Blackburn Rovers' Premiership Record

Blackburn Rovers

It’ s a truism that one man doesn’t make a team but two do and those two men were the
main reason that Blackburn Rovers were the first club, and only the third other than
Manchester United and Arsenal, to win the Premier League, in it’s 12 year history. The two
men in question were, record signing Alan Shearer, and the man who bankrolled his
£3.3 million signing, steel tycoon Jack Walker.

Blackburn’s first Premiership season started well with an unbeaten start that put them top
by the end of August. Rovers weren’t outside the top two until December, when losing to
Liverpool dropped them to third. But a bigger blow came on Boxing Day when Blackburn
went second after beating Leeds but, after scoring twice, to take his running total to 16,
Alan Shearer’s season was ended by injury. Also ended were any title hopes as Rovers only
won one of their next six games before Mike Newell’s brace beat Chelsea. Another five
games without winning meant sixth place. Kevin Gallacher came in from Coventry and
although he scored five goals by the end of the season he was no Alan Shearer. But with
Gallacher alongside Newell Blackburn won seven of their last nine games to finish fourth.

Another expensive import arrived from Southampton and Tim Flowers became Britain’s most
expensive goalkeeper when he joined Blackburn for £2 million but he had to wait a dozen
games before displacing Bobby Mimms. Although Rovers then lost two out of four they
started a great run and from December won 10 games out of 11, drawing the other.
Shearer was back, as 18 goals and second place in the table, by the turn of the year,
demonstrated. The team only suffered four defeats in the second half of the campaign but
they proved decisive, two of them coming, as they did, in the last four games. But
runners-up was a mathematical progression from fourth with the next campaign completing
the equation, as champions.

Blackburn were a formidable team and were strengthened by the record £5 million arrival of
Chris Sutton. The SAS, as Shearer and his co-striker were nicknamed, were, at times,
unplayable and with Colin Hendry supreme at the back Rovers produced consistent enough
to stay in the top three all season, bar a fortnight.

Losing at Manchester United spurred Blackburn on and they went 12 games without defeat
and seven consecutive wins had them top by December. United completed a League double
over them but Rovers stayed top. In fact only two more defeats in 15 games saw them
retain pole position with three games left. But defeat at relegation-threatened West Ham
made even the eight point advantage they had over Manchester United look vulnerable.

Alan Shearer’s 33rd League goal beat Newcastle to set up a dramatic last-day scenario
that if United got a point at West Ham and Rovers lost to Liverpool the title would stay at
Old Trafford. But West Ham held United and despite losing at Anfield Kenny Dalglish’s
Blackburn Rovers were proclaimed Premier League champions.

The summer shock was Kenny Dalglish’s elevation to Football Director at Blackburn Rovers,
a role that no one has ever been able to define, with his assistant Ray Harford becoming
team manager. But the change has a negative affect on the field and the team failed to
retain the title. Shearer continued scoring goals, another 31, more than half of Rovers’
total, but got little support from elsewhere with the second highest scorer registering just
six! The first half of the campaign was spent in the lower half of the table though a revival
and only five defeats in the second, from 19 games, earned seventh place.

Ray Harford was given another season but it proved even worse. Alan Shearer left for his
spiritual for his spiritual home, St James’ Park, and four points from a possible 33 was an
unacceptable start and Rovers were bottom for two months until the end of October when
Ray Harford resigned and perennial caretaker manager Tony Parkes took over. Sven Goran
Eriksson was supposed to take over but then changed his mind. Six games without defeat
from February allayed relegation fears and the team limped to the end of the season,
finishing 13th.

Roy Hodgson became manager in June and Rovers began the season well and were leaders
by the end of August. Nine unbeaten games after losing to Leeds kept Blackburn in the top
three and by the New Year they were second but only four more games were won, from 17,
and sixth was the final placing. The following season a spectacular fall saw the team
relegated after a start in which only two wins were registered by December. Just three
victories came in 1999 and on 12 May the club was relegated.

Two seasons were spent in Division One and when the team returned to the Premiership,
finishes of 10th and sixth, in successive seasons, under Graeme Souness, proved a
precursor to the spectre of relegation that loomed for much of 2003–04.

Managers

Kenny Dalglish       1991–1995

Ray Harford          1995–1997

Roy Hodgson         1997–1998

Brian Kidd             1998–1999

Tony Parkes          1999–2000

Graeme Souness     March 2000