A season of stagnation for Rovers as Paul Ince’s disastrous reign came to an end almost before it started and Big Sam came in to save the club from relegation.
A surprising 3-2 away win over Everton on the opening day of the season saw Paul Ince’s reign as Blackburn manager start with real promise. The former MK Dons boss moved to Ewood Park weeks before the season start after Mark Hughes moved to Man City but had yet to capture the fans’ imaginations with any notable signings, further to that, star player David Bentley had been sold to Tottenham for a over £15 million and the money had barely been spent, only Paul Robinson had been snapped up as a replacement for the departed veteran Brad Freidel.
One positive the fans could take was the club’s ability to keep striker Roque Santa Cruz on the books despite the attentions of the newly-rich Manchester City.
Two heavy defeats at the hands of West Ham and Arsenal showed the faithful that there was plenty of work still to do. Some inconsistent results saw the team lingering in the lower regions of the table but things soon took a turn for the worse as six straight defeats, including ones against fellow strugglers Tottenham, Portsmouth and Sunderland, forced the team into the relegation zone.
Ince was relieved of his duties on December 19th following a heavy 3-0 defeat at the hands of Wigan and Sam Allardyce, formerly of Lancashire rivals Bolton of course, was sworn in the very next day.
The switch seemed to have worked. A comprehensive 3-0 win over Stoke was the start of a 9-match unbeaten run which was enough to virtually ensure the club’s safety. There was still work to do though and a last-gasp win over Spurs at Ewood Park was probably the highlight of Allardyce’s reign in an otherwise disappointing campaign for the former Premier League champions.
Going into the summer, Blackburn will need to strengthen in key areas. Roque Santa Cruz will leave the club to join Manchester City so Allardyce’s main concern will revolve around replacing the big Paraguayan. Matt Derbyshire looks set to make his loan move in Turkey permanent so Benni McCarthy and Jason Roberts will need competition. Darren Bent’s Tottenham career seems to be coming to an end so perhaps a bid for the out-of-favour striker is on the cards. It is unclear, however, how much spending money the boss has been given and Bent would come with a hefty price tag.
In defence, Andre Ooijer could be sorely missed, if not for his versatility more than any other outstanding attribute. Aaron Mokoena has also left the club on a free. Allardyce will have to search the globe to find suitable replacements but don’t bet on Rovers troubling the big boys or challenging for Europe next season unless he finds some real gems.
Final standings:
Premier League: 15th
FA Cup: 5th round
Carling Cup: Quarter-final
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