BITTER SWEET SYMPHONY
JARED TINSLAY RECALLS THE STORY OF BLACKBURNS STRATOSPHERIC RISE TO EVENTUAL CHAMPIONS,
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AND THE CAUSES THAT SCUPPERED THE DREAM AS QUICKLY AS IT CAME TO FRUITION.
f Blackburn Rovers fans could skip a decade, the 1980s
would surely be in contention. They spent ten years mired in
Englands second tier the 1987 Full Members Cup glory
perhaps the one shaft of light. However, if the 80s were like
a tedious, dragged-out album filler, then they were leading
up to an explosive one-hit wonder.
ARTE ET LABORE
A turning point in Rovers history came in 1990, when boyhood
fan Jack Walker sold his sheet metal business to British Steel
for a reported 360milion the highest price ever paid for a
private company in its time. Walker had already been investing
his earnings into his local club, donating building materials
for the Riverside Stand at Ewood Park in 1988 and reportedly
subsidising the wages of Ossie Ardiles and Steve Archibald. Yet,
selling his company allowed him to take full control of Rovers in
1991 a project he was to plough money into, threatening to make
Manchester United look cheap in the process.
His first move as owner was to completely revamp the
ageing Ewood Park, expanding the stadium to a capacity of over
30,000 and making it one of the most advanced grounds in the
country. Walkers wealth meant that Rovers were no longer the
unfashionable club they had become, and that played a major role
in one of his greatest feats at the helm. Rovers had finished 19th in
the Second Division 1990-91 season, narrowly avoiding relegation,
and had started the new season in lacklustre form. Nevertheless,
Walkers ambition and undoubtedly his cheque book convinced
three-time league winner Kenny Dalglish to come out of his
self-imposed sabbatical from management to take control of team
affairs. It was a major coup for Rovers, and after seven months
and some serious spending, they were promoted via the play-offs
to the inaugural season of the Premier League.
Not content with just being back among the big boys, Walkers
spending continued unabated. In 1992, he broke the domestic
transfer record for a young Alan Shearer, before breaking it again
in 1994 splashing 5million on Norwichs Chris Sutton. The
signing of Sutton took overall spending to 27million in the two and
a half years since Dalglish had arrived. Yet, it was also the shrewd,
and far less expensive, acquisitions of players like Graeme Le
Saux, Henning Berg and Tim Sherwood which moulded Rovers
into a title-chasing team. In their first year in the Premier League
they were to finish fourth, before coming even closer a year later
rising to second place just behind hated rivals United. Rovers
rise was to climax the following year; the newly named SAS strike
partnership proving as deadly as Dalglish and Walker had hoped.
Rovers started the 1994-95 season in emphatic form, going
unbeaten in their first seven matches. After a couple of defeats,
including to Manchester United, they went on a seven-match
winning streak from the end of October, not to lose again until the
end of January. Once again, that defeat was to come at the hands
of United, and by then it was clear that the title would go one of
two ways. A mid-April draw with Leeds, followed by a home loss
to Manchester City, suggested that Rovers were starting to feel
the nerves. With four games remaining, they then edged past
Newcastle United and Crystal Palace, but lost away to West Ham.
It all hung on the final game of the season.
Rovers went into their final day away clash with Dalglishs
old side Liverpool, just two points ahead of United. Shearer had
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already racked up an incredible 33 league goals; his sidekick
Sutton a very valuable 15. A loss couldve been fatal, were United
to overcome a West Ham side theyd beaten earlier in the season.
As it transpired, Rovers did in fact lose at Anfield 2-1, despite
Shearer breaking the deadlock. However, United were held to a
1-1 draw with West Ham, causing dramatic scenes at Anfield as
the news filtered through on the radios come the final whistle.
Rovers wore the crown of English champions for the first time
since 1914. Jack Walkers fairy tale was complete.
THE AFTERMATH
Of course, not all fairy tales have happy endings especially so in
football, a sport with no closing page. Little over a month after their
title success, Blackburns story was about to take a twist Hans
Christian Andersen would have been proud of. Kenny Dalglish
stunned players and fans by relinquishing his post as manager
to become Director of Football a post as ambiguous in the 90s
as it is today. Even then Rovers chairman Robert Coar was to
describe the job title as a lets see what happens type of thing.
