Rovers have won 3-1 against Barnsley to end a run of three consecutive defeats. Rovers led 2-0 at half-time thanks to goals from Joshua King and Ruben Rochina and, despite a second-half scare after Barnsley pulled one back, managed to pick up the win and another goal when Jordan Rhodes scored in the 9th minute of injury time. Barnsley got off to a good start, but Rovers were soon threatening on the break as their pace out wide caused Barnsley trouble. King forced Steele into a good save with a swerving effort from just outside of the box and the Norwegian then had a penalty appeal turned down when he appeared to be taken down as he burst into the box. Shortly after, Rhodes missed a glorious chance to put Rovers ahead when Henley found acres of space in the box and set the forward up, but the Scotland international fired over from 10 yards out. Rovers did take the lead when more good work from King saw the winger get in behind the Barnsley defence and he managed to squeeze the ball into the net. It was King's second goal for the club in what could be his last appearance for the club. The Norwegian is due to return to Manchester United once the window reopens and it is not clear if Rovers will try to extend his loan spell. The goal seemed to settle Rovers down and they began to control the match and doubled their lead as the half drew to a close when Ruben Rochina scored a fine right-footed effort. It looked as though Rovers would see the second half out comfortably, but with a quarter of an hour remaining Barnsley produced a goal from almost nothing. Rovers failed to close Dawson down and his left-footed effort flew past Kean. The goal came against the run of play and totally changed the complexion of the game, forcing Rovers onto the back foot as they dropped deeper and allowed Barnsley to press forward. It looked as though Nuno Gomes could wrap the game up when a three on one allowed Kazim-Richards to square the ball and left Gomes with the simple task of slotting the ball home, but the experienced Portuguese forward somehow managed to put the ball wide. That led to a nervous few minutes for Rovers, but they were able to put the match to bed as the match drew to a close when Jordan Rhodes was able to beat a defender and fire low into the bottom corner from just outside of the area. It is an invaluable three points for Rovers and will have the team looking up going into 2013. The hope will be that a new manager will be in charge soon, but with little time before the next game against Forest on Tuesday it is quite likely that Bowyer and his team will still be in charge. View full article

Blackburn Rovers have today confirmed that Henning Berg has been removed from his position as manager. There had been speculation that his job had been under threat for several weeks and yesterday's 1-0 defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough seems to have sealed his fate. Berg had only been in charge of the club for 57 days, but had seen the side slip from the play-off positions down to the bottom half of the table. Rovers are now 8 points off of the play-offs and 21 points behind the league leaders. Berg was at the helm for only 10 games, but in that time the club picked up only 6 points, with his solitary win coming against relegation-threatened Peterborough. Rovers have also announced that they have dismissed assistant manager Eric Black, first team coach Iain Brunskill and goalkeeping coach Bobby Mimms with immediate effect. The clear-out means that the new manager will have the ability to bring in his own coaching staff, something that Berg did not do. It will be a tough job for the new man in charge and it seems unlikely that Rovers will be able to gain promotion this season. They came into the year hoping to bounce back straight away and were considered promotion favourites by many, but the disastrous recent run means that that may now be beyond them. Mark Hughes has been installed as the bookmakers favourite to replace Berg. The Welsh manager recently lost his job at QPR and is no stranger to Ewood Park, having enjoyed a successful spell as manager of the club from 2004 to 2008. He also finished his playing career at Rovers, where he was a part of the side that was promoted back to the Premier League. View full article

