On the eve of a potentially tricky away tie at lower league opposition who managed to dump a Premier League team out in the previous round, the last thing any team needs is to find out that their top talisman (and alleged "jewel in the crown") is the subject of a huge bid and is being allowed to go and talk to them over a move. The timing could have been better, however, such is football these days amid windows and the like and money talks.
No one can deny that Rhodes hasn't been a great goalscorer for the club since his move from Huddersfield in 2011/12 but the ultimate reason he came to Blackburn was the thought of promotion. This is a player that wants to progress and play at the top level. To be fair to him promotion was never going to be on the cards this season at Blackburn after seeing other key players sold and the club being embargoed. The chance went a begging the last two seasons when we fluffed our lines in falling two points short in 2013/14 and then just never really got going despite goals galore in 2014/15. In moving to Middlesbrough (should everything go through) he has a genuine chance of promotion, they sit in an automatic spot and have gathered a team together that looks capable of lasting the distance.
For Blackburn then, it would appear that we are now in the midst of another transitionary period. This was always likely following the sale of certain players and an embargo and especially following putting a new manager in place. Lambert is quoted as saying that the Rhodes sale will help us to rebuild the club and hopefully there is the chance to do that now. It also means other players now need to step up and show what they can do. In Danny Graham we have a player who has been a proven goal scorer in the past and who needs to rediscover the sort of form that made him a wanted player, Tony Watt is young and appears to have a talent that needs to be nurtured but could be promising, whilst Simeon Jackson has so far sounded lively each time he has taken to the field.
You would have been forgiven for thinking that in the middle of all this Blackburn might meekly succumb to a defeat to Oxford in the cup, however, they responded with the perfect answer and gave the fans something to be cheerful about. The defence was resolute, chances were created and the midfield took a hold of the game. A comfortable 3-0 win, which could have been more and a place in the hat for the 5th round of the FA Cup. Watts more (sorry couldn't resist!) a goal from that man Tony on his debut will have helped to settle him following his move to Blackburn.
So whilst Rhodes is already up in the North East, Blackburn's next trip is ironically away to Middlesbrough - so quite literally all Rhodes seem to lead there. It wouldn't surprise anyone if Jordan scored against his old team but if the transfer is completed we now need to move on and find new "heroes" in the team. With Middlesbrough and Hull up next, now is the time for the squad to stand up and be counted.
Sunday 31 January 2016
Sunday 24 January 2016
Blackburn: The Need to find Focus and a Killer Instinct
Saturday, an away game and an opposition who have shipped 11 goals in two matches, against whom Blackburn have a great track record, an ideal time to pick up three points? Not so, the final whistle blew and another draw.
Blackburn fans have become accustomed to draws, it is this which inevitably cost us a place in the playoffs a couple of seasons ago. I like to point to the home draw against Brighton, a highly entertaining 3-3 match for neutrals but a game in which we should have won and in doing so perhaps finishing above Brighton in 6th spot instead of 2 points shy of the very same team we drew against.
Whilst draws away from home could be considered useful, those at Ewood do not help the cause. We have drawn a stalemate in 12 games so far this season, the most in the league. 7 of these have come at home. It is significant that this season our most likely score currently stands at either a 1-0 loss or a 1-1 draw (at home 0-0 or 1-1 and away a 1-0 loss) - this does not bode particularly well. Last season our most common scoreline was also a 1-1 draw. The season before that? A 0-0 draw or a 1-0 win and the season before again? A 1-1 draw. There's a certain pattern emerging.
The last few games, performances haven't been good enough. The team have largely failed to make a case that they're about to turn a corner and go on the sort of run Rovers' fans been craving for for a long time. At times, the players haven't looked like a team, one who are willing to fight for the cause and badge. Whilst the season is a bit of a write off, these players should be putting up a case for still being here again next year. They need to find some focus and discover the sort of killer instinct they have been lacking in many a close game that would bring along 3 points at a more regular basis than that bus that only travels 1 a month on the last Sunday.
February looks daunting and there's a very tough FA Cup match against Oxford coming up next. Focus will very definitely be needed against Middlesbrough and Hull (our first two matches in February) who currently occupy the top two places in the league at this point but it is a chance for the players to stand up and be counted and show whether or not they have what it takes to move this club forward. It will certainly be a time for Lambert to assess what more he might need going forward. He has said the Summer will be the biggest window for this side and on current form it will have to be.
Blackburn fans have become accustomed to draws, it is this which inevitably cost us a place in the playoffs a couple of seasons ago. I like to point to the home draw against Brighton, a highly entertaining 3-3 match for neutrals but a game in which we should have won and in doing so perhaps finishing above Brighton in 6th spot instead of 2 points shy of the very same team we drew against.
Whilst draws away from home could be considered useful, those at Ewood do not help the cause. We have drawn a stalemate in 12 games so far this season, the most in the league. 7 of these have come at home. It is significant that this season our most likely score currently stands at either a 1-0 loss or a 1-1 draw (at home 0-0 or 1-1 and away a 1-0 loss) - this does not bode particularly well. Last season our most common scoreline was also a 1-1 draw. The season before that? A 0-0 draw or a 1-0 win and the season before again? A 1-1 draw. There's a certain pattern emerging.
