Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Stability and success


One thing that has been a real problem for the Blackburn Rovers ever since Venky's took ownership of the team is the absolute turmoil atop the team. They took control of the team in 2010, and have averaged a new manager every season, although that number is skewed heavily by the whirlwind of 2012-13 when Henning Berg and Michael Appleton combined to manage for 124 days after the team had been relegated under Steve Kean's leadership.
Then, the Rovers simply swapped out their manager every year after that, it seemed. Paul Lambert left of his own accord, not wanting anything to do with he mess in Blackburn, but all others were let go by the team. Last year, Owen Coyle was fired and Tony Mowbray was hired, but not before the damage was done, and the Rovers were again relegated.
Then, Venky's did something crazy: nothing. Mowbray, a fairly popular manager, was allowed to keep his job, and perhaps because of the stability, there weren't nearly as many significant departures as one might expect during the summer transfer window, though there were a few midfielders and backliners that found work elsewhere.
More impressive was the investment in the attackers. They signed all three of their leading scorers, Dominic Samuel, Bradley Dack and Joe Nuttall just in the last few months, including an impressive outlay for Dack. This is a completely different change from the disinterest Venky's showed for years.
And how is it working? You'll have to forgive them if it isn't perfect, but they are only one point out of the playoffs with two games in hand. Sure, they now play on the third tier, but this "patience" and "trying" thing seems to be working.