# 2001–02 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season

During the 2001–02 English football season, Blackburn Rovers competed in the Premier League (known as the FA Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons).

## Season summary

Blackburn won just four of their first 14 league games, a run which also included seven draws and three defeats. However, they had little time to savour their Worthington Cup glory that resulted from a 2–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on 24 February - they were deep in the relegation mire and occupying third place from bottom following a dreadful winter period, as they won two and lost ten in 12 games, the two wins seeing them do a decidedly one-sided double over Charlton Athletic (2–0 away and 4–1 home). But Graeme Souness inspired his side, bolstered by the arrival of striker Andy Cole, to a considerable turnaround in form - seeing them win six in their final 12 games - which saw them climb to 10th place in the final table. UEFA Cup qualification had already been achieved thanks to the Worthington Cup triumph, but the club's fans were left wondering whether it could have been achieved automatically had it not been for the club's dismal winter period. Especially, their league record produced four more defeats than wins in contrast to a final goal difference of +4, concluding them as a comprehensively winning team despite their inconsistency.
At the end of the season, striker Mark Hughes retired at the age of 38, after a playing career spanning 22 years that had yielded two league titles, four FA Cups, a Cup Winners' Cup and three League Cups.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 38 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 46 | 47 | −1 | 50 | Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 49 | 53 | −4 | 50 | |
| 10 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 55 | 51 | +4 | 46 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 11 | Southampton | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 45 | |
| 12 | Middlesbrough | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 35 | 47 | −12 | 45 | |
* ↑ Blackburn Rovers qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners.

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: Statto

### Results by round

| 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 | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H |
| Result | L | D | W | L | D | D | W | L | W | D | D | W | D | D | L | L | L | W | L | L | L | W | L | L | L | L | D | W | W | L | L | W | D | W | D | W | L | W |
| Position | 14 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 10 |

## Results

Blackburn Rovers' score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 18 August 2001 | Derby County | A | 1–2 | 28,236 | Blake |
| 22 August 2001 | Manchester United | H | 2–2 | 29,836 | Beckham (o.g.), Gillespie |
| 25 August 2001 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–1 | 24,992 | Mahon, Duff |
| 8 September 2001 | Sunderland | A | 0–1 | 45,103 | |
| 16 September 2001 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–1 | 22,126 | Jansen |
| 19 September 2001 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1–1 | 25,949 | Neill |
| 22 September 2001 | Everton | H | 1–0 | 27,732 | Grabbi |
| 30 September 2001 | Aston Villa | A | 0–2 | 28,623 | |
| 14 October 2001 | West Ham United | H | 7–1 | 22,712 | Flitcroft, Dunn, Johnson, McCann (o.g.), Tugay, Jansen, Hignett |
| 20 October 2001 | Arsenal | A | 3–3 | 38,108 | Gillespie, Dunn (2) |
| 29 October 2001 | Leicester City | H | 0–0 | 21,873 | |
| 3 November 2001 | Southampton | A | 2–1 | 30,523 | Tugay, Hignett |
| 17 November 2001 | Liverpool | H | 1–1 | 28,859 | Jansen |
| 24 November 2001 | Chelsea | A | 0–0 | 37,978 | |
| 1 December 2001 | Middlesbrough | H | 0–1 | 23,849 | |
| 9 December 2001 | Leeds United | H | 1–2 | 28,309 | Berg |
| 15 December 2001 | Newcastle United | A | 1–2 | 50,064 | Dunn |
| 22 December 2001 | Charlton Athletic | A | 2–0 | 25,857 | Duff, Dunn |
| 26 December 2001 | Sunderland | H | 0–3 | 29,869 | |
| 29 December 2001 | Derby County | H | 0–1 | 23,529 | |
| 1 January 2002 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–1 | 35,131 | |
| 12 January 2002 | Charlton Athletic | H | 4–1 | 23,365 | Tugay, Cole, Hignett, Jansen |
| 19 January 2002 | Manchester United | A | 1–2 | 67,552 | Hignett |
| 30 January 2002 | Arsenal | H | 2–3 | 25,893 | Jansen (2) |
| 2 February 2002 | West Ham United | A | 0–2 | 35,307 | |
| 9 February 2002 | Fulham | A | 0–2 | 19,580 | |
| 2 March 2002 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | 27,203 | Jansen |
| 5 March 2002 | Aston Villa | H | 3–0 | 21,988 | Dunn, Duff, Cole |
| 13 March 2002 | Ipswich Town | H | 2–1 | 23,305 | Duff, Cole |
| 17 March 2002 | Leeds United | A | 1–3 | 39,857 | Jansen |
| 30 March 2002 | Leicester City | A | 1–2 | 16,236 | Hughes |
| 1 April 2002 | Southampton | H | 2–0 | 28,851 | Duff, Yordi |
| 10 April 2002 | Chelsea | H | 0–0 | 25,441 | |
| 20 April 2002 | Middlesbrough | A | 3–1 | 26,932 | Yordi, Cole, Dunn (pen.) |
| 23 April 2002 | Newcastle United | H | 2–2 | 26,712 | Gillespie, Cole |
| 28 April 2002 | Everton | A | 2–1 | 34,976 | Jansen, Cole |
| 8 May 2002 | Liverpool | A | 3–4 | 40,663 | Duff, Cole, Jansen |
| 11 May 2002 | Fulham | H | 3–0 | 30,487 | Cole (2), Duff |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 5 January 2002 | Barnsley | A | 1–1 | 12,314 | Hignett |
| R3R | 16 January 2002 | Barnsley | H | 3–1 | 10,203 | Grabbi, Dunn (pen.), Johansson |
| R4 | 26 January 2002 | Millwall | A | 1–0 | 15,004 | Cole |
| R5 | 16 February 2002 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–1 | 20,921 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 | 12 September 2001 | Oldham Athletic | H | 2–0 | 9,559 | Jansen, Dunning |
| R3 | 10 October 2001 | Middlesbrough | H | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | 9,536 | Hignett, Short |
| R4 | 28 November 2001 | Manchester City | H | 2–0 | 17,907 | Johansson, Johnson |
| R5 | 11 December 2001 | Arsenal | H | 4–0 | 13,278 | Jansen (3), Hughes |
| SF First Leg | 8 January 2002 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 2–1 | 30,883 | Hignett, Cole |
| SF Second Leg | 22 January 2002 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 4–2 (won 6–3 on agg) | 26,844 | Jansen, Duff, Cole, Hignett |
| F | 24 February 2002 | Tottenham Hotspur | N | 2–1 | 72,500 | Jansen, Cole |

