# 2008–09 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season

The 2008–09 season was Blackburn Rovers' 121st season as a professional club.
The close season saw the departure of manager Mark Hughes to Manchester City. He was replaced by Paul Ince, although after a poor start to the campaign, Ince was sacked and succeeded by Sam Allardyce.

## First-team squad

This squad consists of all players issued with a squad number.
Last update: 3 May 2009 15:00
| | Name | Age | Position | Apps | Goals | Assists | Goal ratio | Assist ratio | Goal/assist ratio |
| 1 | Paul Robinson | (1979-10-15)15 October 1979 (aged 29) | Goalkeeper | 39 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 2 | André Ooijer | (1974-07-11)11 July 1974 (aged 34) | Defender | 94 | 2 | 3 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.05 |
| 3 | Stephen Warnock | (1981-12-12)12 December 1981 (aged 27) | Full Back | 105 | 6 | 8 | 0.06 | 0.08 | 0.13 |
| 4 | Christopher Samba | (1984-03-28)28 March 1984 (aged 25) | Defender | 96 | 8 | 6 | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.15 |
| 5 | Tugay Kerimoğlu | (1970-08-24)24 August 1970 (aged 38) | Midfielder | 291 | 12 | 12 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.08 |
| 6 | Ryan Nelsen | (1977-10-18)18 October 1977 (aged 31) | Defender | 144 | 1 | 2 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.02 |
| 7 | Brett Emerton | (1979-02-22)22 February 1979 (aged 30) | Winger | 230 | 13 | 29 | 0.06 | 0.13 | 0.18 |
| 8 | David Dunn | (1979-12-27)27 December 1979 (aged 29) | Midfielder | 239 | 40 | 32 | 0.17 | 0.13 | 0.3 |
| 9 | Roque Santa Cruz | (1981-08-16)16 August 1981 (aged 27) | Forward | 70 | 29 | 10 | 0.41 | 0.14 | 0.56 |
| 10 | Benni McCarthy | (1977-11-12)12 November 1977 (aged 31) | Forward | 118 | 48 | 6 | 0.41 | 0.06 | 0.47 |
| 11 | Vince Grella | (1979-10-05)5 October 1979 (aged 29) | Midfielder | 17 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 12 | Morten Gamst Pedersen | (1981-09-08)8 September 1981 (aged 27) | Winger | 199 | 33 | 46 | 0.17 | 0.23 | 0.4 |
| 13 | Zurab Khizanishvili | (1981-10-06)6 October 1981 (aged 27) | Defender | 90 | 2 | 1 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 15 | Aaron Mokoena | (1980-11-25)25 November 1980 (aged 28) | Midfielder | 137 | 2 | 7 | 0.01 | 0.05 | 0.07 |
| 16 | Steven Reid | (1981-03-10)10 March 1981 (aged 28) | Midfielder | 124 | 7 | 10 | 0.06 | 0.08 | 0.14 |
| 17 | Keith Andrews | (1980-09-13)13 September 1980 (aged 28) | Midfielder | 33 | 4 | 0 | 0.12 | | 0.12 |
| 18 | Paul Gallagher | (1984-08-09)9 August 1984 (aged 24) | Winger | 74 | 8 | 7 | 0.11 | 0.09 | 0.2 |
| 18 | El Hadji Diouf | (1981-01-15)15 January 1981 (aged 28) | Winger | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0.08 | 0.17 | 0.25 |
| 19 | Carlos Villanueva | (1986-02-05)5 February 1986 (aged 23) | Versatile | 20 | 2 | 4 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| 21 | Gaël Givet | (1981-10-09)9 October 1981 (aged 27) | Defender | 16 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 22 | Danny Simpson | (1987-01-04)4 January 1987 (aged 22) | Full Back | 20 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 24 | Keith Treacy | (1988-09-13)13 September 1988 (aged 20) | Winger | 22 | 0 | 1 | | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| 25 | Alan Judge | (1988-11-11)11 November 1988 (aged 20) | Winger | 2 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 26 | Julio Santa Cruz | (1990-02-01)1 February 1990 (aged 19) | Forward | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 27 | Matt Derbyshire | (1986-04-14)14 April 1986 (aged 23) | Forward | 85 | 19 | 10 | 0.22 | 0.12 | 0.34 |
| 28 | Tony Kane | (1987-08-29)29 August 1987 (aged 21) | Full Back | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 29 | Martin Olsson | (1988-05-17)17 May 1988 (aged 21) | Full-back | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0.06 | | 0.06 |
| 30 | Jason Roberts | (1978-01-25)25 January 1978 (aged 31) | Forward | 84 | 17 | 13 | 0.2 | 0.15 | 0.36 |
| 31 | Bryan Hodge | (1987-09-23)23 September 1987 (aged 21) | Midfielder | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 32 | Jason Brown | (1982-05-18)18 May 1982 (aged 27) | Goalkeeper | 8 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 33 | Frank Fielding | (1988-03-04)4 March 1988 (aged 21) | Goalkeeper | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 34 | Gunnar Nielsen | (1986-10-07)7 October 1986 (aged 22) | Goalkeeper | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 36 | Marcus Marshall | (1989-10-07)7 October 1989 (aged 19) | Forward | 1 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 37 | Alex Marrow | (1990-01-21)21 January 1990 (aged 19) | Midfielder | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 38 | Mark Bunn | (1984-11-19)19 November 1984 (aged 24) | Goalkeeper | 1 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 39 | Aaron Doran | (1991-05-13)13 May 1991 (aged 18) | Winger | 2 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 40 | Björn Bussmann | (1991-03-18)18 March 1991 (aged 18) | Goalkeeper | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 41 | Andy Haworth | (1988-11-28)28 November 1988 (aged 20) | Winger | 2 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 42 | Gavin Gunning | (1991-01-28)28 January 1991 (aged 18) | Defender | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | |
| 43 | Jamie Clarke | (1988-09-11)11 September 1988 (aged 20) | Forward | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Nationality | No. | Player | Position | Previous club | Fee |
| | ENG | 1 | Paul Robinson | Goalkeeper | Tottenham Hotspur | £3,500,000 |
| | CHI | 19 | Carlos Villanueva | Versatile | Audax Italiano | Loan |
| 4 August 2008 | ENG | 22 | Danny Simpson | Full-back | Manchester United | Loan |
| | PAR | 26 | Julio Santa Cruz | Forward | Cerro Porteño | Free |
| | AUS | 11 | Vince Grella | Midfielder | Torino | £4,000,000 |
| 28 August 2008 | IRL | 17 | Keith Andrews | Midfielder | MK Dons | £1,000,000 |
| 12 September 2008 | ENG | 23 | Robbie Fowler | Forward | Cardiff City | Free |
| | ENG | 38 | Mark Bunn | Goalkeeper | Northmapton Town | Undisclosed |
| | FRA | 21 | Gaël Givet | Defender | Marseille | Loan |
| | SEN | 18 | El Hadji Diouf | Winger | Sunderland | £2,000,000 |

