Never too late to make right

With or without there being any truth in Alan Shearers rumoured return to Ewood Park,a big wrong has been corrected in the Blackburn Rovers outfit

With or without there being any truth in Alan Shearers rumoured return to Ewood Park,a big wrong has been corrected in the Blackburn Rovers outfit. The resignation of Steve Kean manager of Blackburn,a man at the helm when they were relegated to the Championships was long overdue.

It was a welcome move,something that the players and the team management have long been craving for. Most importantly,it will make the fans a happier lot. They were key in his sacking with their wide-spread Kean Out campaign.

No manager has ever flourished without the support of the clubs fans. Kean didnt have it right from the very outset,when he replaced a very likeable Sam Allardyce. By the end of his days at Blackburn,Big Sam didnt have the wins,but he did have the encouragement of the fans,as they thought he would be the neutralising factor after Blackburns takeover by the Indian poultry giants Venkys.

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What really fuelled the supporters fire to get Kean axed was the fact that he had the support of the owners,Venkatesh Rao and Anuradha Desai. It has been said in the past and it cannot be said enough,running a heritage football club in England and running a leading business venture in India are two very different things.

The club has been on a freefall and Rao & Co have done precious little to arrest the slide. They arrived with plenty of promises. Big names such as Ronaldinho and Beckham did the rounds as potential signings. Martin Olsson and Junior Hoilett arrived instead. It wasnt just that the big names stayed away,the best of their roster left (or were fired).

Once Kean came on board,capable administrators such as John Williams and Tom Finn were forced to leave the boardroom. The unease was apparent,but Desai & Co were happy with Keans many visits to Pune and spreading football in India.

In a way,it doesnt matter who Desai the last word in Blackburn matters hires to replace Kean. She needs to quickly address the fans concerns. Players and managers come and go,ownerships change hands,but fans remain loyal. Surprisingly,no global advisor seems to tell them that. Maybe Shearer will. Maybe the man who led them to the trophy will lead them out of this rut.

Shamik is a Senior Staff Writer based in Kolkata

shamik.chakrabarty@expressindia.com

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