
Advertise on podcast: Rovers Returned
Categories
This podcast has
36 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Paul Worthington & Simon BurnsExplicit
No
Date created
2022/06/02
Latest episode
2026/08/21
Average duration
46 min.
Release period
58 days
Description
Former Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers were relegated in 1999, before regaining their place in the league two years later in 2001. This podcast examines what happened when 'Rovers Returned' in the subsequent 11 years until the club's second relegation in 2012, followed by what happened upon returning to life in the Championship.
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Rovers What If...?
2026/08/21
What if Venky's had never bought Rovers? What if we'd landed Robert Lewandowski in a world where volcanic eruptions didn't disrupt summer transfer plans? What if we'd spent the parachute payments differently after relegation from the Premier League? In this episode we step away from the history books and into the realm of counterfactuals, running the numbers on three alternate timelines for Rovers. We debate Allardyce's reign without a Venky's takeover, imagine an 18-goal Lewandowski season under Steve Kean, and rebuild the 2012/13 transfer window from scratch with the same £15m kitty.
Rovers at the World Cup
2026/07/06
There isn't a single current Blackburn Rovers player at the 2026 World Cup. It wasn't always this way. In our latest episode we look back at Rovers' second spell in the Premier League (2001-12) and the players who took their Rovers form all the way to the 2002, 2006, and 2010 World Cups, notably Damien Duff, Brad Friedel, Tugay, Lucas Neill, Brett Emerton, Ryan Nelsen, and yes, Hakan Ünsal. We also look at players who played for Rovers before and after featuring in one of these World Cups.
We talk about what this run of World Cup talent actually says about the club at the time, the level Rovers were competing at, and the value-investing recruitment model that landed players like Friedel and Nelsen for next to nothing. Plus, we pick our all-time Rovers World Cup XI from this era, and argue about how far that team would actually go at the 2026 tournament.
Season review watch along: 2009/10
2026/06/26
The last “good” season at Blackburn Rovers? Maybe. Let’s see what the season review tells us. Notable shout outs to Nicola Kalinic looking like he’d been imprisoned in east Lancashire, Steve Kean lurking in the background waiting for his moment to seize the crown, and David Dunn oozing quality. This season review has a lot going on and we loved picking it apart.
Season review watch along: 2008/09
2026/06/19
Exit Mark Hughes. Enter Paul Ince. A disaster. More interestingly for us, how are the production crew at Blackburn Rovers HQ going to spin this one? After three seasons of success, this is going to be tough. Never fear, the montage format still features heavily. And this time it’s Big Sam up in lights - and we’re here for it. Join us to watch along as Rovers’ fortunes go south.
Link to the season review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWH2-JBkRi8
Season review watch along: 2007/08
2026/06/12
Blackburn Rovers are now an established European presence, and this season review is loving every minute of it. And so are we. Come along as we voyage to far flung destinations - Lithuania, Finland and Greece - all covered in granular detail! We also revel in the technical brilliance and incredible good looks of Roque Santa Cruz, thanks in no small part to a full-fledged montage only club TV can produce. Let’s go!
Link to the season review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktJJP9MJ1Ys
Mowbray vs JDT: who was better?
2026/06/08
Tony Mowbray is back! In this special episode we decide to mark Mowbray's return to Blackburn Rovers with a debate on who was the better manager during their time at Rovers, Mowbray or his replacement, Jon Dahl Tomasson? We cover the situation each manager inherited, the impact they had on player development, and their respective highs and lows.
Season review watch along: 2006/07
2026/06/05
Think Blackburn Rovers 2006/07 and images of Benni McCarthy, David Bentley and an FA Cup semi final no doubt spring to mind. The subject of today’s show - the official Rovers season review - paints a bigger picture. Red cards (lots of them), penalties conceded (lots of them), and the tantalising cameo of Shabani Nonda. Join us as we revisit all these highlights shown through the medium of Blackburn Rovers television.