### Out

| Date | Nationality | Player | Position | New club | Fee |
| | USA | Brad Friedel | Goalkeeper | Aston Villa | £2,000,000 |
| | SUI | Bruno Berner | Full-back | Leicester City | Free |
| | SUI | Stéphane Henchoz | Defender | Retired | Free |
| | FIN | Peter Enckelman | Goalkeeper | Cardiff City | Free |
| 31 July 2008 | ENG | David Bentley | Winger | Tottenham Hotspur | £15,000,000 |
| 9 August 2008 | NED | Maceo Rigters | Forward | Barnsley | Loan |
| | SCO | Paul Gallagher | Winger | Plymouth Argyle | Loan |
| | AUS | Rostyn Griffiths | Midfield | Accrington Stanley | Loan |
| 2 January 2009 | IRL | Eddie Nolan | Defender | Preston North End | Undisclosed |
| | CAN | David Hoilett | Forward | FC St. Pauli | Loan |
| 23 December 2008 | ENG | Robbie Fowler | Forward | N/A | Free |
| | GER | Sergio Peter | Winger | Sparta Prague | Undisclosed |
| | IRL | Alan Judge | Winger | Plymouth Argyle | Loan |
| 28 January 2009 | ENG | Matt Derbyshire | Forward | Olympiacos | Loan |
| | FAR | Gunnar Nielsen | Goalkeeper | Manchester City | Free |
* Fees are an estimate

## Results
### Premier League

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | D | L | L | W | W | L | D | D | L | D | L | L | L | L | L | L | W | D | D | W | D | D | L | L | W | D | W | L | D | W | L | L | W | L | W | L | D |

