2013 - 2014 General Topics

David Dunn hopes full-back Bradley Orr can win over Blackburn's supporters and will not be forced out of the club.

Midfielder Dunn feels some fans turned on Orr after he supported then-manager Steve Kean following their relegation from the Premier League in May 2012.

"A lot of people would say he said the right thing," Dunn told BBC Radio Lancashire. "He was backing his manager and he was backing his players.

"It took a lot of guts to put himself in that firing line."

He continued: "Quite a few fans had a pop at him for that. Me personally, I feel we need strong characters like Bradley Orr at our club.

"Unfortunately he might be having to move on because some fans and himself personally feel like his job's done here and he can't win anyone back. I think that's a crying shame."

Ex-Bristol City and QPR defender Orr, 30, made a total of 22 appearances for Rovers last season, either side of a loan spell at Championship rivals Ipswich midway through the campaign.

Meanwhile, Dunn is confident that the appointment of Gary Bowyer as manager will give Blackburn the stability they have been lacking in recent seasons.

Five different men took charge of the club in 2012-13 and, in a second spell as caretaker boss, Bowyer guided Rovers to safety on the final day of last term.

"I'd like to see a bit of stability at the club after the last few years we've had," added Dunn, who recently signed a new one-year deal at Ewood Park.

"Maybe we're at a point that we need to give the manager some time.

"Gary knows the club inside out and he's been here a long time now. I'm 100% sure that he knows what exactly he wants to get in place and that will only happen if he's given time."

BLACKBURN Rovers new boy Matt Kilgallon is determined to secure regular football at centre back this season – with speculation continuing about the future of captain Scott Dann.

Dann has again been linked with a move away from Rovers before the end of the transfer window, and the central defender has remained non-committal on his future this week.

Rovers, who are interested in Aston Villa midfielder Barry Bannan, have already brought in Kilgallon on a free transfer this summer to strengthen their defensive options.

And the former Sunderland man has revealed that he chose the move to Ewood ahead of interest from the Premier League because of his desire for regular football this season.

Kilgallon spoke at length with Rovers boss Gary Bowyer before signing and, while he has filled in at left back in the club’s last two pre-season friendlies and could potentially start the season there, he still has his eyes on a centre back spot this term.

“My preferred position is centre half,” Kilgallon said. “The gaffer might ask me to do a job at left back for one or two games and with the sort of lad I am I will do that for the team. I said I’d do that for him, not a problem.

..“But he has told me he sees me as a centre half and he hasn’t brought me in as a left back, so it’s nice to know he’s had that chat with me.

“I’m 29 and it’s time for me to kick on now as a centre half.”

Kilgallon made only 26 appearances in three-and-a-half years at Sunderland, having loan spells at Middlesbrough and Doncaster.

“At Sunderland I didn’t play enough,” he said. “Before that at Leeds and Sheffield Untied I was playing Saturdays and Tuesdays.

“I miss that, training hard all week and not playing. I didn’t enjoy it.

“Hopefully in my time at Blackburn I’ll be training hard and playing as well. There were other clubs I could have gone to but I might not have played again and I didn’t want that.

“To come to a big Championship team and play was brilliant for me and I’m really happy with my decision to come here.”

There has been speculation about Dann’s future for some months and he said earlier this week: “You never know what goes on in terms of transfers and you never know what can happen in the next month or so.

“But obviously I’m a Blackburn Rovers player and I’ll be doing my utmost to make sure we get back to the Premier League.”

Gael Givet’s future remains unresolved, with a deal not agreed for his departure after he had travelled to Italy for talks with Livorno this week.

Meanwhile, Paul Brand, who had been Rovers’ head of performance analysis for the past three years, has left the club and taken up an offer to join Manchester United.

Gael Givet is back with Blackburn Rovers - after the collapse of a move to Italian side Livorno.

The French defender has been unable to agree terms with the Serie A outfit and now wants a pay-off from Rovers.

