Blackburn Rovers

The amazing footage above comes from a match between Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion at Ewood Park on September 24, 1898.

The footage was unearthed by the North West Film Archive at the Manchester Metropolitan University and is believed to be the oldest piece of known football footage in existence anywhere in the world. 

Blackburn (who are wearing the halves in the footage above) won the game 4-1 in front of 12,000 spectators, with goals from Daniel Hurst, John Moreland and two from Thomas Jackson, while West Brom (in the stripes) got their goal from Ben Garfield.

It is a far cry from the HD pictures and swanky graphics we are used to today, but it is still an incredible historical artefact to the game we all love. 

The footage is being hosted online thanks to the support of Football Addicts, the Swedish app developers who created Forza Football and Forza 90.

For more information, visit their website.

Did I miss something?

Since when did Venky’s grow a backbone?

Blackburn’s bumbling owners and board finally actually put a modicum of pressure on boss Steve Kean by saying that a three-game losing streak would mean curtains for the highly popular Rovers boss.

Since Kean was appointed in the middle of the 2010-2011 after Sam Allardyce was given the sack, Blackburn has not exactly lit the world on fire.

While they recorded just under the same amount of points after Allardyce was sacked—though in nearly ten more matches—Kean was able to keep the Rovers job on a permanent basis.

Fast forward a year and the club, rather than challenging the midtable ranks, instead flirted with disaster for the entire season, winning only eight matches and drawing seven in 38 league contests.

During the 2011-2012 campaign, the natives grew restless and demanded that Kean be sacked nearly week in and week out. Supporters took the skies, protested before and after matches and tried whatever they could to drive home the point.

Kean never helped himself with outlandish statements after wins that seemed to indicate that bigger and better things were to come.

So when Venky’s came out over the weekend, I almost fell out of my chair reading the statements. I cannot imagine what Blackburn fans did to celebrate the news.

Let's take a look at what Shebby Singh, global adviser and director of football at the club, said.

Per ESPNSoccernet:

Speaking at a fans' forum, Singh said: "If, after three games, we have dropped nine points, then we'll only have a 50-percent chance of getting promoted."

Asked then if he could dismiss Kean, he replied: "If we lost three games on the trot, definitely. Yes."

And via BBC Sport:

Singh, a former Malaysian international player who was brought to Ewood Park by the club's owners Venky's in June, added: "I was possibly one of the worst critics [of Kean] last season.

"I'm sure the manager didn't like me much, but I say it as it is.

"I am working with the infrastructure that is already there and people need to prove to me that they can do their jobs."

Asked if he has the power to sack Kean, Singh said: "Yes. If the results are not forthcoming, I put the pressure on the manager and the players."

While the fans were cheering, I have a feeling several of them looked at their mates and wondered why such spine was now being shown as opposed to when the club needed it last term.

Perhaps the influx of new players might have something to do with it?

Blackburn have been busy in the transfer market, adding players such as Danny Murphy, Dickson Etuhu, Leon Best, Nuno Gomes and recently Colin Kazim-Richards on loan, while the club are also linked, per Soccernet, with Huddersfield forward Jordan Rhodes.

While the club have brought in several players on free transfers, it’s likely they haven’t come with cheap wage packets, and Venky’s are probably looking for some return on their investment.

Quite why they have decided that now is the time for that strategy, however, does lead to a few more questions than answers.

It almost makes me wonder what club fans would want more—a quick dash to the top of the Championship table or a three-game slump to dispose of one of their most beloved club figures.

With the relegation of Blackburn Rovers from the Premier League to the Championship on Monday night, blame began to be put on the current members of the club and their failure to perform. However, the real reason for the demise of Blackburn was the firing of former manager Sam Allardyce in December 2010.

It all started in November 2010 when Venky's took over the club and immediately looked to improve on the club's 13th position in the league table.

The first change that was made has become one of the most crucial decisions that the new ownership has made to this date.

That decision was made on December 13 when the new owners fired manager Sam Allardyce after a 2-1 loss to Bolton the day before.

Throughout the rest of the 2010-11 season and for most of the current season, Blackburn fans have protested the new ownership and current manager Steve Kean, who took over for Allardyce as caretaker manager and then as permanent manager.