The last few games, performances haven't been good enough. The team have largely failed to make a case that they're about to turn a corner and go on the sort of run Rovers' fans been craving for for a long time. At times, the players haven't looked like a team, one who are willing to fight for the cause and badge. Whilst the season is a bit of a write off, these players should be putting up a case for still being here again next year. They need to find some focus and discover the sort of killer instinct they have been lacking in many a close game that would bring along 3 points at a more regular basis than that bus that only travels 1 a month on the last Sunday.
February looks daunting and there's a very tough FA Cup match against Oxford coming up next. Focus will very definitely be needed against Middlesbrough and Hull (our first two matches in February) who currently occupy the top two places in the league at this point but it is a chance for the players to stand up and be counted and show whether or not they have what it takes to move this club forward. It will certainly be a time for Lambert to assess what more he might need going forward. He has said the Summer will be the biggest window for this side and on current form it will have to be.
Sunday 17 January 2016
A Striking Problem - How can we get Blackburn's Strikeforce scoring again?
In Jordan Rhodes, Blackburn have one of the most prolific strikers outside of the Premier League yet he is currently on a goal drought stretching 9 games (his last goal being a penalty). For a lot of strikers this wouldn't be unusual but 9 goals in 24 appearances is at odds with his overall 1 goal in every 2 games ratio. Admittedly he went on a similar run during the 2013/14 season but had already scored 16 goals by that stage and ended the season with 25. So what is the problem at Blackburn and how can we get our main goal getter scoring again?
This season Blackburn have mustered a total of 23 goals in the league, only Bolton, Charlton and MK Dons have so far scored fewer (all of whom have conceded far more goals and currently sit below Blackburn). It is clear that to win games, goals are a rather important part! Blackburn's most common scoreline this season so far is a 1-0 loss, our issues don't specifically lie at the back but rather further forward as can be seen by our defence ranking of 4th in the league up till now. Compare our attack to this time last season when we had scored a total of 36 goals and these are worrying signs.
Some will point out the loss of Gestede from the forward line as one of the issues (22 goals in 44 appearances in 2014-15 is certainly a big gap for any team) but prior to his arrival Rhodes scored 27 in 43 during 2012-13 in one of our most turbulent seasons since relegation whilst playing largely alone up front. This season Rhodes has been paired with a few people in an attempt to spark some life up front but none of which have really showed any signs of taking off yet.
Rhodes is someone who is best played in the box, ball to feet or through decent crosses into the danger area for him to attack. He is wasted outside of the box, trying to bring others into play or hold the ball up. This season, he hasn't had that sort of supply and has often been dragged out of the area in an attempt to even see the ball. The centre of midfield lacks a bit of guile - a plethora of defensive players in there doesn't help matters. The ball is too slow coming forward and we don't take on opposition players enough. We need a creator. There is a burden on Conway who is our main assist maker that should be distributed around the team. Marshall has often disappointed this season on the wing and has now been put back into the right back slot where he has looked pretty decent. It is early days with Bennett but the run he made against Brighton that won us a free kick was a rare bright spot in an otherwise dreadful game that other players should take note of. A player running at the defence at pace and trying to create something.
Whilst a centre back being brought in (given lack of cover and injuries) is a concern and a priority, this January we need to see a couple of players coming in who will provide genuine creativity. Someone who can play with the ball at their feet and find a killer pass. We need extra pace in there too and perhaps someone with a genuine engine in the centre of the park to link defence with attack rather than the midfield being bypassed. Teams can have all the strikers they want but to get the best out of them you need providers - that is the key I believe to unlocking more goals for Blackburn.
This season Blackburn have mustered a total of 23 goals in the league, only Bolton, Charlton and MK Dons have so far scored fewer (all of whom have conceded far more goals and currently sit below Blackburn). It is clear that to win games, goals are a rather important part! Blackburn's most common scoreline this season so far is a 1-0 loss, our issues don't specifically lie at the back but rather further forward as can be seen by our defence ranking of 4th in the league up till now. Compare our attack to this time last season when we had scored a total of 36 goals and these are worrying signs.
Some will point out the loss of Gestede from the forward line as one of the issues (22 goals in 44 appearances in 2014-15 is certainly a big gap for any team) but prior to his arrival Rhodes scored 27 in 43 during 2012-13 in one of our most turbulent seasons since relegation whilst playing largely alone up front. This season Rhodes has been paired with a few people in an attempt to spark some life up front but none of which have really showed any signs of taking off yet.
Rhodes is someone who is best played in the box, ball to feet or through decent crosses into the danger area for him to attack. He is wasted outside of the box, trying to bring others into play or hold the ball up. This season, he hasn't had that sort of supply and has often been dragged out of the area in an attempt to even see the ball. The centre of midfield lacks a bit of guile - a plethora of defensive players in there doesn't help matters. The ball is too slow coming forward and we don't take on opposition players enough. We need a creator. There is a burden on Conway who is our main assist maker that should be distributed around the team. Marshall has often disappointed this season on the wing and has now been put back into the right back slot where he has looked pretty decent. It is early days with Bennett but the run he made against Brighton that won us a free kick was a rare bright spot in an otherwise dreadful game that other players should take note of. A player running at the defence at pace and trying to create something.
