[Archived] News Article -> A Brighter Future?

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[caption id=attachment_2416" align="alignright" width="223" caption="Picture courtesy of cn174][/caption]So there we have it, the end of another Premier League season for Blackburn Rovers, and my what a season it has been!

Victory at Wolves yesterday secured Premier League safety and in the end Rovers were 4 points clear of the relegation and only 3 points behind 14th-placed Bolton, who are meant to have had a good season. But let's not kid ourselves: this has been the season from hell!

Mistakes have been made, particularly by the owners Venky's. With any takeover there is bound to be change, but no one expected so much to change so quickly. Promises made prior to the takeover regarding continuity and stability seemed to go out of the window as the new owners put their stamp on the club. The decision to sack Sam Allardyce was the catalyst for the club's relegation battle. Sam was not loved by all the fans, but what he was able to do was to get results on a regular basis which kept the club out of relegation trouble. The owners have every right to choose who manages the club, but the timing of the sacking could not have been worse. It plunged the club into turmoil, which was further compounded by the decision to appoint first-team coach Steve Kean as Sam's successor. It may be that Kean will turn out to be a very good manager, but to put an inexperienced man in charge of team affairs at a crucial stage of the season was only going to lead to problems. To Kean's credit, towards the end of the season he did manage to turn things round when it looked like Rovers were in desperate trouble. The owners have already gone on record saying that Kean is here for the long term; if they are true to their word, then we can only hope that Kean can pick up from where he left off at the end of this season.

Off the field, Rovers stalwart John Williams left the club, but, despite what the owners have said, had John been given any encouragement by the owners, then he would have stayed on. That was not forthcoming, however, and so he left. Again, the failure to appoint a successor immediately has led to problems — with the club in the midst of a relegation battle a strong figurehead like John Williams was needed.

The result yesterday has given Venky's a second opportunity to get things right. The noises coming out are encouraging: they want to invest in the squad (that will be welcomed by fans) and the Rovers squad is quite strong, so keeping hold of key players and adding quality players can only help push the club forward. Then there is the future of Steve Kean. Constantly there is speculation that he will be sacked, so the owners need to come out and definitively back him and give him the authority to take the club forward. Venky's need to realise that most fans aren't against their ownership of the club, but when they see the club lurching from one crisis to another, with the owners making mistake after mistake, then fans will defend the club. If Venky's can learn from their mistakes, then there is no reason why the relationship with the fans cannot be repaired.

The summer is the chance for the club to get its "house in order" off the field. Venky's need to ensure that the people at Ewood are allowed to run the club without having to refer to Pune every time a decision is required. With the arrival of Paul Hunt as Deputy Chief Executive, it is hoped that as he has been appointed by Venky's, he will be given authority to make decisions. There is, however, speculation that Tom Finn will leave the club soon, which will likely cause more upheaval. Whatever happens, it is very important that Rovers have a settled corporate governance structure before the start of the season that is able to show leadership and take the club forward in the direction that Venky's intend.

The Premier League roller-coaster has stopped for the summer, but I suspect that it is going to be a busy summer at Ewood Park. Fans will be hoping that, come August, the club is stronger both on and off the field, and if this can be achieved, then just maybe next season will be one of triumph rather than one of fear!

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