Link to the season review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbBYZcZApDA
Season review watch along: 2005/06
2026/05/30
We are back! In this new series we are rewatching Rovers season reviews from the 2005/06 up to the 2009/10 season. We go back over a period in the club’s history through a different lens, seeing what we remember, what we forgot, and most importantly, judge the production quality of Rovers season reviews. In our first episode we pick up at the start of the first full season under Mark Hughes. Just when you thought there was a limit to how much anyone could talk about Rovers over a certain time period…
Link to the season review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwS_IlfwZuI
Charlie Mulgrew
2025/12/06
Charlie Mulgrew endured a tough first season at Rovers with the club being relegated to League One. Rather than leaving, Mulgrew became a core part of the team that bounced back the following season and his leadership on and off the pitch was as instrumental as his goal contribution. In this episode we discuss Mulgrew’s contribution to Rovers during this period for the club and the influence he had on stabalising things after relegation.
All 27 goals for Rovers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOUaUafcHW4
Bradley Dack
2025/11/28
Bradley Dack became an instant fan favourite as part of his contribution to the League One promotion year. He went on to become an integral player in the Tony Mowbray era, adding flair and ability to a team that was attempting to re-establish itself in the Championship then push on up the league. Injuries ruined the later part of his time at Rovers. He never rediscovered his first year form, struggled to fit into a new system and leadership style of Jon Dahl Tomasson, eventually leaving on a free transfer.
Dack's 57 goals for Rovers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv-bBOOs5Co
Bradley Orr
2025/11/21
“Blackburn fans f*cking despise me” said the man himself. There have been fewer controversial players for Rovers this century than right back Bradley Orr. He became a symbol for the change in ownership and management the club went through under Venky’s and Steve Kean. We discuss Orr’s legacy at the club, the relationship he had with the fans, and whether with hindsight it was fair or not.
Undr The Cosh interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj7TV7cwwC8
Ben Marshall
2025/11/14
Ben Marshall was the epitome of the type of player Rovers needed to become serious contenders in the Championship. A promising young player who could play in a variety of attacking positions, blessed with excellent set piece delivery and an eye for goal, Marshall had talent in bags. On this episode we look back at his time at Rovers and ask why all these years later it felt as though Rovers never saw him deliver to his full potential.
All of Marshall’s goals for Rovers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3s8Ko-S_sk
Ben Marshall - Undr The Cosh interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wGw2DmTgbM
Shane Duffy
2025/11/09
A deadline day signing in 2014, Duffy joined from Premier League Everton as a young prospect in the mould that manager Gary Bowyer was fond of. Duffy and Hanley had a short lived partnership that had the potential to propel Rovers up the league and challenge for promotion. As those hopes faded, Duffy’s form gained attention from other clubs and he was among the large exodus of talent as the club slipped down the table towards eventual relegation to League One. We discuss how good Duffy’s form was for Rovers, and reflect on his two (own) goal game vs Cardiff.
Duffy goal vs Brentford: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skFoydr6j1g Duffy own goals vs Cardiff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ8Zj9FQpcU
Jordan Rhodes
2025/10/31
We are back for another season of player profile episodes, this time looking at the period after Rovers were relegated from the Premier League to the Championship. In order to mount a challenge to return to the top flight, Rovers went all-in on the signing of Jordan Rhodes for £8m from Huddersfield in 2011. In this episode we chart his time at Rovers, what he brought to the side, and debate his overall contribution during his time at the club.
Paul Robinson
2024/06/13
When Brad Friedel announced he wished to leave Rovers, the club identified Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson as the preferred replacement. Robinson rebuilt his reputation at Rovers under Sam Allardyce, winning player of the season in 2011. In this episode we look at how Robinson bounced back at Rovers, and how to view his time at the club given it also coincided with the arrival of the Venky’s.
Athletic interview: https://theathletic.com/1856663/2020/06/08/paul-robinson-england-croatia-leeds-tottenham-spurs-blackburn-capello-ramos-eriksson-mcclaren/
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