2006–07 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season

2006–07 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season

2006–07 season
Manager	Mark Hughes
FA Premier League	10th
FA Cup	Semi-finals
League Cup	Third round
UEFA Cup	Round of 32
Top goalscorer	League: Benni McCarthy (18) All: Benni McCarthy (24)[1]
Highest home attendance	29,342 (vs. Liverpool, 26 December 2006)
Lowest home attendance	16,035 (vs. Watford, 18 April 2007)
Average home league attendance	21,275[2]
← 2005–06 2007–08 →

During the 2006–07 English football season, Blackburn Rovers F.C. competed in the FA Premier League.

Season summary

A run of only 5 wins from their first 18 games^[3] killed off Blackburn's hopes of improving on the previous season's 6th place to qualify for the Champions League, but the club's form was markedly improved in the second half of the season, NLP expert Jimmy Petruzzi had delivered an NLP training workshop to the coaches during Blackburn Rovers loss of form and coincided with the club turning their season around achieving a top-half finish for the second season running. Rovers overcame the sale of Craig Bellamy to Liverpool, with his replacement, former Porto striker Benni McCarthy, scoring 18 league goals to finish as the Premier League's second-highest scorer behind Didier Drogba.

After a history of European underachievement, Rovers had a relatively successful UEFA Cup campaign, beating Red Bull Salzburg in the first round and topping Group E in the next stage, before succumbing to Bayer Leverkusen in the Round of 32. The club continued their recent habit of reaching cup semi-finals to be eliminated by the cup winners, being knocked out of the FA Cup semi-final by eventual winners Chelsea.

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Brad Friedel 3 DF Zurab Khizanishvili 4 DF Andy Todd 5 MF Tugay Kerimoğlu 6 DF Ryan Nelsen (captain) 7 MF Brett Emerton 8 MF Robbie Savage 9 FW Shabani Nonda[4] (on loan from Roma) 10 FW Benni McCarthy 11 FW David Bentley 12 MF Morten Gamst Pedersen 14 MF Steven Reid[5] 15 MF Aaron Mokoena

No. Position Player 16 DF Stéphane Henchoz 18 FW Paul Gallagher 19 MF David Dunn 20 DF André Ooijer 21 DF Christopher Samba[6] 22 DF Stephen Warnock 23 GK Jason Brown[7] 25 DF Bruno Berner 27 FW Matt Derbyshire 30 FW Jason Roberts[8] 31 MF Sergio Peter 32 DF Eddie Nolan 33 DF Michael Gray

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 2 DF Lucas Neill (to West Ham United) 9 FW Shefki Kuqi[9] (to Crystal Palace) 17 FW Francis Jeffers (on loan to Ipswich Town)

No. Position Player 21 DF Dominic Matteo (to Stoke City) 22 MF Jonathan Douglas (to Leeds United) 24 DF Jay McEveley[10] (to Derby County)

Reserve squad

The following players did not appear for the senior team this season.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 13 GK Peter Enckelman 22 MF Jonathan Douglas 26 DF Andy Taylor 28 GK Frank Fielding 29 MF Keith Treacy 34 DF Tony Kane[11] GK Zak Jones DF Dean Winnard DF Martin Olsson

No. Position Player MF Josh O'Keefe MF Bryan Hodge (on loan to Mansfield Town) MF Alan Judge MF Raffaele De Vita MF Rostyn Griffiths FW Keith Barker (on loan to Rochdale) FW Jamie Clarke FW Joe Garner (on loan to Carlisle United)

