It's goalless at half-time at Ewood Park after a fairly uneventful first half in which chances were hard to come by. Bowyer will be pleased that his side improved over the course of the half, but concerned by the fact that Marshall was forced off with a potentially serious ankle injury. Derby started better, but Rovers went closest to opening the scoring when Gestede's powerful header was tipped over the bar by Grant. The rest of the half saw both sides sloppily give away possession and fail to string passes together and find openings, although both teams were forced into a substitution and there will be some concern that Marshall's injury could be relatively serious. View full article

Birmingham lead at the break after a rather uninspiring first half produced one goal for the home side. Neither team has been particularly good and there has been a severe lack of quality in the attacking halves, but a goal from Morrison has given the home side the lead. The match got off to a slow start as both sides gave away possession easily and struggled to mount any dangerous attacks. Rovers gradually settled into the match and looked dangerous through King, with Pedersen pushing forward from central midfield to support the attacks, but they were unable to create any real openings. Rhodes had their best chance of the half when he intercepted a poor backpass, but Butland did well to come out and get a hand to the ball. Birmingham slowly found their stride and had a number of half-chances through Zigic, Redmond and Burke, but were mainly limited to efforts from long range. As the half wore on Birmingham began to find some joy on the wings and took the lead when Morrison was able to cut inside and easily make his way into the box before firing a left-footed effort past Sandomierski. As things stand Rovers look certain to stay up, but a win could move them up several places and Bowyer and his side will be hoping for an improved performance in the second half. View full article

With the start of the season just over a month away, Blackburn Rovers are still waiting on their first signing of the summer transfer window. Whilst the only activity so far has been the departure of Phil Jones to Manchester United, the club will also need to replace Jermaine Jones, Mame Biram Diouf and Roque Santa Cruz, who have all left Ewood Park following the end of their loan spells. Bringing in a true goalscorer appears to be the priority, but reports, both on BRFCS and in the media, suggest that Kean and the owners are also looking to add to the midfield and bring in a central defender to replace Phil Jones. The club has been linked with a host of high-profile forwards over the past few weeks, most notably Marko Vucinic (AS Roma), Papiss Demba Cisse (SC Freiburg) and, over the past 48 hours, Jermaine Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur). The stumbling block appears to be the fee and the confusion over just how much money the owners are actually willing to spend. The £16.5m fee for Jones (possibly rising to £20m+) is to be paid in instalments, so without considerable investment by the Rao family it is unlikely that the club can make any big summer signings. Vucinic and Cisse were rumoured to be in the £15–20m range and both had large wage demands. Reports suggested that the club had envisaged a war-chest somewhere in the region of £25–30m, but over the past fortnight doubts have crept in as to how much money is actually available. Talk of splashing out big money on a forward has died down slightly, although the Defoe link may have some substance to it. Whilst attention was focused on bringing in a star striker, it appears that the club may have missed out on one or two of the other targets that they were chasing. There were strong links with Pablo Piatti (UD Almeria), but a bid was never made and the Argentine international moved to Valencia for €7.5m. Rovers have reportedly made two bids for the Belgian international Axel Witsel (Standard Liege), but have yet to meet the valuation of the Belgian club. It looks as though the defensive midfielder will be leaving Standard Liege, although Benfica are now favourites to land the player. To add to this disappointment, little progress has been made in finding a Phil Jones replacement. Rovers tried to hijack Atletico Madrid's move for the Brazilian defender Joao Miranda, but this proved unsuccessful. It appears as though a deal has been agreed for the Monaco central defender Cedric Mongongu, but the move has yet to be finalised as doubts over the size of the transfer budget appear to be holding back any moves. Overall it has been a rather disappointing and confusing fortnight for Rovers fans. Initial reports of big budgets and big signings have been replaced by the all-too-familiar story of free signings and players in on trial. It will be interesting to see what the Rao-Kean-Kentaro triumvirate come up with, but whatever it is, we'll try and keep you informed here at BRFCS. View full article

Charlton Athletic beat Rovers 1-0 at Ewood Park thanks to a first-half goal from Simon Church. It was a match of few chances and the home side were never able to get back into the match, even as they piled on the pressure in the second half. Charlton took the lead in the 7th minute when Stephens' intelligent clipped ball allowed Church to get in behind the Rovers' defence and he controlled the ball on his chest before producing an excellent volleyed finish. The rest of the half saw both sides struggle to create any real openings, although Lowe fired over when he really should have done better. Rovers had the better of the second half and saw several decent half-chances go to waste. Lowe nearly brought them level with a half-volley from distance, but his effort was deflected just wide of the post. Bowyer sent DJ Campbell on for his first appearance of the season and stuck Scott Dann up front in an effort to get an equaliser, but Charlton held out. It was Rovers' second defeat on the bounce and Bowyer will be hoping to quickly right the ship as the team looks to keep up with the promotion contenders. View full article

