1997–98 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season
During the 1997–98 English football season, Blackburn Rovers competed in the FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons).
| 1997–98 season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jack Walker |
| Chairman | Robert Coar |
| Manager | Roy Hodgson |
| Stadium | Ewood Park |
| Premiership | 6th |
| FA Cup | Fifth round |
| League Cup | Third round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Sutton (18) All: Sutton (21) |
| Highest home attendance | 30,547 vs Manchester United (6 Apr 1998, Premier League) |
| Lowest home attendance | 19,086 vs Coventry City (28 Sep 1997, Premier League) |
| Average home league attendance | 25,253 |
Season summary
After last season's slip-up, Blackburn Rovers emerged as title contenders under new manager Roy Hodgson, and even sixth place in the final table was enough for a UEFA Cup place. Never below seventh throughout the campaign, Rovers only lost two league matches before New Year as Hodgson picked up the Premier League Manager of the Month awards for both August and December,[1] but faded in the second half of the campaign.
Chris Sutton's continued return to form saw him come joint top of the Premiership goalscoring charts with 18 goals, a Premier League Player of the Month award for February[1] and led to him earning a long-awaited international call-up, though he didn't make the final squad for the World Cup after refusing to play for the England B team.
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Chelsea | 38 | 20 | 3 | 15 | 71 | 43 | +28 | 63 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[lower-alpha 1] |
| 5 | Leeds United | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 57 | 46 | +11 | 59 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[lower-alpha 2] |
| 6 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 57 | 52 | +5 | 58 | |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 38 | 17 | 6 | 15 | 49 | 48 | +1 | 57 | |
| 8 | West Ham United | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 56 | 57 | −1 | 56 |
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
- Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as defending champions. As they were also the League Cup winners, the UEFA Cup berth vacated was awarded to Blackburn Rovers.
- Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
- Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 57 | 52 | +5 | 58 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 40 | 26 | +14 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 17 | 26 | −9 |
Source: 1997-98 FA Premier League table
- Results by round
Results
Blackburn Rovers' score comes first[2]
Legend
| Win | Draw | Loss |
FA Premier League
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August 1997 | Derby County | H | 1–0 | 23,557 | Gallacher |
| 13 August 1997 | Aston Villa | A | 4–0 | 37,112 | Sutton (3), Gallacher |
| 23 August 1997 | Liverpool | H | 1–1 | 30,187 | Dahlin |
| 25 August 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 7–2 | 19,618 | Gallacher (2), Hyde (own goal), Wilcox, Sutton (2), Bohinen |
| 30 August 1997 | Crystal Palace | A | 2–1 | 20,849 | Sutton, Gallacher |
| 14 September 1997 | Leeds United | H | 3–4 | 21,956 | Gallacher, Sutton (pen), Dahlin |
| 20 September 1997 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–0 | 26,573 | |
| 24 September 1997 | Leicester City | A | 1–1 | 19,921 | Sutton |
| 28 September 1997 | Coventry City | H | 0–0 | 19,086 | |
| 4 October 1997 | Wimbledon | A | 1–0 | 15,600 | Sutton |
| 18 October 1997 | Southampton | H | 1–0 | 24,130 | Sherwood |
| 25 October 1997 | Newcastle United | A | 1–1 | 36,716 | Sutton |
| 1 November 1997 | Barnsley | A | 1–1 | 18,665 | Sherwood |
| 8 November 1997 | Everton | H | 3–2 | 25,397 | Gallacher, Duff, Sherwood |
| 22 November 1997 | Chelsea | H | 1–0 | 27,683 | Croft |
| 30 November 1997 | Manchester United | A | 0–4 | 55,175 | |
| 6 December 1997 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 3–1 | 25,503 | Gallacher, Sutton, Wilcox |
| 13 December 1997 | Arsenal | A | 3–1 | 38,147 | Wilcox, Gallacher, Sherwood |
| 20 December 1997 | West Ham United | H | 3–0 | 21,653 | Ripley, Duff (2) |
| 26 December 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–0 | 33,502 | |
| 28 December 1997 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–2 | 23,872 | Gallacher, Sutton |
