Blackburn Rovers have now spent the last decade outside of the Premier League, so where are the 2011/12 Ewood Park side that featured during their most recent top-flight season?
The Lancashire natives enjoyed 11 years as a Premier League side after securing promotion as Division One runners-up in 2000/2001. They spent more than half of their campaigns as a top-half club, as well, with a best finish of sixth-place in the 2002/03 and 2005/06 terms.
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Graeme Souness led Rovers to their joint-best finish since winning the Premier League title in 1994/95 with 60 points. Mark Hughes then repeated Blackburn’s result three years later with 63 points, only missing out on a top-four spot by four points and fifth-place by two.
But Steve Kean could not follow Souness and Hughes’ lead come the 2011/12 campaign as Rovers fell back into the Championship. Blackburn missed out on Premier League safety by five points to Queens Park Rangers to finish 19th, splitting Bolton Wanderers and Wolves.
A poor start to the season and a torrid conclusion ensured the Ewood Park side would not beat the drop. They opened the term with two wins and five draws across 18 games up to Boxing Day, and ended the season with one win in nine – including losing away to Bolton.
Paul Robinson (GK): Captain of last Blackburn Premier League season now retired
Paul Robinson captained Blackburn for the second half of what would be their last Premier League season to date. He held the armband twice before Christmas, before taking up the position full-time following the turn of the year, while starting in 34 of Rovers’ 38 fixtures.
The goalkeeper kept three clean sheets over his appearances to a huge 71 goals conceded. Robinson moved to Ewood Park from Tottenham in 2008 for £3.5m as the first signing by Paul Ince. He stayed there until 2015, before a short stint at Burnley and retiring in 2017.
Jason Lowe (RB): Regular of last Blackburn Premier League season now at Salford
Jason Lowe was a regular member of the last Blackburn side to play in the Premier League during the 2011/12 season and is still going now, plying his trade in League Two at Salford City. He joined the Ammies in 2020, after time at Birmingham City and Bolton after Rovers.
Lowe began his career in the Ewood Park youth fold before making his first-team debut in January 2011. He would play 196 times for Blackburn across all competitions, including 32 times during the 2011/12 top-flight term with a versatile role, most often from right-back.
Grant Hanley (CB): Norwich captain a rock of Ewood Park backline 10 years ago
Grant Hanley joined Blackburn in 2008 as a youth from Rangers and enjoyed eight years at the club. Newcastle United later swooped for the centre-back in 2016 for £5.5m after their relegation to the Championship, where he played one season before joining Norwich City.
The 30-year-old is yet to eclipse his 200 Rovers appearances with the Canaries, for whom he has played 139 times. Hanley made 23 of his Blackburn outings during their last Premier League season, and is now the captain at Carrow Road under contract at Norwich to 2025.
Scott Dann (CB): Reading arrival regular figure in Kean’s Rovers defence
Scott Dann enjoyed 27 Premier League outings for Blackburn in their last top-flight season and is now plying his trade at Reading. The centre-back had only moved to Ewood Park in the summer of 2011 after leaving Birmingham for £6m in a deal agreed within a few days.
Rovers retained the defender’s services until 2014 before selling him to Crystal Palace in a deadline day January deal. Dann would enjoy more appearances at Selhurst Park than with any club in his career, playing 181 matches before joining Reading as a free agent last year.
Martin Olsson (LB): Regular of last Blackburn Premier League season now at Malmo
Blackburn raided Hogaborg in 2006 to sign their academy prospect Marin Olsson for their U18s side. The left-back soon broke through at Ewood Park for his first-team bow in 2007 and continued to establish himself for 142 outings – the most with one club in his career.
The 55-cap Sweden international made 27 of his Blackburn appearances as a regular part of their last Premier League side. He has been back in Sweden since 2020 at Helsingborg, Hacken and now Malmo after spells at Norwich and Swansea after leaving Rovers in 2013.
Steven Nzonzi (CDM): Anchor of last Blackburn Premier League season now in Qatar
Steven Nzonzi was the anchor of Blackburn’s last Premier League side and is now plying his trade in Qatar for Al-Rayyan. The Frenchman made 32 appearances for two goals and five assists during the 2011/12 English top-flight term, in what was his final full season there.
Blackburn sold Nzonzi to Stoke City following their relegation, before stints with Sevilla and Roma, plus loan moves to Galatasaray and Stade Rennais. He left the Giallorossi for good to join Al-Rayyan in September, where the 33-year-old former France star is now a regular.
David Dunn (CDM): Former England international retired from playing in 2016
David Dunn spent most of his career with Blackburn over two spells at Ewood Park for 373 appearances. He briefly left Lancashire from 2003 to 2007 to play for Birmingham, but the midfielder returned for a further eight years up to joining Oldham Athletic in July 2015.
Yet he retired halfway through his only season with Oldham, where the 42-year-old also held a player-coach role. Dunn again returned to Blackburn as the U21 assistant manager, before holding a senior position at Blackpool and Fleetwood. He also managed Barrow in 2020.
Junior Hoilett (RM): Star of last Blackburn Premier League side now leaving Reading
Junior Hoilett was one of the stars of Blackburn’s last Premier League side and is now with Reading since August. But his Royals career will end in June, as Berkshire Live report he is one of 14 the Select Car Leasing Stadium natives will release when their contracts end.
Hoilett offered seven goals and six assists as Rovers bowed out of the top-flight a decade ago. He could not offer half that input with Reading this term, however, with the 31-year-old only scoring three goals and creating two over 27 Championship games, starting 20.
Mauro Formica (CAM): Regular of last Blackburn Premier League season now at Colon
Mauro Formica joined Blackburn in 2011 for his first taste of European action after honing his trade with Newell’s Old Boys. But relegation would see the Argentine leave Ewood Park on loan with Palermo in January 2013, before sealing a permanent transfer to Cruz Azul.
The midfielder made 55 appearances for Rovers across all competitions, including 34 in the 2011/12 top-flight term. His career would go on to feature further stints at Newell’s, UNAM Pumas and Colon. He joined the latter last July and is under contract until December 2022.
Morten Gamst Pedersen (LM): Former Rovers favourite now back home in Norway
Morten Gamst Pedersen was a fans’ favourite with Blackburn, and one of the stars of their last Premier League season. He is now back in his homeland of Norway with Asane Fotball since this March, following previous spells with Rosenborg, Tromse and Alta since 2014.
Rovers had signed Pedersen from Tromse in 2004 and enjoyed his services – and free-kick expertise – until 2013. He left Ewood Park after 348 appearances – the most of his career – with 33 in the 2011/12 league term for nine assists for Turkish side Karabukspor for a year.
Yakubu (ST): Top-scorer of last Blackburn Premier League season retired in 2017
Despite Blackburn suffering relegation in the 2011/12 Premier League season, Yakubu was the joint-fourth top-scorer that term. He struck home 17 goals over 30 appearances, with only Robin van Persie (30), Wayne Rooney (27) and Sergio Aguero (23) striking more goals.
It would prove to be the 57-cap Nigeria international’s one and only season at Ewood Park after joining from Everton. Yakubu left Lancashire for China and Guangzhou City in 2012, before stints at Al-Rayyan, Reading, Kayserispor and Coventry City before retiring in 2017.
So, 10 years on from their last Premier League season, eight of Blackburn’s most regular starters from the 2011/12 campaign are still playing now, and Rovers could face their two main centre-halves in Dann and Hanley next term when they face Reading and Norwich.
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