Ben Marshall was the epitome of the type of player Rovers needed to become serious contenders in the Championship. A promising young player who could play in a variety of attacking positions, blessed with excellent set piece delivery and an eye for goal, Marshall had talent in bags. On this episode we look back at his time at Rovers and ask why all these years later it felt as though Rovers never saw him deliver to his full potential.
All of Marshall’s goals for Rovers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3s8Ko-S_sk
Ben Marshall - Undr The Cosh interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wGw2DmTgbM
A deadline day signing in 2014, Duffy joined from Premier League Everton as a young prospect in the mould that manager Gary Bowyer was fond of. Duffy and Hanley had a short lived partnership that had the potential to propel Rovers up the league and challenge for promotion. As those hopes faded, Duffy’s form gained attention from other clubs and he was among the large exodus of talent as the club slipped down the table towards eventual relegation to League One. We discuss how good Duffy’s form was for Rovers, and reflect on his two (own) goal game vs Cardiff.
Duffy goal vs Brentford: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skFoydr6j1g
Duffy own goals vs Cardiff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ8Zj9FQpcU
We are back for another season of player profile episodes, this time looking at the period after Rovers were relegated from the Premier League to the Championship. In order to mount a challenge to return to the top flight, Rovers went all-in on the signing of Jordan Rhodes for £8m from Huddersfield in 2011. In this episode we chart his time at Rovers, what he brought to the side, and debate his overall contribution during his time at the club.
When Brad Friedel announced he wished to leave Rovers, the club identified Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson as the preferred replacement. Robinson rebuilt his reputation at Rovers under Sam Allardyce, winning player of the season in 2011. In this episode we look at how Robinson bounced back at Rovers, and how to view his time at the club given it also coincided with the arrival of the Venky’s.
Athletic interview: https://theathletic.com/1856663/2020/06/08/paul-robinson-england-croatia-leeds-tottenham-spurs-blackburn-capello-ramos-eriksson-mcclaren/
Robbie Savage signed for Rovers to join his former international manager Mark Hughes, and quickly became the engine of the Rovers midfield. A player fans of other clubs love to hate, Savage enjoyed success at Rovers and played some of the best football of his career in a top six side, with a European run the following year. In this episode we look at what it means to have Savage on your team.
Goal against Salzburg: https://youtu.be/86QtB-qioUg?si=boiHksR2Nei-u1sE&t=53
David Bentley joined Rovers initially on loan from Arsenal with a view to inject much needed flair and creativity into the side. He soon found a natural home on the right wing and established a reputation for his set-piece and crossing abilities. In this episode we look at Bentley’s Rovers career, discuss Bentley’s own reflections on the rise and fall of his life in football, and what it says about the importance of player management and sports psychology in the modern game.
Bentley’s 21 goals for Rovers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH71CT-ZEOU
Brad Friedel is a true Rovers legend in every sense of the word. Described once as a Superman by an opposing manager, Friedel enjoyed a decorated career for Rovers and the US men’s national side. In this episode we discuss Friedel’s best moments, what he meant to the team, and put his career in a wider Premier League context.
Friedel vs Manchester United: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiZ9RPujxlY
Jon Stead may have only scored 8 goals for Rovers but the return on those goals was almost unrivalled during this era, as Stead helped fire Rovers to safety in the 2003-04 season. Despite his initial success, Stead struggled to recapture the form from that season and eventually departed when Mark Hughes was manager. Stead’s meteoric rise from the lower leagues to the Premier League is still a story worth telling all these years later.
Stead’s goals for Rovers: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oz15UC3IXow
In December 2001 Rovers signed Andrew Cole for £8m from Manchester United in a move that manager Graeme Souness described as a “monster transfer’. The ‘Cole effect’ saw Rovers win the League Cup a couple of months later, followed by a top 6 finish the following season. In this episode, we look at the impact Cole had during his time at Ewood Park, his best moments, and why he ultimately left the club one year before his contract was due to end.
Cole’s goals for Rovers: https://www.brfcs.com/forums/topic/36609-former-rovers-players-goal-compilation-thread/
Following years of struggles both on and off the pitch, Rovers seek to address their slide with a successful campaign in League One. With Mowbray agreeing to stay on as manager, and some exciting new signings, the mood around Ewood Park is optimistic for the first time in a number of years.
Rovers unexpectedly appoint ex-Burnley manager Owen Coyle as manager who leads the club to an awful start to the season. Devoid of resources to invest in the squad, and despite the best efforts of Tony Mowbray, who was appointed following the sacking of Coyle, Rovers succumb to a second relegation in five years, slipping down to League One.
After failing to return to the Premier League in quick order, the financial reality of the Championship begins to bite as the parachute payments run out and the club finds itself in selling mode, ultimately falling victim to a transfer embargo. Simon and Paul discuss the impact the embargo had on the club in the context of Paul Lambert’s spell as manager.
Gary Bowyer was appointed manager to steady the ship and was seen as a trusted pair of hands who had established a good reputation at the club. He also oversaw the best performing team of this period in the Championship, which was littered with future Premier League players. Simon and Paul discuss the success and failure of Bowyer’s stint, and whether ultimately the team underachieved given the talent at its disposal.
In the summer of 2012 Venky’s appointed Shebby Singh as a Global Advisor to the club. With no experience of English football, Shebby was never far from the headlines and was at the centre of bitter rows over control of the club during the first season in the Championship. Simon and Paul remember the wildest Shebby moments along with the remaining managerial stints that season.
Steve Kean steered the club to relegation and was rewarded with continued support from the Venky’s to assemble a squad capable of an immediate return, which quickly evaporated and led to the appointment of Henning Berg as manager. Simon and Paul discuss the increasing concerns on display over the running of the club, with the club even describing itself as ‘out of control’ in a court case.
We are BACK for season two of the Rovers Returned podcast! Picking up immediately where we left things at the end of season one, Simon and Paul reflect on the 2012-17 era for Blackburn Rovers, charting what happened next after the club suffered relegation from the Premier League. In this episode Simon and Paul look at the period as a whole and try to put it into context. And of course, they discuss each of their main memories from this time.
In this bonus episode we go through questions from our listeners about the series and answer questions as wide ranging as who would make a Blackburn Rovers best XI from the 2001-12 period to which player would win a Royal Rumble style wrestling contest?
Venky's, the new owners of Blackburn, take swift action in firing Allardyce and appointing Steve Kean as interim then full-time manager. With promises of attracting world class talent and opening up the vast Indian market, Venky's have big ambitions, but do they have what it takes to transfer their business knowledge to the world of the Premier League?
With Ince lasting less than half a season in charge as manager, Blackburn turn to a man with a reputation of guaranteeing Premier League survival, Sam Allardyce. Meanwhile, off the pitch the club struggles with the increased financial pressures of competing in the league, leading to a foreign takeover and end to the Walker era.
Paul Ince, otherwise known as the Guv'nor, had a distinguished career as a player and a growing reputation as an up and coming English manager in the lower leagues. With the departure of Mark Hughes to Manchester City, on paper it looked like Blackburn had found the perfect replacement. Or had they?