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- Next: Blackburn - Stats/Players who played for both clubs
MAUDESFISHNCHIPS' QPR REPORT Q&A WITH BLACKBURN FAN, JOE AINSCOUGH
- Many thanks to Joe Ainscough who is a site journalist for http://www.blackburn.vitalfootball.co.uk/nice to hear from a younger perspective too
How long have you supported Blackburn ?
I have been a Rovers fan for 15 years since I was 4 years old in 1996, so not the longest serving fan, but I couldn’t have done much more really!
Who's Blackburn ’s biggest Rival (or Rivals)?
It has to be Burnley . The rivalry between the two towns often goes under the radar, but it has to be one of the best rivalries in England . (We even had to have a police escorted coach to get to their ground!) They haven’t beaten us in 32 years though, so there isn’t much competition
Are you happy with your team and how things are to date? – What are your opinions on your manager Steve Kean? His spending/selling this summer?
In a nutshell – no. Since the takeover by Venkys our club has gone downhill rapidly due to the fact they seem to know very little about football. The replacement of Big Sam with our current inept and useless manager has to go down as one of the worst decisions in the history of our club. He needs to get sacked sooner rather than later if we want to stay in this league. The only plus points to his reign here are the signings such as Ruben Rochina and Scott Dann, but when you look at the players Sam signed at West Ham in the championship, you just wonder what he could have done with £20 million to spend here.
What do you think of your current Owners? WHY are they involved? What do you expect? Could they realistically have done more to boost your chances?
I don’t like them to be honest. They took us from a top 14 team safe from relegation to being back in the dog fight. They are full of broken promises and give us fans a lot of false hope. They are aiming for the Champions League in 3 to 4 years, yet we can’t even get out of the relegation zone at present! They have turned us into the laughing stock of the Premier League. Their unrealistic pursuits of players such as Ronaldinho and Beckham proved they knew nothing, and yet they continue to baffle with their comments such as Steve Kean is a “brilliant” manager. If they had left things the way they were and left our old chairman John Williams in charge, then we wouldn’t be in this mess.
What are the general Rovers fans views on your teams trip to india ? Do you feel there is something to be gained from it long term? Or do you see it as an immediate disruption?
There is obviously an untapped market out there in India , with a population of over 1 Billion, it makes sense to pursue marketing out there, but not at this current time, and it should have been left until the end of the season.
How do you think Blackburn treats its fans? Appreciates them? Listens to them? Screws them?
We certainly don’t get listened to or appreciated it seems. The majority of fans want our current manager gone, and yet the owners make stupid comments about it being only a few people!? There is nobody who fans can contact at the club to discuss our concerns which is a major issue. Our owners need to learn fast, because if they don’t they will have a lot of fans on their backs.
Who are you Dangermen/Most valued/most overrated/most underrated players?
Our danger men have to be Junior Hoilett, Martin Olsson and Ruben Rochina. They are young flair players, who bring that bit of magic and pace to our side. Most overrated has to be Gamst Pedersen. His set pieces gave him a name in the English game, but for the past few years he has been mediocre. Underrated has to be our danger men, they don’t get enough credit, as seems to be a common trend between the “lesser” clubs in the Premier League.
Are you happy with your youth set up? Is your club doing enough to bring young/local talent through the ranks?
Without being too biased, I think our youth set up is one of the best in the country. Many of our first team came up through the youth team and we have produced players such as Phil Jones and Junior Hoilett over the last couple of seasons. In our current first team squad we have Martin Olsson, Junior Hoilett, Jason Lowe, Grant Hanley, Josh Morris and David Dunn who have all come up through our youth system, and many more to follow if we are to believe what we are being told.
Who would you say was the greatest Blackburn player that you yourself personally seen? And past player? (You can name more than one if it's that close!)
Personally the best player I have seen over the last 15 years has been Tugay. He played for us until he was 38, and he still had his class at that age. As for greatest ever, well I am only 19 so it’s hard for me to say, so I will go for Shearer. Without him we wouldn’t have won the league in 95.
What is your prediction for Rovers this season?
We will finish 16th after changing our manager.
Are you aware of any player or manager links between our two clubs past and present?
I know you took Pascal Chimbonda off our hands last season! Cheers for that! Haha!
What is your view and the general Blackburn view of QPR (If we even feature in your consciousness) or of Neil Warnock and our owners?
I think generally the feel is you will be in the dog fight along with us, but will manage to stay up due to buying well. Neil Warnock is not liked by many up here I have to admit. As for your owner, I am not really aware of any opinion one way or another, apart from many of us would swap!
Who(if any) is your most memorable/favourite QPR Player over the years?
I’d have to go with a recent one and go for Adel Taarabt. He seems a very very good player, even if he is a bit controversial!
Did you get to see any matches between our two clubs when we were last in the premiership?
Not that I can think of, but I was at our cup game last season!
Your view on el hadji diouf please!!?
There is always a split divide when it comes to this guy. Personally I think he is a good player, who gives 100% all the time, and has a bit of fight in him. I was sorry to see him leave.
Your score prediction for QPR v Blackburn Rovers?
Random but I predict 4-2 to you guys!
What, realistically, do you think Blackburn are capable of achieving in the next five years?
5 years is a long time and a lot can happen in that time. I will say top 10 finishes, pushing for a place in Europe , and maybe pushing for a cup win!
Thanks again to Joe Ainscough of Vital Blackburn. And thanks again to QPR Report Correspondent, Maudesfishnchips