Blackburn Rovers sack Appleton, their third manager this season

Struggling English Championship side Blackburn Rovers yesterday fired 37 year old manager Michael Appleton after only 15 matches and 67 days in-charge at Ewood Park, making him the third casualty at the club this season.

Reserve team coach Gary Bowyer has now been named manager until the end of the season with the club in 18th position and just four points above the relegation zone with another battle against relegation looking likely.

A statement on the Blackburn Rovers website read, "Blackburn Rovers FC can confirm that Michael Appleton has been relieved of his duties as manager along with assistant manager Ashley Westwood, first team coach Darren Moore and head of senior recruitment Luke Dowling."

The Indian owners of the Lancashire club, the Venky's, have come in for continued criticism since their takeover of the former English Premier League champions and their handling of the day to day affairs at the club.

The club had started the season under Scotsman Steve Kean, an unpopular manager, but at the time Rovers were sixth in the Championship. After a spell under first interim manager Eric Black in came former Blackburn legend Norwegian Henning Berg but he was out of the job after only 10 matches and 57 days before another caretaker manager in Reserve team coach Gary Bowyer and then came in Appleton, who also didn't last until the end of the season.

For Appleton Blackburn had been his third club of the season after having started with League One strugglers FC Portsmouth, then joining FC Blackpool before coming to Blackburn Rovers in January.

Blackburn's Edinho joins Shillong Lajong FC on loan

I-League side Shillong Lajong FC have taken Brazilian born, Portuguese footballer Edon Júnior Viegas do Amaral (popularly known as Edinho Júnior) on loan from the English Championship side Blackburn Rovers FC and he will be donning the red of Shillong Lajong.

Edinho will be joining the Shillong-based club on a short-term loan beginning February 16, 2013. He is a Portuguese national of Brazilian origin who moved to Blackburn Rovers from Olhanense SC. The talented 18 year old plays centre-forward and is the son of a former Brazilian international footballer, Edon do Amaral Neto.

Lajong hope the signing of Edinho will add impetus to their campaign for the remainder of the 2012/13 season. It will add an edge to the club's striking options.

Lajong's story and place in Indian football is truly historic. It became the first club from North-East India to have qualified for the I-League, India’s premier football league.

Shillong Lajong FC had been the first-ever Indian football club to have had a strategic stake taken by Anglian Holdings. The Meghalaya-based club boasts of an impressive youth system as well. With an eye to aid in the development of Indian football, Anglian Holdings has also invested in Danish second tier club FC
Vestsjaelland to provide a platform for fledgling Indian football talent to ply their trade in Europe.

Much in the same vein, India-based VH Group, took charge at then English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers, now in the Championship, to announce the arrival of the Indian football story on the world stage. The loan move for Edinho signals a consolidated effort to provide a powerful push for the sport in India.

Commenting on this development Balaji Rao, Managing Director of Venky's, says, "We are pleased to be associated with Shillong Lajong FC through the loan of young Edinho. We look forward to opportunities to help develop our players and football in India through strategic partnerships."

Larsing Ming Sawyan, General Secretary Shillong Lajong FC, added, "We are thankful to Blackburn Rovers for providing us with a player of Edinho's quality. He will be an incisive edge to Lajong's forward line and will definitely add to the quality of the game on the field."

Dhruv Ratra, CEO-Sports & Marketing Anglian Holdings, summarized the deal by saying, "This exchange of talent – a first of its kind in Indian football – will set a precedent for future exchanges of knowledge and information which in turn will help drive the game of football forward in India. Edinho is an exciting young player and Indian fans will enjoy his exploits on the field."

Blackburn Rovers appoint Shebby Singh Director of Football

Blackburn Rovers owners the Venky's have appointed former Malaysian international defender and television pundit Shebby Singh as the new Director of Football at the English Premier League. Shebby Singh had been an advisor on football matters to the Venky's and now moves into a more day to day job with Blackburn Rovers.

The appointment was made yesterday and the Malaysian of Indian origin is more known as having been a tv pundit on ESPN-Stars Sports on English Premier League coverage rather then being actively involved in the football business.

One of Shebby Singh's tasks will be to act as a go-between for the Venky's and manager Steve Kean, although the manager's future remains uncertain after relegation from the Premiership, the Daily Mail reported from the UK.

The management of Venky's since their club takeover in late 2010 has been criticised openly by the fans and if the appointment of Shebby Singh will cool such criticism will have to be seen.

For Shebby it will be interesting to see, if he can make the transition from the expert/pundit role to the active football business, then being a pundit it is easy to criticise and say what to do better, now Shebby will have to do it himself in such a role.

Venky's Blackburn Rovers in a state of confusion

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News Blackburn Rovers owner Venkatesh Rao (Venky's) admitted the club is in a state of confusion after the relegation from the English Premier League and they needed a few weeks to sort out things before being ready for life in the English Championship.

"Still everything is in confusion so I would say in the next month we will have a proper situation to talk about," he told Sky Sports News.

