# 2005–06 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season

During the 2005–06 season, Blackburn Rovers F.C. competed in the FA Premier League.

## Season summary

After relegation struggles during the two previous season, Mark Hughes marked his first full season in club management by taking Blackburn to sixth place - four points off Champions League qualification - and reaching his second successive cup semi-final, in the League Cup, only to be knocked out by the eventual cup winners again, Hughes' old club Manchester United. Blackburn had been in mid-table for much of the season before gathering momentum to put real pressure on Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in the race for the crucial fourth place, eventually finishing in a UEFA Cup place. Rovers' good form was largely in part down to the good form of Welsh striker Craig Bellamy, a summer signing from Newcastle United, who scored 13 goals in the league. However, Bellamy would then exercise an option to enable him to move for £6 million to a Champions League club, signing for FA Cup winners Liverpool. As his replacement Hughes signed South African striker Benni McCarthy, who had helped fire Porto to the Champions League title two years earlier.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 4 | Arsenal | 38 | 20 | 7 | 11 | 68 | 31 | +37 | 67 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 53 | 38 | +15 | 65 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 6 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 51 | 42 | +9 | 63 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 7 | Newcastle United | 38 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 47 | 42 | +5 | 58 | Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round |
| 8 | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 49 | 41 | +8 | 56 | |

## Results

Blackburn Rovers' score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### FA Premier League
#### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 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 | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | L | W | D | L | D | L | W | W | L | W | L | W | D | L | L | W | L | W | W | W | D | W | W | L | L | W | W | L | W | W | W | D | D | L | L | W | W | W |
| Position | 16 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 13 August 2005 | West Ham United | A | 1–3 | 33,305 | Todd |
| 20 August 2005 | Fulham | H | 2–1 | 16,953 | Pedersen, Tugay |
| 24 August 2005 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–0 | 22,375 | |
| 27 August 2005 | Aston Villa | A | 0–1 | 31,010 | |
| 11 September 2005 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–0 | 24,405 | |
| 18 September 2005 | Newcastle United | H | 0–3 | 20,725 | |
| 24 September 2005 | Manchester United | A | 2–1 | 67,765 | Pedersen (2) |
| 1 October 2005 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–0 | 20,721 | Kuqi (2) |
| 15 October 2005 | Liverpool | A | 0–1 | 44,697 | |
| 22 October 2005 | Birmingham City | H | 2–0 | 18,341 | Dickov (pen), Bellamy |
| 29 October 2005 | Chelsea | A | 2–4 | 41,553 | Bellamy (2, 1 pen) |
| 5 November 2005 | Charlton Athletic | H | 4–1 | 17,691 | Emerton, Dickov, Pedersen, Bellamy |
| 19 November 2005 | Manchester City | A | 0–0 | 44,032 | |
| 26 November 2005 | Arsenal | A | 0–3 | 38,192 | |
| 3 December 2005 | Everton | H | 0–2 | 22,064 | |
| 10 December 2005 | West Ham United | H | 3–2 | 20,370 | Dickov (2, 1 pen), Kuqi |
| 17 December 2005 | Fulham | A | 1–2 | 20,138 | Knight (own goal) |
| 26 December 2005 | Middlesbrough | A | 2–0 | 29,881 | Kuqi (2) |
| 31 December 2005 | Wigan Athletic | A | 3–0 | 20,639 | Pedersen, Reid, Bellamy |
| 2 January 2006 | Portsmouth | H | 2–1 | 19,521 | Pedersen, Dickov |
| 14 January 2006 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 0–0 | 18,180 | |
| 21 January 2006 | Newcastle United | A | 1–0 | 51,323 | Pedersen |
| 1 February 2006 | Manchester United | H | 4–3 | 25,484 | Bentley (3), Neill (pen) |
| 4 February 2006 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 0–2 | 23,993 | |
| 11 February 2006 | Everton | A | 0–1 | 35,615 | |
| 15 February 2006 | Sunderland | H | 2–0 | 18,220 | Bellamy (2) |
| 25 February 2006 | Arsenal | H | 1–0 | 22,504 | Pedersen |
| 5 March 2006 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2–3 | 36,080 | Sinama Pongolle, Bellamy |
| 11 March 2006 | Aston Villa | H | 2–0 | 21,932 | Todd, Bellamy |
| 18 March 2006 | Middlesbrough | H | 3–2 | 18,681 | Bellamy (2), Pedersen |
| 25 March 2006 | Sunderland | A | 1–0 | 29,593 | Reid |
| 3 April 2006 | Wigan Athletic | H | 1–1 | 20,410 | Kuqi |
| 8 April 2006 | Portsmouth | A | 2–2 | 20,048 | Bellamy (2) |
| 16 April 2006 | Liverpool | H | 0–1 | 29,142 | |
| 19 April 2006 | Birmingham City | A | 1–2 | 25,287 | Savage |
| 29 April 2006 | Charlton Athletic | A | 2–0 | 26,254 | Reid, Powell (own goal) |
| 2 May 2006 | Chelsea | H | 1–0 | 20,243 | Reid |
| 7 May 2006 | Manchester City | H | 2–0 | 25,731 | Khizanishvili, Kuqi |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 7 January 2006 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 3–0 | 12,705 | Todd, Bellamy (2) |
| R4 | 28 January 2006 | West Ham United | A | 2–4 | 23,700 | Bentley, Neill |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 | 21 September 2005 | Huddersfield Town | H | 3–1 | 11,755 | Bellamy (2), Khizanishvili |
| R3 | 25 October 2005 | Leeds United | H | 3–0 | 15,631 | Emerton, Dickov, Neill |
| R4 | 30 November 2005 | Charlton Athletic | A | 3–2 | 14,093 | Kuqi, Thompson, Bentley |
| R5 | 21 December 2005 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–0 | 14,710 | Dickov |
| SF 1st Leg | 11 January 2006 | Manchester United | H | 1–1 | 24,348 | Pedersen |
| SF 2nd Leg | 25 January 2006 | Manchester United | A | 1–2 (lost 2–3 on agg) | 61,637 | Reid |

