Blackburn Rovers: An All-British Challenge

[CMPotter]

Full Name: Blackburn Rovers Football Club

Nickname: Rovers

Founded: 1875

Ground: Ewood Park

Capacity: 31, 367

Owner: Venky's

Managing Director: Derek Shaw

Global Advisor: Shebby Singh

History:

Blackburn Rovers are a founding member of the Football League, established in 1888. Along with Aston Villa and Everton, they are one of three founding members of both the Football League and the Premier League. Most of Blackburn's success came pre-World War II, as the club won the FA Cup 6 times (they are the only existing club to win the FA Cup three years in a row - 1884, 1885 & 1886), the Football League First Division twice (1911-12, 1913-14) and the Lancashire Seniors Cup 11 times (18 times in total).

After the second World War, Rovers mostly competed in the Second and Third Division's of the Football League with little success to boast about, and it wasn't until local businessman and lifelong Rovers fan, Jack Walker, took over the club in 1990 that they began to rise again. In October 1991, Walker hired Kenny Dalglish as manager and Dalglish's appointment returned instant success as the club won the Second Division play-offs to earn promotion to the newly-formed FA Premier League.

Rovers moved quickly to bring in a young Alan Shearer from Southampton for £3,300,000, along with a number of signings to bolster the squad. After finishing fourth and second, respectively, in the first two campaigns of the Premier League, Rovers finally won the FA Carling Black Label Premiership in 1995, despite losing 2-1 at Anfield on a thrilling final day.

After winning the Premiership, manager Kenny Dalglish decided to move into a Director of Football role at Ewood Park, handing the reigns to Ray Harford. Harford could not emulate Dalglish's success, however, and ultimately resigned in October of 1996. The title-winning squad was disbanded quickly and after poor managerial reigns from Harford, Roy Hodgson and Brian Kidd, the club was relegated in 1999.

After a poor first season in Division One, the club was rocked when the club owner, Jack Walker, passed away in August 2000. "Uncle Jack" as he was known by all Rovers supporters, had been a huge figure at the club and his death was felt by everyone at the club. Blackburn dedicated their promotion push to their deceased benefactor and fittingly returned to the Premier League at the end of the 2000-2001 season. In their first season back, Graeme Souness guided the club to 10th place in the Premiership as well as their first ever League Cup triumph; defeating Tottenham 2-1 in the Final.

Despite some successful seasons under Mark Huges in the mid-2000's, the League Cup victory was the last piece of silverware in Rovers' storied history and a disappointing start to the 2010- decade has seen them drop to the Championship.

Goals:

In this save, I'm hoping to get Blackburn back into the Premier League, using British players only. There's no particular reason for it, other than to make it more of a challenge. Once in the Premier League, I will try to get the club back into Europe and ultimately turn them into the dominant force of English football, again only using British players. It won't be easy, but that's kind of the point...

Initial Thoughts:

The Blackburn squad is good enough to go stragiht back up, but once you take away the non-British players, you're left with a very thin squad. The club only has £500k in the transfer kitty, so any incomings will be dependent on who I can move on, and for how much. It looks like I'm going to have to rely on youth this season, so a top-half finish, which is what the board are asking for, is probably about right.

The senior staff at Rovers are terrible. I'm not going to touch the youth setup at the moment, because it appears to be in good shape, but the First Team Coaches are almost entirely going to be wiped out.

Relying on youth is going to be an issue, but there are some candidates that look strong. Raheem Hanley, Robbie Cotton, Ryan Edwards, Josh Morris and Anton Forrester should really be learning their trade on loan somewhere for the next couple of seasons, but lack of funds will mean a lot of game time for them. Hopefully, it will just boost their development in time for a big promotion push next season.

