Fulham 3 – 0 Blackburn
Damien Duff and Erik Nevland celebrate Fulham's opening goal
English Premier League News : Fulham recovered from a dire early spell to beat Blackburn convincingly.
The visitors dominated for 40 minutes but paid for some weak finishing when Erik Nevland exchanged passes with Damien Duff before slotting home.
That goal energised Fulham, Blackburn old boy Duff providing another assist for Clint Dempsey to finish off.
The American was on hand to complete the scoring after Simon Davies’s cross found him unmarked, with Blackburn by then desperately chasing the game.
Rovers, who silenced the home fans with some slick play before losing all their composure when falling behind, had an excellent chance to score at the very start.
Read full story Fulham 3-0 Blackburn English Premier League news at BBC Sport Football.
Chelsea 5 – 0 Blackburn
English Premier League News : Chelsea 5-0 Blackburn By David Ornstein
Chelsea produced an impressive attacking display to expose Blackburn’s flaws and claim a thumping win which sends them top of the Premier League.
They opened the scoring when Gael Givet diverted Nicolas Anelka’s cross into his own net and Frank Lampard fired home from close range to make it two.
Michael Essien curled in from distance before Lampard slotted a penalty after Ryan Nelson tripped Didier Drogba.
Drogba completed the rout, out-jumping Nelson to head in Lampard’s corner.
The win was Chelsea’s biggest ever against Blackburn and sees them leapfrog Manchester United, who face Liverpool on Sunday.
Pleasure to watch Chelsea – Ancelotti
Boss Carlo Ancelotti now prepares his side for Wednesday’s visit of Bolton in the Carling Cup and then their trip to the same opponents in the league on Saturday.
While this result was achieved against depleted opponents who deployed negative tactics and still ended up being torn apart, the Italian should be delighted with the way his players bounced back from their defeat at Aston Villa last time out in the league.
606: DEBATE
Sooner or later someone is gonna get an absolute tonking – I can honestly see us scoring 10 against someone this season, when it clicks we are going to frighten the life out of everyone
Just Me
He will also be buoyed by the performance of Joe Cole on his first Premier League start since January following a cruciate knee ligament injury.
The England midfielder was at the heart of Chelsea’s attacking play from the outset and might have marked his comeback with a goal inside 30 seconds, only to nod Lampard’s lofted pass wide from a completely unmarked position.
Lampard himself came tantalisingly close to opening the scoring with a rasping 25-yard drive which sailed just wide of the top right-hand corner.
The omens were not good for Blackburn, who have now lost their last nine away league games, are yet to claim a point away from Ewood Park this season and have not scored a goal in their last seven matches against Chelsea.
Chelsea put them on the back foot from the outset and, when they did look to counter-attack, lone-striker Jason Roberts was dealt with comfortably by John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.
That gave the hosts enough confidence to set up base camp in the Blackburn half and it came as no surprise when they opened the scoring.
Michael Ballack sent Anelka racing down the left wing and the Frenchman’s low centre, aimed for the on-rushing Drogba, was poked into his own net by a sliding Givet.
A succession of chances came Chelsea’s way but they were denied by a combination of their own profligacy and the inspired reflexes of Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson.
Cole loving return to football
The former Tottenham stopper came off his line to expertly foil Anelka before repelling a venomous swerving strike by Drogba and turning away a goalbound Terry volley with a magnificent dive to his right.
In between those chances, Morten Gamst Pedersen drilled wide after neat hold-up play by Roberts and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech was relieved to see Essien clear after he came to punch Pedersen’s long throw but completely missed the ball.
Chelsea continued to flood forward at the beginning of the second half and swiftly gained reward for their dominance.
Drogba rolled Martin Olsson and, after Lars Jacobsen failed to deal with his cross from the right, Lampard smashed the ball home from 10 yards to notch his first league goal from open play since April.
Sam Allardyce’s men were firmly on the ropes and five minutes later Essien received possession from Ballack and found the net with a curving shot from 35 yards which Robinson will feel he should have saved.
