Venky's trigger Blackburn Rovers 'shock' after recent development | OneFootball

FLW's Blackburn Rovers fan pundit has had their say on Bilaji Rao's presence at Rovers' recent win over Millwall

Blackburn Rovers picked up their second league win of the new campaign and ended a four-game winless run last weekend against Millwall, but the 3-1 victory over the Lions was overshadowed by a returning face in the Venky's box.

Indeed, Balaji Rao, one of Blackburn's unpopular owners, was present at Ewood Park for the first time in eight years, watching as Tony Mowbray's side returned to winning ways.

His presence invoked plenty of negative chanting towards him and the Venky's ownership once word got around the ground that he was there, but amongst all that, Blackburn fans have been left with questions surrounding what this rare visit means.

Blackburn had one of the quietest windows in the entire EFL. Rovers made just four signings, and one of them, Moussa Baradji, was here last season on loan. Evidently, they weren't the most supportive owners in the division, but could this visit indicate some change on that front?

Blackburn Rovers fan pundit discusses Balaji Rao's recent Ewood Park visit

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Negative feelings towards the Venky's ownership have been present almost since they bought the club back in November 2010. Since then, Blackburn have been on an almighty slide from their former glory, and have spent more years in League One than in the Premier League since 2012.

Failing to back returning boss Tony Mowbray in the transfer market this summer has been the latest grievance from the fanbase towards the owners, especially given the money thrown around by their perceived lower mid-table rivals.

FLW's Blackburn fan pundit, Simon Middlehurst, expressed the surprise felt by everyone in the home section of Ewood Park on Saturday when Rao was spotted in the Venky's box.

"To be honest, it was a bit of a shock to everyone," he said.

"They turned up late for obvious reasons, in that they didn't want to enter at the same time as the fans. In the past, they'd been pelted by snowballs!

"So yeah, a little shocked to see them. News spread pretty quickly that they were there, and it was pretty clear to them how Rovers fans feel about him and his family."

The fan pundit feels that the reception Rao received almost served as a bit of a culture shock to him, as he believes that the Venky's are so absent from the project that they don't know how much of a crisis the club is in currently.

"They're such absent owners that I genuinely don't think they know what's happening," Middlehurst added. "But, hopefully, the reception they got will wake them up a bit and realise they're not liked at all and that Blackburn fans want them out."

Tony Mowbray continued to urge Venky's to back the club following Balaji Rao's visit to Ewood Park

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Tony Mowbray visited the Venky's in Switzerland back in early August to try and persuade them to back the club financially in the final weeks of the transfer window. In the three-and-a-half weeks that followed, only Gady Beyuku was brought to the club.

Ultimately, with the likes of Preston North End spending £15 million throughout the window, and newly promoted Lincoln City spending around £4 million on towering frontman Mikkel Ladefoged, it's easy to see why Rovers fans were upset about the lack of investment.

Tony Mowbray revealed after the Millwall win that Balaji Rao was in attendance to almost reassure that they still hold their full support for the club, and that in January, Blackburn should be able to get deals done.

"I have spoken to him," Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire. "I saw Balaji in Switzerland, and I had an hour with him. We spoke about football and what I felt the team needed to progress.

"There was a promise of help, and through my conversation with him there, I think financial help was there. If we'd made four more signings in the window, it might have cost three, four, five million.

"It didn't happen because we didn't get the deals over the line; players made other choices. I sit here having spoken to him, and the support is still there and the financial help we require in January.

"Hopefully, from January 1 we will be signing players. Let's hope we can hang in there and see if we can be where we need to be around until we strengthen in January."

Blackburn Rovers could be a competitive side under Tony Mowbray with the right financial backing

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There have been glimpses of quality and a lot of fight in this Blackburn side in the first few weeks following Tony Mowbray's return to the club, with wins over play-off sides last season and that draw on the opening day at Wolves.

All their three league losses so far this season have been by 2-1 scorelines, indicating that, with that little extra quality or some added depth off the bench, Mowbray could have this Rovers side looking competitive.

The likes of Ryan Alebiosu, Todd Cantwell, Andri Gudjohnsen and Ryoya Morishita are all quality options, and when everyone's on form, this Blackburn side is solid on paper.

But a lack of squad depth means that injuries are near-fatal for this side, and the fact that only four new faces came into the club in the summer is a real shame.

Hopefully, despite the reception he received, Balaji Rao's visit to Ewood Park for the first time in 2018 can offer hope that the Venky's are still interested in the club and bringing about success. However, Rovers fans know to set expectations low when it comes to their owners.