The Blackburn View

Before Birmingham's match against Blackburn on Easter Monday, I interviewed opposition fan Mikey Delap. He writes The Wild Blackburn Rover blog, and you can find him on Twitter @MikeyDelap. Having been a supporter since the early 90's, Mikey tackles the factors behind his club's decline since winning the title, the treatment of ex-manager Steve Kean, and reflects on a quiet season for his club.

You’ve been midtable throughout this campaign, and you’ve not changed manager. A fairly quiet season by your recent standards?

You can say that again, it's been as refreshingly welcome as it has been encouraging. After the last few seasons of complete and utter turmoil with a plethora of incompetent individuals steering the ship, it stands us in good stead to finally look like we have half a clue what we are doing.

It's been much better to have stayed out of the headlines and being the "go to" club for the footballing nation's light comic relief. Thanks Leeds United, you're really doing a stellar job in our spot this season.

Rhodes - a goalscorer

Would you agree that you’ve been reliant on Jordan Rhodes’s goals this season? Any other attacking players to keep an eye on?

We were certainly reliant on his goals over the course of the first half of this season and even more so last year when we were god awful, but there is a slight hint that the goals are being shared around a little bit more since the January transfer window.

Rhodes will of course be our main supplier, there is no hiding or getting away from that, but keep an eye out for his new partner in crime Rudy Gestede - signed from Cardiff (permanently) in January.

He's certainly not as graceful or as prolific but he's a big, imposing chap with an attacking threat about him. He's been impressive... imagine Nikola Zigic with a layer of muscle and some actual drive ;)

Can’t picture him. You’ve got a young squad, many of whom boss Gary Bowyer worked with in the reserves. Is this an advantage, in terms of the relationship between players and management?

I suppose it is difficult to tell for sure from a purely observational capacity, but most of the players have been keen to stress their happiness with Bowyer in charge of things.

By and large, Bowyer has stuck to the formula that works for him - a nucleus of young, hungry players with points to prove and it has improved us this season.

Having that continuation of Bowyer being in charge of a small group of players development (Hanley, Lowe and Henley) likely helps, but it's the handful of Championship suitable players bought in that seem to have given most cause for optimism.

So in answer to your question, yes I guess it does help, but probably not to any massive extent.

We beat you 3-2 at Ewood Park back in December. After a 3-0 half-time lead, we were hanging on at the end - did you feel you’d equalize?

Blues win reverse fixture 3-2

I was just more in a state of stunned silence that we were somehow 3-0 down, with the greatest of respect Rovers gave a masterclass in gift wrapping a practically unassailable lead for a visiting side.

We probably should have equalised at the death with Scott Dann's late bundle, but aside from a spirited last 30 minutes I'd be hard pressed to convince you that we deserved to emerge with anything from that game. A bad for us that one.

Away fans have been banned from the Fernhurst pub by the ground. If we’re in the same division next season, where would you recommend instead for pre-match food & drink?

Take your pick - Uncle Jack's and the Brown Cow are both away fan friendly and non-threatening places for a pre-match beverage, even the Postal Order is a pretty good shout in the town centre itself - especially if you need dining as well as just a beer. But that is a good 20 minute walk from the ground so allow plenty of pre-match time for that one.

You won the league title in 1995. What do you feel led to your club’s decline?

Blackburn won the title in 1995

Even though I was a younger, more naive individual back in the day (I was 11 the day we won the title just for reference) I was still fairly aware that my team of choice's day in the sun had a shelf life attached to it.

Rovers were never "meant" to be amongst the game elite. It was only through the generosity, spirit and desire of Jack Walker that allowed us to climb to the heights we did.

We held our place pretty well after our title win for well over a decade - yes we got relegated in '99 but that was more a blip than a terminal decline. Rovers sustained a good spell at the top table during the 2000's due to excellent and prudent management of the club under the likes of John Williams, Graeme Souness, Mark Hughes and Sam Allardyce. The money was on the way out of the club under the Walker Trust but our general health was sustained by careful management of the relatively limited funds in comparison to the other Premier League sides around us.

Kind of ironic given what was to follow and our current predicament. The decline truly started when the Rao family bought the club.... as dramatic as that sounds.

Your fans campaigned relentlessly to get Steve Kean sacked, and he resigned when you were near the top of the Championship. Was the stick he got justified?

Fans wanted Kean sacked

No-one deserves personal threats or a small portion of the bile that was generated in Kean's direction, as fans we shouldn't condone some of the toxic atmosphere that was created.

Having said that - yes, Steve Kean absolutely deserved the flak that came his way.

A horrible, odious, self-serving slimeball who did nothing in the best interests of the club and lived in a fantasy world populated only by his own ego and Bradley Orr.

Kean hid behind the convenient little media protection bubble he was afforded by the likes of Sky Sports and rode the coattails of the Rovers gravy train he and his mates were enjoying right until till the bitter end.

I am aware many won't agree, but he deserved everything he got and we are 500 times better off with him having departed.

I bet you’re gutted with how Burnley are doing. Do you think you can emulate them next season?

Could Bowyer take Rovers up?

I wouldn't say I was gutted. When they do reached the promised land they'll have deserved it because they've been unquestionably one of the two best sides in the division this season... fair play to them.

What they've achieved hasn't required a magic formula, just a strong, motivated manager assembling a well drilled squad of solid players and getting them to consistently perform a set plan. It's not a miracle, it's just a well-executed strategy and it's reaping the rewards it deserved.

I hope Rovers can carry the steady progress made this term into next season and make a push for the top, it's more of a wish than a realistic request at this stage but if we can shed some of the bloated wage bill that hampers the club and add 4 or 5 more players the quality of the likes of Craig Conway and Tom Cairney over the summer then we may have a shot.

Thanks for answering our questions. Your prediction for Monday’s game…

We've been finally churning out some half-decent form over the last month or so, after a season of chronic inconsistency. Therefore I am at the least hopeful we can continue that now we're finally getting something like a settled line up.

Put me down for a 2-1 win and a little bit of revenge for the December shambles. Rhodes and Conway with the goals.