Rovers' slide down the table has continued after they lost 1-0 to Middlesbrough at the Riverside. Rovers played well in the first half, but were once again made to rue missed chances when Jutkiewicz put the home side ahead in the second half. Rovers nearly took the lead inside of a minute when Kazim-Richards hit the post following good work from King. Rovers continued to exploit their pace down the flanks and looked dangerous as they pushed forward and hit the woodwork again when King's cross was diverted onto the post by Bikey. It was a lucky escape for Boro, but they nearly took the lead just after, but Jutkiewicz failed to make a solid connection and Kean was able to save when the striker should have done better. If the first half was encouraging, the second half was a complete disaster. Rovers started reasonably well and had a good penalty shout turned down after King appeared to be pulled back in the box, but the home side soon began to boss proceedings as they started to win the midfield battle. Rovers looked tired and their play became sloppy and it was poor defending that allowed Middlesbrough to take the lead. Jutkiewicz continued his run after he played the ball to McDonald and the striker was able to fire home after the return ball. It was good play from Boro, but Berg will question how they failed to pick up such a straightforward run. Rovers never really responded to going a goal behind and Middlesbrough were able to comfortably see the match out, with McDonald missing a late chance to seal the result. The result means that Rovers are now 8 points off the play-off places and sit closer to the relegation zone than they are to the play-offs. They have yet to keep a clean sheet under Berg and have now picked up just one point from their last six matches. There is growing speculation that Henning Berg's job is under review and this result will have done nothing to win over the doubters. It was a defeat against Middlesbrough that spelled the end for Steve Kean and there is the possibility that this loss may see Rovers look for a new manager for the second time this season. View full article

Rovers and Middlesbrough are level at the break after an entertaining first half at the Riverside. The match has been open, but Rovers will certainly feel like they should be ahead, having hit the woodwork on two occasions. Rovers got off to a bright start and nearly went ahead inside of a minute when King's dangerous cross was met by Kazim-Richards, but the ball hit the post and was scooped up by the Boro keeper. It was excellent work from King and his good play was a sign of things to come. Rovers have looked best when getting the ball wide to Rosado and King and their pace has caused Middlesbrough considerable trouble. It was more good play from King that saw Rovers hit the post again, but this time his cross was met by Bikey and the defender was fortunate that he did not divert the ball into his own net. As the half drew to a close Middlesbrough had their best chance of the match, but Jutkiewicz failed to make a good connection with the ball and it allowed Kean to make a fairly easy save. Berg will probably be the happier of the two managers, but he will no doubt be disappointed that his side have been unable to take one of their chances. View full article

Henning Berg has once again made several changes to his side and this time Murphy, Hanley and Rosado come into the side at the expense of Vukcevic, Givet and Etuhu. It is Diogo Rosado's first start for the club. Paul Robinson has been left out of the squad. Middlesbrough Steele, Hoyte, Bikey, Friend, Leadbitter, Emnes, Ledesma, McEachran, Jutkiewicz, McDonald, Woodgate, Substitutes: Leutwiler, Thomson, Bailey, Williams, Halliday, Miller, Smallwood Blackburn Rovers Kean, Henley, Hanley, Dann, Martin Olsson, Formica, Lowe, Murphy, Rosado, Kazim-Richards, Rhodes Substitutes: Usai, Givet, Vukcevic, Etuhu, Rochina, Pedersen, Dunn View full article

Rovers will feel aggrieved to be behind at the break after they have had the better of the first half at Bloomfield Road. Rovers have gone close to scoring through Rhodes and Vukcevic, but Blackpool lead thanks to Thomas' header. The match started evenly, but Rovers nearly took the lead a quarter of an hour into the match when Rhodes ran onto Lowe's clearance, but was unable to beat Gilks with his left-footed finish. The Scotland forward ran onto the rebound and teed Vukcevic up and the midfielder's long-distance effort forced Gilks into another smart save. Despite that pressure from the visitors, the home side took the lead shortly after when Thomas was able to steal in between Givet and Dann and head home Delfouneso's cross. It was hard on Rovers and it meant that Kean's first real action of the game was to pick the ball out of his own net. The game opened up late in the half and Rovers were nearly level when Kazim-Richards managed to create space on the right and Gilks did well to prevent the ball falling to Vukcevic. The Montenegrin then went even closer when he controlled the ball on his chest before seeing his shot come back off the post. View full article

Henning Berg has made four changes to the side that lost against Cardiff just over a week ago, with Jake Kean, Vukcevic, Kazim-Richards and Givet all coming into the side. Markus Olsson and Formica miss out through injury, but Rovers fans will be particularly surprised by the decision to replace Paul Robinson and he has a place on the bench alongside Grant Hanley. Blackpool Gilkes, Gomes, Ince, Baptiste, Osbourne, Cathcart, Angel, Harris, Thomas, Delfouneso, Broadfoot Substitutes: Halstead, Eardley, Phillips, Taylor-Fletcher, Noguera, Bruna, Dicko Blackburn Rovers Kean, Henley, Dann, Givet, Olsson, Vukcevic, Etuhu, Lowe, King, Kazim-Richards, Rhodes Substitutes: Robinson, Hanley, Rochina, Dunn, Pedersen, Ribeiro, Rosado View full article