David Dunn will be my captain this season, with Scott Dann as his deputy. Dunn is also a coach at the club and I have no desire to change that - his coaching abilities are as good as anything we can get at the moment. Unfortunately, Dunny is prone to injury and his stamina isn't what it used to be. When he's fit and able, he will be the playmaker in my midfield, but he will be sharing those duties with Callum Harris, who has been called up to the First Team from the Under 18's. Ideally, I'll be able to bring someone in so that Harris can continue to develop in the academy.

In other First Team news, Paul Robinson will provide backup for Jake Kean in goal. Robbo's contract is up at the end of the season and I have no plans to renew it - his £20,000 a week wages aren't worth it and I plan to develop Kean into a very good keeper. Matt Urwin in the reserves is being lined up for a spot on the bench next season, unless I pick up a decent backup on a free in the summer. Danny Murphy has also been placed in the reserves, though I'll reassess him once he has recovered from injury.

First Actions:

I have gutted the coaching staff. Only David Dunn, Gary Bowyer & John Keelsey remain from the senior staff, and Shebby Singh has been politely told to go and "Globally Advise" someone else. I appointed Gwyn Williams as Director of Football and tasked him with finding me a new backroom staff. I would do it myself, but given the lack of funds available for coaching staff and the board's reluctance to increase the number of coaches allowed, it would only end in frustration. He appointed Tord Grip as my assistant manager, and I'm happy with this. With my new*backroom staff in place, we have a minimum of 3-star coaching in all areas, with one coach reaching 4-stars and the rest somewhere in between.

Selling off the foreign players has had mixed results. Pedersen moved on for £4m, which enabled us to pick up Jamie Mackie for £3.3m, and Martin Olsson moved on for £4.7m. Unfortunately, the board decided not to give much of that transfer money to invest in new players and what little I was given was swallowed up by the appointment of new coaches. I sent Colin Kazim-Richards and Grzegorz Sandomierski back to their clubs, terminating their loan deals, as neither are British and wouldn't get a game. With limited funds available, I moved for Clint Hill, Craig Gardner, Andrew Surman and David Bentley on loan, bringing them in for the season. All four will feature heavily in the first team and, hopefully, aid with the development of the younger players. Dickson Etuhu and Gael Givet have been hard to shift.

With little to offer upfront other than Jordan Rhodes and a lack of faith in David Goodwillie, I brought in a young striker by the name of JJ Hooper, previously at Newcastle, on a free transfer after he impressed the scouts at a Trial Day. Speaking of the trial day, there were a few young foreign players that impressed. I think I'm going to allow myself to develop foreign youth players and sell them on for a profit - as long as they don't play in the first team, it's fine. Ben Sayer was also picked up on a freebie, hopefully to provide some options in midfield.

Pre-Season:

Tord Grip was in charge for all the friendlies, while I set about sorting out the playing staff at the club. Match Preparation Training was at maximum and General Training was set to Tactics Only, to help my players learn the 4-2-3-1 formation that I have adapted a little bit from Raikan007's wonderful Dortmund tactic. Speaking of Raikan007, I've also learned a lot from his Team Talk Guide, which I hope to put to good use to help the players along.

Approaching the beginning of the Championship season, my squad looks very thin. There's not much I can do about it, though, so I'll have to manage it as best I can and hope to bring in some more loan players in January.

Starting Line-Up:

GK: Jake Kean

DR: Adam Henley

DC: Grant Hanley

DC: Scott Dann

DL: Josh Morris

BWM: Jason Lowe

DLP: Craig Gardner

IFR: David Bentley

APC: David Dunn

IFL: Jamie Mackie

AF: Jordan Rhodes

Now, onto the first match - away to Huddersfield...

[Animosama]

Good luck

[CMPotter]

Thanks. Once I figure out how to upload screenshots, I'll post a picture of my squad.

[CMPotter]

Mid-Season Update

As I previously mentioned, I was hoping to stay somewhere around mid-table in the Championship this season. Having such a young squad meant it was unlikely we'd progress any higher than that, though we might even struggle to achieve that, given the lack of depth in the squad. Here's how things are going so far.

