Thank god that’s over

Rovers finished off their 2012/13 N-Power Championship campaign with a 1-1 draw at St Andrews yesterday, signalling the end of another disappointing campaign littered with false promises and more managerial changes than you would see at your local McDonalds.

The one faint solace that could be taken at the end was that the disaster didn’t become and implosion, with Rovers narrowly avoiding demotion to the third tier of English football, with an unlikely hero in Gary Bowyer who rescued our boys from a second successive relegation that at times looked more than likely in the run in to the season.

Bowyer, the caretaker manager, can take great credit for good work in a tricky spot after the debris left first by manager Henning Berg and then by fellow short term failure Michael Appleton.

After the final game, which was played at a typical end of season pace that typified two teams who had very little to play for, Bowyer himself admitted things had been tough, but the players had done enough to earn a point in the sunlight at Birmingham and ultimately finish four points clear of the drop zone.

Bowyer told the official site – ‘I thought we were poor in the first half, we had to have a few choice words at half time because we were nowhere near the standard we have set recently.

‘I think it was a performance that was typical of an end of season game.

‘But in the second half full credit to them because they went about it like they have been doing in the last few weeks and it just shows you what they are capable of.

‘I thought our fantastic following we had helped us and I’m absolutely delighted that Rhodesy gets the goal. It was a great contribution from him.

‘We weren’t quite at it in the first half but in the second half we were better. I thought it had a draw all over it.’

Although the relief of survival shouldn’t be understated, there is a lot of work to be done this summer in many areas.

The boardroom mess that has plagued this season needs sorting out, the playing staff need a total revamp and a stable managerial atmosphere needs to be created.

All things that look beyond the current inhabitants of the control room at Ewood Park. It’s going to be a difficult summer, we probably won’t get any respite.

But at least we can look forward as fans with slightly less ire than if we were starting August in League One.