As the final day of the Premier League once again adds a nervous twist, the tightest relegation scramble in recent history saw Blackburn, Wigan and Wolves, all with their stories of worry throughout the season, before pride prevailed with effective performances and triumph on survival Sunday.
It was not so happy a story at White Heart Lane or Old Trafford for the visiting clubs. West Ham’s sorrow had already been drained, thus their horrendous horror show at home to Sunderland is irrelevant in many senses. It merely ruled Kevin Keen, surely, out of the running to become the new permanent manager at Upton Park. Consequently the biggest question in the country was not a lot to do with the Hammers, but who would join the London club in the Championship. The subjects were unfortunately Blackpool and Birmingham who would subsequently suffer the pains of Millwall, Barnsley and Doncaster next term.
On December 31st, Blackpool sat in a very comfortable 9th in the Premier League, with games in hand on all of their opponents, at that point it looked like the Seasiders were more destined for the likes of sunny skies of Portugal and Cyprus in the Europa League, than the West Yorkshire clouds of Huddersfield and Leeds in the Championship. The club had picked up 25 points from their opening 17 games at that point. They went on to claim just 14 more, from their final 21 matches, finishing rocked in 19th place on 39 points.
Birmingham on-the-other-hand did make it to Europe after beating Arsenal at Wembley on 27th February. However a fear of relegation had been a threat rather than a certainty for most of the season, as they spent much of the campaign outside the bottom three. However injuries came at a cost, and one win in the clubs last eight games saw the club slip below Wigan and Wolves and into the Championship. And thus, the Championship beckons.
The English top flight, however is not the only league with freefall on the cards, as for Birmingham and Blackpool a trip to Doncaster is due, who themselves saw a drop from 14th to 21st since the turn of the year, coupled with just three wins against Scunthorpe, Derby and Burley as the worst injury crisis imaginable hit the South Yorkshire club. 
(League Position at the end of each month)
The low point of Rovers’ season was a 6-0 drubbing to Ipswich. The Reds fielded a severely under-strength team, which included a rookie goalkeeper, no established centre backs, a defender in midfield, the absence of their skipper and no fit centre forwards. Perhaps it should have been anticipated that the score line was to be as atrocious as it was.
It could be argued that the 2010-11 season has been on the cards for numerous years, as the club’s strength in depth has been a concern ever since Rovers’ Wembley triumph in 2008, but never has it been exploited to this great a degree.
For me, however, the problem arose last summer. I took the trip to Blackpool in April 2010, with Rovers still having a slim chance of entering the Play-offs. Rovers welcomed back Paul Heffernan who returned from his loan spell at Bristol Rovers. He had only returned to the club the previous morning, but it showed the lack of strength in depth in strikers over a year ago. Blackpool was victorious by two goals to nil, and went on to win promotion. Rovers then released Heffs and Lewis Guy, who joined League One clubs which left Rovers with an ageing James Hayter and injury prone Steve Brooker as the only established strikers at the club.
The two most defining moments of the season arguably happened last summer, as Jason Shackell signed for Barnsley ahead of Rovers, creating a void at centre half that was never properly filled. Also the record signing of Billy Sharp from Sheffield United, although adding to the worryingly low list of strikers, meant that the club had effectively spent its transfer budget.
During the summer of 2009, Rovers had sold two items instrumental to their promotion to the Championship and remaining there in their first full campaign. Richie Wellens departed for Leicester City, and Matthew Mills exited south to Reading. Rovers filled these voids by signing John Oster on a free transfer following his release from Crystal Palace and Shackell on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Both signings were mammoth successes, as the club drove from relegation candidates in their first season to Play-off contenders the next.
Shackell subsequently opted to move to Barnsley last May, and Rovers were forced to shift their attention to a host of replacements. They signed Shelton Martis, Wayne Thomas and George Friend.
At full strength Rovers are a decent acquisition. This was proved when the club’s early season form took them to what looked originally like play-off contention. Rovers’ fans did have their concerns though; in particular George Friend looked a long way off the pace at left back and was subsequently dropped. James Chambers remained sidelined throughout the season, bar unsuccessful spell in the side in January, as Rovers opted to sign Joseph Mills on loan to fill the void, first in October before returning in January.
Rovers were in fact 7th when they drew with to-be-promoted Swansea City on 20th November, they went on to record just four more victories in the entire campaign, of which only Derby County were beaten elsewhere than the Keepmoat Stadium. However the start was also less than perfect, with the wins prior to this point merely coming over the three relegated sides, along with Portsmouth and Hull who were still in disarray following relegation from the Premier League, just adding to the small pride of beating Premiership-bound Norwich and Millwall on South Yorkshire turf.
The defensive crisis that followed after Christmas staggers belief. As Thomas and Martis battled with injuries following the victory over Scunthorpe on January 1st, Rovers switched their attentions to signing Dennis Souza and Matt Killagallon, who were both reported as established championship defenders. Rovers failed to keep a clean sheet with Killgallon in the side as they slumped to 16th in the Championship table prior to the Burnley tie on 1st February, as the Middlesbrough defender formed an unstable partnership with Adam Lockwood.
Rovers kept three clean sheets following 2nd January, at home to Burnley (O’Connor, Hird, Friend, Chambers), away at Nottingham Forest (Martis, Hird, Friend, Mills) and at home to Crystal Palace (Dumbuya, Thomas, Friend, O’Connor). Therefore, as you can see, to a certain extent the revival of George Friend at the heart of Doncaster’s defence paid dividends, with Sam Hird also a key player on occasion as the young defender staked a claim for first team pride when often hope was a lost cause.
It’s hard to judge whether, therefore it was the lack of the settled team or the quality of the team that stumbled upon. I think both need to be blamed unfortunately targeted.
As Rovers therefore switch their attentions to the future the strength in depth of the squad has been thoroughly tested and questioned, and not just in defence.
Rovers’ record in the absence of Billy Sharp is atrocious, with Dean Sheils often deputising. With Rovers claiming only two wins in the record-signing’s absence. Sheils is supposed to be an international footballer, however inadequate displays and this appalling record as the former-Hibernian star has tarnished, unrecognisable undoubtedly to his former followers.
Sharp’s record, does go to show exactly why Ipswich Town made such a substantial bid to lure the former-Sheffield United forward to Portman Road.
It therefore remains key for Rovers, perhaps more than usual this year, that any deadwood is removed from the club, but key, quality players remain, while new players are purchased to push the club back towards the Play-off places & the promises of the Premier League.
