BRFC Articles

10 Great reasons why Blackburn can be challengers!

1. We've got a great strikeforce!

Chris Sutton's partnership with Kevin Gallacher was one of the Premiership's most formidable last season, racking up 34 goals. They are a real threat to any defence.

CHRIS SUTTON SAYS: "Last season myself and Kevin Gallacher had a good record in front of goal and hopefully we can keep that up this season. He's very fit, he buzzes about and he's got a good eye for goal. Pre-season training's been good so far and now we're just trying to get ourselves fit and ready for the kick-off."

2. Our defence is very solid!

Despite the loss of Colin Hendry, Callum Davidson is a great prospect and new signings Darren Peacock and Sebastien Perez will help form a tight defensive unit.

DARREN PEACOCK SAYS: "Losing Colin Hendry is a blow, but there are still a lot of good defenders here. I'm under no illusions as to how tough it will be for me to break into the side because the defence is very solid. I've got to be patient and respect everybody here, particularly the centre-halves who are ahead of me. But I'll be trying to persuade the boss with my performances and get in the side. It's good for the club to have depth in defence. With injuries and suspensions over a long season you need to have good players in every position."

3. Kevin Davies is our new matchwinner!

The � 7.5 million signing of Kevin Davies from Southampton was one of the surprise moves of the summer. But Davies scored some cracking matchwinning goals last season.

CHRIS SUTTON SAYS: "Signing Kevin Davies is a very good move. I saw a little bit of Kevin in the first part of last season and he scored some superb goals for Southampton. I'm looking forward to playing with him. There's going to be a lot of competition for places in every position this season and it can only be good for the club to have top-quality signings to put pressure on places."

4. Roy Hodgson is a fantastic manager!

In his first season as a Premiership manager Roy Hodgson guided Blackburn to a place in Europe. Now the team is starting to look like his own.

DARREN PEACOCK SAYS: "Roy Hodgson was one of the main reasons why I signed. I liked the idea of getting the opportunity to work with the gaffer in training on a day-to-day basis. He's respected throughout Europe and England. He's managed some big clubs, particularly in Italy, and he knows a lot about the game. It's also going to help that he's been at the club for a year now and it's more like his own team. Any man that goes in to manage a club wants to bring his own players in, no doubt about it. Some managers say different, but I think they want their own players so that if they do go on and win something, they can say, 'This is my team'."

5. We have players who have won the Premiership!

Alan Hansen was wrong a few years back when he said you couldn't win anything with kids, as Man United proved, but it doesn't do any harm to have experienced players in the side.

CHRIS SUTTON SAYS: "Obviously having experienced players like Tim Sherwood is a great help because they know what it's like to be in certain situations and how to deal with the type of pressure you face there. We're looking for a top six place this season and that will be difficult because there are some big teams around. You never know what will happen though. After we won the title, the club expected to go on from there and do well in Europe, but that didn't happen."

6. We've got exciting youngsters!

Forget Fergi's fledglings, Roy Hodgson has talented Roy Hodgson has talented youngsters of his own - like Damien Duff, Marlon Broomes, and Jim Corbett.

DARREN PEACOCK SAYS: "I think generally British football is on the up with a big crop of exciting young players at the moment. In England and the Republic Of Ireland, there are young lads playing full internationals. That's great experience for them and it stands the future of British football in good stead. Here at Blackburn there's no shortage of young talent with the likes of Damien Duff and Kevin Davies to name just two. I saw them playing last season and you can't fail to be impressed with them. They made a big compact on the Premiership and there's more to come from them and some other lads here."

7. We proved we could live with the best last season!

Last season Blackburn got off to a flier, scoring lots of goals. They faded after Christmas, but results like the 3-1 win over champions Arsenal at Highbury showed their calibre.

CHRIS SUTTON SAYS: "We did well last season. We started the season very well and played some excellent football, but we just couldn't sustain it. What we can do is take confidence from that because we showed we could complete with the top sides. To win the title would be a very big achievement because Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea look very strong this year so it could be a very difficult task to win. But we can take heart from our performance from the first half of last season and you never know in football."

8. The title race is more open than ever!

Though United are still favourites, there are plenty of front-runners. Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are sure to be in the mix. And you can add Rovers to that too!

DARREN PEACOCK SAYS: " It's hard to tell until a few months into the season how things will develop, but there are a lot of good sides around at the moment. The likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle spend extremely heavily, but a lot of clubs aren't too far behind. Every team is capable of beating every other team so now there is a chance for anybody to win the championship."

9. We've got cracking team spirit at Ewood Park!

If your players are always fighting among themselves you're unlikely to be successful. You want a team who will play for each other for the full 90 minutes and dig in when it really matters.

CHRIS SUTTON SAYS: "The team spirit here at Blackburn is very good. At the moment, after having the summer off, it's good to see everyone again. I think everyone realises how important team spirit is to any successful team. If the players don't get along off the pitch then it's harder for them to play together on the pitch."

10. This club is ambitious about the future!

No-one at Blackburn enjoyed the slide from glory after winning the title in 1995. They're determined to prove they're no one-season wonders - and that means finishing top again.

DARREN PEACOCK SAYS: " I wouldn't have moved to Blackburn if they weren't ambitious. Everything here is geared towards success. We've got a great stadium, fantastic fans and the chairman is 100 per cent behind the club. I know from my time at Newcastle what effect a good chairman can have and Mr Walker is similar to Sir John Hall in that respect. He wants this club to be successful as much as the players and the fans want it. Everyone wants to win the championship again."