Agony for Rovers, ecstasy for Toon
CHAMPIONSHIP LAST-DAY DRAMA
THE tweet from Alan Shearer was short and to the point: ‘ Devastated for Rovers and for the fans. The owners deserve it.’
Tears flowed at Griffin Park yesterday as Blackburn slid into football’s third tier just 22 years after they were crowned champions of England.
The fans were inconsolable, former favourite son Shearer furious and owners Venky’s absent on a dark day for the club which the late Jack Walker built.
In 1995, Kenny Dalglish took his Rovers team to Liverpool on the last day of the season. They lost but still edged out Manchester United so Blackburn won the title on Merseyside — a perfect ending for ex-Anfield great Dalglish.
Yesterday Blackburn won but so did Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City. Supporters were glued to their smart phones in dread and fading hope.
At the full-time whistle Blackburn’s squad and staff waited on the field for their fate to be sealed while the travelling fans sang: ‘ We want our Rovers back.’
Tony Mowbray is ready to fly to India to talk to the reclusive owners and said: ‘I have spoken to one of the owners on two occasions. Longdistance phone calls from India, they’re not easy. It’s not a conversation like we’re having now where everything is understood.
‘I can only recommend and tell them what I would like to happen. The decisions are made over the coach’s head.’
From Premier League champions to League One, Venky’s will be remembered as destroyers.
Blackburn were 14th in the Premier League when they took over in 2010. They immediately sacked Sam Allardyce.
Now debts stand at north of £100million and Rovers have spent only £250,000 in the last four transfer windows. Asked if he would walk away if the owners try to sell the talent he has in the squad, Mowbray responded: ‘That’s a headline I don’t want to see or talk about. We’ll see what the summer brings and what the team looks like at the end of it.’
In the 10th minute yesterday, when Elliott Bennett was tripped by Sergi Canos, the visitors had their first chance. They took it.
Charlie Mulgrew curled his freekick from 25 yards into the top-right corner, beating Brentford’s Daniel Bentley on an angle.
The away fans went wild. A blue flare was thrown on to the field and they sang: ‘We are staying up.’ As it stood, with Forest drawing, Blackburn were safe.
Soon after, it was 2-0. The ball broke to Danny Guthrie, who scored a deflected shot from 20 yards.
Then Blackburn’s supporters fell silent as news filtered through of a penalty to Forest. Their relegation rivals scored, sending Rovers back into the bottom three.
Brentford got a goal back after half time when Harlee Dean crossed and Lasse Vibe flicked it home.
Now, Blackburn needed to drastically improve their goal difference or hope that Forest would not win against Ipswich Town or Birmingham against Bristol City.
In the 83rd minute, Lucas Joao played in Marvin Emnes, who was brought down by Dean in the box. A penalty was awarded and the Brentford skipper sent off.
Craig Conway buried it to make it 3-1. ‘Come on Bristol,’ sang Blackburn’s supporters. It wasn’t to be.
In their 142 years of existence, Blackburn had only spent five seasons in the third tier of English football. The last time was in 1980, when they went straight back up.
Whether that will happen again under Venky’s remains to be seen.