With Robinson now looking a shadow of the player that repeatedly thwarted Chelsea in the first half, the Blues began taking shots from all angles and distances.
We were pathetic – Allardyce
So perhaps it came as something of a surprise to the Blackburn defence when Drogba attempted to trundle his way towards goal. Nelson tripped the powerful Ivorian and Lampard wrong-footed Robinson from the spot.
The rout was completed when Drogba outmuscled Nelson and headed Lampard’s corner past a flapping Robinson.
In the final act Terry, to the crowd’s delight, ensure a clean sheet for Chelsea when he bravely cleared off the line after Olsson had lobbed Cech.
The scorline could have been far worse for Blackburn and, after hosting Peterborough in the Carling Cup, they face a daunting trip to Manchester United next Saturday.
Source: English Premier League Football News, Chelsea news, Blackburn news at BBC Sport News
Paul Robinson – Blackburn Rovers Goalkeeper
Paul Robinson – Blackburn Rovers F.C. Goalkeeper
Paul William Robinson (born 15 October 1979 in Beverley,[2] East Riding of Yorkshire) is an English football goalkeeper who plays for Blackburn Rovers. He is an experienced international goalkeeper.
He started his career with Leeds United, where he played 95 league games and also scored a goal in a League Cup tie. In 2004, following Leeds’ relegation from the Premier League, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur. He played 137 games with Spurs, scoring another goal, before he was signed by Blackburn Rovers in 2008. He has also earned more than 40 caps for his country.
Paul Robinson’s Personal information
Full name : Paul William Robinson
Date of birth : 15 October 1979 (1979-10-15) (age 29)
Place of birth : Beverley, England
Height : 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Playing position : Goalkeeper
Club information : Blackburn Rovers F.C.
League : Barclays English Premier League Football Club
Club career
Leeds United
Having come through the youth ranks at Leeds United, Robinson made his debut against Chelsea in 1998, keeping a clean sheet. In the 2003-04 season he scored his first professional goal against Swindon Town in the closing moments of a League Cup game, forcing extra time. The game went to penalties, two of which were saved by Robinson to help his team to victory.[3] However, he faced much worse times in the Premier league, conceding 77 goals in 36 games.[4] Despite this somewhat dubious record Tottenham Hotspur’s Director of Football David Pleat was not dissuaded in his pursuit of Robinson.
Tottenham Hotspur
Robinson transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in May, 2004, for a fee of £1,500,000.
On March 17, 2007, Robinson scored the second goal of his professional career, in a Premier League game against Watford at White Hart Lane. He took a free-kick from just outside of his own penalty area (85 metres, or 93 yards from the opposition goal) and the ball bounced over the head of Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster, and into goal.[5] He became the third goalkeeper in Premier League history (excluding own goals) to score after Peter Schmeichel for Aston Villa in 2001 and Brad Friedel for Blackburn Rovers in 2004, although of the three only Robinson’s team went on to win the match. He was also the third goalscoring goalkeeper in the English league in the 2006-07 season, following goals from Gavin Ward for Tranmere Rovers and Mark Crossley for Sheffield United.
Robinson captained the team in their 1-0 Football League Cup quarter-final win over Southend United,[6] and in their 0-0 FA Cup third round draw at Cardiff City as Ledley King and Robbie Keane were both injured.[7]
Robinson collected the first major trophy of his career in Tottenham’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final.[8]
Blackburn Rovers
He joined Blackburn Rovers on 25 July 2008, for a fee of £3.5 million on a five-year deal, making him Paul Ince’s first signing at the club.[9] On July 29th, it was confirmed during an interview that he would be wearing the Blackburn No.1 jersey left behind by the departure of Brad Friedel. He ironically replaced a goalkeeper who scored for his club (Friedel) bearing in mind he has also scored for his two previous clubs, a feat that is very unique and unusual for goalkeepers in football. On 30th July, he made his Blackburn Rovers debut in a 2-1 victory against Northwich Victoria. He is currently the first choice goalkeeper in the Blackburn squad.