The Championship Table:

As you can see, things are going far better than expected! To have only two defeats in the opening half of the season is incredible and to be 2nd in the league is absolutely astonishing! Jordan Rhodes has been sensational, scoring 16 goals in 20 appearances. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury at the beginning of December to keep him out of action for 5 to 6 weeks. It gives young JJ Hooper a chance to shine (so far he has one goal in 3 appearances), but obviously a player of Rhodes' quality will be missed. Bentley, Jason Lowe and Jamie Mackie have also been in fantastic form, as you can see below:

I'm obviously delighted with our season so far. For such a small squad, with so many young players, to be achieving this at this stage is fantastic. I am, however, a little concerned that promotion would arrive too early if we go up this year. The younger players in the squad could really use another year in the Championship to mature, but I guess I'll cross that bridge if we come to it - there's still a long way to go this season. I'm hoping to add to the squad in January - a new striker would be ideal to afford Rhodes a break, once he's returned from injury. I may also look at getting in a new 'keeper, as Robinson has made it clear that he wants to leave. Craig Gordon is available for free, but he's injured for another 8 months, so perhaps he's one for the summer window.

In other transfer news, I've finally been able to move on Gael Givet. I was hoping to get more than the £1.6m I'm getting for him when the window opens in January, but it's better than nothing and another high wage off the books. Dickson Etuhu and Nuno Gomes have also left the club, albeit on loan. The monthly fees I receive for both will cover their wages and that's vital given the club's poor finances. One of the big advantages of going up would be the additional revenue of competing in the Premiership, but until that happens I'll have to do what I can on a limited budget, and getting high earners off the books is key in that regard. Rhodes, Dann, Mackie, Dunn and Murphy all command £25,000+ a week wages, which is obviously hurting the club, but given that all of them have performed well so far this season, I'm not complaining too much.

Key Players:

As I've mentioned, Rhodes has been in sensational form and has been assisted massively by Bentley, Lowe and Mackie. If we are to go up, these four will have played a vital part in the promotion push.

Young Stars:

Grant Hanley has been in sensational form and has really developed into a vital part of the team. I hope to keep hold of him for many years to come, along with Josh Morris; another player that has really stepped up and made the left-back spot his own.

Ryan Edwards has only played a few games, but when he has come into the side he's performed well. He's not going to be a first-team regular just yet, but I plan to give him enough games to keep up his development.

Cup Competitions:

The League Cup wasn't high on my list of priorities, so a 2nd round defeat to Barnsley wasn't a big deal. Especially considering it was mostly the youth team playing. I intend to adopt the same approach in the FA Cup.

Overall Thoughts:

Obviously, the way the season is progressing is fantastic. I had no plans for promotion this season and I still won't be disappointed if we ultimately miss out. The squad needs another year in the Championship, I'm convinced of that, but I'm obviously not going to simply throw away an opportunity to move up to the Premier League. If we can keep this form up, it will be a fantastic season and I'll deal with the Premiership struggles once we get there. I definitely need to bring in a new striker and possibly a full-back in January, or the season will be derailed should we have any kind of injury crisis. I'll post again at the end of the season.

[Animosama]

Looking good, seems like you going to get promoted. You look like you might even win the title.

[CMPotter]

End of Season Review 12/13

At the mid-season point, we were flying high in the Championship. Sat in 2nd position with only 2 defeats, Blackburn had a chance of achieving what I thought was impossible - promotion with a squad full of youth players. I had my concerns about what would happen if we did go up, but naturally it was something I would aim for. It seemed achievable, so let's see what happened...

The Championship Table:

As I expected, Brighton ran away with the league having been 5 points ahead at the half way stage. From second place, with 13 wins, 8 draws and 2 defeats, however, we absolutely fell apart. We won only 5 games from the final 23, with 9 draws and 9 defeats. Granted, there were a few games where we were unlucky - we had 3 goals disallowed in a 1-0 defeat to Leicester - but overall the team failed to perform. Whether it was inexperience, nerves or something else, I don't know. But the drop in form was horrendous. Somehow, we held on to a play-off spot until there were 2 games to go, then fell away with two draws to end the season in a disappointing 9th place.

