still valued by ourselves. He’s a quality player and a full international. I had a good conversation with him on Friday. I said it would be up to him in terms of what he wanted to do, and if things don’t work out for him where he wants to possibly go to, he’d be welcomed back into the squad,” said the Blackburn manager. Pressure is on Bowyer to deliver the results and get the club into the top flight once again.

DESERVED A POINT

Blackburn Rovers caretaker manager Gary Bowyer has said that his team deserved at least a point from the match against Birmingham city during the weekend. He also said that the match had an end of the season feeling to it especially given that both teams did not have anything to play. Blackburn had just secured safety in the division after flirting with relegation for most of the campaign. They went behind just before half-time when former Manchester United striker Ravel Morrison scored for the home team in the 42nd minute.

However, the £ 8 million signing for Blackburn – Jordan Rhodes – managed to score yet another goal and help Blackburn equalise the match. It stayed that way till the end and Blackburn got a point that moved them further away from the relegation zone. The club has now finished the season in the 17th position after having taken 58 points over the course of the campaign. The three victories since the arrival of Bowyer were extremely crucial in their survival. After a season of turmoil, it is thought that the Blackburn owners are extremely impressed with the way the team has been playing since the arrival of Bowyer.

He could be offered a job on a permanent basis in the summer.

“We were poor in the first half as we didn’t play to the tempo and intensity as we have done over the last couple of weeks. I thought it was very much end of season but, in the second half, we deserved a goal and in the end we might have nicked the game. It was a great finish from him being in the right place at the right time. He has been outstanding for us all season. Rightly so he has got all the plaudits,” said Bowyer after the match.

RHODES CAN SCORE

The Blackburn manager Michael Appleton has said that he expects the striker Jordan Rhodes. The striker managed to score the goals in the recent 2-0 win over Bristol city. The striker has been one of the positive aspects of the club this season. His goals in the match against Bristol were his 19th this season. It is an incredible return for the player who has made 28 appearances in all competitions. He was one of the expensive signings in the Championship this season, but he has so far proved to be a great value. However, the manager Appleton has said that would like to see an improvement from the player when it comes to the hold-up play.

Even the opposition manager Sean O’Driscoll was in praise of the striker by saying that he is very much similar to Alan Shearer at his best. The former Blackburn Rovers striker is regarded as a legend after his achievements with the club. Hence, it is quite a praise to be compared alongside a player like Shearer. O’Driscoll has praised the attributes of Rhodes by saying that is extremely quick and alive in the box. It makes him the first person to react to any opportunities and half chances that may come his way.

“He’s a very good finisher. That is why the football club paid the money that they did to bring him here. I want to bring more to his game, I want him to be better at holding the ball up,” said the Blackburn manager. “He’s clever. Give him a chance inside the six-yard box and I know who my money would be on. You’ve got mark him from a corner. He’s not the quickest, he’s just clever. I’ve watched him so many times, he almost feeds on scraps and he doesn’t get frustrated, which is his biggest plus for me,” said O’Driscoll.

MURPHY IMPORTANT TO TEAM

The former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy has been one of the important members of the team according to the Blackburn Rovers caretaker manager Gary Bowyer. After the recent sacking of Berg, Bowyer has been handed the task of managing the first-team until a replacement is found. He has singled out the former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy as an integral member of the team, who is capable of getting him out of the Championship. Blackburn managed to lure the services of Murphy in the summer. Many expected the 35-year-old not to play an integral part in the team, but he has been excellent in the first half of the season despite his age.

Murphy scored in the recent match against Bristol city, which helped the team manage three consecutive victories. As a result, they have been able to make their way up the table into the 13th position and they remain just five points below the play-off position. Instead of focusing on his future, the caretaker manager Bowyer has showered praise on the former Fulham captain. He has said that Murphy is one of the few members of the squad to have won the FA Cup – with Liverpool – and it clearly showed in his experience.

“It was a great start for us and a good strike from Danny. Since myself and Terry have come in and had to look after the team, Danny has been brilliant his support for us has been magnificent and we can’t praise him enough. His goal was good and he reminded the lads on Friday that he had won the FA Cup with Liverpool. He has been great for the lads and great for us,” said Bowyer. The team will be having a few critical matches in the month of January when they will be featuring the likes of Wolves and Charlton.

BURNLEY WANT DERBY

The Burnley midfielder Chris McCann has said that his team are extremely looking forward to the prospect of bringing an end to the bad run of form that they have suffered against their arch rivals Blackburn. Burnley come into this match looking to beat Blackburn Rovers for the first time since 1979. This is extremely astonishing given the fact that it is one of the oldest rivalries in football. McCann has said that Burnley fans have suffered for a long time in this respect, and they need to savour the chance to taste victory against one of their biggest rivals.

Chris McCann has not been part of this fixture in the past three times because he has been injured on every occasion. He is very much looking forward to meeting Blackburn for the first time in a competitive encounter. The 25-year-old has said that these kind of matches do not come often. He has recalled the first time he was part of this derby – as a ball boy. Robbie Savage was a player for Blackburn during that period in 2005. Even though he was born in Dublin, McCann has said that he has been adopted by the town of Burnley as he has been playing for the club since the age of 16.

“You’re thinking ‘this is a massive, massive thing’. People underestimate how big it is, especially for the people of Burnley. You walk around the town and the first thing people say is ‘we can’t wait to play Blackburn’. You see how much it means to them, so you don’t want to disappoint anybody or let anybody down,” said McCann ahead of the match. Since the arrival of the new manager, Blackburn have been struggling to get results in the league. They have just one victory in the last five matches.

NO REPLACEMENT YET

Blackburn Rovers are suffering at the moment as a result of not appointing a replacement for Steve Kean, who resigned from his position a few weeks ago, according to the legend at the club Kevin Gallacher. The former Scotland international is regarded as one of the best players at the club. He has criticised the decision to not appoint a replacement for Steve Kean up until now. Immediately after the exit of the former assistant manager, the global advisor of the club said that the club will not be making a swift decision. However, fans have been expecting for a decision to come on the manager for quite a while now.

A number of high-profile names have been linked with Blackburn Rovers including the former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, who is currently out of work after being sacked by Tottenham in the summer. The former Blackburn Rovers striker Alan Shearer has also expressed his interest to manage the club if offered the opportunity. Shearer has made no secret of the fact that he would like to manage football club, as he does not enjoy punditry work very much. It is almost a month since the exit of Steve Kean from the club.

“Waiting until the end of next month to appoint a new man would probably be too long. It is stupid to believe that everyone can carry on as normal in such circumstances. If you don’t have a manager then you are a ship without a captain. Until that is resolved, Rovers don’t really know what direction they are heading in,” said the former Blackburn legend. Blackburn Rovers managed to secure their first win in more than seven matches following the win over Sheffield Wednesday during the weekend. This means that they stay in the top six of the Championship for now.