Rovers and Burnley have drawn at Turf Moor after a fast-paced and scrappy match. Rovers will be extremely disappointed that they couldn't hold onto their lead, but will no doubt be pleased that they were able to keep the unbeaten run against Burnley going with a good point away from home. Burnley were the better side in the first half and Duff, Austin and Paterson all forced Robinson into good saves. Their best chance came after Rovers had failed to properly clear their lines, but Shackell fired over when he really could have done better. The away side offered little going forward and failed to force Grant into a single save, with Rhodes isolated up front and Pedersen failing to deliver from set-pieces. In the second half things improved for Rovers and the introduction of King seemed to change the momentum of the match. The Norwegian troubled Burnley with his pace and his ability to cut in from the left, but it was eventually from the other side of the pitch that they took the lead. Formica produced a fine cross and Rhodes showed considerable commitment in getting his head to the ball to put Rovers ahead. It looked as though that goal would be enough and Rovers were looking comfortable enough, but with two minutes left in the match Burnley pulled level. Stanislas put a good ball into the box and Vokes managed to get the slightest of touches to send the ball flying past a helpless Robinson. Overall it was a fair point and neither side can be too unhappy with the result, but Rovers will know that they were only minutes away from ensuring bragging rights for another few months. Hostilities will resume on March 17th when Burnley make the trip to Ewood Park. View full article

Rovers have slumped to their second consecutive home defeat after they lost 2-1 to Bolton in tonight's match at Ewood Park. Bolton took the lead inside three minutes and dominated the majority of the match, although Rovers pressed in the final minutes of the game after Jordan Rhodes' goal had given them hope. Berg made one change to the side that had lost at the weekend, opting to give a start to Joshua King who had joined on loan from Manchester United last week, but all his pre-match planning was quickly thrown into disarray when Bolton took the lead only minutes into the match. Kevin Davies was able to get his shot off inside the area and beat Robinson at his near post. The forward was making his return to the Bolton side and will no doubt have been delighted to grab a goal against his former club. For the rest of the half it was Bolton who dominated, constantly looking dangerous as their midfield controlled the match and ran at the Rovers back four. Rovers looked clueless, with Etuhu and Murphy struggling to get into the match and looking completely out of sync with each other. Little changed as the second half got underway and Bolton doubled their lead when Robinson could only tip Eagles' free-kick onto the post, but could do little to stop Chung-Yong Lee from tapping in after the Korean had reacted quickest. Rovers pushed forward looking for some way back into the match and it looked as though they would fail to score for a second match in a row, but Jordan Rhodes' clever header put them back into the match. The final minutes saw them push forward in hope of an equaliser, but they were never able to create anything more than half-chances and Bolton deserved to take the three points home. Berg will be concerned by the fact that this is now two flat home performances in a row and Rovers appear to be regressing slightly as the season moves towards the busy Christmas period. He will know that the gap to the top two is already starting to widen and Rovers now sit four points adrift of the play-offs, with the crucial derby against Burnley to come this Sunday. A more committed performance will be expected in that match and more quality will be needed if Rovers are to avoid their first defeat in the fixture in over 33 years. View full article

Rovers have made one change to the side that lost 2-0 to Millwall at the weekend, with new loan signing Joshua King making his full debut as Markus Olsson drops to the bench. Three former Rovers line up for Bolton, with Andrews, Davies and Warnock all getting a start against their old club. Blackburn Rovers Robinson, Henley, Hanley, Dann, Martin Olsson, King, Etuhu, Murphy, Formica, Rochina, Rhodes Substitutes: Kean, Givet, Lowe, Pedersen, Kazim-Richards, Markus Olsson, Vukcevic Bolton Wanderers Bogdan, Mears, Eagles, Andrews, Knight, Davies, Warnock, Ricketts, Spearing, Lee, Butterfield Substitutes: Lonergan, Mills, Ream, Ngog, Petrov, Afobe, Pratley View full article

