Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean insists he has an excellent relationship with the club’s Indian owners, and therefore has no concerns over his job security. He says that rock-solid rapport with Venky’s means he needn’t be concerned about a fans’ letter calling for him to be sacked. Kean claims the transfer business he did this summer has made the Rovers squad stronger than last season, and that a top-ten finish is well within reach.
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The reality is that Rovers have failed to claim a single point in three Premier League games, and are joint-bottom. While the acquisition of rugged defender Scott Dann from Birmingham City appears prudent, some of Blackburn’s other summer dealings have been questionable. The much-vaunted interest in Spanish striker Raul showed the board’s naivety – Raul was merely using Rovers’ interest to try and negotiate a contract extension, and had no intention of moving to Ewood Park. Scottish forward David Goodwillie has promise, but the decision to sell the improving Nikola Kalinic is looking increasingly foolhardy.
I covered the recent Aston Villa-Blackburn game, and Rovers looked like relegation material. David Dunn hurtled around the midfield smashing into people, showing none of the class and skill he once possessed. Goodwillie missed a sitter and showed an inability to beat players, while Jason Roberts offered almost nothing in attack. Even defensive bedrock Ryan Nelsen was below par. Only impish winger/forward Junior Hoilett shone, creating Rovers’ only goal in a 3-1 defeat.
Kean’s post-match press conference was extraordinary. I asked him whether he was alarmed by Rovers’ lack of attacking penetration, and he brazenly reeled off a stat which showed that both Villa and Blackburn had the same number of “penalty-box entries”. He appeared unfazed by the fact that his side had been outplayed by a Villa team still finding its feet under Alex McLeish. He came out with other banal stats which I forgot almost as soon as I left the room, such was their irrelevance.
You see our Steve loves a stat, and he loves a display of unwarranted optimism (he once claimed Rovers could be Champions League contenders), but it’s tough for fans to match his gusto when the team is joint-bottom of the league. That excellent relationship with the club’s owners might be tested sooner rather than later, and Kean may find that he can’t con the fans as easily as he seems to think he can.
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