"Really damaging" - Blackburn Rovers regret claim made involving Sam Allardyce | OneFootball

FLW's Blackburn Rovers fan pundit identifies the one regret the club still has to this day

Blackburn Rovers have been outside of the Premier League since 2012.

The Lancashire outfit even dropped into League One for a season under Tony Mowbray after relegation in 2017.

The Venkys ownership era has been a struggle for supporters, with financial issues also becoming a major concern over this period since their purchase of the club in November 2010.

Sam Allardyce was in charge when the takeover was completed but the decision to replace him was made just one month later, with Steven Kean replacing him.

Kean oversaw their relegation to the Championship before being dismissed in September 2012, having won only 21 of his 74 games in charge.

The regret Blackburn Rovers have to this day

When asked what one regret the club have to this day, FLW’s Blackburn fan pundit Toby Wilding claimed the decision to part ways with Allardyce was an obvious choice.

He believes that Allardyce could have kept them in the top flight as a solid, mid-table side, which would’ve solved some of the financial issues they’ve since faced in recent years.

“Certainly, in the recent Venkys era, I would have to say the sacking of Sam Allardyce and the choice of replacement for him,” Wilding told Football League World.

“I think under Allardyce there’s no way Blackburn, or any club would be anything less than a solid, mid-table Premier League side.

“And, as it was, with his sacking, and who they brought in to replace him, it effectively damned Rovers to relegation.

“Which has been really, clearly hard to come back from, they’ve never been back to the Premier League since then, and that’s generated all sorts of financial uncertainties that the extra funds of being a top flight club would’ve helped with.

“Also there’s the protests that it led to, which led to a rift of elements of the football club that no one really wanted, but it feels like it will always be there as an undertone even during the more successful periods.

“Given the way it’s changed the entire environment around the club, and the blow it dealt to their position within the football pyramid, I would have to say that managerial change in moving out Allardyce, even just a few months after the Venkys completed their takeover, has been a really damaging one for Rovers, I would say.”

Steve Kean’s Blackburn Rovers tenure

Kean was an unpopular figure at Ewood Park to say the least, with most supporters only having bad memories of his time in charge.

His career following Blackburn didn’t set the world alight either, taking roles in Brunei, Australia and Georgia.

The now 56-year-old was out of his depth, with Rovers coming 19th in his first full campaign in charge, winning eight of their 38 games that term.

Rovers have never even made the play-offs in the Championship since going down, with John Eustace now in charge of their promotion hopes.

Sam Allardyce decision was a disaster for Blackburn

Allardyce had enjoyed a solid stint at Blackburn prior to his dismissal, and had great experience at Bolton Wanderers before taking over at Ewood Park.

He would go on to manage West Ham, Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Everton to mid-table top flight finishes, as well as one game as England manager.

Meanwhile, Blackburn have fallen down the English football pyramid in that time, and have not come particularly close to returning to the Premier League.