It is a remarkable turnaround for Steve Kean, and the owners of the club have much to feel vindicated about.
They were of course derided and lambasted, the Indian owners with little understanding of the Premier League. Yet they have shown the more media friendly Tony Fernandes at QPR and Steve Morgan at Wolves a lesson in management.
In keeping Kean when he was under most pressure, they bolstered him. As they bolstered him, they gave faith to the squad, who may have started to question his methods. The actions of Venky’s gave crucial political support to their manager when he needed it most. They got a break when Blackburn superbly beat Man Utd, and now they reap the rewards.
Compare it with the hapless Wolves, who fired Mick McCarthy and promoted his assistant, and now find themselves sinking without trace at the bottom. Or QPR, who opted for Mark Hughes over Neil Warnock, a bit like trading in a worn out skoda for a slightly less worn out skoda. But Blackburn superbly managed their precarious situation back in the winter when everyone was telling them to fire Kean.
Who is laughing now? The poultry farmers, who look more likely to be enjoying the riches of Premier League football for another year. What they may lack in PR nous, or understanding of football, they have more than made up for in good business sense and the decency of loyalty. And such loyalty is usually hard to find in the foreign newly rich owners that many of the top flight teams find themselves with.
It is all so key for Blackburn too, who need Premier League football more than some of their rivals. Most of the money from the sale of Phil Jones earlier this season seems to have gone to servicing their debts. The sale of Chris Samba, and the departure of certain other players, such as Jason Roberts, will also help. Blackburn are actually doing a very good job of stabilising themselves as well as keeping Premier League football right now. Whilst their rivals dither, swap managers and rack up ever higher debts, this is a cohesive team, battling their way intelligently out of a hole.
The players deserve immense credit too, for showing the likes of Chelsea what it means to show loyalty to your manager. They have stuck with his ideas even when it was tough, and they deserve huge respect and credit for the team’s revival. Blackburn may well have the last laugh in their battle against what so many thought was inevitable earlier this season.