"In the next month let us see what happens. We are talking about various things, so many, about the manager, about the players, about staff, about the club."

Venkatesh added, "Nothing will be said right away so I would say kindly bear with us for some time and then the whole picture will be clear."


Here the Sky Sports News video of the interview with Venkatesh Rao

Doubts behind Indian Investments in European football Clubs

In recent months I have been asked numerous times if investments by Indian businessmen and corporate houses or by Persons of Indian Origin into European football clubs are really working out besides it being beneficial for Indian football. To be honest there is no definite answer to these difficult questions as it depends on the different reasons why such an investment is made.

Some might see it as a chance to grow their business in Europe and other markets too, some are genuinely interested in the sport of football, some even have business ambitions within India but rather take the foreign sporting route to achieve their goals.

The reasons for such investments in a professional sports team can differ, but often they will surely not be about the development of Indian football or football in India, then otherwise the money could have easily been invested directly into Indian football.

But as the current examples of Blackburn Rovers and Racing Santander show, investment alone will not do. One will have to have the deep pockets to pump further money into the team to buy quality players and develop the club overall, but also have the right management in place with the necessary knowledge to run a football team.

In Europe a lot of people are questioning the knowledge and capabilities of Indian football club owners after the terrible mismanagement by the Venky's and Ahsan Ali Syed at their respective clubs; who bought these clubs, made false promises which in the end led to relegation and an unsure future of the once respected clubs.

But there is also a positive counter model, the Mittal Family as minority stakeholders at Queens Park Rangers FC, who last season ensured that QPR would win the Championship and now ensured their Premiership status; but with the two above very negative examples many in football are saying they don't want Indian investment in the sport which displays Indian businesses and Indian football in a very bad light. Which is a very sad fact.

Other positive examples of Indian minority shareholding are FC Midtjylland by the Dempo Group and FC Vestsjælland by Anglian Holding, both in the Danish leagues. Both are inter-linked with India and the development of the game in India besides also allowing the clubs to develop themselves.

And the question will be who would now want to invest in European football in such a climate of distrust, though Indian money through sponsorship and other forms surely would surely be welcome.

Blackburn Rover relegated, blame squarely on Venky's

Former English Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers were relegated on Monday evening after conceeding a late goal against fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic. The relegation to the Championship completes 18 months of big talk, high expectations but no delivery from the Venky's and their advisor's plus management.

The blame of the relegation is being square put on the clubs Indian owners - the Rao family, who own the Venkateshwara Hatcheries Group and are better known as the Venky's. Since their takeover of the club November 2010 things have gone from bad to worse and with relegation it proves that the Venky's have not been able to understand how football works or have banked on advice which hasn't brought the results.

Now the name of India and ownership of football clubs is linked to the poultry group from Pune, which is an embarrassment for any genuine football fan in India then Venky's have done everything wrong possible over the last 18 months which have led to relegation this week.

They bought the club in November 2010 for 43 million Pounds under much fanfare and hype. The aim was build on what Blackburn Rovers was a solid Premiership club, but a month into their reign manager Sam Allardyce was fired and then in the January 2011 transfer window the owners wanted to first buy Ronaldinho and then David Beckham but none of them came as their so-called UEFA Champions League ambitions proved to be hot air.

Manager Steve Kean who took over from Allardyce has remained in-charge since then but was often criticised and under pressure from fans. In the end he did not deliver and it proved the fans right that he wasn't the man to take Blackburn Rovers ahead though he had the trust of the owners.

Even in far-away India no one seems to care though over the last 18 months the Venky's and Blackburn Rovers have received extensive coverage in the Indian media, which has been really impressive though it often was bad press.

The AIFF vice-president Subrata Dutta told Reuters, "Venky's has not invested in Indian football... Apart from one exhibition match between Pune FC and the club, Blackburn Rovers has in no way contributed for Indian football. So we are not bothered about their relegation."

"I don't think they have served our purpose or even their purpose. Being a Pune-based company, I would have been happy if they would have invested in Pune FC rather than Blackburn Rovers," Subrata Dutta added.

This seems to sum up the mood both in Lancashire and India. In Blackburn people are heartbroken by the Rovers relegation, while in India which was supposed to be a potential market they don't really care. While the connect at home was lost, the new one in India was never made.

VIDEO: EPL Chicken Chase at Blackburn's Ewood Park

This is one of the funniest things I have seen in recent times, but it comes on a sad day for Blackburn Rovers and their Indian owners. On Monday evening Blackburn Rovers were taking on Wigan Athletic in a English Premier League relegation battle at Ewood Park. Only minutes into the game the match has to be halted then a chicken was on the pitch and it wasn't in a mood to leave the pitch. In a joint effort Blackburn striker Yakubu and Wigan keeper Al-Habsi catch the animal and then hand it over to security. In the end Blackburn were relegated.

The chicken stands for Blackburn Rovers India owners the Venky's, the poultry giants from Pune.