Statistics

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup		UEFA Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	GK		Brad Friedel	53	0	38	0	6	0	1	0	8	0
23	GK		Jason Brown	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Defenders
3	DF		Zurab Khizanishvili	30	0	17+1	0	3+2	0	1	0	6	0
4	DF		Andy Todd	13	0	6+3	0	1+1	0	0	0	1+1	0
6	DF		Ryan Nelsen	19	0	12	0	5	0	0	0	2	0
7	DF		Brett Emerton	47	0	32+2	0	5+1	0	1	0	6	0
16	DF		Stéphane Henchoz	16	0	10+2	0	1+1	0	1	0	1	0
20	DF		André Ooijer	27	0	20	0	1	0	0	0	6	0
21	DF		Christopher Samba	19	2	13+1	2	4+1	0	0	0	0	0
22	DF		Stephen Warnock	20	1	13	1	5	0	0	0	2	0
25	DF		Bruno Berner	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
32	DF		Eddie Nolan	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
33	DF		Michael Gray	13	0	10+1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Midfielders
5	MF		Tugay Kerimoğlu	40	2	26+4	1	3	0	0	0	7	1
8	MF		Robbie Savage	27	2	21	0	0	0	0	0	6	2
11	MF		David Bentley	51	7	36	4	6	0	1	0	8	3
12	MF		Morten Gamst Pedersen	49	8	36	6	5	2	1	0	6+1	0
14	MF		Steven Reid	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15	MF		Aaron Mokoena	40	1	18+9	0	6	1	1	0	2+4	0
19	MF		David Dunn	16	0	7+4	0	2+1	0	0	0	2	0
31	MF		Sergio Peter	16	0	1+8	0	0+2	0	0+1	0	1+3	0
Forwards
9	FW		Shabani Nonda	36	8	17+9	7	2	0	1	0	4+3	1
10	FW		Benni McCarthy	50	24	36	18	3+2	3	1	0	7+1	3
18	FW		Paul Gallagher	22	2	2+14	1	1+1	1	0	0	2+2	0
27	FW		Matt Derbyshire	30	9	8+14	5	4+2	4	0	0	2	0
30	FW		Jason Roberts	25	5	9+9	4	1+2	1	0+1	0	1+2	0
Players transferred out during the season
2	DF		Lucas Neill	26	1	20	0	0	0	1	0	5	1
9	MF		Shefki Kuqi	2	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
17	FW		Francis Jeffers	15	1	3+7	0	0+1	0	0+1	0	0+3	1
24	DF		Jay McEveley	7	0	3+1	0	1	0	1	0	1	0

Last updated: 15 May 2007
Source: Competitions

Starting 11

Considering starts in all competitions^[12]

Considering a 4-4-2 formation

• GK: #1, Brad Friedel, 53
• RB: #7, Brett Emerton, 44
• CB: #20, André Ooijer, 27
• CB: #3, Zurab Khizanishvili, 27
• LB: #2, Lucas Neill, 26
• RM: #11, David Bentley, 51
• CM: #8, Robbie Savage, 27 (#15, Aaron Mokoena, has 27 starts)
• CM: #5, Tugay Kerimoğlu, 36
• LM: #12, Morten Gamst Pedersen, 48
• CF: #10, Benni McCarthy, 47
• CM: #9, Shabani Nonda, 24

Transfers

In

• Jason Brown - Gillingham, free, 26 June^[13]
• Francis Jeffers - Charlton Athletic, free, 3 July^[14]
• Jason Roberts - Wigan Athletic, 3 July, undisclosed^[15]
• Benni McCarthy - Porto, 28 July, undisclosed (believed to be £2,500,000)^[16]
• André Ooijer - PSV Eindhoven, 23 August, £2,000,000^[17]
• Shabani Nonda - Roma, season loan, 31 August^[18]
• Stéphane Henchoz - Wigan Athletic, free, 8 September^[19]
• Christopher Samba - Hertha Berlin, £450,000, 25 January^[20]
• David Dunn - Birmingham City, £2,200,000, 17 January
• Stephen Warnock - Liverpool, undisclosed (believed to be £2,500,000), 22 January^[21]
• Bruno Berner - FC Basel, 30 January, nominal^[22]

Out

• Craig Bellamy - Liverpool, undisclosed (thought to be £6,000,000), 22 June^[23]
• Shefki Kuqi - Crystal Palace, £2,500,000, 1 September^[24]
• Dominic Matteo - Stoke City, free, 19 January^[25]
• Lucas Neill - West Ham United, £1,500,000, 22 January^[26]
• Jay McEveley - Derby County, £600,000, 29 January^[27]
• Francis Jeffers - Ipswich Town, loan, 2 March^[28]

Results

Premier League

Portsmouth v Blackburn Rovers

19 August 2006 1	Portsmouth	3-0	Blackburn Rovers
15:00	Svetoslav Todorov  26' Nwankwo Kanu  62', 84'

Blackburn Rovers v Everton

2	Blackburn Rovers	1-1	Everton
	Benni McCarthy  50'		Tim Cahill  84'

Blackburn Rovers v Chelsea

3	Blackburn Rovers	0-2	Chelsea
			Frank Lampard  50' (pen.) Didier Drogba  81'

Sheffield United v Blackburn Rovers

9 September 2006 4	Sheffield United	0-0	Blackburn Rovers
15:00

Blackburn Rovers v Manchester City

5	Blackburn Rovers	4-2	Manchester City
	Trevor Sinclair  18' (o.g.) Morten Gamst Pedersen  44' Benni McCarthy  66' Paul Gallagher  89'		Joey Barton  39' André Ooijer  45' (o.g.)