Blackburn Rovers may have picked up a vital win against Barnsley yesterday, but a dark cloud still looms large over Ewood Park. This last week's sacking of Henning Berg means that Rovers are now looking for a new manager for the second time in as many months — not quite what was expected from the pre-season promotion hopefuls. Even after yesterday's win Rovers are well off the promotion places and will need to drastically improve if they are to have any chance of making the play-offs. Whilst performances and results have been disappointing, however, the Rovers faithful are far more concerned with activities taking place away from the pitch. It seems that the power struggle at the top is continuing as Singh, Agnew and Shaw continue to fight for top-dog status. The goings-on at Ewood Park are more befitting of a soap opera than a professional football club and it doesn't look like the circus will be leaving town anytime soon. There is a great deal of speculation suggesting that either Singh or Agnew had some influence over the team selections during Berg's tenure and that has to raise serious questions about how the club is being run. Paul Agnew was promoted to the role of operations director in the summer and, although he has been working for Rovers for over 16 years, it is difficult to explain why the former press and public relations officer should have been entrusted with making serious decisions relating to the club's administration. Shebby Singh, who came to the club last summer as the newly appointed global advisor of the Venky's, seemingly played a key role in the capture of Jordan Rhodes and in forcing Steve Kean out of the door. He deserves some credit for both of those achievements, but any good work he may have done is now being overshadowed by rumours that suggest that the former TV pundit has the desire to influence team selections. In Saturday's Mirror it was reported that managing director Derek Shaw has called for Singh to be removed from his position and Shaw will be pleading his case to the owners during his trip to India. This represents a high-water mark for the in-fighting, while the club continues to carry out its business in the public domain. Supporters had hoped that things might improve when Steve Kean resigned. However, any optimism that followed his departure has vanished and it is now apparent that the managerial position is only a small area of concern. When viewed from a distance, the situation is farcical, but for Rovers supporters it is heartbreaking. Not long ago the club was able to pride itself on being well run and on the fact that it was respected throughout football. Results were never guaranteed and the threat of relegation from the Premier League never seemed far away, but supporters at least knew that the decision-makers had the club's best interests in mind. Those days are long gone and experience has been replaced by incompetence. The next managerial appointment is the last vestige of hope. If, by some miracle, someone qualified for the position is appointed, then there is a chance that sensible decisions might be made regarding the team; however, even if that does happen, it is unlikely that the off-the-field problems will be resolved anytime soon. Join in the discussion on the forum here. View full article

Rovers will look to pick up a vital three points against a promotion rival at the Riverside today. Dunn and Gestede retain their places, while January signings Varney, Dabo and Conway are on the bench. Middlesbrough Given, Varga, Woodgate, Gibson, Friend, Ledesma, Leadbitter, Chalobah, Whitehead, Carayol, Graham Substitutes: Konstantopoulos, Butterfield, Hines, Main, Omeruo, Adomah, Kamara Blackburn Rovers Robinson, Kane, Hanley, Kilgallon, Spurr, Cairney, Dunn, Lowe, Taylor, Rhodes, Gestede Substitutes: Eastwood, Varney, Williamson, Dabo, Henley, Evans, Conway View full article

Bowyer has made four changes to the side that disappointed midweek against Ipswich. Eastwood replaces Kean between the sticks after a poor run of form from the young keeper. Kane misses out through suspension, whilst Campbell and King are also dropped, with Henley, Marshall and Taylor coming in as their replacements. The match also sees Hoilett play against Rovers for the first time since he left the club last summer. Queens Park Rangers Green, Simpson, Dunne, Hill, Phillips, Johnson, Austin, Carroll, Barton, Hoilett, Assou-Ekotto Substitutes: Murphy, Traore, Onuoha, Jenas, Kranjcar, Henry, O'Neil Blackburn Rovers Eastwood, Spurr, Hanley, Lowe, Rhodes, Marshall, Dann, Williamson, Taylor, Henley, Cairney Substitutes: Kean, Kilgallon, King, Dunn, Campbell, Rochina, Judge View full article