Blackburn Rovers for sale, the Venky's deny

Former English Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers are staring at relegation with the club three points behind the first non-relegation spot with a worse goal difference after a terrible season for the club so far.

The blame is being square put on the clubs Indian owners - the Rao family, who own the Venkateshwara Hatcheries Group and better known as the Venky's. Since their takeover of the club November 2010 things have gone from bad to worse and if relegated it would prove that the Venky's have not been able to understand how football works.

Yesterday there were renewed rumours in the English media that the Venky's could be on the verge of selling the club which was denied vehemently by Blackburn Rovers director Vineeth Rao.

"It is not true, none of that. We have no plans to sell Blackburn Rovers, none at all. Even if the club got relegated, which is not in our thoughts, we are not planning to sell," Rao told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph on Monday.

The reports went to the extend to suggest that Venky's had even contacted investment banking firm Goldman Sachs to broker a deal for the club.

But after the formal denial one can only wait and watch to see what happens next between Blackburn Rovers and the Venky's.

Could Venky's be selling Blackburn Rovers?

Just a year back the Venky's (Venkateshwara Hatcheries Group) from Pune bought English Premier League club Blacburn Rovers. Now rumours out of England are saying that the Rao family is considering to sell the club to Qatari Sheikh Tamim bin Hamed Al-Thani, who himself is scouting to buy an EPL club.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamed Al-Thani has been trying to buy his favourite team Manchester United from the American Glazer family, but he has failed in the attempt and has now switched his focus on clubs he can buy. Interestingly Blackburn Rovers, under Indian ownership, and FC Everton, recently in talks with an Indian Group, are said to be his top targets.

For Venky's and the Rao family Blackburn Rovers has meant that they have come into the public attention after being a rather unknown Indian family owned company. But their management of the Rovers has often come under criticism due to lack of football knowledge and the wrong people said to advice them. But the amount of media coverage they have received especially in India is unparalleled.

Now Sheikh Tamim bin Hamed Al-Thani has shown interest in Blackburn Rovers, but the Rao family is said to be split about what to do. Turn down the offer or accept. While Balaji Rao is said to want to continue to manage Rovers, other family members are considering to sell if a serious offer does come in.

One will have to wait and see what happens...

Venky's want inputs from Rovers fans, to bring them to India?

About 10 Months ago the Pune-based Venky's (Venkateshwara Hatcheries Group) owned by the Rao family bought the English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers. Things on and off the field have not been really smooth for the new owners since then, but they are trying to make things better while also getting to know and understand the business of football better.

On Saturday Blackburn Rovers did beat FC Arsenal 4-3 in a sensational game to score their first win of this English Premier League campaign, but Scottish manager Steve Kean is not really a fans favourite with the Rao family's popularity going down along with that of the manager.

The Venky's realise or have been made to realise that they need the Rovers fans to run a successful football club. Now there is a unique idea on the table to invite a hand-picked set of fans to India at the Rao family's expense to try and understand what long-standing fans thing of their running of the club and decisions they have taken since the takeover.

The interaction trip could happen in October during the next international break. If it will change the fortunes of Blackburn Rovers will have to be seen, but such interaction would surely help the Rao's understand the local sentiments better.

VIDEO: Blackburn Rovers ad for Venky's

English Premier League side Blackburn Rovers are owned by the Indian company Venky's, who are a major producer of chicken products. Now this has been brought together by the Venky's in an ad which I find really funny. Watch & enjoy!

Here the link to the advert

Blackburn Rovers want to play in India, but against whom

On their way to the Barclays Asia Cup in Hongkong, which starts on July 27 and where they face FC Chelsea and Aston Villa, English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers are set to visit Pune, the home town of their Indian owners the Venky's.

There the Venky's not only want to get their team to make an appearance in Pune, but they would also like them to play a friendly match against the national team or an Indian club side which would be the first-ever game of an EPL side on Indian soil. The Venky's approached the AIFF for a game against India and the United Breweries Group about playing a friendly against one of their teams - East Bengal Club or Mohun Bagan AC.

The AIFF is said to have declined the offer then the potential dates of July 22 to 24 would not be possible as India play their away tie in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the United Arab Emirates on July 23.

The reply from the UB Group was clear that at the moment East Bengal are better equipped to face EPL opposition though the final decision lies with the clubs management if they would want to play the game or not. The proposed date is July 22 with either Pune's Balewadi Sports Complex or the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai potential venues.

The offer has put East Bengal in a spot then currently their team is out of training due to the season break with coach Trevor Morgan and the foreigners away on holiday, while numerous red-and-gold players are in the India camp ahead of the World Cup qualifiers. It is clear that the red-and-gold would like to play such a high profile friendly, but they also understand what it means to take on an EPL side with an understrength squad. Therefore it looks unlikely that East Bengal would play the match, but a final decision has not been taken yet.

The Venky's might have to lookout for other opposition to take on in India or maybe plan such trips a little more in advance...