The fans have protested the hiring of Kean since his appointment as manager and they have been right in doing so.

In contrast, Kean did give Rovers fans some things to cheer about this season. That being a win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on New Years' Eve.

As for the man known as Big Sam, he took charge of West Ham United after they were relegated from the Premier League last season and has guided his current club into the Championship promotion playoff final.

While Kean will most likely get the boot and Blackburn are dropping down to the Championship after 11 years in the Premier League, Allardyce is close to returning to the Premier League and is enjoying success with his new club. All thanks to his surprise firing at Blackburn 17 months ago.

By now, you've probably already caught Ewood Chicken fever (sounds contagious, by the way).

But let's all take a little time this morning to relive the highlight of Blackburn Rovers' doomed season.

Yes, the highlight. Yes, it's sad.

Here's the video of the Ewood Chicken, making his debut on the Ewood Park pitch early in the first half of Rovers' 1-0 loss to Wigan on Monday.

The loss confirmed Blackburn's relegation from the English Premier League and confirmed that Wigan will stick around for another season.

The bird, however, was the real story. The Ewood Chicken instantly became an Internet celebrity, with articles appearing all over the web and multiple thousands of tweets rolling through the presses every second.

The whole thing was a protest, as you're probably already aware, of Venky's, the Indian chicken processing company that owns Blackburn Rovers. Venky's took over in 2010 with promises of Champions League football and promptly started making unwise decisions (from naming Steve Kean manager to signing several awful players).

It all reached a crescendo Monday, when casual fans around the world learned the name Venky's for all the wrong reasons.

Here's what I had to say about it. My favorite write-up, however, came courtesy of ESPN Soccernet's Richard Jolly:

Draped in a Blackburn flag and the most ingenious protest yet against the continued, calamitous ownership of the Indian poultry firm Venky's, it waddled around the Wigan box and into the goal, safe in the knowledge it would be untroubled by Rovers' shots, before being retrieved by Yakubu, who withstood the temptation to eat it.

Brilliant words for the most brilliant event of the extended Premier League weekend.

Alas, the Ewood Chicken has left us for now, but I for one will never forget him (her?).

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First there were playoff beards. Now there's the relegation goatee.

As Blackburn Rovers continue their fight to stay in the English Premier League, the club's fans are showing their solidarity through the growth of facial hair.

From the Lancashire Telegraph:

Blackburn Rovers’ relegation battle is getting a bit hairy–with fans growing a ‘Givet beard for survival’.

In honour of bearded favourite Gael Givet, Rovers fans have started a Twitter campaign for fans to copy his facial hair to inspire a great escape.

It will certainly be a close shave but Rovers are hoping they don’t finish a whisker away from safety.

To join the campaign, which has been backed by Givet himself, go to #GivetBeardForSurvival on Twitter.

Organisers of the campaign are also urging Givet beard growers to make a donation to East Lancashire Hospice.

Lots to parse here. First, what's with the pun in the first sentence? It's totally unnecessary.

Second, it's a bit of a stretch to call this a beard. That's not a beard. That's a beard. For Blackburn, I'd call it a bushy goatee.

Third, wasn't Givet involved in some controversy not too long ago over supposedly refusing to play? And he's a fan favorite?

Fourth, the article totally missed the allusion to NHL playoff beards. If you're unfamiliar with the phenomenon, NHL players grow beards in the playoffs to demonstrate once and for all who is the manliest of the manly men.

The whole thing is super cool.

And thus, by extension, Blackburn Rovers' relegation goatee is cool too.

But will it keep them in the Premier League? Fat chance.

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Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Blackburn Rovers' 29-year-old Nigerian forward, had an adventurous night against Liverpool on Tuesday.

This was the hilarious part.

Watch the video above (sorry about the quality) as the Yak takes one of the worst penalties you're ever likely to see. In fact, I think I'm going to have to redo this article now.

It's so bad, in fact, that Liverpool keeper Brad Jones—who had not played in like a gazillion years—saved it easily with his first touch.

(On a side note, Jones' story is incredibly inspirational.)

Here's the thing, though: The Yak's miss didn't surprise me at all.

When I'm watching players take penalties, I usually watch two things—their eyes and their run-up. Yakubu was waving red flags in both areas.