There wasn't any particular player that failed to perform - it was a general failure on all counts. To fail to even make the play-offs from where we were is astonishing and although we finished in a position I would have been happy with at the beginning of the season, I have to say I'm hugely disappointed.

The Players:

Jordan Rhodes had 16 goals from 20 league appearances at the half way stage. He finished with 19 goals from 38 appearances. I think that says it all about his second half of the season.

Jake Kean, Grant Hanley and Adam Henley came on leaps and bounds through the season, but all three had disappointing spells. Hanley in particular had 11 yellow cards, which was obviously a disruption to the side. Jason Lowe equally had two suspensions for bookings - even with his tackling set to easy.

The loan players, Surman, Bentley, Gardner and Hill, all performed well. To be honest, without them our results would have been even worse. I hate to think what would have happened without them. I dread to think what will happen next season without them!

Overall Thoughts:

I would have been delighted with 9th at the beginning of the season. It was bang on where I wanted to finish. But I'm concerned by our second half of the season form. We had a 9-game unbeaten run towards the end, but only two games were victories in that spell. We will have to improve next season if we want to progress, but right now I don't know where those improvements will come from. The youth intake has some prospects, but they're nowhere near ready to play Championship football, even by my standards. I'm disappointed, and it will take a lot to recover from this. We'll come back and try again next season, though; hopefully with some more positive results.

[Animosama]

You should get promoted next season

[CMPotter]

I'd like to think so, but it depends who I can bring in. Signed Martin Cranie so far, but I'm going to need more. Rochina & Formica are back from loan, so hopefully selling them will raise some decent funds. I've been given a £1m transfer budget, but I've had to reduce that to cover wages.

[b101]

I like the idea of returning Blackburn to their former glory - just get rid of the owners! Decent first season, shame about how it unfolded though.

[CMPotter]

Pre-Season Report 2013/14

Initial Thoughts:

Last season was tough to get over, but there's no point dwelling on it now. We have to move forward and look at progressing this season, although I believe we have missed our best chance at going up. West Brom, Sunderland and Aston Villa have replaced Watford, Brighton and Wolves and all three look strong enough to bounce straight back up. Our squad desperately needs to be strengthened, ideally with some experience to mix in with the youth. The board expect to reach the play-offs and have provided a whopping £1m transfer budget to help achieve it. Amazingly, they've set the wage budget below what we're currently spending, so there goes that £1m...

Looks like we'll be looking at free transfers and loan deals this season, which is fine. A quick look at the expiring contracts gives me hope that we can bring one or two players in that might make a difference. We've got some players that were out on loan that I want to shift - Mauro Formica and Rochina should command a decent fee, and the likes of Ribero, Nunes and Gomes need to be shifted to reduce the wage bill. Again, I'll look to get rid of Dickson Etuhu, but I'm not convinced I'll succeed.

Pre-Season Fixtures & Preparation:

As always, my assistant will handle the pre-season fixtures. We've got away matches against lower league opposition, which will boost confidence if nothing else. I might have to look at arranging the fixtures myself next season, though; I want home games that bring in some income, and I don't think playing Bangor City and Haverfordwest is going to do much for us a week before the season starts. That's my own fault, though, so I'll have to learn from that. In preparation for next season, we will be concentrating on getting the players comfortable with our tactics - the introduction of new players will probably disrupt the flow a little bit, so I'll be trying to encourage some team unity as well.

Transfers:

As the season approaches, I've completed all of my incoming transfers and as you can see below, there has been a significant number of new faces join the club in this window.

