Blackburn Rovers haven’t just been relegated from the Premier League. Steve Kean is no longer the manager. Venky’s have sold out to owners who care and who have some idea how to run a football club. See, it was all a figment of our imagination. Oh, wait. It wasn’t. Anyone thinking it might all just have been a bad dream should take a quick look at the new fixture list. Instead of the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea, it’s Ipswich and Hull for the first two games. Thrilling.
The club is still as much of a mess as it was. The fact Kean remains in charge beggars belief. The owners claimed things were ‘confused’ following relegation. Not half as confused as the rest of football is about Kean’s continuing employment. Behind the scenes there’s been more staff leaving, communication with the fans remains non-existent and we’re being linked with a 35-year old midfielder who once dubbed Rovers ‘dirty’. Marvellous.
With the fixtures out someone finally decided it’d be a good idea to announce season ticket prices, keeping them at the reduced early-bird rate until July. On the one hand the owners and Kean have treated the fans with utter contempt and on the other they expect people to part with their hard earned cash? Good luck with that. A number of players want to leave the club yet have been unable to speak to anyone about their situation, Ryan Nelsen (who Kean tried to indicate was finished as a top-flight player) has been snapped up by QPR and Bradley Orr was pictured modelling the new home kit – so we’re lumbered with him again. Brilliant.
The club have already missed the boat on a number of players who would have been more than useful at Championship level and with nothing seemingly changing in respect of either the owners or manager, you’d be hard pressed to predict anything other than another season of struggle.
It’s a shambles, a disgrace to the good name of Blackburn Rovers and it’s heartbreaking to see. Crisis? You bet it’s a crisis.