Blackburn want Givet off their payroll as they try to slash costs and this setback hits boss Gary Bowyer's signing plans.

No cover for Campbell then....arse!!!

Tributes have been paid to an ex-Blackburn Rovers star who died at the age of 70.

Dave Wagstaffe, who played 85 matches during two spells between 1976-78 and 1979-80, passed away after a battle with cancer.

The winger arrived at Rovers on loan in 1976 and was quickly taken to Rovers’ fans hearts.

He is classed by some as being England’s greatest uncapped winger of his generation.

Tributes poured in for the ‘tremendous’ man, who was described as a ‘super fellow’ by former colleagues.

Ken Beamish, who was one of the founding members of the Former Players’ Association and who played with Mr Wagstaffe, said: “Dave was a very easy going person and he was a great lad to get on with.

“I always remember he was the last to get changed in the dressing room.

“It would be 10 minutes before kick-off that he would put his kit on.

“It was just his routine he got into through his years.

“He was a super fellow who took his abilities in a normal, straight-forward way.

“He was never boastful about things and he just got on with his job.

“I had the honour of playing with him during my last season at Blackburn and we got to know each other very quickly.”

Mr Beamish said the Former Players’ Association would help Mr Wagstaffe’s family with any support they needed.

Mr Wagstaffe was known for being the first player to receive a red card.

He was also part of the league-winning Wolves team in 1974 before he joined Rovers.

A spokesman for the club said: “Blackburn Rovers are saddened to learn of the death of former player Dave Wagstaffe, aged 70.

“Wagstaffe, who started his professional career with Manchester City, joined Rovers in 1976 from Wolverhampton Wanderers when then manager Jim Smith brought him to Ewood Park.

“Hugely popular with supporters, 'Waggy' had a two-year spell with the club before joining Blackpool on the eve of the 1978 season, however he returned to Rovers in March 1979.

“In total the left winger made 85 appearances for Rovers, scoring seven goals.

Rovers made a loss of £27m last year...but its ok because Venkys have 'promised' to continue to back the club financially.

I think what they said was that they would keep backing Venkys London, which own 99.9% of Rovers. Which I think is more alarming.

Its all bollocks really,we are an average side and sooner or later they are going to get bored of us being shit and then we are Portsmouth!!!!!

It's their fucking fault we've gone shit, fucking wankers!!

old news I know but if we don't get promoted we will fall foul on the financial fair play rules. This would mean a transfer market blackout, points deduction and fine.

If we get promoted, we would probably just get fined

The former not the latter then........

Nah, what he said first!  

We are shite and to make things even worse the Dingle scum are beginning to look like promotion material,the world is going to end!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is why I am pissed off with all those fuckwits who wanted the Walkers to sell up thinking the grass was going to be greener.  We were one of the best run clubs in football and now look at us!!

I know they wanted out, but if the cries for them to leave weren't so damn loud we would have been sold to a better outfit than the bunch we have ruining the club now

Very scary times

rochina gone

FFS, he is a real talent and with the right handling would have been seriously good,now someone else will get the benefit as Rovers are myopic to say the least.........at least Campbell has gone though!!!!

I was a bit surprised about Rochina tbh. Thought he would come back and we would start to pick up some pace. What is going on at the club?

Cutbacks!!!!!!

and now Fabio Nunes has gone to serie B side U.S.Latina Calcio on a free........would the last player out of Ewood please turn off the lights or at least leave a handful of 50p's for the meter!!!!!! Still we are supposedly interested in Martyn Waghorn from Leicester..........Do you think we could hijack the Dark Sides bid for Mata??????   

CrackingShaft has gone to the Seaside too.

Bowyer is bringing the wages down, which is much needed and not just because of the FFP Rules.

I see he has been promised some funds to bring in some new faces, even if they are loan signings they are bound to have a better overall work rate than whoever Kean brought in.

granted,we could do with 2 or 3 pretty sharpish though!!!

Do they really have to be pretty??

it might help

Bryan Dabo has come in, looks aggressive and not pretty