International career
Robinson has played 41 times for England. He was part of the Euro 2004 squad, as understudy to David James, making no appearances in the tournament. In the subsequent qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup he replaced James as England’s first choice goalkeeper.
At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Robinson was named in England’s World Cup squad for the finals in Germany and was an ever present in England’s campaign, keeping clean sheets in four out of five games that he played. He conceded no goals to Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago during the group stage. After the opening World Cup game against Paraguay, when his counterpart Justo Villar was injured 7 minutes into the match, ending his tournament early, Robinson sent Villar his gloves as a gesture of good will after England won 1-0.[10] During the knockout rounds, he kept clean sheets against Ecuador in the round of 16 and Portugal in the quarter-finals, although the latter prevailed 3-1 in the penalty shoot-out to end England’s campaign.
On 11 October 2006, during a Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia, an unexpected bobble on a backpass from Gary Neville caused Robinson to miss the ball completely as he tried to clear it out of the penalty area, resulting in an own goal to put Croatia 2-0 up.[11] Robinson later described the incident as a freak.[12] On 22 August 2007, Robinson made a mistake to gift Germany their first goal in England’s first loss at the new Wembley Stadium, with a final scoreline of 2-1. He was substituted at half-time by James.[13]
Robinson was not included in the squad for new England manager Fabio Capello’s first game in charge, however he was included in his second squad for the match against France due to an injury to fellow ex-Leeds United goalkeeper Scott Carson.
Source: Paul Robison, Goalkeeper of Blackburn Rovers F.C., Barclay English Premier League Football Club information at wikipedia.org
Paul Ince – Blackburn Rovers F.C. Manager
Paul Ince – Blackburn Rovers Manager
Paul Emerson Herbert Carlyle Ince (born 21 October 1967 in Ilford, Greater London) is an English football manager who is currently the manager of Premier League club Blackburn Rovers. He is a former player who won numerous honours with Manchester United, became the first black player to captain the England team and the first black Briton to manage a team in the highest tier of English football.[1] His career saw him play for seven English clubs, including stints at Manchester United and Liverpool, as well as the Italian side, Inter Milan.
Personal information
Full name : Paul Emerson Herbert Carlyle Ince
Date of birth : 21 October 1967 (1967-10-21) (age 41)
Place of birth : Ilford, England, Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position : Midfielder (retired)
Club information : Blackburn Rovers (manager)
League : Barclays English Premier League Football Club
Managerial career
Swindon Town (player-coach)
After much speculation and prolonged discussions – On 31 August 2006, Paul Ince signed a one-year contract with Swindon Town as a player/coach. Swindon were rumoured to have beaten the likes of Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion and Crewe Alexandra for his signature. A key factor in the transfer was Ince’s long standing friendship with Town manager Dennis Wise, who had played alongside him occasionally in the England team during the 1990s. He made his full debut for Swindon in the 2-1 victory over MK Dons on 12 September 2006.
Ince only played one other game for Swindon after the MK victory – before the club announced that Ince had felt he could not fulfil his playing duties with the club and that his contract had been terminated by mutual consent, although he continued coaching at the club to complete his coaching badges.
Macclesfield Town
On 23 October 2006, Ince was confirmed as the new player-manager of Macclesfield Town in succession to Brian Horton. However, he was ineligible to play for the Silkmen until January when the transfer window opened, as Swindon Town still held his registration.[6] He joined Macclesfield with the club bottom of League Two, seven points off their nearest rivals. He then revived confidence and after a 3-0 win against Chester they managed to climb off the bottom of the table. They subsequently avoided relegation, albeit on the last day of the season. On 4 January 2007 Ince was named as League Two Manager of the Month for December.
