It’s amazing how quickly people are willing to forgive and forget. Perhaps in the case of Venky’s and Steve Kean it’s more forgetting than forgiving, but still no less amazing. Two wins, two draws and the happy clapper brigade are out in force, telling those of a less sunny disposition to lighten up a bit. It’s almost as if the last 18 months never happened. So, in best Rafa Benitez fashion, let’s look at the facts.
It’s been well documented that Venky’s comedy ownership, coupled with Steve Kean’s less than adequate management skills, have taken a well run, well established Premier League team & dumped them in the Championship. So while all you happy clappers are getting worked up into a lather about Rovers lofty league position, let’s not forget which league we’re actually in – and who’s fault that was.
Rovers early season results can’t be knocked – win at home, draw away is certainly what you’re looking for in a successful season. But blowing leads at Ipswich & Leeds and being poor against Hull & Leicester (and lucky) is hardly something to start shouting from the rooftops about. Defensively Rovers are still an accident waiting to happen. Wingers and midfielders playing full-back, Scott Dann playing badly & Grant Hanley playing at all; it’s like Keegan’s Newcastle all over again – and look how that ended. There’s no doubt the squad is full of attacking options, but we’ve still got the issue of having a man in charge whose track record suggests he’ll not have the faintest idea how to get the best from them.
Then there’s the business conducted in the last transfer window. If you stumble across the wrong thread on social media or access the wrong blog post, you’ll be told how pleased we should be with the dealings Venky’s have kindly funded on our behalf. How they’re finally putting their hands in their pockets and have seen the error of their ways. That, quite frankly, is a load of cobblers. By the time QPR have stumped up for Junior Hoillett, Rovers outlay in the last window will have been in the region of £4 million. On top of that they’ve disposed of a number of very high earners. Now there’s nothing wrong with prudent financial transfer dealings – it happened in the days of John Williams – but let’s not insult people’s intelligence by pretending things are different now. They’re not and that, as Rafa might say, is a fact.
With corporate sponsorship at an all time low, attendances down by thousands and the Venky’s/Kean/Singh sideshow still in full swing, the current state of play is nothing to be positive about. Maybe when Rovers are established back in the Premier League's top 10 people can shout down the naysayers. Until then, wind in the happy clapping will you?