Kevin Stonehouse criticises Venky’s but backs Blackburn for survival

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Blackburn Rovers currently find themselves in the Championship relegation zone, but one former forward is backing them to steer clear of the drop.

These are troubled times at Ewood Park. After more than a decade in the Premier League, Rovers were relegated in 2012. Five years on, the club run the risk of dropping further down the footballing pyramid, currently situated in the Championship relegation zone.

It’s a bleak situation for Blackburn – who are one of only six clubs to have won the Premier League – and the feeling of discontent can be felt in the stands. If nothing else, the sheer drop in numbers attending games at Ewood Park speaks volumes, with an average of just 11,929 supporters having turned up for Rovers home games so far this season.

Should that trend continue, it would be the club’s lowest seasonal average attendance for more than a quarter of a century, and half what the club were averaging just 5 years ago. That is the legacy the Venky’s face, and former Blackburn Rovers forward Kevin Stonehouse has criticised the club’s owners.

There has been much criticism of the Venky’s at Blackburn Rovers

“I haven’t been since last season, but there’s a lot of anger there. It’s a thankless job owning a football club but you have to be prepared to back managers. You’ve got to be prepared to do that, otherwise don’t do it. It should be something you enjoy, not a way to try and make money.”

Read also: Elliott Bennettt opens up on Blackburn’s struggles and aims this season

Stonehouse was snapped up by Blackburn in 1979 from non-league Shildon, and he went on to score 27 goals in 85 games for Rovers before being sold for £30,000 to Huddersfield Town to appease creditors.

Despite the precarious ownership situation at Ewood Park, Stonehouse is still backing his former club for survival, “I think they’ll survive, there are worse teams than them, and they’ve shown with their two wins against Newcastle that they’re capable.”

Stonehouse is backing Owen Coyle to keep Blackburn in the Championship

The 57-year-old scout also responded to claims by Blackburn director Paul Senior that Owen Coyle had funds to spend in January, despite the club’s limited transfer activity. “It was never a case of ‘we can’t have any money’ as there is money and resources there”, Senior told BBC Radio Lancashire.

Stonehouse seemed sceptical though, “I can only go off what has been said in the media, but if money was there Owen would’ve tried his best. Any manager would spend money that was there.”

Away from the doom and gloom, Rovers have a couple of more favourable fixtures ahead, against the likes of Rotherham and Burton, as well as an exciting FA Cup tie with Manchester United. But whilst Stonehouse is looking forward to the clash with “one of the biggest teams in the world”, he is cautious about considering the league’s fellow strugglers as easier fixtures.

“It’s [the Manchester United game] a great fixture for the fans, they should enjoy that. For the players, they should use it as a chance to prove themselves. As for the ‘easier’ games, I don’t think there are any easy games, and Newcastle have shown that [defeats to Wolves, Forest and Blackburn x2].”