Milton Keynes Dons
Ince was unveiled as the new Milton Keynes Dons manager along with his assistant Ray Mathias and fitness coach Duncan Russell on 25 June 2007.[7] The Dons reached the top of their Division in September 2007[8] and other clubs began to take a serious interest. In October and November 2007, he denied rumours that he was being linked with managerless Premiership teams Wigan,[9] Derby County[10] and Championship team Norwich City.[11]
Ince was named as League Two “manager of the month” in October and December 2007, and again in April 2008.[12][13][14]
Ince’s first silverware as manager came in the Football League Trophy Final at Wembley on March 31, 2008, with the MK Dons defeating Grimsby Town 2-0. He then secured the Dons’ return to Coca-Cola League 1 in April 2008 after they beat Stockport County 3-2. On April 26, the Dons became League Two champions after they beat Bradford City 2-1.
Blackburn Rovers
In the close-season it was speculated that Ince had been contacted by Blackburn Rovers in their search to appoint a new manager, something that Ince himself denied.[15] However, the BBC reported that Ince would be named as Blackburn manager by the end of the week of 19 June.[16] He was appointed on 22 June and became the first black British manager in England’s top division.[17] On the first day of the 2008/2009 FA Premier League season, Blackburn Rovers faced Everton at Goodison Park – this was Paul Ince’s first premiership game with Blackburn Rovers. David Dunn opened the scoring for Ince’s side and Roque Santa Cruz and Andre Oojer later scored in a 3-2 win. Ince’s 2008 summer signings include England International goalkeeper Paul Robinson, Julio Santa Cruz, Danny Simpson (Loan), Vince Grella, Carlos Villanueva (Loan), Robbie Fowler, Mark Bunn and Keith Andrews.
Source: Paul Ince, Blackburn Rovers F.C. Manager, Barclays English Premier League Football Club information at wikipedia.org
Blackburn Rover Football Club
Blackburn Rovers F.C. – English Premier League Football Club
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. It is one of only three teams to be founder members of both the Football League and the Premier League, the others being Aston Villa and Everton.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club was established in 1875, and in 1888 became a founding member of The Football League. In 1890 Rovers moved to its permanent home at Ewood Park. Until the formation of the Premier League in 1992, the majority of the club’s success was pre-1930 when they won the league and FA Cup on several occasions. Their relegation in 1966 was followed by 26 successive seasons of football outside the top flight.
In 1992, Blackburn were promoted to the new Premier League a year after being taken over by local steel baron Jack Walker, who installed Kenny Dalglish as manager. In 1995, Blackburn became league champions, having spent millions of pounds on players like Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton. However, the title-winning team was quickly split up and, in 1999, the club were relegated. They were promoted back to the Premiership two years later, just after Walker’s death, and have been in the top flight ever since. During this time they have qualified for the UEFA Cup four times: once as League Cup winners, twice as the Premiership’s sixth-placed team and once via the Intertoto Cup.
The club’s Latin motto “Arte et labore”, which was used by the town council before the club were formed, literally translated means “by art and by labour”.
Blackburn Rover F.C. Club Information
Full name : Blackburn Rovers Football Club
Nickname(s) : Rovers, Blue and Whites
Founded : 1875
Ground : Ewood Park, (Capacity: 31,367)
Owner : Fred Walker
Chairman : John Williams
Manager : Paul Ince
League : English Premier League
Club takeover
In January 2008, the Dan Williams-led consortium interested in taking the club over withdrew interest. The club are prepared to sell and other groups are still interested.[6]
On Sunday 20 April 2008, Blackburn Rovers were yet again linked with another consortium led bid. This time from new JJB Sports owner Chris Ronnie, and a Icelandic based consortium. Whether this will lead to a formal bid being presented to the Walker Trustees, is still yet to be seen.[7]
On Sunday 8 June 2008, Blackburn Rovers were again linked to Chris Ronnie’s consortium in the National Press. In which the Sunday People reported “Chris Ronnie is closing in on his takeover of Blackburn Rovers”, the aritcle also went on to say “Ronnie has had four (4) meetings with Rothschilds, the financiers selling the club for the Jack Walker Trustees, and there has been ’significant progress.”
However, on 6 July, it was revealed that Ronnie had pulled out of a bid to buy the club, and that Chowdery had a bid of £30 million pounds rejected.
Source: Blackburn Rover F.C., Barclays English Premier League Football Club information at wikipedia.org