Trust in Chris Powell

If I have a New Year’s wish it is for our board to put any thoughts of sacking Chris Powell to the backs of their mind. Since Christmas Day two Championship club owners have fired their managers, both in what I consider hairbrained circumstances.

On Boxing Day Sean O’Driscoll’s Nottingham Forest side dismantled a revived Leeds United by playing the only way O’Driscoll’s teams know how to play. After his post match press conference he was sacked by the Al Hasawi family, one of whom was only watching his plaything for the first time!

Blackburn spent an age moving on public enemy number one Steve Kean. He was finally put out of his misery and was booted out by Rovers’ Indian owners despite being top before his last game in charge. He was replaced by Henning Berg on a 3-year contract but 57 days later he too was gone.

This is what they call in football circles the silly season and today Mark Robson was also ousted by Edgar Davids at Barnet. Mind you it is always panto season at Blackburn.

Chris Powell is not beyond criticism but this young manager with 100 games under his belt and a 46% win ratio needs backing. I fear that Tony Jimenez won’t do that and there were strong rumours that he almost pulled the trigger prior the Cardiff game. We know what happened that night and after that we put a nice run together but those games included some that we could have lost, like defeats previously that we could have won. That is the nature of this division with 6th to 18th moving around positions like musical chairs.

I quickly adjusted my initial expectations when Chris wasn’t backed during the summer transfer window, and one can see by his constant tinkerings in midfield that he is trying to make the best of what he has relying on spirit and a more preventative style than gung-ho.

This may well continue beyond January, and I predict more inconsistency and defeats combined with impressive victories. What would sicken me is if Powell is not allowed to continue to take this club forward and someone else is then brought in and given funds.

Powell is more than proven in the transfer market and has some high interest investments in his squad that he built. If he is not given some money in the January transfer window, then please Tony, give the Gaffer a much cheaper commodity…. time.