Football Season Guide

Blackburn have been pretty much in a constant state of decline since their infamous takeover in the autumn of 2010. Their eleven-year Premier League stay ended in 2012, while their five-year stay in the Championship ended in April, with their relegation meaning that the Rovers are the first Premier League champions to end up in the third tier. The atmosphere surrounding the club has been one of dejection and disappointment, with the vast majority of fans wanting the current owners out. However, there is no doubt that the people running the club have taken their current situation very seriously, with the contract with experienced manager Tony Mowbray, who took over late in the previous season, being extended by two additional years. Also the club worked hard to find replacements for the players who left over the summer, such as Hope Akpan, Danny Guthrie, Jason Lowe and Gordon Greer. Literally all of the players that have signed during the summer are proven League One players, while all of them bar Bradley Dack also have plenty of experience of playing in the Championship. Blackburn's squad does not really look like that of a League One outfit, as most of their players are used to playing in higher divisions, but one big problem is that they are still at least three or four players short of having a squad big enough to cope with all the demands of a big season. Despite this shortcoming and the overall atmosphere surrounding the club, Rovers will widely be seen as one of the serious, if not the main favourites, for direct promotion. Simply put, they are too big of a club for this division and still have a squad good enough to win promotion if their players play anywhere near their best