Friendlies Fired - Because Players Are Tired

There is an article today in the Daily Mirror that explains how Blackburn Rovers co-owner Balaji Rao has personally paid the expenses of three Blackburn fans who went to India to watch their team’s friendly in Pune last week.

The story highlights how Rao, who had paid for nine other fans to go, heard the story of the other three and paid for them too.

Tremendously laudable from the under-fire Indian Chicken magnate and more power to him. Football Business is always behind moves to make football more affordable and more accessible to fans.

But the real question which still begs itself is this:  Why were Rovers even there in first place?

Of course we already know the answer to that – money. The same reason that Manchester United and Manchester City went to America to play pointless games in the summer. The same reason as the Emirates Cup exists, and all those other ridiculous games take place every summer. Some sort of nonsensical “brand awareness” exercise.

Of course, Blackburn’s case is a little different, given the nature of the ownership there, but really was it the best planning to take the squad out to India for a friendly in the International Break?

Manager Steve Kean is just about public enemy number one in that part of Lancashire – more demonstrations against him are planned, and along with Steve Bruce, he is the real “dead man walking” of the Premier League and I’ll bet you that despite his outward positivity for the trip he is secretly fuming at having to go. But, as we all know in a job, we all have to do what our boss tells us ultimately so go he has.

There is nothing (ok very little) that annoys us at the Football Business HQ than players/managers and everybody else bleating about players being tired (you might have noticed we bang on about it on blogs). And that being the case, please can we make a plea:

If anyone, player, manager and above all Chairman at Blackburn Rovers uses the excuse that the players were tired/leggy/jaded (delete your cliché as appropriate) then we all have the right to scream “YOU WENT TO INDIA!!!”

In an age where Manager’s and players complain about too many games and view the Carling Cup (you know, proper silverware) as a distraction to be avoided, doesn’t it strike you as bizarre that a squad can – in its week off – fly halfway round the world to play basically what amounts to a kickabout?

If they are that desperate for match practice then we know of a Thursday night league in the area we could sell them at a knockdown price!

Same goes for Liverpool and Rangers by the way, who meet for who knows what reason next Tuesday – what is that, a consolation for teams that didn’t get into the Europa League?

I wonder what sort of team either side will put out, and I wonder who will care in the slightest. I have just checked the Rangers Website and prices are an eye-watering £18-25! Anyone who goes to that game deserves a medal!

There’s loads of 5 a side leagues on a Tuesday too – get out and play in one of them instead.