Gary Bowyer makes two changes to the side that beat Leeds at the weekend. Williamson returns to the side to replace Taylor, who misses because of personal reasons, while DJ Campbell fills in for David Dunn, who is rested. Rudy Gestede, who signed on loan last week, is named on the bench and could make his debut. Ipswich Town Gerken, Cresswell, Chambers, Smith, Berra, Edwards, Skuse, McGoldrick, Hunt, Hyam, Nouble Substitutes: Loach, Murphy, Anderson, Mings, Tunnicliffe, Graham, Tabb Blackburn Rovers Kean, Kane, Spurr, Hanley, Lowe, King, Campbell, Rhodes, Dann, Williamson, Cairney Substitutes: Eastwood, Kilgallon, Marshall, Rochina, Judge, Henley, Gestede View full article

Grant Hanley begins his three match ban and is replaced by Scott Dann, while Ben Marshall steps in to replace Corry Evans who was injured on international duty. Blackburn Rovers Kean, Kane, Spurr, Dann, Kilgallon, Marshall, Cairney, Lowe, King, Rhodes, Best Substitutes: Eastwood, Campbell, Williamson, Taylor, Marrow, Morris, Judge Charlton Athletic Hamer, Wilson, Wiggins, Cousins, Morrison, Wood, Pritchard, Stephens, Church, Sordell, Stewart Substitutes: Evina, Jackson, Dervite, Green, Alnwick, Kermorgant, Gower View full article

Rovers controlled possession in the first half, but neither side has managed to put themselves in front and the match is goalless at the break. Rovers went closest through Rhodes and looked dangerous when getting the ball out wide and putting crosses into the Huddersfield box, but so far Smithies and Kean have been relatively untested in their respective goals. The match got off to an even start, but Rovers soon hit their stride and began to control the match. King, Cairney and Spurr all put testing balls into the Huddersfield box, but despite a number of half-chances the home side has been unable to find the net. Rhodes went closest to giving Rovers the lead when he slid in to make contact with King's cross, but the ball went narrowly wide of the post after rebounding off Smithies. As the half wore on, the match was played almost entirely in the Huddersfield half, but Rovers have been unable to turn their dominance into goals. It has been an encouraging performance from Rovers and they will be eager to pick up their first win in three matches following last week's draw with Burnley and the midweek defeat at Leicester. View full article

Gary Bowyer has made one change to the side that lost midweek against Leicester, with Chris Taylor returning to the starting line-up in the place of Ben Marshall. Blackburn Rovers Kean, Kane, Spurr, Hanley, Lowe, King, Rhodes, Taylor, Dann, Evans, Cairney Substitutes: Eastwood, Kilgallon, Olsson, Marshall, Williamson, Best, Judge Huddersfield Town Smithies, Dixon, Clarke, Hogg, Clayton, Vaughan, Hammill, Stead, Richards, Lynch, Gerrard Substitutes: Bennett, Woods, Norwood, Scannell, Gobern, Paterson, Carr View full article

