Rovers finished seventh last term
Last year was a very good one for Blackburn, as seventh place finish marked a successful season for Mark Hughes and his man. The team battled bravely and produced some decent football, despite the fact that rovers were constantly playing in front of half empty crowd at Ewood Park. David Bentley was instrumental in Rovers midfield, creating a lot of chances for strikers, mainly Roque Santa Cruz, one of the best buys of the season. Brad Friedel was also excellent between the sticks, and Stephen Warnock was another of those who performed well. The main problem this season may be the fact that manager Mark Hughes and David Bentley have left the club, and this may severely damage Blackburn chances of repeating the success from last season.
Mark Hughes and David Bentley left the club
The departure of highly regarded Mark Hughes has been met with great frustration among the fans, but the club board called for calm as they search for the new boss. Names of Steve Mclaren and Sam Allardyce were mentioned, but the job went to inexperienced, but promising Paul Ince. This was met with a mixed reaction by the fans, but many of them were won over by Ince's decision to issue hands off warning to Sir Alex Ferguson, regarding the availability of Santa Cruz. Apart from Hughes, another key figure left the club, and that was David Bentley, and Ince will have a lot of troubles finding a replacement. Veteran keeper Friedel also left, but he was replaced with Paul Robinson, who is looking to rediscover his form. Signings of Carlos Villanueva, a talented youngster, and loan signing of Danny Simpson did little to ease the fans concern about lack of real stars. Anthony Annan, a promising Ghanian midfielder, who is linked to Blackburn might be a big boost.
In
Paul Robinson (Tottenham),
Julio Santa Cruz (Cerro Porteno),
Carlos Villanueva (Audax Italiano, loan),
Danny Simpson (Manchester United, loan)
Out
Peter Enckleman (released),
Stephane Henchoz (released),
Bruno Berner (released),
Brad Friedel (Aston Villa),
David Bentley (Tottenham Hotspur)
Rovers under Paul Ince
Robinson will be number one this season, and despite some mistakes he is still a very good keeper. The defense will be the same as last year with Nelsen, Ooijer and Warnock, while maybe Simpson will start at right back and Emerton will be moved to take Bentley's place. The biggest problem Ince will have in midfield, as Bentley will be hard to replace. Gamst Pedersen and David Dunn are expected to create chances, while Villanueva is expected to bring some flare into midfield. If nothing unexpected happen, Santa Cruz and McCarthy will still spearhead the attack, and that is where the goals will come from. Blackburn and Ince are still in for a difficult season, as it will be difficult to replace Bentley and Hughes. We don't think they will get relegated but bottom half finish should be expected.
Our tip: Bottom half finish
Odds 1.53
Bookmaker: Bet365
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