Some players, like Kieron Dyer, have been recruited simply because they have the quality to provide suitable backup when the inevitable injuries and suspensions occur. The problem last season was that we had nobody to come in when our first-team players were unavailable and hopefully these additions will help. I was delighted to be able to bring Clint Hill in on a permanent basis, even if we are paying a little bit over the top in terms of wages. David Bentley has returned on loan again, which is the most pleasing signing of all. I tried to bring in Surman and Gardner again, but my approaches were declined.

Outgoing, we've let a number of young players go out on loan, as well as making some money on Formica. I have none of it to spend, however - my budget is at £200k, despite making £5m in sales. Rochina hasn't gone anywhere yet, unfortunately, but I hope to get rid of him before the window closes. Yet again, Etuhu has not attracted any permanent bids.

All in all, we have a squad that I believe might just make the playoffs. It's a tough season ahead, but hopefully it will be a good one. This is the squad I'm taking in to the new season:

Season's Goals:

The board want the play-offs, and I'm happy with that. I think we can put in a decent fight for automatic promotion, but I fully expect two of the three teams that came down to occupy those places, probably West Brom and Aston Villa. Villa in particular have kept hold of Benteke and Bent up front, Charles N'Zogbia and Ron Vlaar. Their squad is a little small, but the quality is undeniable. West Brom still have Brunt, Odemwinge, Mulumbu, Gera and Olsson, so I expect them to challenge strongly. I'd be happy with the play-offs, but I won't go as far as saying I expect us to win them. Let's just see what happens...

Edit: David Edwards became available on loan, so I have also added him to the squad. His arrival gives us plenty of options in the centre of the park, where we struggled last season. He will be my final signing unless someone becomes available that I simply can't pass up.

[CMPotter]

Mid-Season Report 2013/14

The Season So Far:

"There's only one Jordan Rhodes... One Jordan Rho-Des!..." is a very good way of summing up our season so far. The man has been absolutely sensational so far and our position in the table is not representative of our performances. Rhodes has 20 goals in 23 league games and has been absolutely sensational in the last five or six games. In fact, a quick look at his stats tells me he's scored 10 goals in his last 4 games, and that is a great indication of what's been going on this season. For much of the first 23 games, we have been inconsistent. We have strung a couple of wins together, giving me hope of achieving promotion, only to follow it up with a humbling defeat. The last five games, however, have been fantastic - we have scored goals and, while we have still conceded more than we should, we have been winning games.

Telling you that we've conceded 9 goals in the last 5 games, but we've won 4 of them will give you an indication of the defensive frailties we have been struggling with all season. From the very beginning, we have given an indication that the season would turn out like this - we won the opening game against Peterborough 1-0, only to follow it up with a defeat in the League Cup 2-7 at home against Accrington! We followed that awful result with a 2-0 victory at West Brom - a team I was tipping for promotion. That tells you all you need to know about our form and you won't be surprised to know that 5 games ago we were sat in 7th, a position we held for much of the season so far.

Thoughts For The Future:

I don't expect automatic promotion - we don't have a squad good enough or strong enough for it. Having Martin Cranie and Clint Hill as backup for Scott Dann and Grant Hanley has been vital to our position, probably as much so as Rhodes' goals. Dann's injury record and Hanley's love for cards that are yellow have meant Hill & Cranie have played more games than I expected, but they have been equally as good as my first choice centre-backs. Any kind of injury to our already poor defensive unit will ruin our season, but hopefully we have enough cover there to see us through. The play-offs are still my target and I think we will end up in that area. Rhodes has been outstanding - even without the past 4 games he'd have 10 in 19 and his progression recently has been a sign of our improvement as a club. We are in good form and looking good, whereas this time last season we were at the beginning of a downward curve.

I believe we can get promoted this season, although it will take a good effort from the players as well as almost 100% correct tactical decisions from myself. It won't be easy, but I have one eye on the Premier League, especially as the three teams I expected to be in the mix are all outside the playoff positions - Aston Villa have been absolutely shocking and it's no surprise that Stuart Pearce (who replaced Paul Lambert in December 2012) was sacked in October 2013. Uwe Rosler is currently in charge, but he hasn't been able to change Villa's fortunes so far. West Brom still concern me - they have the quality and depth to challenge and ten points is nothing at this stage.

