SoccerBlogs

Which clubs have been the biggest surprises at home in recent seasons? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Home field advantage is fairly consistent across Europe, from nation to nation and league to league. Over the past five seasons, the winning percentage of home clubs in the big four leagues is just over 47%, with away clubs winning just over 27% of matches played.

By Chris Wright

QPR owner Tony Fernandes has today pointed the not-so-subtle finger of blame in the general direction of one Leslie Mark Hughes, blaming a raft of "questionable early signings" on the club's current malaise.

Having gained a bit of areputationfor being a tiny bit pap at dabbling in the transfer market over his years in management, we thought we'd have a look at the "top" XI of the worst deals Sparky has ever thrown other peoples' money at since first taking the reigns at Blackburn in 2004.

By Chris Wright

Alas, 57 days seems to go by with the blink of an eye

Newsflash: Blackburn Rovers are an absurd excuse for a shambles of a football club. Today former manager and we use that term in the loosest sense imaginable Henning Berg has been awarded £2.

By Chris Wright

"You're hired!"

As a bit of a piss-take, avid Burnley fanJames McDonagh threw his name into the hat and applied for the freshly-voided Blackburn Rovers vacancy on the basis that he once managed a Sunday League side and that he had put in countless hours on Football Manager over the years the bedrock of any aspiring managerial prankster's CV promising to guide the club to "back-to-back relegations".

By Alan Duffy

Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Millwall FA Cup 12th March 2013

Nigerian international Danny Shittu headed the Lions into the semi-finals of the FA Cup after a hard-fought 1-0 win away in Blackburn

The sparse crowd at Ewood Park witnessed a rather poor clash, with chances for either side few and far between.

By Alan Duffy

Millwall 0-0 Blackburn Rovers FA Cup 10th March 2013

The two worst sides in the Championship (on recent form) will have to meet again after a goalless cup clash at the New Den.

The game lacked much quality with the Lions hitting the woodwork in the first-half, courtesy of Andy Keogh, before Rovers saw an effort of their own, from Josh King bounce back off the frame of the goal in the second-period.

By Chris Wright

Remember this guy? From the "Streets of Philadelphia" video?

It's fair to say that Gael Givet is currently out of favour at Blackburn, what with thehirsute defender playing but one match since Christmas.

By his own admission, Givet has been struggling to keep his pecker up since Rovers were relegated from the top table last season and the fact that he's only played nine minutes under new manager Michael Appleton has only worsened his mood with the bearded centre-half quipping thathe'd have topped himself by now if his family weren't with him in Lancashire.

By Chris Wright

We've already had a butcher's at the very finest club logos that South American football (and Central/Northern America for all those geography pedants out there!) has to offer, and now we're shifting continents to bring you our 25 favourite badges from the realms of Africa's various domestic football leagues.

Another season is coming down the home stretch, and once again Arsenal are overachieving.

Yes, Arsenal are overachieving.

The Gunners are gunning for the Champions League places with a puncher's chance at third, and a realistic shot at fourth. Arsenal are favorites to play in Europe's top club competition for the 17thstraight year, a streak only eclipsed in English football by Manchester United.

Which player has the best win percentage at every Premier League club that has played in the top flight of England from 1992-2013?

Some of the findings may surprise you. Out of the 45 teams who have played in the Premier League since it was founded, there are memorable names from the history of British football with greats such as Alan Shearer.

BY JUSTIN FERGUSON

Arsenal's infamous trophy drought grew closer to the dreaded eight seasons mark on Saturday. One of the Gunners' last and perhaps their best chances to win a championship this season ended with a 1-0 home loss to Blackburn Rovers.

In a FA Cup competition filled with upsets through the first few rounds, this weekend's Fifth Round action had only one shock result.

A testy Arsene Wenger launched an impassioned defence of his team and tactics in the wake of Arsenal's Cup defeat to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

The usual calm Arsenal manager couldn't hide his anger during a press conference today as he defended his team selection and laughed at the suggestion he isn't taking the FA Cup seriously.

