Former Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers have had a mixed record over the following two decades, and were demoted from the top division in 2012.
Since dropping out of the Premier League 12 and a half years ago, the Lancashire club has spent the majority of its time in the Championship, albeit they were relegated to League One again in 2017.
Rovers returned to the second tier with automatic promotion a year later and have remained there ever since. Fans have fond memories of the club’s players in the Premier League, Championship, and League One.
Football League World highlights six signings who made a significant impact at Ewood Park and are still highly regarded by the Rovers fans.
Jordan Rhodes
Jordan Rhodes is a well-known Football League journeyman who has scored goals for both Huddersfield Town and his current club, Blackpool.
However, some of his best seasons came when playing for Rovers, where he spent three and a half Championship seasons until joining Middlesbrough in the middle of the 2015/16 season.
After relegation from the Premier League, Rovers paid £8 million to sign Rhodes.
But he quickly proved to be worth every cent, scoring 26 goals in 43 Championship appearances for the Lancashire club, but only enough to enable them finish 17th position.
The Scotland international had a successful career with Rovers before being moved to Boro for nearly £9 million.
Morten Gamst Pedersen
Morten Gamst Pedersen joined Rovers from Norwegian club Tromso in the summer of 2004 and quickly became a name synonymous with top-flight football in the 2000s, a period that many English football fans see as the Premier League’s golden age.
Pedersen became a Blackburn icon thanks to his left foot, scoring 34 goals and providing 41 assists in 259 Premier League matches.
He remained a key member of the Rovers squad throughout the 2011/12 season, when they were relegated to the Championship, although despite his club’s troubles, he managed three goals and five assists in the top division that season.
| Morten Gamst Pedersen Blackburn Rovers stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 348 |
| Goals | 47 |
| Assists | 62 |
Pedersen then went on to make his mark on the Championship, as he produced a thoroughly decent return of one goal and seven assists in 28 second-tier outings.
The Norway international then joined Turkish side Karabukspor during the summer of 2013 and left behind a legacy as a Rovers legend and somewhat of a Premier League icon.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni
The former striker, simply known as Yakubu, is another figure whose name will bring back memories for English football fans.
The Nigeria international, who formerly played for Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, and Everton in the Premier League, joined Rovers in 2011.
The Ewood Park crowd will never forget his 17 goals and two assists in 32 outings in the top league in 2011/12.
However, he played only one season in Lancashire before joining Chinese club Guangzhou City. He later returned to the English league, representing Reading and Coventry City before retiring in 2017.
Bradley Dack
Bradley Dack joined Rovers at a critical juncture, after the team was demoted from the Championship following a disastrous 2016/17 season.
But the aggressive midfield ace provided more than expected for the Ewood Park club, guiding them back to the second division at the first attempt.
He then proved he could do it at Championship level, scoring 15 goals and assisting seven in 42 second-tier appearances the following season.
Dack’s time with Rovers was hampered by injury, but fans remember him for his goals and assists.
After joining Sunderland in 2023, where he reunited with former Rovers manager Tony Mowbray, the creative ace endured a similar stretch of terrible luck in terms of injuries and is now back at Gillingham, where Blackburn originally purchased him from back in 2017.
Scott Dann
Scott Dann, best remembered for his time at Crystal Palace, has previously played in the Premier League for Birmingham City and Blackburn, as well as one and a half seasons in the Championship with Rovers.
Dann joined Rovers for a cost of £6 million from Blues in 2011 and has been a reliable center-back ever then.
He appeared in 28 Premier League games for the Lancashire club in 2011/12, but it wasn’t until the following Championship season that he truly established himself.
Dann was an ever-present for Rovers during the 2012/13 second-tier season, and he even demonstrated that he could be deadly on the other end of the field, scoring four league goals.
In January 2014, the center-back joined Palace for a reported fee of £1.5 million, leaving the Lancashire club with a financial loss.
He remained at Selhurst Park until going to Reading for the 2021/22 season. Rovers played a significant role in his development and will be remembered for his defensive performances.
Rudy Gestede
Rudy Gestede joined Rovers from then-Premier League Cardiff City in January 2014 and quickly endeared himself to the Ewood Park supporters, scoring 13 goals in 27 appearances during the second part of the 2013/14 Championship season.
He went on to score an eye-catching 20 goals in 39 second-tier games the following season, owing largely to his frequently unrivaled aerial prowess.
After signing for Rovers for a bargain sum of £200k, he later moved Aston Villa for a far more handsome £6m. However, he failed to demonstrate his prolific tendencies while at Villa Park.
After struggling at Middlesbrough, he briefly played for Iranian top-flight club Estelghal in 2021/22, before retiring.
After years of playing for Blackburn Rovers, he was recently hired as the club’s Head of Football Operations.
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