Watch the very beginning of the video as the camera zooms in on Yak's eyes. Is that the face of a cold, calculating, confident finisher? No way.

Then watch his run-up a few seconds later. Tell me that doesn't look more like a Sammy Sosa home run trot (watch closely as he approaches third base) than a penalty kick run-up.

Does Yak know where he's going with his shot? Heck no.

Of course, after this, Yakubu scored a nice headed goal that got Blackburn back in the game. He also added a 61st-minute equalizer.

Go figure.

Yak's two goals brought him up to 16 for the season in the English Premier League. That's fourth best in the league, one behind Manchester City's Sergio Aguero.

Liverpool won the match 3-2, leaving Blackburn in the relegation zone with five matches left.

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Blackburn Rovers will be looking to pick up a crucial three points in their quest to avoid relegation, as they welcome a stuttering Liverpool side to Ewood Park midweek.

With only seven games remaining on the schedule (six after Rovers visit West Bromwich Albion tomorrow), Steve Kean and Blackburn are running out of time to try and secure top-flight football for next season. They currently sit 18th in the table, tied on 28 points with both Wigan and Queens Park Rangers.

Liverpool, meanwhile, will go into the match with nothing but pride to play for. The Reds have already secured a Europa League berth courtesy of their Carling Cup triumph, but stand virtually no chance of reaching the Champions League positions, as they sit 16 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham.

Whatever the result in their match with Aston Villa this weekend, Liverpool look like a team that will visit Blackburn with very little to play for. That could give Rovers a much needed edge.

This fixture is eerily reminiscent to that of last season, when a struggling Liverpool side visited Ewood Park amidst calls for manager Roy Hodgson to be fired. The Reds went on to lose that match 3-1, and Hodgson was given his marching orders only three days later.

Fast forward to the present, and Kenny Dalglish finds himself in a similar situation. With six losses in the last seven Premier League matches, Liverpool are in danger of dropping out of the top half of the table, and many supporters have aimed their criticism towards the Scottish manager.

Former Liverpool manager Roy Evans has asked fans to support Dalglish in spite of the club's recent struggles, but will that be enough?

Could another loss signal the end for King Kenny?

Here is everything you need to know about the match.

Where: Ewood Park, Blackburn, England

When: Tuesday, April 10, 3 p.m. ET

Watch: FOX Soccer (available after midnight from FOX Soccer 2Go)

Player to Watch: Yakubu Aiyegbeni

In last season's 3-1 victory, it was two goals from former striker Benjani that helped Blackburn secure the three points.

This time around, it will be another African star looking to make the difference.

Yakubu is the most dangerous attacking threat for Rovers, as he leads the team with 14 goals this season. However, the 29-year-old has only found the net twice since the turn of the calendar, and will be hungry (no pun intended) to find his scoring touch once again.

Against a Liverpool side that has conceded seven goals in its last three matches, he may just find it.

Key Matchup: Junior Hoilett vs. Liverpool defenders

The 21-year-old Canadian is having a fine season for Blackburn, with six goals and five assist on the campaign so far. His performances have caught the eye of many around the Premier League, and his name has been linked with a move away from Ewood Park for much of the season.

Liverpool will be aware of the goal-scoring exploits of Yakubu, and it may be Hoilett who benefits from the added space granted to him if too much attention is turned towards the Nigerian.

Hoilett will do much of his damage attacking down the right flank and cutting inside to support his attack partner, which means we could see a fine battle between himself and Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique, who has been one of the few consistent performers for Dalglish this season.

What They're Saying

Despite the fact that Blackburn have suffered two consecutive defeats heading into Saturday's match with West Brom, manager Steve Kean remains confident that his team will avoid the drop.

"We are convinced we have got the players and the fixtures ahead of us that we can get ourselves out of this position we are in."

A win against Liverpool would certainly be a big step in the right direction.

Prediction: Blackburn 2-1 Liverpool

With Liverpool possibly having one eye on the FA Cup semifinal with Everton coming up next weekend, Blackburn seem to be meeting them at the perfect time. Look for Yakubu to find the mark, and lead his team to an important victory.

Follow me on Twitter @GianlucaNesci