Heroes & Villains – Blackburn Rovers
Hero – Jack Walker
Jack Walker bought his boyhood club back in 1991 having made his fortune in the steel industry.
He had donated materials for a new stand to be built in the late 1980’s and acquired full ownership of the club in the January 1991.
Walker masterminded the recruitment of Kenny Dalglish ten months after becoming Rovers owner. Dalglish had left Anfield in February 1991.
By the end of his first full season (1991/92), Blackburn were promoted to the top flight via the play-offs. It mean that Rovers would be founder members of the Premier League, their first season in the top division for 26 years.
In a matter of a few years, Ewood Park took a complete transformation. Three of the four stands were knocked down and replaced with all-seater stands.
Walker’s money helped to buy some of the best players in the English game. Rovers spent £5 million, a British record for striker Chris Sutton from Norwich City in 1994.
Rovers won the Premier League title on the final day of the 1994/95 season. Althought they lost at Anfield, Manchester United couldn’t beat West Ham at Upton Park and the title went to Ewood Park for the first time in 81 years.
Jack Walker passed away on 17th August 2000 at the age of 71. One of the stands at Ewood Park is called the Jack Walker Stand. There is a road outside the ground called Jack Walker Way to make a lasting legacy for the man who brought the good times back for the Blackburn faithful.
Villains – The Venky’s
In November 2010, the Venky family took over control of Blackburn Rovers from the Jack Walker settlement. The holding company Venky’s London Ltd bought up 99.9% of the shares of the club.
It was said that the deal for the purchase of Rovers was around £43 million, with the company taking on £20 million of the club’s debt.
One of the first things that the new owners did was fire Sam Allardyce from his role as First-Team Manager and replacing him with Steve Kean. Rumours were rife as Kean’s agent Jerome Anderson was an advisor to the Venky family during their takeover at Ewood Park.
Blackburn have been relegated twice since the Venky’s have taken over at the club. The first relegation was from the Premier League in their first full season as owners and ended 11 years in the top flight.
Rovers then dropped a division for the second time in 2016/17 as they finished 22nd in the Championship. This meant that Third Division football would be played at Ewood Park for the first time since 1980.
There have been nine managers at the club since the family took over in 2010 and many of the fans want their club to have new owners. Time will tell if their wish will come true.
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