Blackburn Rovers 2015/16 season
League Position: 15th (2014/15: 9th)
Average league attendance: 14,126 (2014/15: 15,070)
Top league goalscorer: Jordan Rhodes (10)
It was another long, and ultimately disappointing, season for the Ewood Park faithful in 2015/16 as Rovers continued to look down more than up, especially after the departure of star striker Jordan Rhodes in January. Rovers entered the season under the cloud of a transfer embargo restricting them to only free signings in the summer transfer window. Connor Thomson [Carlisle United], Hope Akpan [Reading], Danny Guthrie [Reading], and Nathan Delfouneso [Blackpool] did arrive but key duo Tom Cairney [Fulham] and Rudy Gestede [Aston Villa] were both offloaded to ease the financial constraints.
It took until the ninth time of asking for Rovers to pick up a win under Gary Bowyer, included in that run was a 2-1 defeat at home to League One Shrewsbury Town in the Capital One Cup. Victories over Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town provided temporary respite but Rovers' 1-1 draw with Brentford in early November saw the Ewood Park hierarchy lose faith with Bowyer and he was replaced by Paul Lambert. The initial signs under the former Villa boss were good, a six game unbeaten run elevated Rovers into the top half. Early 2016 saw Rovers make good progress in the FA Cup, eventually bowing out to West Ham United in Round Five, but their league form became a story of inconsistency.
With the transfer embargo finally lifted, January’s window saw six new faces arrive on loan deals including both Jordi Gomez and Danny Graham from Sunderland. Talented young central midfielder Matt Grimes was also one of the new faces to arrive at Ewood Park, he joined from Swansea City. The only permanent addition to the squad was Elliott Ward [AFC Bournemouth]. After a series of bids, and after contributing 11 goals already to this season’s campaign, Jordan Rhodes was finally sold to Middlesbrough on Deadline Day. Marcus Olsson followed him out the door to Derby County and Bengali-Fodé Koita joined Turkish side Karimpasa. Earlier in the same window, Sacha Petshi was allowed to return to native France on a free transfer.
A run of four wins in seven during February and March, culminating in the 1-0 victory at Griffin Park, secured Rovers Championship future for a further season as they went 13 games without a draw. Back to back wins to end the season saw Lambert's side end the campaign in 15th place. Only the three relegated sides and Nottingham Forest scored less than Rovers 43 goals in the league last season but they were also mean defensively, conceding just 46 goals in 46 games.
The Ground
Ewood Park Blackburn Lancashire BB2 4JF Click here for directions to Ewood Park
The Manager
Rovers today appointed former Bolton Wanderers and Burnley boss Owen Coyle as their new manager. The 49-year-old left his position with MLS side Houston Dynamos last week to return to the UK after 18 months with the Texas based side. Coyle scored 249 goals in 669 games as a striker, most notably for Bolton Wanderers and Airdrie, gaining one cap for the Republic of Ireland in a friendly match against Holland. After guiding St Johnstone to the 2007 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Coyle moved south to Burnley and took them into the Premier League in his first full season in charge. He left The Clarets midway through their Premier League season for Bolton Wanderers and helped The Trotters maintain their top flight safety at the expense of his former club. His reign at The Reebok Stadium ended in October 2012 before an unsuccessful six-month spell with Wigan Athletic precluded his move across the Atlantic to Houston.
The First Meeting
5 September 1935, Football League Division One - Brentford 3 Blackburn Rovers 1 Brentford: Mathieson, Bateman, Poyser, McKenzie, James, Watson, Hopkins, Robson, Holliday, Scott, Fletcher Charles Fletcher's double secures Brentford's first ever top flight home win
The Last Meeting
19 March 2016, Sky Bet Championship - Brentford 0 Blackburn Rovers 1 Brentford: Button, Yennaris, Dean, Barbet, Bidwell, McEachran, McCormack, Woods, Judge, Saunders, Rodriguez Ten man Rovers win it late on as Shane Duffy scores decisive goal
Head to Head
Brentford wins: 12
Draws: 4
Blackburn wins: 15