Dave Woodhall treads familiar ground about rich owners and late equalisers.
Few clubs have undergone as many transformations during the history of the Premier League as Blackburn. When plans were first mooted to ensure the big boys got bigger, I don’t suppose much thought was given to the club in unfashionable Lancashire whose ground was almost as old as its history. Then came along Jack Walker and his millions bought Rovers not only the Premier League title but also a smart new ground to play in. It wasn’t exactly new, but it may as well have been as wooden stands and crumbling terraces were replaced by chrome and glass structures where supporters who’d never heard of Noel Brotherton watched Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton briefly overhaul even Manchester United.
Of course, football exploded in such a way that a mere multi-millionaire such as Walker couldn’t bankroll a club in the higher echelons any longer but Blackburn have survived and, until recently, have prospered as well as any club could with gates in the low twenty thousands and not much in the way of commercial income. Then came new owners the Venkys, who promised a fortune on new players but have spent little. Supporters have subsequently spent much of this season protesting against both owners and manager Steve Kean.
They certainly had plenty to complain about in the first half on Saturday as Villa, with a decent attacking line-up and something in the way of tactics to work with, looked capable of wrapping the game up before the interval. That they didn’t was down to some poor finishing and good work from Rovers keeper Paul Robinson, who kept the score down to 1-0.
Kean brought on a couple of substitutes, Villa weren’t able to deal with them and the equaliser arrived with five minutes remaining. Wherever the blame may lie, it was another frustrating afternoon.
Villa’s precarious financial position was revealed during the week when the club announced losses of £52 million for 2010-11. Randy Lerner invested another £25 million during the year, although some would say that he should either be putting more into the club. Indeed, there’s a widespread belief that Randy, like Jack Walker fifteen years ago, isn’t rich enough to own a successful club and should step aside for someone with even more money to spend. Everyone who says Randy should sell seems to think a new owner would have bottomless coffers and be willing to outspend Manchester City. That’s no surprise – every set of supporters at a club with new owners believes they’re about to embark on a spending spree that will take them to unprecedented heights. I daresay the same was thought in Blackburn when the Venkys took over.