I don't plan on changing much in terms of the squad - we are looking good, with cover in every position. If somebody becomes available that is impossible to turn down, then obviously I will make a move, but I'm happy with the squad. Hopefully, my next update will be a good one...

[CMPotter]

End of Season Report: 2013/14

I have cropped the photos to make them fit a bit better.

The Championship:

Thoughts:

What a crazy season! At the half-way stage, we were looking good for promotion and I had my sights set on finishing in the top 2. The second half of the season started a little better than the same stage last year, but we still struggled throughout once again. Having gone 8 game without a win towards the end of the season, the signs were there for us to miss out on the playoffs altogether once again. We held on, however, picking up 7 points from our final 3 games to finish 4th, albeit with less points than last season. It was a close-run battle for most of the season, with 2 points separating the top 7 at one stage, before Nottingham Forest ran away with it. In truth, we should have finished above Hull, but poor performances once again looked set to ruin our season.

Having finished 4th and with our form improving, I was relatively confident that we could overcome Leicester in the Play-Off Semi-Final, although they had beaten us twice this season and once last season. The first leg was at the King Power Stadium and we came away with a 0-0 draw, leaving the tie in the balance for when Leicester came to Ewood Park. Again, the match finished 0-0 and looked set to be heading to penalties, but a 113th minute strike from Jordan Rhodes put us through to the final, where we would face the winner of the second playoff game: Tranmere versus Blackburn's biggest rivals, Burnley.

I was very happy when Burnley beat Tranmere - not only because it set up the biggest possible final, but also because we had trounced Burnley earlier in the season. There are some teams that you always seem to have one over on, and Rovers definitely have had the better of Burnley for me. The final was a straightforward 2-0 victory, thanks once again to Jordan Rhodes and we never looked like losing. We have made it to the Premier League, and I couldn't be happier!

Player Performances:

Jordan Rhodes has been the best player in the entire division, let alone at Blackburn. He played all 49 Championship games (including the playoffs) and scored 38 goals, which is a record that is simply outstanding. Grant Hanley, despite more discipline problems, finished with the highest average rating in the squad and as you can see, David Bentley was once again instrumental in laying on the goals for Rhodes. I will be looking to make Bentley a permanent member of the squad in the summer if I can.

I've been impressed with Raheem Hanley this season; he has come on leaps and bounds, though his dip in form in the second half of the season was a major factor in the bad run we had. He was dropped for the final few games and our performances were much improved without him. Nevertheless, he's done enough to prove to me that he has a place in the squad next season.

The Future:

Heading up to the Premier League is going to have its benefits as well as its pitfalls. We've got a squad that will really struggle to survive, but we desperately need the money that comes with competing in the biggest league in the world. Not only that, but both Rhodes and Grant Hanley both asked to move to bigger clubs, but I managed to convince them to stay at the club on the provision that we would get promoted. Hopefully, they will be satisfied to stay with us for the foreseeable future.

We will have to strengthen next season. We have a number of fringe players leaving on free transfers at the end of the season - Clint Hill, Kieron Dyer, Rob Earnshaw and Rob Hulse have either left or been set for release. We've managed to get away with playing youngsters that should really have been learning their trade in League 1 or 2, but they'll need significant backup in the Premier League. I have no targets in mind as yet, but needless to say, we'll be trying to bring in some quality to improve the squad.

I spoke to the board and managed to convince them to improve both the Youth and Training Facilities, which will be ready in September. I also signed Brad Friedel on a two-year deal, with idea being that he will move into a coaching role. Until then, he will sit in the reserves tutoring a young keeper, because his nationality makes him ineligible for my team. His coaching stats are fantastic, so I'll be hoping to get that deal done sooner rather than later.

