Twenty years ago Blackburn Rovers joined the small group of clubs that have won the Premier League title. It was a considerable achievement then and it is doubtful if a club of Blackburn’s size could manage it today.
Twenty years ago Blackburn Rovers joined the small group of clubs that have won the Premier League title. It was a considerable achievement then and it is doubtful if a club of Blackburn’s size could manage it today.
Since 2010 and the takeover by Venky’s, who have been through an expensive learning experience about the realities of football, the club has been through a difficult time. They are the latest club to have their finances put under the microscope in an in depth analysis by the excellent Swiss Ramble blog. As always, there is a plenty of comparative data on other Championship (and Premiership) clubs so the report is not just of interest to Rovers fans.
Under the old owners, Rovers worked on an approximate break even model which largely relied on player sales. The Swiss Ramble points out that, while there is never a good time to be relegated from the Premier League, Blackburn were particularly unfortunate in going down just when revenues when sky rocketing upwards.
Attendances have slumped by a third since relegation, meaning that Ewood Park is generally only about half full. A promotion push could see attendances revive and there are some signs of the green shoots of recovery.