The East Lancashire derby between Burnley and Blackburn Rovers has certainly changed drastically over the years.
The funny thing about this rivalry is that it always seems to go on something of a hiatus. Every ten years or so it’s as if one side goes into hibernation in a lower division, with the other flourishing up towards the top flight. More often than not, the side down in the dumps has been Burnley.
Between 1982 and 2001 the sides met four times in two seasons, with Blackburn taking up a 100% record in those fixtures. As Rovers went on a run of cup finals and a Premier League title, Burnley were trying to find themselves down in the Football League.
It seemed like a lost cause, but as the years went on the Clarets were making slow yet steady progress whilst their rivals were in decline. In the 2009/10 season after Burnley achieved promotion they faced off in the Premier League for the first time ever, and despite Blackburn once again doing the double over their rivals progress was certainly being made.
Blackburn champions
With a couple more relegations in the book, it was obvious that Burnley were the side out of the two that were on the up. As we move into the present day Sean Dyche’s men are towering one whole league above their Lancashire neighbours, and the Rovers faithful must be wondering where it all went wrong.
That can be attributed to two things – passion and ownership. The support at Turf Moor has been praised as one of the big factors behind their success for a long time now, meanwhile the dwindling numbers and poisonous ownership at Ewood Park is dragging them down.
Nobody knows when we will see these two face off again, but the stark contrast in their recent fortunes is staggering.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche
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