Whilst a centre back being brought in (given lack of cover and injuries) is a concern and a priority, this January we need to see a couple of players coming in who will provide genuine creativity. Someone who can play with the ball at their feet and find a killer pass. We need extra pace in there too and perhaps someone with a genuine engine in the centre of the park to link defence with attack rather than the midfield being bypassed. Teams can have all the strikers they want but to get the best out of them you need providers - that is the key I believe to unlocking more goals for Blackburn.
Sunday 10 January 2016
Damp Squib December, Hang over January - What's the Forward Forecast for Blackburn Rovers?
December, the period when traditionally football gets just that little bit hectic for teams. Games galore and not much time to think about things in-between. Blackburn entered this period off the back of a 5 game unbeaten run interspersed with the arrival of a new manager. Sitting in 14th, 7 points off the top 6 and more importantly, a reasonable 6 points away from the bottom 3. You'd have been forgiven for thinking that there was reason for some optimism going into December, the fixtures looked winnable (in the main) and the team seemed to be gaining confidence. However, after a bright start, it all started to turn just a little bit sour.
Lancashire's weather in December could almost be used as a metaphor for Rover's performances and results in this period: miserable, damp and turgid.
Whilst a win against Rotherham followed the 3 points against City, the performance left much to be desired and the win came courtesy of an own goal by Hyam, in fact Marshall's goal against City was to be the last goal scored by any Rovers' players to date. However, the team had somehow managed to drag themselves up to 12th and 2 points off the top 6. Many say it's the sign of a good team that can win whilst playing badly but the games that followed that certainly didn't give any credence to that for Rovers.
A dour 0-0 against Forest at Ewood was followed by a 1-0 defeat to Reading under their new manager. It didn't bode well going into a Boxing day game against high flying Boro, whose excellent defence has conceded just 12 goals this season and sees them top of the table. The heavens opened, rivers raged and Ewood's pitch got waterlogged - game off then, as much for the safety of others as anything else.
So it was off to Bolton, a team in dire straights right now, on the brink and with just one win all season. Whilst our record at their ground was dreadful, it was reasonable to think we could go and put in a performance and come away with 3 points. Surely a game off would be helpful? Not so, our performance, like the weather got worse and we deservedly lost 1-0. 5 games in December, 1 goal from open play and 4 games where not one of our players could hit the back of the net for themselves.
Consistency is something we have lacked for a long time - stringing together a few wins on the trot is something we should be aiming for. If we can get the right players in, particularly to help up front with goalscoring we have the capability of picking up points, more points than we have done so far. Expectations for the season as a whole have to be tempered but given a bit of time and the right personnel, the sun may start to poke out of the clouds. It just won't be this season.
Damp Squib December
A run of fixtures against Bristol City (A), Rotherham (H), Nottingham Forest (H), Reading (A), Middlesbrough (H) and Bolton (A) started reasonably well with a solid if unspectacular win against Bristol City, aided in part by the sending off of Nathan Baker on City's side. Hanley weighed in with a goal and since Rhodes had been subbed off a 1st goal of the season by Marshall from the penalty spot was enough to bring home 3 points for Rovers. Marshall has, by the early standards he set in his Blackburn career, been very much off the boil this season and needs to weigh in with far more goals than he is doing so this goal should have been a welcome relief to him and perhaps a catalyst to go out and score more but in the games that then followed the whole team as well as him became somewhat of a damp squib.Lancashire's weather in December could almost be used as a metaphor for Rover's performances and results in this period: miserable, damp and turgid.
Whilst a win against Rotherham followed the 3 points against City, the performance left much to be desired and the win came courtesy of an own goal by Hyam, in fact Marshall's goal against City was to be the last goal scored by any Rovers' players to date. However, the team had somehow managed to drag themselves up to 12th and 2 points off the top 6. Many say it's the sign of a good team that can win whilst playing badly but the games that followed that certainly didn't give any credence to that for Rovers.
A dour 0-0 against Forest at Ewood was followed by a 1-0 defeat to Reading under their new manager. It didn't bode well going into a Boxing day game against high flying Boro, whose excellent defence has conceded just 12 goals this season and sees them top of the table. The heavens opened, rivers raged and Ewood's pitch got waterlogged - game off then, as much for the safety of others as anything else.
So it was off to Bolton, a team in dire straights right now, on the brink and with just one win all season. Whilst our record at their ground was dreadful, it was reasonable to think we could go and put in a performance and come away with 3 points. Surely a game off would be helpful? Not so, our performance, like the weather got worse and we deservedly lost 1-0. 5 games in December, 1 goal from open play and 4 games where not one of our players could hit the back of the net for themselves.
Hangover January
Champagne corks popped and New Years Resolutions aplenty, time to start afresh - new beginnings? Not so for Rovers, who went into January with a game against Cardiff. Another poor performance followed and another 1-0 defeat. A hangover from our performances in December. As if to mock us, the FA Cup draw had paired us with another team from South Wales. A chance to try and re-find the goalscoring habit or a banana skin? That will have to wait for another time as the weather once again intervened and unfortunately for the many bedraggled Rovers fans who'd made their way down got called off an hour before kick-off.Forward Forecast
The rest of January should give the manager a chance to bring in one or two reinforcements (one already in is Bennett who has experience at a higher level, in the Championship and has played under the manager, Lambert before) and hopefully get the team back on the scoring and winning trail. There are no easy fixtures but those for the rest of the month look winnable, whilst February's look much tougher on paper. However, with 3 potential home games (Newport FA Cup result pending) we need to be looking at this month as one to be picking up points in. Now is a good time to bed in any new players ahead of games in February against the likes of Boro, Hull, Ipswich and Derby all sitting in the top 6 of the league currently.Consistency is something we have lacked for a long time - stringing together a few wins on the trot is something we should be aiming for. If we can get the right players in, particularly to help up front with goalscoring we have the capability of picking up points, more points than we have done so far. Expectations for the season as a whole have to be tempered but given a bit of time and the right personnel, the sun may start to poke out of the clouds. It just won't be this season.