I think we will struggle in the Premiership, but I'm not worrying about it too much right now - I just want to savour the moment of guiding Blackburn Rovers back into the promised land!

[deltablue]

Good work going up after missing out in the first year (which was still doing very well)

[Animosama]

Congratulations sir

[manutdfan1999]

good luck in the prem.

[CMPotter]

Thanks for all the kind words, I'm very pleased with promotion and I'm looking forward to the Premiership!

[Lenzar]

What's making Tranmere do so well? Did they get taken over?

[CMPotter]

Pre-Season Report: 2014/15

Initial Thoughts:

After the joy of promotion comes the uncomfortable realisation that the next season is going to be tough. Our squad, for all it's great qualities, was far too thin after the release of the likes of Clint Hill, DJ Campbell, Kieron Dyer et al. We needed massive investment in the squad and the £20m budget provided by the board was a very welcome boost. I'm happy with my dealings in the transfer market, though there's always one or two players that get away...

The Transfer Market:

We managed to strengthen the squad with 9 players, costing on average a little over £2m per player. The outstanding incoming transfer is obviously Will Hughes from Derby County. He is an exceptional talent and I'm very excited by what he could do for us. Outgoing, we only made £6.5m but I finally managed to shift a couple of players that were just bleeding money from the club with their wages. FINALLY Dickson Etuhu has left the club!

The one position that we didn't strengthen in the market was up front - Jordan Rhodes had DJ Campbell as backup last season (not that he needed it), but DJ was released because he simply won't hack it in the Premier League. I considered a couple of players, but in the end I looked at a couple of highly-rated players in the U18's and opted to put this guy on the bench:

He looks unbelievable for a 17 year old! Rhodes won't be starting all 38 league games this season, that's for sure. Wycherley will definitely be getting a fair crack of the whip.

Season's Expectations:

The board want us to stay clear of relegation, which is probably a little bit over enthusiastic on their part. The Premier League is the hardest league in the world and we will struggle. I do believe we can stay up, though; Hull, Nottingham Forest & Watford are certainly worse than us and I'd also put Wigan in there, too. This is the best squad I've taken into a season and I'm looking forward to the challenge of the Premier League. The first game of the season is upon us, and the result against Newcastle should give us an indication of how this season is going to go...

[CMPotter]

What's making Tranmere do so well? Did they get taken over?

They did, but not until January of this year, so I don't think it's down to that. They won League One in the first season, there doesn't seem to have been that much investment, so I guess they've just got it right. Having said that, they've only won 1 of 9 games so far this season...

[CMPotter]

Update is coming - been busy the past few days

[CMPotter]

Mid-Season Review: 2014/15

The Table:

As you can see, we are in the relegation battle, even though we are sat in 13th place. The season started better than anyone could have expected, however; a 4-0 win at home to Newcastle on the opening day had me feeling optimistic about our chances, but we were brought straight back down to earth with a 3-1 defeat at Hull. That was the beginning of a 9-game streak without a win, which ultimately saw me change approach; the 4-2-3-1 has been replaced by a 4-4-2 setup which has changed our fortunes considerably. We have risen up the division over the past 5 or 6 games, but I'm well aware that everyone beneath us has 1 if not 2 games in hand.

The Players:

Not surprisingly, Grant Hanley and Jordan Rhodes are the two stand-out performers again this term. Rhodes' efforts in front of goal have been the lifeline of our season and Hanley is truly a rock at the back, though his discipline record is once again becoming an issue.

Rhodes did pick up an injury early on, however, which allowed me the opportunity to give Robert Wycherley a run out. He has 4 goals and 3 assists in 14 appearances (5 of those from the bench), which probably doesn't do him justice. He has been fantastic when he's played and has pretty much made the second ST spot his own since we switched formation. Dean Rittenberg has also impressed in the couple of games he's played up front.