It's goalless at the break at Ewood Park, this despite both teams looking dangerous in the first half. Formica and Rochina have been particularly good for Rovers, but Millwall have had two goals disallowed and may feel slightly aggrieved to not be ahead. Rovers have fielded the same side that won so convincingly last weekend, but they have struggled to dominate in the midfield in the same way that they did against Peterborough. They have looked threatening through the good play of both Rochina and Formica, but it is Millwall that have come closest to scoring. Keogh has twice been denied by the flag of the assistant referee, while Dann was forced into a fine block to keep Rovers level. View full article

Rovers are firmly in control at the break after a clinical first-half performance has seen them race to a 3–0 lead. Formica gave the away side an early lead and a double from Jordan Rhodes appears to have put Rovers out of sight. Rovers got off to the perfect start when Formica gave them the lead inside three minutes. Good play from Henley led to Rhodes getting the ball in the box and his blocked shot fell perfectly into the path of Formica. Rovers continued to push forward and control possession and doubled their lead inside 20 minutes when Olsson's good cross was headed home from close range by Rhodes. The Scotland striker added a third when he beat Olejnik at his near post with a crisp finish. View full article

Huddersfield scored with virtually the last kick of the game to snatch a point and deny Henning Berg his first win in charge of Blackburn Rovers. The home side had taken the lead, but Rovers had fought back well and looked as if they were on course to a well-deserved three points until a sloppy piece of goalkeeping let the Terriers back in. Huddersfield had taken the lead inside the first quarter of an hour when Rovers failed to clear a free-kick and Lee Novak scored from the resulting scramble. The goal came against the run of play and Rovers were deservedly level before the break when Rochina's brilliant pass put Rhodes in behind the Huddersfield defence and the striker made no mistake against his former club. Rovers stepped it up a gear in the second half and produced some of their best play of the season, with Rochina playing particularly well. Ten minutes into the second half they were awarded a penalty when Olsson was tripped as he ran into the box and Danny Murphy made no mistake from the spot. As the half drew on, both sides squandered chances, but it looked as though the three points were headed back with Rovers until Novak scored his second goal of the game deep into injury time. Robinson will feel as if he could have done more to prevent the goal and Rovers will feel that they didn't come away with the result that their performance deserved. Rovers stay 6th in the table, ahead of Huddersfield on goal difference, but 5 points off automatic promotion and 6 points behind league leaders Crystal Palace. View full article

Rovers are level at the break in tonight's match away to Huddersfield Town. It was the home side that took the lead within the first quarter of the match, but Rhodes levelled things up late in the half. It was the home side that took the lead when Lee Novak was able to stab home after Rovers were unable to properly clear a free-kick. Huddersfield may have been ahead, but they rarely looked comfortable and Rovers looked threatening, particularly through the good play of Rochina. It was the Spaniard who eventually created the equaliser when his fine pass put Rhodes in behind the Huddersfield defence and the striker grabbed a goal against his former club. View full article

Rovers have made two changes to the side that lost 2-0 to Palace at the weekend. Formica and Rochina come into the line-up, while Pedersen is dropped to the bench and Kazim-Richards has been left out entirely. Huddersfield Town Smithies, Woods, Dixon, Norwood, Clarke, Scannell, Clayton, Novak, Hammill, Southern, Lynch Substitutes: Bennett, Gerrard, Ward, Wallace, Arfield, Lee, Robinson Blackburn Rovers Robinson, Henley, Hanley, Dann, Martin Olsson, Markus Olsson, Etuhu, Murphy, Formica, Rochina, Rhodes Substitutes: Kean, Orr, Pedersen, R. Hanley, Ribeiro, Vukcevic, Rosado View full article