### League Cup
## Season statistics

| | Player | Age | Position | Apps | Goals | Assists | Y. Cards | R. Cards |
| 1 | Paul Robinson | (1979-10-15) 15 October 1979 (age 44) | Goalkeeper | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | André Ooijer | (1974-07-11) 11 July 1974 (age 50) | Defender | 34 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| 3 | Stephen Warnock | (1981-12-12) 12 December 1981 (age 42) | Full Back | 41 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 4 | Christopher Samba | (1984-03-28) 28 March 1984 (age 40) | Defender | 37 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 5 | Tugay Kerimoğlu | (1970-08-24) 24 August 1970 (age 54) | Midfielder | 34 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | Ryan Nelsen | (1977-10-18) 18 October 1977 (age 46) | Defender | 38 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| 7 | Brett Emerton | (1979-02-22) 22 February 1979 (age 45) | Winger | 22 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | David Dunn | (1979-12-27) 27 December 1979 (age 44) | Midfielder | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Roque Santa Cruz | (1981-08-16) 16 August 1981 (age 43) | Forward | 27 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Benni McCarthy | (1977-11-12) 12 November 1977 (age 46) | Forward | 31 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 11 | Vince Grella | (1979-10-05) 5 October 1979 (age 45) | Midfielder | 17 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 12 | Morten Gamst Pedersen | (1981-09-08) 8 September 1981 (age 43) | Winger | 35 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 13 | Zurab Khizanishvili | (1981-10-06) 6 October 1981 (age 43) | Defender | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 14 | Johann Vogel | (1977-03-08) 8 March 1977 (age 47) | Midfielder | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Aaron Mokoena | (1980-11-25) 25 November 1980 (age 43) | Midfielder | 24 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 16 | Steven Reid | (1981-03-10) 10 March 1981 (age 43) | Midfielder | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Keith Andrews | (1980-09-13) 13 September 1980 (age 44) | Midfielder | 33 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 18 | Paul Gallagher | (1984-08-09) 9 August 1984 (age 40) | Winger | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | El Hadji Diouf | (1981-01-15) 15 January 1981 (age 43) | Winger | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 19 | Carlos Villanueva | (1986-02-05) 5 February 1986 (age 38) | Versatile | 20 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 21 | Sergio Peter | (1986-10-12) 12 October 1986 (age 37) | Winger | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Gaël Givet | (1981-10-09) 9 October 1981 (age 43) | Defender | 16 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 22 | Danny Simpson | (1987-01-04) 4 January 1987 (age 37) | Full Back | 20 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 23 | Robbie Fowler | (1975-04-09) 9 April 1975 (age 49) | Forward | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Keith Treacy | (1988-09-13) 13 September 1988 (age 36) | Winger | 20 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 25 | Alan Judge | (1988-11-11) 11 November 1988 (age 35) | Winger | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Julio Santa Cruz | (1990-02-01) 1 February 1990 (age 34) | Forward | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Matt Derbyshire | (1986-04-14) 14 April 1986 (age 38) | Forward | 22 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | Tony Kane | (1987-08-29) 29 August 1987 (age 37) | Full Back | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Martin Olsson | (1988-05-17) 17 May 1988 (age 36) | Full Back | 14 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 30 | Jason Roberts | (1978-01-25) 25 January 1978 (age 46) | Forward | 29 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 31 | Bryan Hodge | (1987-09-23) 23 September 1987 (age 37) | Midfielder | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Jason Brown | (1982-05-18) 18 May 1982 (age 42) | Goalkeeper | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | Frank Fielding | (1988-03-04) 4 March 1988 (age 36) | Goalkeeper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Gunnar Nielsen | (1986-10-07) 7 October 1986 (age 38) | Goalkeeper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Eddie Nolan | (1988-08-05) 5 August 1988 (age 36) | Defender | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Marcus Marshall | (1989-10-07) 7 October 1989 (age 35) | Forward | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Alex Marrow | (1990-01-21) 21 January 1990 (age 34) | Midfielder | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Mark Bunn | (1984-11-19) 19 November 1984 (age 39) | Goalkeeper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Aaron Doran | (1991-05-13) 13 May 1991 (age 33) | Winger | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Björn Bussmann | (1991-03-18) 18 March 1991 (age 33) | Goalkeeper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | Andy Haworth | (1988-11-28) 28 November 1988 (age 35) | Winger | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | Gavin Gunning | (1991-01-28) 28 January 1991 (age 33) | Defender | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | Jamie Clarke | (1988-09-11) 11 September 1988 (age 36) | Forward | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 13 | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 41 | 53 | −12 | 41 |
| 14 | Portsmouth | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 38 | 57 | −19 | 41 |
| 15 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 40 | 60 | −20 | 41 |
| 16 | Sunderland | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 34 | 54 | −20 | 36 |
| 17 | Hull City | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 39 | 64 | −25 | 35 |