Scott Parker, Robbie Cotton and Jason Lowe have found opportunities hard to come by, mainly due to the quality we have in the middle of the park. They're not really getting a look-in and it won't get any easier when Raheem Hanley returns from a 7-month injury towards the end of the season. I might give them a run-out here and there if I can, but aside from Parker, they don't look capable of stepping up and taking one of the midfield spots.

Overall Thoughts:

There's still a long way to go, but our performances recently have improved dramatically. I think we will be in the relegation battle until the end of the season, but I'm confident that we have the ability to stay up. It won't be easy, though, and it will be made much harder if our players don't get their discipline problems sorted out. I'll update again at the end of the season, hopefully with some good news!

[Animosama]

Looking good

[CMPotter]

End of Season Review: 2014/15

Important Factors:

At the time of my last update, we were approaching the end of December, sat in 13th after an up-and-down first half of the season. As always the January transfer window gives teams an opportunity to change their playing staff, and Blackburn were no different. Ben Hamer left the club after failing to dislodge Jake Kean as the first-choice 'keeper, leaving for £900k to Manchester City. Joe Lewis from Cardiff came in to replace him as second-choice 'keeper, costing £325k. The major transfer deal of the window, as far as we were concerned, was the addition of James Milner on loan from Man City until the end of the season.

Additional Notes:

We had a good run in the FA Cup, eventually losing out to Burnley in a sixth-round replay. I was disappointed, not least because we lost to our rivals, but also because we were looking good for a run at the final. Had we beaten Burnley, then beaten Sunderland in the semi-final, we would have been guaranteed Europa League football regardless of the outcome, as Man City were the other finalists.

The Table:

In the mid-season review, I was expecting to finish with our heads above water, but involved in the relegation throughout the season. That situation never materialised, as the team went from strength to strength. We did have some disappointing performances: 0-4 at QPR, 2-5 at Swansea and 1-5 at Old Trafford were matches to forget, but they were also our only three league defeats in the second half. We also had some very good results: 1-1 at Chelsea, 2-1 win against Spurs, 4-1 win against Fulham, a 1-0 win at Anfield and draws against Arsenal and Man City. We ended the season unbeaten in 9 games, with 6 wins which gave us a magnificent 8th place finish.

The Players:

As you can see, our defensive unit of Scott Dann and Grant Hanley were vital - Hanley in particular was a rock in the centre of defence again and I wouldn't be surprised to see him voted Fans' Player of the Year again. He faces stiff competition from the Premier League Golden Boot Winner; Jordan Rhodes - his 24 goals put him 1 ahead of Rooney at the final whistle and it's a deserved award after a great first season in the Premier League.

The addition of James Milner was a huge boost and his 9 assists were vital. He was inspirational in the 17 games he played for us and I will be making a move for him in the summer. I expect his wage demands will be out of our range, however. Robert Wycherley had a great season and continues to improve:

He will be vital in the coming seasons and after a tutoring period with Rhodes, the pair have formed a good friendship which will hopefully help them on the pitch.

Overall Thoughts:

Finishing 8th is a massive overachievement, though players like Josh Morris, Robert Wycherley, Grant Hanley and Adam Henley are improving every season and approaching the kind of quality that we can really build the team around. The core is there; we just need enough quality players in the squad to support them. The addition of true quality on the left wing in the form of James Milner complimented David Bentley perfectly and it's clear that it's the position that requires attention first. The rest of the squad, however, is strong enough to compete at this level. Obviously, our incomings will depend on our transfer budget and I will only be looking to buy players that will significantly improve what we've got.

As much as I'd like to, I think it would be a mistake to look to push on from 8th next season; I'll want a top-ten finish and that's the aim, but another season clear of relegation would be sufficient. I will update again at the end of pre-season.

[Animosama]

So close to that EL spot. The future is looking bright though. Any upgrades ?

[CMPotter]

The board cancelled the training facilities update, but the youth facilities are in the process of being upgraded. Seems I completely forgot to update at the end of pre season, so I'll bundle it in with the mid season report.