Middlesbrough v Blackburn Rovers

6	Middlesbrough	0-1	Blackburn Rovers
			Shabani Nonda  27'

Blackburn Rovers v Wigan

7	Blackburn Rovers	2-1	Wigan
	David Bentley  45' Benni McCarthy  81'		Emile Heskey  2'

Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers

8	Liverpool	1-1	Blackburn Rovers
	Craig Bellamy  64'		Benni McCarthy  17'

Blackburn Rovers v Bolton

9	Blackburn Rovers	0-1	Bolton
			Iván Campo  62'

West Ham v Blackburn Rovers

29 October 2006 10	West Ham	2-1	Blackburn Rovers
16:00	Teddy Sheringham  21' Hayden Mullins  80'		David Bentley  90'

Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers

11	Aston Villa	2-0	Blackburn Rovers
	Gareth Barry  41' (pen.) Juan Pablo Ángel  50'

Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United

11 November 2006 12	Blackburn Rovers	0-1	Manchester United
			Louis Saha  64'

Blackburn Rovers v Tottenham

13	Blackburn Rovers	1-1	Tottenham
	Tugay  23'		Jermain Defoe  62' (pen.)

Blackburn Rovers v Fulham

14	Blackburn Rovers	2-0	Fulham
	Shabani Nonda  6' Benni McCarthy  24'

Charlton v Blackburn Rovers

15	Charlton	1-0	Blackburn Rovers
	Talal El Karkouri  90'

Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle

16	Blackburn Rovers	1-3	Newcastle
	Morten Gamst Pedersen  47'		Obafemi Martins  31' Steven Taylor  35' Obafemi Martins  90'

Reading v Blackburn Rovers

17	Reading	1-2	Blackburn Rovers
	James Harper  41'		Benni McCarthy  64' David Bentley  84'

Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers

18	Arsenal	6-2	Blackburn Rovers
	Gilberto Silva  10' Hleb  23' Adebayor  27' (pen.) van Persie  85', 88' Flamini  90'		Nonda  3' (pen.), 69'

Blackburn Rovers v Liverpool

19	Blackburn Rovers	1-0	Liverpool
	Benni McCarthy  49'

Blackburn Rovers v Middlesbrough

20	Blackburn Rovers	2-1	Middlesbrough
	Shabani Nonda  9' Benni McCarthy  74'		Yakubu  61' (pen.)

Wigan v Blackburn Rovers

21	Wigan	0-3	Blackburn Rovers
			Emile Heskey  37' (o.g.) Matt Derbyshire  58' Benni McCarthy  76' (pen.)

Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal

22	Blackburn Rovers	0-2	Arsenal
			Kolo Touré  37' Thierry Henry  71'

Manchester City v Blackburn Rovers

23	Manchester City	0-3	Blackburn Rovers
			Pedersen  44', 62' Derbyshire  90'

Watford v Blackburn Rovers

24	Watford	2-1	Blackburn Rovers
	Brett Emerton  12' (o.g.) Jay Demerit  70'		Benni McCarthy  45'

Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers

25	Chelsea	3-0	Blackburn Rovers
	Didier Drogba  6' Frank Lampard  67' Salomon Kalou  90'

Blackburn Rovers v Sheffield United

26	Blackburn Rovers	2-1	Sheffield United
	Pedersen  22', 90'		Stead  25'

Everton v Blackburn Rovers

27	Everton	1-0	Blackburn Rovers
	Andrew Johnson  10'

Blackburn Rovers v Portsmouth

28	Blackburn Rovers	3-0	Portsmouth
	Shabani Nonda  1', 25' Stephen Warnock  50'

Bolton v Blackburn Rovers

29	Bolton	1-2	Blackburn Rovers
	Anelka  87'		McCarthy  58' (pen.), 68' (pen.)

Blackburn Rovers v West Ham

30	Blackburn Rovers	1-2	West Ham
	Christopher Samba  47'		Carlos Tevez  71' (pen.) Bobby Zamora  75'

Manchester United v Blackburn Rovers

31	Manchester United	4-1	Blackburn Rovers
	Paul Scholes  61' Michael Carrick  73' Park Ji-sung  83' Ole Gunnar Solskjær  90'		Matt Derbyshire  29'