Saturday 2 January 2016
Blackburn Rover's January Transfer Window Musings
Yes it's that time of the year again folks (in football anyway). No sooner have we all said Happy New Year to each other then that window that has been shut since September creaks open and rears its panes (or should that be pain) again.
This window is very slightly different for us Blackburn fans than the last two we've dealt with in that the transfer embargo imposed on us after failing the Football League Fair Play rules has (at least for now) been lifted. That isn't to say that we can suddenly start to spend copious amounts of money, far from it. The talk is of playing in the loan market (in the main or perhaps entirely). The biggest advantage then of the embargo being lifted is the ability to pay a fee (for a loan), be more competitive in what we can offer wage wise and not worry about being 1 or 2 players over a certain squad size limit. Not a lot different but hopefully enough to make possible the signing of some better quality loan players than may have previously been available to us.
The other interesting bit for us is the arrival of a new manager in Paul Lambert. This will be the first chance he has to start to make a stamp on the type of players he may want for the team and get the team moving in the right direction. He has already talked of being more creative and having to be a bit more clever in the way we create for Rhodes. There has also been some suggestion of a recognition of the fact that we have lots of midfielders who essentially do the same job.
Working from the back forwards, my personal opinion is that we are well provided for in the goalkeeping stakes. The defence is much improved (one or two lapses aside) from last season but there is a lack of competition in the right back spot. In central midfield we have Williamson, Lowe, Guthrie, Akpan and Evans who are all similar in style, I would put Evans at the top in terms of offering the team something different and more forward movement. What we lack is in creativity in there, Lawrence (on loan from Leicester) is about it unless you count Chris Taylor who works hard and gets forward. Conway remains our best "creater" of opportunities and for me Marshall has been well under par this season - again there is a lack of competition here. We also lack pace in this department too. At the front, aside from Rhodes (who by his standards is on a goal drought and a half at the time of writing) there is not much to talk about. Koita obviously is still very raw and Brown hasn't shown enough to suggest he is a solution.
For me, I would hope that we look at bringing in someone else up front as a priority who will do the work outside the box and look to bring Rhodes into play. A creative midfielder is also something I'd look at and also bring some pace into the team. If there's still enough to play with, I'd been trying to get competition in at right back as well.
Outgoings wise, there is an opportunity to try and move on any fringe type players if possible and free up some space but I would hope that we try and rebuff any big bids for our better players at this point unless Lambert is convinced it would help to improve the team and that he would then get the funds to put towards buying in players to do the job of moving us up the league.
Blackburn fans shouldn't be looking at this window as being a complete game changer, it's going to take time to get the team the way Lambert wants it but if it paves the way for improved performances in 2016 then that would be a good start.
This window is very slightly different for us Blackburn fans than the last two we've dealt with in that the transfer embargo imposed on us after failing the Football League Fair Play rules has (at least for now) been lifted. That isn't to say that we can suddenly start to spend copious amounts of money, far from it. The talk is of playing in the loan market (in the main or perhaps entirely). The biggest advantage then of the embargo being lifted is the ability to pay a fee (for a loan), be more competitive in what we can offer wage wise and not worry about being 1 or 2 players over a certain squad size limit. Not a lot different but hopefully enough to make possible the signing of some better quality loan players than may have previously been available to us.
The other interesting bit for us is the arrival of a new manager in Paul Lambert. This will be the first chance he has to start to make a stamp on the type of players he may want for the team and get the team moving in the right direction. He has already talked of being more creative and having to be a bit more clever in the way we create for Rhodes. There has also been some suggestion of a recognition of the fact that we have lots of midfielders who essentially do the same job.
Working from the back forwards, my personal opinion is that we are well provided for in the goalkeeping stakes. The defence is much improved (one or two lapses aside) from last season but there is a lack of competition in the right back spot. In central midfield we have Williamson, Lowe, Guthrie, Akpan and Evans who are all similar in style, I would put Evans at the top in terms of offering the team something different and more forward movement. What we lack is in creativity in there, Lawrence (on loan from Leicester) is about it unless you count Chris Taylor who works hard and gets forward. Conway remains our best "creater" of opportunities and for me Marshall has been well under par this season - again there is a lack of competition here. We also lack pace in this department too. At the front, aside from Rhodes (who by his standards is on a goal drought and a half at the time of writing) there is not much to talk about. Koita obviously is still very raw and Brown hasn't shown enough to suggest he is a solution.
For me, I would hope that we look at bringing in someone else up front as a priority who will do the work outside the box and look to bring Rhodes into play. A creative midfielder is also something I'd look at and also bring some pace into the team. If there's still enough to play with, I'd been trying to get competition in at right back as well.
Outgoings wise, there is an opportunity to try and move on any fringe type players if possible and free up some space but I would hope that we try and rebuff any big bids for our better players at this point unless Lambert is convinced it would help to improve the team and that he would then get the funds to put towards buying in players to do the job of moving us up the league.