| 11 January 1998 | Derby County | A | 1–3 | 27,823 | Sutton |
| 17 January 1998 | Aston Villa | H | 5–0 | 24,834 | Sherwood, Gallacher (3), Ripley |
| 31 January 1998 | Liverpool | A | 0–0 | 43,890 | |
| 7 February 1998 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–3 | 30,388 | |
| 21 February 1998 | Southampton | A | 0–3 | 15,162 | |
| 28 February 1998 | Leicester City | H | 5–3 | 24,854 | Dahlin, Sutton (3), Hendry |
| 11 March 1998 | Leeds United | A | 0–4 | 32,933 | |
| 14 March 1998 | Everton | A | 0–1 | 33,423 | |
| 31 March 1998 | Barnsley | H | 2–1 | 24,179 | Dahlin, Gallacher |
| 6 April 1998 | Manchester United | H | 1–3 | 30,547 | Sutton (pen) |
| 11 April 1998 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–2 | 25,000 | Duff |
| 13 April 1998 | Arsenal | H | 1–4 | 28,212 | Gallacher |
| 18 April 1998 | West Ham United | A | 1–2 | 24,733 | Wilcox |
| 25 April 1998 | Wimbledon | H | 0–0 | 24,848 | |
| 29 April 1998 | Chelsea | A | 1–0 | 33,311 | Gallacher |
| 2 May 1998 | Coventry City | A | 0–2 | 18,794 | |
| 10 May 1998 | Newcastle United | H | 1–0 | 29,300 | Sutton |
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | 3 January 1998 | Wigan Athletic | H | 4–2 | 22,402 | McGibbon (own goal), Gallacher (2), Sherwood |
| R4 | 26 January 1998 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 3–0 | 15,940 | Sutton, Sherwood, Duff |
| R5 | 14 February 1998 | West Ham United | A | 2–2 | 25,729 | Gallacher, Sutton |
| R5R | 25 February 1998 | West Ham United | H | 1–1 (lost 4–5 on pens) | 21,972 | Ripley |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 1st Leg | 17 September 1997 | Preston North End | H | 6–0 | 22,564 | Dahlin (2), Sutton, Gallacher, Andersson, Bohinen |
| R2 2nd Leg | 30 September 1997 | Preston North End | A | 0–1 (won 6–1 on agg) | 11,472 | |
| R3 | 15 October 1997 | Chelsea | A | 1–1 (lost 1–4 on pens) | 18,671 | McKinlay |
Squad
[3] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Transfers
In
| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 June 1997 | DF | Stéphane Henchoz | HSV | £3,000,000 |
| 24 June 1997 | DF | Patrick Valéry | Bastia | Free transfer |
| 8 July 1997 | FW | Martin Dahlin | Roma | £2,500,000 |
| 8 July 1997 | FW | Anders Andersson | Malmö FF | £500,000 |
| 1 August 1997 | GK | John Filan | Coventry City | £700,000 |
| 8 September 1997 | DF | Tore Pedersen | FC St. Pauli | £500,000 |
| 10 September 1997 | GK | Alan Fettis | Nottingham Forest | £300,000 |
| 10 February 1998 | DF | Callum Davidson | St Johnstone | £1,750,000 |
| 21 May 1998 | MF | Jimmy Corbett | Gillingham | £525,000 |
Out
| Date | Pos | Name | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 July 1997 | MF | Matty Holmes | Charlton Athletic | £250,000 |
| 1 August 1997 | MF | Graham Fenton | Leicester City | £1,100,000 |
| 1 August 1997 | DF | Nicky Marker | Sheffield United | Signed |
| 1 August 1997 | DF | Paul Warhurst | Crystal Palace | Signed |
| 8 August 1997 | DF | Graeme Le Saux | Chelsea | £7,000,000 |
| 11 August 1997 | DF | Henning Berg | Manchester United | £5,000,000 |
| 18 September 1997 | DF | Ian Pearce | West Ham United | £2,300,000 |
| 22 September 1997 | MF | Giorgos Donis | AEK Athens | Free transfer |
| 1 December 1997 | DF | Chris Coleman | Fulham | £2,000,000 |
| 25 March 1998 | MF | Lars Bohinen | Derby County | £1,450,000 |
- Transfers in:
£9,775,000 - Transfers out:
£19,100,000 - Total spending: £9,325,000
Statistics
Starting 11
- GK: #1,
Tim Flowers, 30 - RB: #3,
Jeff Kenna, 42 - CB: #5,
Colin Hendry, 39 - CB: #24,
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Stéphane Henchoz, 40 - LB: #20, Gary Croft, 24 (#11, Jason Wilcox, has 27 starts)
- RM: #7, Stuart Ripley, 28
- CM: #17, Billy McKinlay, 31
- CM: #4, Tim Sherwood, 34
- LM: #15, Garry Flitcroft, 31
- CF: #8, Kevin Gallacher, 35
- CF: #9, Chris Sutton, 41
Notes
References
- "Carling Premiership Manager of the Month 1997/98". Premier League. Archived from the original on 9 December 2006. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- "Blackburn Rovers 1997-1998 Results - statto.com". Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- "FootballSquads - Blackburn Rovers - 1997/98". www.footballsquads.co.uk.
- "All Blackburn Rovers players: 1998". www.11v11.com.
- "Blackburn Rovers in FA Premier League 1997/1998 campaign". Football-Lineups.
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