EPL News: Blackburn’s new owners pledge a bright future for the club as Allardyce expresses happiness
Blackburn Rovers new owners have been welcomed with open arms at Ewood Park. Rovers were recently taken over by new owners, who hail from India. The poultry firm, Venky’s bought 99.9 percent of shares of the club from Jack Walker Trust
on Friday. The takeover has been viewed a beginning of a new era at Ewood Park. Venky’s is a hugely successful business already; it is operated by the Rao family in India, who bought Rovers as they are looking to take the club to new heights but they are also
determined to stick to the roots of tradition at Blackburn Rovers.
Venkateshwara Rao, the managing director of Venky’s recently remarked, "We are all truly honoured to be working with such an historic club and are committed to creating a long-term financial platform which the club can use to realize its
obvious potential on and off of the field. It is as a team that this club has succeeded in the past and it is as a team that this club will achieve great things in the future."
John Williams, the club’s current chairman will be retained by the new owners as the Rao family is not insistent on bringing about hierarchal changes anytime soon. Sam Allardyce, Blackburn’s manager has been waiting for the takeover himself.
He said, "You've got to keep to the reality. People will go off mentioning we're after Torres or Drogba but in terms of investment, rather than huge sums of money, it will be relatively moderate. We will improve the squad but we will have to be diligent in
our research to get the right player and spend the money wisely."
Rovers, who have been relatively average in the English Premier League of late, did win it in 1995 when they had the likes of Sutton and Shearer in their ranks. Recently, Blackburn have been regarded as an average mid table side in the
English league. Last year however, they did well against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, in their home games, something that might have caught the eye of their new owners when it came to prospective investments.
It was Jack Walkers investment who propelled Blackburn to great heights in the 1995 English Premier League season. However, since then Rovers have fallen off the mark. In 2000, the club was put up for sale after Walker himself passed away.
John Williams, the club’s chief executive remarked, "The successful conclusion of the deal is clearly a significant event in the history of the club. The Rao family pursued the opportunity with determination and enthusiasm. The board will remain focused on
what it does, providing important stability, a platform from which the new owners will be able to launch new ideas, particularly in markets outside the UK."
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