Blackburn fans shouldn't be looking at this window as being a complete game changer, it's going to take time to get the team the way Lambert wants it but if it paves the way for improved performances in 2016 then that would be a good start.
Saturday 15 February 2014
Is football in England headed in the wrong direction?
In recent times there has been much talk about altering the structure of football in England again. Much of it inevitably stems from the failure of the English national team to win anything since 1966 and the view that there is a lack of young talent coming up through the youth ranks of teams, particularly in the Premier League. Since the formation of the Premier League in 1992, with 24 founder clubs breaking away from the traditional Football League structure, there has been a steady increase in money, viewers, sponsorship and notably a mix of nationalities plying their trade in the pinnacle of English Football. This constant turn over of players and foreign talent coming into squads, along with the desire of clubs to be playing in the so called "best league in the world" has, it has been said, led to fewer opportunities for young players to stake a claim for a place in the first team. Attempts to rectify this have been made but are there larger issues to consider? Is football in England simply headed in the wrong direction?
Today's Premier League has 20 teams and last season saw a substantial increase in sponsorship for distribution to each club taking part, TV money pretty much trebled (from £1 billion to 3 billion). When Manchester City won the league they scooped around £60 million pounds in prize and TV money. With the new TV deal, the bottom placed club will earn around the same amount, up from about £39 million. The next league winners stand to earn around £100 million. Compare this to the Championship, just one tier down and recognised as in the top 5 most popular leagues to watch in football (by attendance), where the last TV deal went from £264 million to its current £195 million and you start to see why there is such a huge difference in how clubs operate between the Premier League and the Football League. Added to this, whilst teams in the Premier League get "placement" prize money, the only team who wins prize money outside of that division are the winners of each league. The teams who are unlucky enough to be relegated out of the Premier League this season will come down off the back of not only earning circa £60 million in revenue from prize and TV money but will then be buffeted by 4 years worth of "parachute payments" intended to help clubs make the transition back into a division where you simply cannot afford to pay the type of wages players earn in the Premier League or pay out huge fees for new squad players. Parachute payments next season will total over £60 million compared to the current £48 million.
Such monetary influence seems to have led to an inevitable gap between those in the Premier League, those outside of it and indeed those that come down from the Premier League into the Championship and the rest of it. It would seem that this gap, whilst things are structured the way they are, only stands to grow even more. Where in the past, there may have been more twists and turns in which teams could be successful, now there appears to be an almost inevitability about which teams will be in the mix for league and cup success. For supporters, hope and dreams play a large part in watching their team, but what if there is no real "hope" of progressing? Surely a more competitive structure with more teams competing with each other would actually be better for everyone, including the national side? Teams coming down from the Premier League can look at the task of getting promotion again in a couple of ways, go for broke and hope to go up at the first time of asking or play a longer waiting game. The go for broke model sees sides using their parachute money to continue to pay higher than average wages and spend more money on transfers to make their squad "better" than the others in the Championship as many of those don't have the money to do the same themselves. Win this "game" and the team can go up with the knowledge that any losses made will be wiped out by the money to be gained in the Premier League and the fines for losses made over £8 million that can now be imposed by the so called "financial fair play" rules coming into the football league will pale into insignificance as well. Lose and you'll be reverting to the longer waiting game, as instead of a fine for the losses you'll be penalised for gaining an advantage (even though you've not actually gone anywhere) via a transfer embargo until you sort your finances out. Such is financial fair play eh?
You may be asking, so how about if we concentrate on youth then? Bring through the right players and teams may stand a chance of being successful? Again, there have been a lot of changes, even at this level. We have gone from 1st team and reserves teams to the current 1st team and under 21 structure. In the past it was thought that youth players didn't get enough competitive football at the right level as reserve teams seemed to consist more of older 1st team players that didn't get many run outs in the league, thus the under 21 system was brought in where teams must largely consist of players aged 21 and under with a maximum of 3 older players allowed. There is also a "Premier League" under 21s which includes all teams with category 1 training facilities rather than it purely being made up of those teams competing in the Premier League at the time. To gain category 1 status though may well be out of the reach of some clubs purely on financial grounds, particularly for those plying their trade in leagues 1 and 2. Again, this may lead to a situation where not only do teams lag behind in first team stakes but their youth team prospects suffer as they can never get to the elite league. Is this situation set to get worse with a proposal for another revamp which would see a rename of the league, global broadcasting rights and financial rewards for success thrown in? Though this is thought of as a way to improve and increase the number of locally grown talent prosper in the future, are we in danger of "B" teams overtaking those in the Championship?
I believe there is much rethinking to be done, it seems unfair for some to gain so much whilst others are left to flounder and maybe perish. If we are to be truly looking at grassroots football, we need to reconsider the structure and money pumped in right at the top. A more even distribution of riches needs to be considered, Champions league qualification shouldn't be the bee all and end all and we should value the likes of Accrington Stanley and Notts County more, after all, they were amongst those that made up the football league in the first place. To do this, the people at the top of the game need to lead change and make the difference. I remain to be convinced that this change will happen.