Fabio Borini of Liverpool lies injured after dislocating his shoulder-Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

FA Cup action continued this weekend with some big teams and some big results as Premiership powerhouses Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal all took to the pitch for the chance to further their chances at England's oldest trophy.

A dejected Francis Coquelin of Arsenal reacts following his team's 1-0 defeat during the FA Cup against the Blackburn Rovers-Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

It is looking increasingly likely that Arsenal will finish yet another season trophy-less after failing at home to Championship side Blackburn in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger-Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

"It looks at the start that the FA Cup is more reachable than any other competition, but you don't really know how different it will be," saidArsenal manager Arsène Wengerin Friday's Press Conferencepreceding the match against Blackburn Rovers.

By Alan Duffy

Arsenal 0-1 Blackburn Rovers Rovers FA Cup 16th February 2013

As it customary around this time of year, Arsenal's season is on the verge of being pretty much over after the Gunners lost at home to Blackburn on Saturday.

Despite dominating for the vast majority of the game, for all their pretty passing and possession of the ball, the Gunners couldn't find a way past Jake Kean in the Rovers' goal.

The FA Cup tournament is back. This time it's the fifth round, which should be filled with plenty of drama today for very different reasons.

Kicking off the proceedings is the early match between Luton Town and Millwall. After the horrendous acts of hooliganism that happened in 1985 when rival fans clashed on the pitch, in the stands and on the streets, let's hope that the 300 policeman in attendance will be able to keep the trouble to a minimum.

Let's cut to the chase from the start .... I actively dislike Blackburn. Never liked their kit, hated Simon Garner, Dalglish, Mark Hughes, Fat Sam, the SAS, Haj Diouf, Kean, the Chicken men, and their ground is as awful as the town.

Last time we played Blackburn at the Emirates we beat them 7-1 and they were lucky to get the 1.

Let's cut to the chase from the start .... I actively dislike Blackburn. Never liked their kit, hated Simon Garner, Dalglish, Mark Hughes, Fat Sam, the SAS, Haj Diouf, Kean, the Chicken men, and their ground is as awful as the town.

Last time we played Blackburn at the Emirates we beat them 7-1 and they were lucky to get the 1.

In recent weeks, the managerial merry-go-round has starting spinning so quickly that it has become a blur. Blackburn Rovers will soon be onto including caretakers their sixth manager of the season and they are merely the worst of a bad bunch. Out of the ninety-two clubs in the Premier League and Football League, fifty-two have changed their manager at least once since the end of last season, and even though the resources available to managers to actually turn around the fortunes of their clubs are limited to the emergency loan window (which itself closes in eight days) and the strength of their own personalities there remains a chance that more will follow.

Farewell then, Michael Appleton. After sixty-seven days and fifteen matches, the former Portsmouth and Blackpool manager and that's just this season- became the third manager to leave Blackburn Rovers as the itchy trigger finger of the club's owners, Venkys, got the better of them yet again. There was a time, roughly a year ago, when it seemed as if the owners of the club were almost swivel-eyed in their devotion to its then-manager, Steve Kean, but those days must seem like a long time ago for the supporters of a club that might yet be sliding towards a second successive relegation, this time from the Championship.

It's incredible to believe, but Robert Lewandowski would have signed for Blackburn Rovers in 2010 if it wasn't for an Icelandic volcanic ash cloud that ruined the plans.

Robert Lewandowski was playing for Polish side Lech Poznan in 2010. He was due to fly into the country to meet with Blackburn representatives to discuss a transfer, but due to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud, all flights were canceled.

By Alan Duffy

A distraught Michael Appleton on hearing that he's been fired

Those crazy Venky's boys have been at it again, with poor old Michael Appleton in the firing line this time.

The 37-year-old, whop left Blackpool to take over at Ewood Park on January 11th, has been given his marching orders after a poor run of form which has seen Rovers go six league games without a win, a winless streak which has left them just four points clear of the drop-zone.

Once a stalwart of the defence that helped relegate Blackburn, Gaël Givet has effectively been frozen out at Ewood Park, having only played once since December.

The Frenchman—who is out of contract this summer—says that he is "done" with Blackburn Rovers, and that relegation to the second tier of English football has been "very hard to live with.