Club guide: Blackburn Rovers

Title: 3,000-1 Relegation: 5-1 Sack Race: 14-1

Transfers

IN

H Fernandez (Union Deportiva Cornella, nominal), M B Diouf (Manchester United, loan)

total spent: £0m

OUT

A Haworth (Bury, free), S Reid (WBA, free)

total made: £0m

Player to watch

Phil Jones. Any young English player making his way in the Premier League is worth keeping an eye on, although Blackburn must hope the promising defender does well without attracting offers they cannot refuse.

Squad worries

David Dunn, with nine goals from midfield, was top scorer last season, despite playing only half the games. Will Mame Diouf on loan from Manchester United be able to improve on that?

Manager speak

Sam Allardyce will put stylistic considerations to one side and enjoy discomfiting soft southerners as well as taking on Lancashire all-comers..

Story of the summer

Big Sam’s globetrotters took in games in Austria, Australia and Scotland in pre-season, travelling more than 23,000 miles. A lack of action in the transfer market has not given the Rovers faithful much hope for improvement.

Last season 10th

Comfortable all season, then sneaked into top 10 at the end.

This season 12th

Last season’s overachievement will be hard to maintain.