Today's Premier League has 20 teams and last season saw a substantial increase in sponsorship for distribution to each club taking part, TV money pretty much trebled (from £1 billion to 3 billion). When Manchester City won the league they scooped around £60 million pounds in prize and TV money. With the new TV deal, the bottom placed club will earn around the same amount, up from about £39 million. The next league winners stand to earn around £100 million. Compare this to the Championship, just one tier down and recognised as in the top 5 most popular leagues to watch in football (by attendance), where the last TV deal went from £264 million to its current £195 million and you start to see why there is such a huge difference in how clubs operate between the Premier League and the Football League. Added to this, whilst teams in the Premier League get "placement" prize money, the only team who wins prize money outside of that division are the winners of each league. The teams who are unlucky enough to be relegated out of the Premier League this season will come down off the back of not only earning circa £60 million in revenue from prize and TV money but will then be buffeted by 4 years worth of "parachute payments" intended to help clubs make the transition back into a division where you simply cannot afford to pay the type of wages players earn in the Premier League or pay out huge fees for new squad players. Parachute payments next season will total over £60 million compared to the current £48 million.
Such monetary influence seems to have led to an inevitable gap between those in the Premier League, those outside of it and indeed those that come down from the Premier League into the Championship and the rest of it. It would seem that this gap, whilst things are structured the way they are, only stands to grow even more. Where in the past, there may have been more twists and turns in which teams could be successful, now there appears to be an almost inevitability about which teams will be in the mix for league and cup success. For supporters, hope and dreams play a large part in watching their team, but what if there is no real "hope" of progressing? Surely a more competitive structure with more teams competing with each other would actually be better for everyone, including the national side? Teams coming down from the Premier League can look at the task of getting promotion again in a couple of ways, go for broke and hope to go up at the first time of asking or play a longer waiting game. The go for broke model sees sides using their parachute money to continue to pay higher than average wages and spend more money on transfers to make their squad "better" than the others in the Championship as many of those don't have the money to do the same themselves. Win this "game" and the team can go up with the knowledge that any losses made will be wiped out by the money to be gained in the Premier League and the fines for losses made over £8 million that can now be imposed by the so called "financial fair play" rules coming into the football league will pale into insignificance as well. Lose and you'll be reverting to the longer waiting game, as instead of a fine for the losses you'll be penalised for gaining an advantage (even though you've not actually gone anywhere) via a transfer embargo until you sort your finances out. Such is financial fair play eh?
You may be asking, so how about if we concentrate on youth then? Bring through the right players and teams may stand a chance of being successful? Again, there have been a lot of changes, even at this level. We have gone from 1st team and reserves teams to the current 1st team and under 21 structure. In the past it was thought that youth players didn't get enough competitive football at the right level as reserve teams seemed to consist more of older 1st team players that didn't get many run outs in the league, thus the under 21 system was brought in where teams must largely consist of players aged 21 and under with a maximum of 3 older players allowed. There is also a "Premier League" under 21s which includes all teams with category 1 training facilities rather than it purely being made up of those teams competing in the Premier League at the time. To gain category 1 status though may well be out of the reach of some clubs purely on financial grounds, particularly for those plying their trade in leagues 1 and 2. Again, this may lead to a situation where not only do teams lag behind in first team stakes but their youth team prospects suffer as they can never get to the elite league. Is this situation set to get worse with a proposal for another revamp which would see a rename of the league, global broadcasting rights and financial rewards for success thrown in? Though this is thought of as a way to improve and increase the number of locally grown talent prosper in the future, are we in danger of "B" teams overtaking those in the Championship?
I believe there is much rethinking to be done, it seems unfair for some to gain so much whilst others are left to flounder and maybe perish. If we are to be truly looking at grassroots football, we need to reconsider the structure and money pumped in right at the top. A more even distribution of riches needs to be considered, Champions league qualification shouldn't be the bee all and end all and we should value the likes of Accrington Stanley and Notts County more, after all, they were amongst those that made up the football league in the first place. To do this, the people at the top of the game need to lead change and make the difference. I remain to be convinced that this change will happen.
Friday 28 December 2012
Blackburn Rovers - a year in review 2012
Following what can only be described as a poor 2011 for Blackburn Rovers fans, I take a look back at the year about to pass, 2012.
Blackburn moved into January lying in 19th position in the Premier League having spent Christmas day in the unwanted position of bottom place, well known as being an almost certain indication of relegation come May. Early form in January wasn't good, starting with defeat to Stoke at home and being dumped out of the FA cup by Newcastle. A win against Fulham and a Draw at Everton followed, with signs that there might be an upturn in fortunes to come. January also marked the transfer window, meaning an opportunity to strengthen. In came Markus Olsson and Bradley Orr along with Anthony Modeste on Loan. Notable out-goings were: Jason Roberts, Ryan Nelson and Keith Andrews. The club finished the month lying in 18th, one point from safety.
If January had shown glimpses of hope, February soon dashed this. Three loses and one win, including a demoralising 7-1 thumping at the hands of Arsenal and the loss of lynchpin defender Samba to Russia for in excess of 11 million, left the club stuck in the bottom three, still 18th, though with only goal-difference keeping them from safety, proving that a couple of extra points would have gone a long way.
March was perhaps (at least in the Premiership), the most fruitful one of 2012 for Rovers and should have been one that went on to define and rescue their season. A draw against Aston Villa, followed up by good wins against fellow strugglers Wolves and Sunderland should have set the tone for a team at one point sitting six points clear of the relegation zone but this was followed up by a disappointing defeat to the hands of Bolton, meaning the club were 17th but only just out of the bottom three on Goals scored.