Henning Berg's first match in charge of Blackburn Rovers has ended in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace. Rovers were never really in the match and, despite the fact that the away side hit the woodwork twice, can consider themselves lucky to have only lost by two goals. Palace started brightly and controlled possession, troubling Rovers with their pace and width and it was their fine wide play that nearly saw them take the lead only minutes into the match, but Robinson produced a good save to deny Delaney. Despite the home side's dominance, Rovers nearly went ahead when Pedersen's corner was powerfully met by Etuhu, but the midfielder's header came back off the crossbar. The reprieve appeared to spur Palace on and they then hit the woodwork themselves when Zaha's cross was headed onto the post by Bolasie. Zaha's pace and trickery made him a constant threat to the Rovers back four and, on the basis of today's performance, it is clear to see why he is wanted by several Premier League clubs. It looked as though Rovers would go into the half-time level, but just in first-half injury time a sloppy piece of defending from Dann allowed Murray to beat him to a cross and head in off the underside of the crossbar. Palace nearly doubled their lead just after the restart, but Hanley did extremely well to cut out Zaha's cross as the home side continued to control the match. Murphy and Etuhu were being over-run in midfield and it wasn't until well into the second half that Rovers forced Speroni into his first real save of the match, with Pedersen's effort going close to putting Rovers on level terms. Palace eventually doubled their advantage when Murray went down under Hanley's challenge. There appeared to be little contact, but Murray picked himself up and sent Robinson the wrong way to grab his second goal of the match. He was then handed the ideal opportunity to complete his hat-trick when Palace were awarded another penalty, this time for Henley's challenge on Bolasie, but this time Robinson guessed the right way and produced a fine double-save to keep Rovers in the match. Berg threw on Rochina, Formica and Vukcevic in an attempt to produce some sort of an attacking spark, but Rovers simply couldn't keep possession and were unable to mount any sustained pressure on the Palace goal. Rochina nearly gave Rovers hope when his left-footed effort thundered back off the post after a well-worked short corner, but in reality it was too little, too late and Palace held out to collect the three points. Rovers are now 5 points off the automatic promotion places and fall to 8 points behind league leaders Cardiff if the Welsh side win their match later this afternoon. View full article

Henning Berg has made four changes to the starting eleven as he takes control of his first game as Rovers manager. Lowe and Givet miss out through injury, while Henley, Murphy and Martin and Markus Olsson are all put into the starting line-up. Supporters will take particular note of the fact that Simon Vukcevic has been handed a spot on the bench. Crystal Palace Speroni, Ward, Parr, Bolasie, Dikgacoi, Garvan, Jedinak, Zaha, Murray, Delaney, Ramage Substitutes: Price, Blake, Wilbraham, Easter, Moxey, O'Keefe, Moritz Blackburn Rovers Robinson, Markus Olsson, Dann, Hanley, Henley, Martin Olsson, Etuhu, Murphy, Pedersen, Kazim-Richards, Rhodes Substitutes: Kean, Orr, Formica, Vukcevic, Rosado, Rochina, Ribeiro View full article

It has now been over four weeks since Steve Kean resigned on 28 September and, at long last, it appears that Rovers are now only a few days away from finding a replacement, with an announcement expected by the middle of this week. For outside observers looking in, the delays may appear merely farcical, but it comes as no surprise to the Rovers faithful, who have watched in horror as a once steady ship has been rocked by incompetence and mismanagement during the two years of Venky's ownership. When Kean left, Venky's had a golden opportunity to show that they had learnt from previous mistakes and were now willing to appoint an experienced manager who could guide the side back to the Premier League, but their hesitancy has shown that they are still completely unaware of the proper way to run a football club. All reports suggest that, despite relegation and incompetent ownership, the managerial position at Rovers is still a desired post. This may in part be a result of the fact that there have so far been few openings in top positions, both in this country and around Europe, but even a ready-made shortlist of top names was not enough to kick Venky's and Shebby Singh into action. Instead of acting decisively as near-neighbours Bolton did, both in sacking Owen Coyle and by appointing Dougie Freedman as his replacement, Rovers have gone down the farcical path of internal bickering and hanging out dirty laundry in public. Over the past month there have been strong links to Sherwood, Holloway, Shearer, Redknapp, McKinlay and several others and yet the club have only just reached the interview stage of the process in the past few days. It is difficult to believe that it could have taken so long to draw up a final shortlist, and Rovers supporters will be disheartened by the fact that Kean leaving has changed little surrounding the club. Each potential appointee has his drawbacks, but that is to be expected. In the past month supporters have had a significant change of tune. Previously the thought process was "anyone but Kean", but now they appear to be far more selective. Perhaps this is only natural, but supporters also need to accept that, with the exception of the likes of Ferguson or Mourinho, every manager comes with some sort of blot on their copybook. That point needs to be made clearly to Shebby Singh, the serial crowd pleaser who appears to be more concerned with his public image than he is with making sure that the day-to-day running of the club is going as it should. His appointment was met with a mixture of hope and scepticism, but again, much like Venky's, he has missed the opportunity to capitalise on Kean's departure by showing that he is capable of being part of a professional club and has instead shown himself to be a media pundit struggling to adapt to a role that requires more than public appearances and hypothesising. What is needed is someone willing to stand up and run the club in their own way. Kean's incompetence was a sight to behold, but he was also hampered by the fact that he was little more than a yes-man. If progress is to be made, then the next man in charge needs to be one capable of actually taking control. This is a poorly run club. Relegation, losing key players and the entire Kean fiasco aside, the greatest shame of the past two years has been watching a well-run club so quickly turned into a laughing-stock. We can all hope that a new appointment will bring a change in fortunes and perhaps a strong voice to talk some sense into the owners and the senior management, but at the moment that seems a very distant hope. View full article