The principal duties were supposedly to scout burgeoning talent
and analyse Rovers European opponents. Yet, it was reportedly
Dalglishs golf handicap which most benefitted from the new
position. He later revealed in his autobiography My Liverpool
Home that he had tried to re-join the Reds the season before the
momentous Premier League win. His new role thus represented
something of a reward for his loyalty to the club for staying that
extra year almost a token of respect rather than a serious job
title.
Thus, an exciting, yet unenviable job opportunity opened up
at the reigning champions succeeding the great Kenny Dalglish.
There was one man who wanted the job, and his appointment did
indeed seem logical after all, who better to replace Dalglish than
the man who had worked so closely with him during Rovers rise.
That man was of course Ray Harford. He was an unassuming
figure, a lauded coach and according to Alan Shearer, a father
figure. He joined the Rovers coaching team alongside Dalglish in
1991, and as his manager readily conceded, played a prominent
part in their title success. He wasnt unfamiliar with being the
leading man in the dugout either. He had previously managed
Luton, winning them their first major trophy with a League Cup
final win over Arsenal. He was controversially sacked after falling
out with the chairman, but was soon at the reins again, taking
Wimbledon to seventh place in Division One before joining
Dalglish at Rovers. He had vowed not to return to the managers
chair, but couldnt resist when the possibility of leading Blackburn
arose. However, his transition wasnt as smooth as any had hoped.
Rovers new-found stature as Englands league winners could
and should have been capitalised on. Nevertheless, Dalglishs
move upstairs seemed to have lessened the allure of the club for
prospective signings. The new director, having pinpointed areas of
weakness in their championship campaign, had wanted to bring in
Jason McAteer and Alan Stubbs from Bolton. Both moves failed,
with McAteer choosing to join Liverpool, and Stubbs preferring
to stay at Burnden Park. Harford, seemingly of the attitude of if
its not broken dont fix it, only sparingly dipped into the transfer
market. The summer signings of Adam Reed and Matty Holmes
were not the awe-inspiring transfer coups that fans had been
treated to in previous close-seasons; moreover, they were brought
in only to pad out the squad.
The lack of transfer activity wasnt entirely Harfords choice.
Walker, having bankrolled the clubs first title, now sought self-
sustainability as the long-term objective. Funds were to be limited
at a time when the rest of the league was finally beginning to
match their spending. As the tale tells, Walker even turned down
the chance to sign Zinedine Zidane. Dalglish had recommended
the young French star to Walker alongside Bordeaux teammate
Christophe Dugarry. Why do you want to sign Zidane when
we have Tim Sherwood? was the owners infamous reported
response. Of course, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Sherwood had
captained his side to Premier League glory and had been named
in the PFA Team of the Year.
Walkers attitude seemed to suggest that once was enough.
His dream was to see Rovers at the peak of English football
theyd got there, and now it was a case of waiting for the others to
catch up, rather than try to stay one step ahead of them. Incredibly,
Coar reportedly told the players that theyd won the league a year
too early. A distinct lack of ambition or clear road map, combined
with the loss of their figurehead, culminated in certain senior
players acting up. With Harford struggling to assert his authority
over those who had previously seen him as their number two, the
problems were palpable come the start of the season.
Rovers made a terrible start to the campaign the worst start
to a title defence for 25 years in fact. They lost four of their first six
matches, including a home loss to the previous seasons title rivals
Manchester United. There was a clear on-pitch discipline problem,
with the champions picking up three red cards in the first six
weeks. Off the field, meanwhile, squad morale was worsening and
a drinking culture had developed. In David Battys autobiography,
he recalls an occasion in a Tyneside hotel the night before they
were to face Newcastle in early November. The Magpies assistant
manager, Arthur Cox, happened to come across Batty and co.
having a few drinks at the hotel bar. He couldnt believe his luck,
offering to get them another round in. Unsurprisingly, the home
side edged a drab match 1-0 the following day.
A similar damp fate awaited Rovers in the Champions League.
They were drawn in a group with Spartak Moscow, Legia Warsaw
and Rosenborg all of whom appeared to be manageable
opponents. Nevertheless, Walkers reluctance to spend as heavily
again meant the squad was short of players with any European
experience. On top of that, UEFAs three foreigners rule, which
extended to Scotsmen, Welshmen and Irishmen, forced Harford
to name youth trainees on the bench. Fatally ill-prepared, they
lost four of six group games, winning only the final match a
consolation victory at home to Rosenborg.