Blackburn Rovers v Aston Villa

32	Blackburn Rovers	1-2	Aston Villa
	Benni McCarthy  24' (pen.)		Patrik Berger  34' Gabriel Agbonlahor  73'

Blackburn Rovers v Watford

33	Blackburn Rovers	3-1	Watford
	Christopher Samba  7' Jason Roberts  10' Benni McCarthy  32'		Douglas Rinaldi  21'

Fulham v Blackburn Rovers

34	Fulham	1-1	Blackburn Rovers
	Vincenzo Montella  10'		Benni McCarthy  61'

Blackburn Rovers v Charlton

35	Blackburn Rovers	4-1	Charlton
	Roberts  60', 80' Hreiðarsson  77' (o.g.) Derbyshire  83'		Darren Bent  71'

Newcastle v Blackburn Rovers

36	Newcastle	0-2	Blackburn Rovers
			Benni McCarthy  14' Jason Roberts  73'

Tottenham v Blackburn Rovers

37	Tottenham	1-1	Blackburn Rovers
	Jermain Defoe  67'		Benni McCarthy  32'

Blackburn Rovers v Reading

38	Blackburn Rovers	3-3	Reading
	Benni McCarthy  21' David Bentley  56' Matt Derbyshire  67'		Seol Ki-Hyeon  36' Kevin Doyle  58' Brynjar Gunnarsson  77'

League Cup

Blackburn Rovers v Chelsea

Round 3	Blackburn Rovers	0–2	Chelsea
			Joe Cole Kalou	Attendance: 14,732

FA Cup

Everton v Blackburn Rovers

7 January 2007 Round 3	Everton	1–4	Blackburn Rovers
	Johnson (pen)		Derbyshire Pedersen Gallagher McCarthy	Attendance: 24,426

Luton Town v Blackburn Rovers

27 January 2007 Round 4	Luton Town	0–4	Blackburn Rovers
		Report	Derbyshire (2) McCarthy Pedersen	Attendance: 5,887

Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers

Round 5	Arsenal	0–0	Blackburn Rovers
		Report		Attendance: 56,761

Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal

Round 5 Replay	Blackburn Rovers	1–0	Arsenal
	McCarthy	Report		Attendance: 18,882

Blackburn Rovers v Manchester City

11 March 2007 Round 6	Blackburn Rovers	2–0	Manchester City	Blackburn
16:00	Mokoena  28' Derbyshire  90'	[ Report]		Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 27,743 Referee: Mike Dean

Blackburn Rovers v Chelsea

15 April 2007 Semi Final	Blackburn Rovers	1–2 (a.e.t.)	Chelsea	Manchester
16:00 GMT	Roberts  64'	[ Report]	Lampard  16' Ballack  109'	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 50,559 Referee: Alan Wiley

UEFA Cup

First round

Red Bull Salzburg v Blackburn Rovers

14 September 2006	Red Bull Salzburg	2–2	Blackburn Rovers	Wals-Siezenheim, Austria
19:45	Zickler  32' Janko  90'		Savage  32' McCarthy  39'	Attendance: 17,000

Blackburn Rovers v Red Bull Salzburg

28 September 2006	Blackburn Rovers	2–0	Red Bull Salzburg	Blackburn, England
	McCarthy  32' Bentley  56'	Report		Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 18,888 Referee: Joao Francisco Lopes Ferreira

Group stage

Wisła Kraków v Blackburn Rovers

19 October 2006	Wisła Kraków	1–2	Blackburn Rovers	Krakow, Poland
	Cantoro  28'	Report	Savage  56' Bentley  90'	Stadium: Stadion Miejski Attendance: 14,000 Referee: Stefan Johannesson

Blackburn Rovers v FC Basel

2 November 2006	Blackburn Rovers	3–0	FC Basel	Blackburn, England
	Tugay  75' Jeffers  89' (pen.) McCarthy  90'	Report		Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 13,789 Referee: Oleh Oriekhov