## First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | USA | Brad Friedel |
| 2 | DF | AUS | Lucas Neill |
| 3 | DF | GEO | Zurab Khizanishvili |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Andy Todd |
| 6 | DF | NZL | Ryan Nelsen (captain) |
| 7 | MF | AUS | Brett Emerton |
| 8 | MF | WAL | Robbie Savage |
| 9 | FW | FIN | Shefki Kuqi |
| 10 | FW | SCO | Paul Dickov |
| 11 | FW | WAL | Craig Bellamy |
| 12 | MF | NOR | Morten Gamst Pedersen |
| 13 | GK | FIN | Peter Enckelman |
| 14 | MF | IRL | Steven Reid |
| 15 | MF | RSA | Aaron Mokoena |
| 16 | MF | TUR | Tugay Kerimoğlu |
| 17 | FW | FRA | Florent Sinama Pongolle (on loan from Liverpool) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | DF | SVK | Vratislav Greško |
| 20 | FW | SCO | Paul Gallagher |
| 21 | DF | SCO | Dominic Matteo |
| 23 | DF | ITA | Lorenzo Amoruso |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Jay McEveley |
| 25 | FW | USA | Jemal Johnson |
| 26 | DF | ENG | Andy Taylor |
| 27 | FW | ENG | Matt Derbyshire |
| 28 | MF | SCO | Gary Harkins |
| 29 | FW | ENG | David Bentley |
| 30 | GK | ENG | Richard Lee (on loan from Watford) |
| 31 | MF | GER | Sergio Peter |
| 32 | DF | IRL | Eddie Nolan |
| 33 | DF | ENG | Michael Gray |
| 34 | DF | NIR | Tony Kane |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 5 | MF | ENG | Garry Flitcroft (to Sheffield United) |
| 17 | FW | ENG | Matt Jansen (to Bolton Wanderers) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 19 | MF | ENG | David Thompson (to Wigan Athletic) |
| 22 | MF | IRL | Jonathan Douglas (on loan to Leeds United) |

## Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | ENG | Steven Drench |
| — | DF | SCO | Craig Barr |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | USA | Brad Friedel | 46 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | AUS | Lucas Neill | 42 | 3 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 3 | DF | GEO | Zurab Khizanishvili | 32 | 2 | 24+2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Andy Todd | 28 | 3 | 20+2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | NZL | Ryan Nelsen | 36 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | SVK | Vratislav Greško | 3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | SCO | Dominic Matteo | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | DF | ENG | Michael Gray | 37 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 7 | MF | AUS | Brett Emerton | 37 | 2 | 17+13 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 3+3 | 1 |
| 8 | MF | WAL | Robbie Savage | 42 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | NOR | Morten Gamst Pedersen | 42 | 10 | 34 | 9 | 1+1 | 0 | 5+1 | 1 |
| 14 | MF | IRL | Steven Reid | 39 | 5 | 31+3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2+2 | 1 |
| 15 | MF | RSA | Aaron Mokoena | 26 | 0 | 4+18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | TUR | Tugay Kerimoğlu | 34 | 1 | 23+4 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 29 | MF | ENG | David Bentley | 35 | 5 | 23+6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 31 | MF | GER | Sergio Peter | 10 | 0 | 1+7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | FIN | Shefki Kuqi | 41 | 8 | 15+18 | 7 | 1+1 | 0 | 4+2 | 1 |
| 10 | FW | SCO | Paul Dickov | 26 | 7 | 17+4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3+1 | 2 |
| 11 | FW | WAL | Craig Bellamy | 32 | 17 | 22+5 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3+1 | 2 |
| 17 | FW | FRA | Florent Sinama Pongolle | 10 | 1 | 8+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | SCO | Paul Gallagher | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | FW | USA | Jemal Johnson | 4 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players transferred out during the season ||||||||||||
| 5 | MF | ENG | Garry Flitcroft | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | ENG | Matt Jansen | 5 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | ENG | David Thompson | 8 | 1 | 2+4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 1 |
Last updated: 19 May 2006 Source: Competitions