It was a moment in the Champions League which was to
epitomise Rovers decline. Having travelled to sub-zero Moscow
in late November, they required a win to have any chance of
progressing to the next round. Just four minutes into the match,
the players showed they were up for a fight the problem being
it was with each other. After an innocuous collision between Batty
and Le Saux on the left-wing as they both went for the same ball,
Sherwood was then brought down for a foul. The camera quickly
panned to an incredible image of Le Saux swinging a punch at a
furious-looking Batty. Le Saux later recalled in his autobiography a
lengthy breakdown in relations between the two. Remarkably, Le
Saux wasnt given his marching orders for the coming together,
but the night only got sourer for the English side. Twenty minutes
later, Sherwood and Colin Hendry then squared up to each other
after the captain gave away a free-kick in a dangerous area. Not
unexpectedly, Rovers were beaten with ease, with Hendry sent
off in the final moments of the game. After the game, Harford
attempted to rally his squad with an unfortunately-coined turn
of phrase. He called for his team to keep punching on, but the
showing in Moscow was proof enough of an increasingly splintered
group.
By mid-December, Rovers looked in serious danger, hovering
just above the relegation zone. Only then did Walker decide that
it was time to open his wallet. He sanctioned moves for Billy
McKinlay, Garry Flitcroft and standout signing Lars Bohinen. They
breathed new life into the Rovers midfield, while Shearer continued
to prove his outstanding goalscoring capabilities. He struck 31
times in the league, easing the champions relegation fears and
eventually helping them to finish the season in seventh place.
Yet, Shearers incredible form only attracted more interest from
potential suitors. Manchester United were keen on his signature,
but Walker was never going to agree to that move. However,
when Shearers boyhood club came in with a world-record offer,
Walker was unable to convince his star striker to stay even after
offering him a role as player-manager. For the second season
running, Rovers had lost their leading man. Shortly after Shearers
departure, both Dalglish and Harford resigned.
Newcastles enormous bid for Shearer was a sign that Rovers
were no longer the big spenders in the Premier League. The
other bigger clubs had finally got their act together, and whats
more, without the offer of European football or the lure of working
with the legendary Dalglish, Ewood Park was no longer such a
glamorous place to play football. The previous summers myopia
had been fatal. Theyd missed the chance to establish themselves
firmly at the top of the English game for more than just the briefest
of periods, and Shearers decision to leave marked them as a
club in quick decline. Instability ensued, with a new manager
taking charge each season then on, and by the end of the decade
they had promised to dominate, they were relegated back to the
second tier. It was a 0-0 draw with United which sealed their fate
in the 1999-2000 season. Keith Gillespie, a Blackburn player at
the time, recalls the moment Walker came into the dressing room
after the match. He was in tears that really upset me. Jack had
this incredible passion for Blackburn Rovers, building the club
up again, brick by brick, and wed let him down. I looked around
and some of them [the players] knew that theyd be playing in the
top flight the following season. They werent too fussed whether
Rovers stayed up or went down and that really cut deep.
EPILOGUE
Walker passed away on 17th August 2000, a year before his
club were to be promoted back to the Premier League. Four
months before he died, he gave an interview to reassure Rovers
supporters on the financial situation of the club. A number of
years ago I put in place a family trust structure to own my various
business interests, including Blackburn Rovers, he explained.
This structure ensures continuity of management and provides
the necessary financial support for all my businesses for the
foreseeable future. Self-sustainability didnt materialise as a
financial reality, and the club was eventually put up for sale.
Indian poultry giants Venkys bought the club in 2010 and what
has happened since has been well-documented, not least by
Rishi Sikkas The Fall of Blackburn Rovers. With net-debt at
frighteningly high-levels and attendances plummeting, the future of
the once great club is in the balance. Some will say that Walkers
millions changed the face of the English game, paving the way for
foreign owners such as Venkys. Yet, unlike his successors, Walker
will always remain a legend at the club he loved the club he
nurtured, supported and bankrolled till his final breath and beyond.
JARED TINSLAY - @JaredTinslay
https://jaredtinslay.contently.com/
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