Rovers picked up their second win of the season after an impressive performance saw them beat Bolton 4-1. A first Rovers goal for Corry Evans and goals from Rhodes (2) and Dunn saw Rovers pick up the three points and move into the top half of the table. Bolton perhaps slightly edged the opening quarter of the match and should have taken the lead when Beckford was slipped through on goal by Ngog, but the striker failed to find the power necessary to beat Kean in the Rovers goal. Rhodes then had a chance to put Rovers ahead, but he failed to react quickly enough after Wheater had missed Dunn's cross and the Scotland international was unable to control his header. Despite that miss, Rovers were soon ahead when King's pace allowed Rovers to break and the winger cut the ball back across the box for Dunn, who neatly beat three Bolton defenders before sliding the ball past Bogdan. It was an extremely well-taken goal and only 90 seconds later Dunn turned provider when he played the ball into Rhodes who turned with the help of a deflection off Knight and then took a moment to compose himself before firing into the bottom corner. It was a quickfire double for Rovers and put them firmly in control of the match. Rovers were full of confidence and surging forward and Marshall nearly grabbed a debut goal when his controlled effort from the edge of the box was acrobatically tipped onto the post by Bogdan and the rebound nearly fell to Rhodes to tap in, but Bolton eventually managed to clear the ball. Rhodes then produced a powerful left-footed shot that forced Bogdan into another good save and it looked as though the match could soon turn into a rout, but as the half drew to a close Bolton got back into it. Kean failed to properly gather a shot and Bolton were able to retain possession and rebuild an attack and after a neat interplay of short passes Baptiste found space in the box and hammered the ball across Kean and into the net. It was poor defending from Rovers and another costly mistake from Kean, who has had a shaky start to this season. Bolton started brightly after the break and Beckford had the first chance of the half when he did well to control a pass over the top, but he poked his effort harmlessly wide of the goal. The away side then went agonisingly close to levelling things up when Ngog broke into the Rovers area and evaded the challenges of two defenders when he cut the ball back as he feigned to shoot, but his effort was cleared off the line by Kane after the right-back had done well to position himself perfectly behind Kean. It looked as though either side could grab the next goal, but Rovers restored their two-goal advantage when the ball dropped to Evans outside of the box and the summer signing produced a sweetly-hit volley that flew into the back of the net with the help of a deflection. That goal restored Rovers' confidence and King nearly put the game to bed after he shrugged off a challenge before his powerful effort from the edge of the box whistled past the post and moments later he drove at the Bolton penalty area again but fired over after he had done well to create the opportunity. Rovers did seal the win only moments later when Kane did well to get his cross in and Rhodes was on hand to apply the finish from close range. Rhodes had received some criticism for his performances in the first three matches this season, but that makes it four goals in two games for the forward as he looks to be returning to goalscoring form. With the last kick of the game Cairney nearly added a fifth, but his left-footed effort curled just wide of the far post. It was a good win for Rovers and an encouraging display of attacking prowess, with excellent passing in a match that the home side controlled from almost start to finish. Kean's errors will be some cause for concern for Bowyer and his staff, but there are certainly a number of positives to take from the last two matches and he will be hopeful that the good run will continue after the international break when Rovers face Burnley. View full article

Rovers' early season struggles have continued after they slumped to a disappointing defeat away to newly promoted Doncaster. It was Rovers' third defeat on the bounce and leaves them with only one point and one goal from their opening three league games. Their inability to keep clean sheets and the tendency to concede sloppy goals will be worrying and, whilst it is still very early in the season, Bowyer and his side will not want to find themselves condemned to another relegation fight. The match got off to an even start and neither side looked particularly threatening going forward. Rovers looked most dangerous from set-pieces and spurned their best chance of the half when Hanley headed over from a corner midway through the first half. Rhodes then rounded the Doncaster keeper, but fired wide from a difficult angle and Rovers were punished for their inability to put the Championship newboys to the sword when the home side took the lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. A quick free-kick caught Rovers out and the good delivery left Theo Robinson with the simple task of heading home from close range. The lead may have slightly flattered the home side and Rovers responded well at the start of the second half and should have put themselves back on level terms, but Taylor failed to find the net when he looked certain to score. Rovers looked the more likely to grab the next goal, but Doncaster doubled their lead when James Husband's mishit cross caught Kean out in the Rovers goal. There may be some questions asked of the goalkeeper's reactions to the cross and it has certainly been a disappointing start to the season for Kean, who has now made costly errors in consecutive matches. Rovers never fully recovered from falling two behind and Doncaster nearly added to their lead as the match wore on, with the away side looking weary and out of ideas. It marks a poor start to the season for Rovers and Bowyer will know that results will need to pick up soon. It is still very early on and there should be no need for knee-jerk reactions from the club's management or supporters, but points will be needed from the upcoming fixtures. Rovers were not helped by the fact that several of their players took part in midweek international fixtures, but a side containing a number of internationals and high earners should have performed better against a team that was only promoted from League One via the playoffs last season. View full article

Rovers have once again fallen behind as they look to pick up their first win of the season. It was an even first half in which chances were few and far between, but the home side took the lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the opening period. The match got off to an even start, although neither side was able to play with much fluency or regularly create chances. Rovers' biggest threat looked to be from set-pieces, where they consistently put the Doncaster defenders under pressure around the six-yard box. Grant Hanley had Rovers' best chance of the match when he headed over from a corner and the away side were punished for their profligacy only minutes later when a good delivery from a quick free-kick allowed Theo Robinson to head home from close range. Rovers are perhaps unfortunate to be behind, but they will know that it is important that they start to pick points up sooner rather than later and will feel that there is still a good chance that they can get back into this match. View full article

Rovers and Forest are level at the break after an even first half in which both sides had a number of half-chances. Jordan Rhodes went closest to opening the lead, but put his header wide when he really should have done better. Jordan Rhodes and Leon Best have looked lively up front and have linked up well as Rovers return to 4-4-2 as a result of the injury to Ruben Rochina. View full article