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Blackburn Rovers team report – Game date : September 2006
And so another season begins!
It’s been a busy summer at Ewood Park as the club is being restructured from top to bottom, both on and off the pitch. Part of the stands are still currently closed as new seating is being installed, and by January the capacity will have been brought up to a respectable 40.000. Manager Dave Spliff, who has repeatedly urged the board to do this in the past, is glad of the improvement although he confessed he had hoped for a greater increase in the available seating:
“In today’s football this is an absolute minimum for any self-respecting European Premiership side. In my view we owe the fans a little more ambition, particularly now that we have more a stable financial base.”
The board declined to comment, though earlier this week a press release was issued stating that all of the club’s outstanding debts have been cleared, and that Spliff had agreed to an extension of his contract –no figures were given in either case.
“I’m happy with the way things are going, and although it’s flattering to be linked to bigger clubs, it’s even more satisfying to beat them on the pitch” said Spliff on the subject.
Blackburn’s Franco-Irish manager then agreed to describe the numerous changes in first-team personnel made over the summer.
“Starting at the back, we brought in Tim Howard as our new goalkeeper. Brad Friedel’s contract was coming to an end, and we’d come to a mutual agreement to let him go, but before he left he did us a big favour in helping to convince Tim that Ewood Park was the place for him.” This maintains the tradition of American goalkeepers at Rovers, and should provide a solid base upon which to rest –many observers questioned the wisdom of keeping him on the bench when he was at Manchester. Next up was the defence.
“Basically the back four remains unchanged, but the depth of the squad has improved a little with the arrivals of young Mellis (17) and Celestine Babayaro, who’ll be covering for James McEveley on the left. Unfortunately, Mathias (Doumbé) is out for another six weeks, but Lucas Neill has done a decent job of standing in.”
The greatest changes were undoubtedly those involving midfield positions, with several important players leaving the club –most notably Brett Emerton (to Bayern), David Thompson (to Juventus), Barry Feguson and Steven Reid. Here is what Spliff had to say:
“There wasn’t much I could do about it. One of the priorities was to reduce the wage bill, and you can’t ask players of that calibre to take significant pay cuts after they helped achieve promotion. I can understand the fans’ disappointment, but the money brought in by these sales has banished –for good, I hope- the spectre of debt that’s been haunting the club for years, and put me in a position to bring in several players I’d had my eye on for a while. And although it’ll take some time before the team really starts performing as a collective unit, there’s no doubt in my mind that the overall strength of the squad has been improved.”
This remains to be seen, but the arrivals of Sam Dalla Bona, Christoph Preub, Jochen Seitz, Steven Pienaar and Spanish under21 playmaker Oskitz Estefan*a seem to have generated a lot of excitement around Ewood Park, and the Blackburn manager could not conceal his satisfaction regarding the quality of his new acquisitions.
“It’s an almost entirely new midfield, with several good bargains in the process, and I’m very happy with the way it’s turned out. I think more players now see Blackburn Rovers as a club that can help them develop both on and off the pitch. Unlike many other places, no-one here is much impressed with flash cars and designer clothing. Respect will come only when you’ve earned it, but it’ll be worth any magazine cover a thousand times over.”
Recent signing Nathan Ellington was the only major change in the front line, and it is rumoured that Dwight Pezzarossi may be on his way out in January, with competition becoming fierce as Ben Onwuachi, Isaah Eliakwu and Stefan Moore vie for a place in the first eleven.
“No problems there” was Dave Spliff’s only comment, delivered with a wry grin.
Overall objectives are clear to the Blackburn manager:
“Obviously we must consolidate the club’s position within the European Premiership, and although the bookies have yet again tipped us for relegation (he rolls his eyes to the ceiling) I’m convinced we’re capable of doing it –I’ve even got a little money on us making the top 8 this year! Now that would really be something…”
The interview trails off into casual conversation, and as it concludes I find myself staring out of the window in his office. Another level of scaffolding is being put up, and I cannot help but notice the analogy with what Spliff has done since he took charge of an ailing, ageing club lurking in the depths of the First Division. Hard to believe this was barely three seasons ago, and that he was initially dismissed by the Ewood Park faithful as being too inexperienced to make a decent job of it –yet piece by piece, and layer by layer, a fine edifice is being built, less theatrically perhaps than it was during the reign of Jack Walker and King Kenny, but one which may be better suited to carry the club towards long-term stability and success.
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