Blackburn Rovers - fan's 2008/09 Premier League preview
Wednesday, 06 Aug 2008 15:42
Blackburn Rovers - fan's 2008/09 Premier League preview and predictions
A supporter's views and expectations for the 2008/09 season.
Last season
Premier League: 7th - P 38 W 15 D 13 L 10 GF 50 GA 48 GD +2 PTS 58
FA Cup: Third round - lost 4-1 to Coventry City
League Cup: Quarter-finals - lost 3-2 to Arsenal
The manager
Paul Ince's ascendancy has been rapid since taking over at Macclesfield Town in 2006, but the former England captain faces a daunting task in his first top-flight job.
Ince will look to impose his own agenda on a side carefully moulded by Mark Hughes over the last four years, but a squad accustomed to the Welshman's calming influence and unsettled by the departure of several key players could take a while to gel under the Guv'nor.
Chances of managerial change?
Chairman John Williams' decision to choose a young, relatively inexperienced manager over Premier League stalwarts such as Sam Allardyce and Steve McClaren was a move generally appreciated by Rovers fans.
Williams and the Blackburn board are likely to accept that the first season of the post-Hughes era is bound to be a period of transition, but several years of top-half finishes will make a low league position come December hard to swallow.
As ever, Williams will take a pragmatic approach and Ince will be judged on results - the post-Christmas period and January transfer window are likely to be crucial.
The players
Exits
Bentley's departure to Spurs carried an air of inevitability, but Friedel's decision to join Aston Villa came as more of a surprise.
Both will be hard to replace, with Ince demonstrating his inexperience by repeatedly declaring that his "best players" would not be sold just days before the transfers were confirmed.
A deal worth a possible £17 million for Bentley may seem like good business for the club, but with Arsenal set to receive up to 50 per cent of the fee due to a sell-on clause, Rovers fans can be forgiven for thinking that this summer's transfer market has not favoured their club.
New arrivals
Robinson arrives in search of a fresh start after enduring a nightmarish season at White Hart Lane. Although he will find it almost impossible to match Friedel for consistency and faces a struggle to win over the fans, Ince will be hoping that a change of scenery helps the former Leeds United player recapture the form which once saw him an automatic selection as England's first-choice shot-stopper.
The prospect of 'YouTube sensation' Carlos Villanueva playing at Ewood Park is an intriguing one. The Chilean midfielder's sublime technique has already won him a cult internet following, but whether such flamboyance can withstand a stern examination from the Premier League's toughest defenders is yet to be seen.
Danny Simpson remains something of an unknown quantity, although his sporadic appearances at Old Trafford last season suggest a solid defender who could prove a useful addition to Rovers' backline.
Needs
The prospect of losing Roque Santa Cruz continues to haunt Rovers fans and the sense of relief will be palpable if the Paraguayan is still at the club come September 1st.
Holding onto Santa Cruz and adding one or two new midfielders to the squad will be Ince's main concerns this month. The club have been linked with moves for Liverpool's Jermaine Pennant and Mark Bresciano of Palermo, although signing a holding player to assist David Dunn and Steven Reid should perhaps be the priority.
The fanbase
Several years of overachievement have led to a curious situation in which many Rovers fans are unsure of exactly what to expect from their team.
Simply avoiding a major slump in the wake of Hughes' departure should keep the majority happy this time around, while last season's underperformers (stand up Morten Gamst Pedersen) can expect a rough ride if things go awry in the early stages of the campaign.
Prediction for 2008/09
As always, the cup competitions represent Rovers' best chance of silverware, and a decent run in one of the knockout tournaments may soften the blow of a sliding league position.
Equalling last season's seventh-place finish seems wildly optimistic given recent developments, but getting sucked into a relegation battle looks equally improbable. Mid-table mediocrity it is then!
Matt Duxbury