Moving on into April, many fans held the hope of a "Great Escape" but this month can only be described as an unmitigated disaster with defeat to Bolton at the end of March followed by another four defeats on the bounce. There was a late capitulation to Manchester United, a comprehensive defeat to West Brom, a chance of three points thrown away against the 10 men of Liverpool and another resounding defeat to Swansea with frustrations on the pitch showing. A must win game at home to Norwich gave brief hope when the Rovers mustered up a solid 2-0 win but this was following up with a pretty inept performance at Tottenham where it was widely reported that there were no attempts on target or even off target for Blackburn - pretty poor for a team that had to win to even stand a chance of staying up. The team finished April in 19th position, three points from safety and an inferior goal difference with just two games remaining and the team above them with a game in hand.
A dire season in the Premiership was brought to an end in May, relegation to the Championship for the 2012-13 season was confirmed on a rainy evening against Wigan which will probably best be remembered for the Chicken let loose on the pitch which Yakubu and Ali Al Habsi managed to corner in the Wigan goal with Rovers eventually losing 1-0. A final day loss to Chelsea brought down the curtain on eleven consecutive seasons in the Premiership for Rovers. The team finished 19th out of 20 with 31 points, six points from safety and an inferior goal difference.
June is a quiet month in football, though the intent for Blackburn was to try and bounce back at the first time of asking. June saw one in-coming player Danny Murphy, while significant out-goings were: Yakubu, Hoilett, Salgado and Grella.
July saw some mixed results during the usual pre-season friendly games, a couple of wins and a couple of losses but the club also looked to have signalled some ambition with the signings of Leon Best and Nuno Gomes. In addition, in came relative unknowns Fabio Nunes, Paulo Jorge & Edinho Junior.
The remainder of the club's pre-season games were played out in the early part of August, though the first one was cancelled on safety grounds, a behind closed door training game ended 0-0 and the second one yielded a win. Sadly Rovers lost new signing Leon Best to a serious injury during pre-season and he hasn't been able to play any part during 2012. A good start to the Championship campaign saw Blackburn draw one and win two, leaving Rovers 3rd in the league, though this was marred by a defeat to lower league opposition in the league cup, a competition fans would have had hope of doing reasonably well in. Signings during August included Dickson Etuhu and a club record spend on the extremely promising Jordan Rhodes in addition to Diogo Rosado and Nuno Henrique. Outgoings included Petrovic, Bunn and Nzonzi. In addition there were a couple of Loans in: Kazim Richards and the polish goalkeeper Sandomierski.
Onto September and another reasonable set of results saw a draw and two wins, before an abject performance against Middlesborough at Ewood. A trip to Charlton beckoned and on the eve of that match the manager stepped down citing his position as "untenable". Eric Black took temporary charge and the team came away with a draw seeing Rovers end the month in 4th.
Much of October was spent speculating over who the next manager might be and there certainly didn't seem to be any shortage of names being banded about, with a mix of highly experienced people being mentioned and some who could be described as having potential. Black seemed to steady the ship, tighten the team up and dug out some results with two draws, a loss and two wins leaving the team in 5th place at the end of the month.
With the new manager at the helm, Henning Berg (a former Rovers player who had a glittering playing career) November saw a tough start away to flying Crystal Palace, themselves with a new manager after Bolton had persuaded their old one to take on the challenge at the Reebok. Holloway, now manager at Palace after being linked to Blackburn, won the battle of the new boys as Rovers went down 2-0. This was followed up by some promising performances in a couple of draws and an emphatic win at Peterborough 4-1. Sadly, after that it all seems to have gone downhill with performances spiralling downwards the month ended with two more defeats and Rovers having slipped to 10th in the league. The month also saw, Manchester United youngster Josh King coming in on loan and Bradley Orr going out on loan to Ipswich.
December and another new low for Blackburn, a poor run of results with a draw and three losses, along with a game post-poned due to a waterlogged pitch saw Rovers fall to 17th in the league on goals scored and goal difference.* Berg was sacked along with his assistant, 1st team coach and goalkeeping coach on 27th after what was described as a "run of disappointing results". Fans await with baited breath to see who will be appointed next. The only hope is that it is someone who has significant, successful experience of managing in the English leagues (preferably at least at Championship level) and who is a strong character who can stamp his own authority on affairs at Ewood and steer the team back in the right direction.
* League Position up to date as of 28th December 2012.
2012: Games played (not including friendlies): 42, won 12, drawn 10, lost 20, win rate: 29%.
Summary: a pretty dismal year to be a Blackburn fan, with the right decisions 2013 could be a better year but time will tell.
Blackburn moved into January lying in 19th position in the Premier League having spent Christmas day in the unwanted position of bottom place, well known as being an almost certain indication of relegation come May. Early form in January wasn't good, starting with defeat to Stoke at home and being dumped out of the FA cup by Newcastle. A win against Fulham and a Draw at Everton followed, with signs that there might be an upturn in fortunes to come. January also marked the transfer window, meaning an opportunity to strengthen. In came Markus Olsson and Bradley Orr along with Anthony Modeste on Loan. Notable out-goings were: Jason Roberts, Ryan Nelson and Keith Andrews. The club finished the month lying in 18th, one point from safety.