Feyenoord v Blackburn Rovers

23 November 2006	Feyenoord	0–0	Blackburn Rovers	Rotterdam, Netherlands
		Report		Stadium: De Kuip Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Knut Kircher

Blackburn Rovers v Nancy

12 December 2006	Blackburn Rovers	1–0	Nancy	Blackburn, England
	Neill  90'	Report		Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 12,568 Referee: Gerald Lehner

Round of 32

Bayer Leverkusen v Blackburn Rovers

14 February 2007	Bayer Leverkusen	3–2	Blackburn Rovers	Leverkusen, Germany
18:15	Callsen-Bracker  18' Ramelow  43' Schneider  56'	Report	Bentley  38' Nonda  87'	Stadium: BayArena Referee: Pieter Vink (Netherlands)

Blackburn Rovers v Bayer Leverkusen

22 February 2007	Blackburn Rovers	0–0	Bayer Leverkusen	Blackburn, England
19:00		Report		Stadium: Ewood Park Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain)

Top scorers

Premier League

• Benni McCarthy 18
• Morten Gamst Pedersen 6
• Matt Derbyshire 5
• Jason Roberts 4

League Cup

• n/a

FA Cup

• Matt Derbyshire 4
• Benni McCarthy 3

UEFA Cup

• David Bentley 3
• Benni McCarthy 3

References

1. "Blackburn Rovers | Match | Club Statistics | Goalscorers". Rovers.co.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
2. "Blackburn Rovers | Match | Club Statistics | Attendance". Rovers.co.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
3. "Blackburn Rovers 2006-2007 Home". statto.com. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
4. Nonda was born in Bujumbura, Burundi, but also qualified to represent the DR Congo internationally and made his international debut for the DR Congo in 2000.
5. Reid was born in Kingston upon Thames, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally through his father, and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 2001.
6. Samba was born in Créteil, France, but also qualified to represent the Republic of the Congo internationally and made his international debut for the Congo in 2004.
7. Brown was born in Southwark, London, England, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally, and made his full international debut for Wales in May 2006.
8. Roberts was born in Park Royal, London, England, but also qualified to represent Grenada internationally through his father, and made his international debut for Grenada in 1999.
9. Kuqi was born in Vushtrri, Kosovo (then SFR Yugoslavia).
10. McEveley was born in Liverpool, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and would make his full international debut for Scotland in August 2007.
11. Kane was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and has represented Northern Ireland at youth level, but later chose to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally at level. He would however later switch allegiances back and was called up to the Northern Ireland squad in November 2007.
12. "All Blackburn Rovers players: 2007". 11v11.com. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
13. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Blackburn Rovers | Gills keeper seals Blackburn move". BBC News. 26 June 2006. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
14. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Blackburn Rovers | Blackburn snap up striker Jeffers". BBC News. 3 July 2006. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
15. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Blackburn Rovers | Blackburn sign Roberts from Wigan". BBC News. 3 July 2006. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
16. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Blackburn Rovers | Blackburn sign striker McCarthy". BBC News. 28 July 2006. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
17. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Blackburn Rovers | Blackburn snap up defender Ooijer". BBC News. 23 August 2006. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
18. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Blackburn Rovers | Rovers take Roma striker on loan". BBC News. 31 August 2006. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
19. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Blackburn Rovers | Henchoz moves back to Blackburn". BBC News. 8 September 2006. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
20. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Blackburn Rovers | Blackburn bring in defender Samba". BBC News. 25 January 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
21. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Blackburn Rovers | Blackburn complete Warnock deal". BBC News. 22 January 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
22. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Blackburn Rovers | Defender Berner joins Blackburn". BBC News. 30 January 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
23. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Liverpool | Liverpool wrap up Bellamy switch". BBC News. 22 June 2006. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
24. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Crystal Palace | Striker Kuqi makes move to Palace". BBC News. 1 September 2006. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
25. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Stoke City | Stoke seal Griffin & Matteo deals". BBC News. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
26. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | West Ham Utd | West Ham confirm capture of Neill". BBC News. 22 January 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
27. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Derby County | Rams sign McEveley from Blackburn". BBC News. 29 January 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
28. "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Ipswich Town | Jeffers moves to Ipswich on loan". BBC News. 2 March 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2012.

External links

• FootballSquads – Blackburn Rovers – 2006/07