Rovers controlled possession for the majority of the match, but were unable to break down a resolute Watford side until second-half injury time. Rhodes' late winner will no doubt have relieved Kazim-Richards, who had missed a penalty earlier in the second half. The first half was a very flat affair, with neither side committing many forward and chances were few and far between. Rovers looked comfortable defensively and in midfield, but lacked the creativity and drive that Dunn had brought to the opening half hour in the midweek match against Sheffield Wednesday. Neither keeper was forced into a difficult save, although Rovers had a decent shout for a penalty when it appeared that Kazim-Richards was held back. The second half began in similarly dull fashion, with Rovers once again controlling the ball, but failing to do much with it. Then, with a quarter of an hour left, the home side were handed a golden opportunity to take the lead when Rhodes' shot hit the arm of Hoban and the referee did not hesitate when pointing to the spot. Rhodes picked up the ball, but Kazim-Richards took it off him and then proceeded to slip as he fired the penalty against the bar. There will no doubt be a great deal of debate about the decision to let Kazim-Richards take the spot-kick and the fact that Rovers seem to be without a designated penalty-taker. The penalty miss appeared to knock Rovers out of their stride, but they did manage to apply pressure as the match drew to the close but were dealt another blow when Jason Lowe appeared to pull his hamstring with only minutes remaining. It appeared as though the match was going to end in a draw, but in the second minute of added time Jordan Rhodes produced a piece of quality to control Pedersen's deflected shot and fire past Almunia. The win is Rovers' second on the bounce and sees them stay fifth in the table, 5 points behind league-leaders Cardiff. Supporters will hope that Rovers will have appointed a new manager by the time the side make the trip down for the match at Crystal Palace next Saturday. View full article

An uneventful first half has ended goalless as both sides looked flat in the opening 45 minutes. Rovers were hoping to replicate the quick start that they made in the midweek game against Sheffield Wednesday but, although they have had the better of the possession and have looked more comfortable on the ball, have failed to create chances and have looked fairly flat. Neither side has created a clear-cut chance, but Rovers have forced several corners and have looked reasonably dangerous from set-pieces. Watford have not really been able to get going in the match, although they will be pleased by the fact that they have mainly forced Rovers to play in front of their back four. View full article

Rovers have named two changes to the side that beat Sheffield Wednesday in midweek. Ruben Rochina starts in place of the injured David Dunn, whilst Martin Olsson is replaced by Morten Gamst Pedersen. Blackburn Rovers Robinson, Orr, Hanley, Givet, Dann, Lowe, Pedersen, Etuhu, Rochina, Kazim-Richards, Rhodes Substitutes: Kean, Martin Olsson, Formica, Murphy, Gomes, Rosado, Hanley Watford Almunia, Doyley, Hall, Hoban, Cassetti, Yeates, Smith, Hogg, Fanchone, Deeney, Forestieri Substitutes: Bond, Ekstrand, Murray, Vydra, Battocchio, Anya, Geijo View full article