If January had shown glimpses of hope, February soon dashed this. Three loses and one win, including a demoralising 7-1 thumping at the hands of Arsenal and the loss of lynchpin defender Samba to Russia for in excess of 11 million, left the club stuck in the bottom three, still 18th, though with only goal-difference keeping them from safety, proving that a couple of extra points would have gone a long way.
March was perhaps (at least in the Premiership), the most fruitful one of 2012 for Rovers and should have been one that went on to define and rescue their season. A draw against Aston Villa, followed up by good wins against fellow strugglers Wolves and Sunderland should have set the tone for a team at one point sitting six points clear of the relegation zone but this was followed up by a disappointing defeat to the hands of Bolton, meaning the club were 17th but only just out of the bottom three on Goals scored.
Moving on into April, many fans held the hope of a "Great Escape" but this month can only be described as an unmitigated disaster with defeat to Bolton at the end of March followed by another four defeats on the bounce. There was a late capitulation to Manchester United, a comprehensive defeat to West Brom, a chance of three points thrown away against the 10 men of Liverpool and another resounding defeat to Swansea with frustrations on the pitch showing. A must win game at home to Norwich gave brief hope when the Rovers mustered up a solid 2-0 win but this was following up with a pretty inept performance at Tottenham where it was widely reported that there were no attempts on target or even off target for Blackburn - pretty poor for a team that had to win to even stand a chance of staying up. The team finished April in 19th position, three points from safety and an inferior goal difference with just two games remaining and the team above them with a game in hand.
A dire season in the Premiership was brought to an end in May, relegation to the Championship for the 2012-13 season was confirmed on a rainy evening against Wigan which will probably best be remembered for the Chicken let loose on the pitch which Yakubu and Ali Al Habsi managed to corner in the Wigan goal with Rovers eventually losing 1-0. A final day loss to Chelsea brought down the curtain on eleven consecutive seasons in the Premiership for Rovers. The team finished 19th out of 20 with 31 points, six points from safety and an inferior goal difference.
June is a quiet month in football, though the intent for Blackburn was to try and bounce back at the first time of asking. June saw one in-coming player Danny Murphy, while significant out-goings were: Yakubu, Hoilett, Salgado and Grella.
July saw some mixed results during the usual pre-season friendly games, a couple of wins and a couple of losses but the club also looked to have signalled some ambition with the signings of Leon Best and Nuno Gomes. In addition, in came relative unknowns Fabio Nunes, Paulo Jorge & Edinho Junior.
The remainder of the club's pre-season games were played out in the early part of August, though the first one was cancelled on safety grounds, a behind closed door training game ended 0-0 and the second one yielded a win. Sadly Rovers lost new signing Leon Best to a serious injury during pre-season and he hasn't been able to play any part during 2012. A good start to the Championship campaign saw Blackburn draw one and win two, leaving Rovers 3rd in the league, though this was marred by a defeat to lower league opposition in the league cup, a competition fans would have had hope of doing reasonably well in. Signings during August included Dickson Etuhu and a club record spend on the extremely promising Jordan Rhodes in addition to Diogo Rosado and Nuno Henrique. Outgoings included Petrovic, Bunn and Nzonzi. In addition there were a couple of Loans in: Kazim Richards and the polish goalkeeper Sandomierski.
Onto September and another reasonable set of results saw a draw and two wins, before an abject performance against Middlesborough at Ewood. A trip to Charlton beckoned and on the eve of that match the manager stepped down citing his position as "untenable". Eric Black took temporary charge and the team came away with a draw seeing Rovers end the month in 4th.
Much of October was spent speculating over who the next manager might be and there certainly didn't seem to be any shortage of names being banded about, with a mix of highly experienced people being mentioned and some who could be described as having potential. Black seemed to steady the ship, tighten the team up and dug out some results with two draws, a loss and two wins leaving the team in 5th place at the end of the month.
With the new manager at the helm, Henning Berg (a former Rovers player who had a glittering playing career) November saw a tough start away to flying Crystal Palace, themselves with a new manager after Bolton had persuaded their old one to take on the challenge at the Reebok. Holloway, now manager at Palace after being linked to Blackburn, won the battle of the new boys as Rovers went down 2-0. This was followed up by some promising performances in a couple of draws and an emphatic win at Peterborough 4-1. Sadly, after that it all seems to have gone downhill with performances spiralling downwards the month ended with two more defeats and Rovers having slipped to 10th in the league. The month also saw, Manchester United youngster Josh King coming in on loan and Bradley Orr going out on loan to Ipswich.
December and another new low for Blackburn, a poor run of results with a draw and three losses, along with a game post-poned due to a waterlogged pitch saw Rovers fall to 17th in the league on goals scored and goal difference.* Berg was sacked along with his assistant, 1st team coach and goalkeeping coach on 27th after what was described as a "run of disappointing results". Fans await with baited breath to see who will be appointed next. The only hope is that it is someone who has significant, successful experience of managing in the English leagues (preferably at least at Championship level) and who is a strong character who can stamp his own authority on affairs at Ewood and steer the team back in the right direction.
* League Position up to date as of 28th December 2012.
2012: Games played (not including friendlies): 42, won 12, drawn 10, lost 20, win rate: 29%.
Summary: a pretty dismal year to be a Blackburn fan, with the right decisions 2013 could be a better year but time will tell.
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