Eric Black picked up his first win as caretaker manager as Rovers moved up to fifth and back into the play-off spots. It was a hard-fought match, but it was a well-earned clean sheet in a match that Rovers certainly deserved to win. Rovers took the lead when a fine run and cross by Dunn set up Hanley for an easy finish. The goal was reflective of Rovers' dominance and the home side continued to control the match after they had taken the lead. Givet and Kazim-Richards both missed chances to double the lead, while Wednesday struggled to retain possession and failed to force Robinson into any difficult saves. The one area of concern was an injury to David Dunn, that forced the midfielder off just after the half-hour mark, when he was replaced by Ruben Rochina. The second half started much as the first had ended, with Rovers keeping possession well and looking to get forward, but Wednesday grew in confidence as Rovers failed to put them out of the match. Rovers looked solid defensively, but the forwards were growing increasingly isolated and Wednesday looked the more composed of the two sides. It was clear that the home side were missing the energy that Dunn had brought to the early stages, but Rochina, who had gone close with a great long-range effort towards the end of the first half, forced Kirkland into a good save after a fine individual run. It was a match where neither side looked terrific and Rovers will certainly be concerned by their inability to put away any of the several decent chances that they had to finish the match, but overall it was a decent performance and a pleasing three points. The second-half ongoings were slightly overshadowed by the fact that rumours began to circulate that Garry Flitcroft is due to be installed as Rovers manager in the morning. Whether or not these rumours will prove to be true only time will tell, but it is known that he was in attendance. View full article

Rovers lead at the break thanks to Grant Hanley's second goal of the season. Eric Black will be pleased with the way in which his side have retained possession and have looked more dangerous going forward, but Wednesday have still posed a threat on the break. Wednesday started brightly, but Rovers were quickly on the front foot and were dominating the midfield through good play through Dunn and Lowe. It was the former England man who created the opening goal, when his good play down the wing and excellent cross set up Hanley for an easy finish. It was no more than Rovers' good play had deserved and they continued to push forward and Givet and Kazim-Richards both had decent chances to double the lead. Wednesday have looked dangerous on the break and have managed to get in behind the Rovers back four on a couple of occasions, but the real blow to Rovers came just after the half hour mark, when David Dunn was forced off through an injury and replaced by Ruben Rochina. As the half drew to a close, Rochina nearly scored with a fine effort from distance, but Kirkland was equal to the Spaniard's left-footed strike. Rovers will be pleased with the lead and the nature of the performance, but will know that first-half advantages have been blown in recent weeks and that the three points are necessary if they wish to move into the play-off places. View full article

Blackburn Rovers Robinson, Orr, Martin Olsson, Givet, Lowe, Dunn, Rhodes, Dann, Etuhu, Hanley, Kazim-Richards Substitutes: Kean, Formica, Pedersen, Murphy, Gomes, Rochina, Rosado Sheffield Wednesday Kirkland, Buxton, Taylor, Semedo, Antonio, Madine, Johnson, Corry, Barkley, Jones, Liera Substitutes: Davies, Maguire, O'Grady, Mattock, Rodri, Pecnik, Mayor View full article

Rovers have suffered their first league defeat of the season after a disappointing home performance against Middlesbrough. Rovers were lethargic and sloppy throughout and a double from Jutkiewicz meant that the current league-leaders are unlikely to be top of the table at the end of the weekend. Rovers started well, but were hit on the break in the 7th minute when Jutkiewicz flicked on a long ball before running onto Emnes' through ball and firing past Robinson at the goalkeepers' near post. 'Boro were lifted by the goal and quickly became dominant, controlling midfield, streaming forward and regularly causing difficulties for the Rovers' back-line. The second half started in a similar fashion to the first, with the home side looking to assert themselves and trying to find an equaliser, but yet again Jutkiewicz found the net just as Rovers were starting to find their feet. Sloppy defending led to his first, but his second was a fine header. Rovers have been used to coming from behind in recent weeks and they did start to apply some pressure after going two behind, but, despite half-chances for Etuhu and Nunes and decent chances for Rhodes and Dann, they were not able to get a goal back until the 89th minute when Nunes' good cross was met by Hanley from close range. It looked as though Rovers should have been awarded a penalty just after when Hoyte caught Rhodes in the box, but the referee only awarded a corner. Injury time saw Rovers camped in the 'Boro box and plenty of pressure, but they were unable to get back on level terms. The result will be a major disappointment to the club and its supporters, but the more worrying aspect will have been the performance. Early season form had been covering up for poor play, but there were few positives to take from this match. The small crowd were quiet for the majority of the match, but did make their feelings about Kean felt throughout the second half. The loss also means that Rovers have not met the reported early season points target of 17 points from their opening 7 matches. View full article