## 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 | ENG | John Curtis |
| 3 | MF | TUR | Tugay Kerimoğlu |
| 4 | DF | NOR | Henning Berg (Vice captain) |
| 5 | DF | NOR | Stig Inge Bjørnebye |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Craig Short |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Garry Flitcroft (captain) |
| 8 | MF | ENG | David Dunn |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Andy Cole |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Matt Jansen |
| 11 | MF | IRL | Damien Duff |
| 12 | FW | WAL | Mark Hughes |
| 14 | DF | SWE | Nils-Eric Johansson |
| 15 | MF | ENG | Craig Hignett |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 16 | MF | IRL | Alan Mahon |
| 17 | FW | ESP | Yordi (on loan from Real Zaragoza) |
| 18 | MF | NIR | Keith Gillespie |
| 20 | FW | NOR | Egil Østenstad |
| 21 | FW | ITA | Corrado Grabbi |
| 22 | DF | TUR | Hakan Ünsal |
| 23 | GK | IRL | Alan Kelly |
| 24 | MF | ENG | Darren Dunning |
| 27 | GK | ENG | Alan Miller |
| 28 | DF | ENG | Martin Taylor |
| 29 | MF | IRL | Jonathan Douglas |
| 30 | DF | SCO | Gordon Greer |
| 31 | DF | AUS | Lucas Neill |

### 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 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Marcus Bent (to Ipswich Town) |
| 13 | GK | AUS | John Filan (to Wigan Athletic) |
| 14 | FW | WAL | Nathan Blake (to Wolverhampton Wanderers) |
| 17 | MF | IRL | Jason McAteer (to Sunderland) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 19 | MF | NIR | Damien Johnson (to Birmingham City) |
| 22 | DF | IRL | Jeff Kenna (to Birmingham City) |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Marlon Broomes (to Sheffield Wednesday) |
| — | DF | IRL | Fred Murray (to Cambridge 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 |
| 25 | DF | ENG | Simon Grayson |
| 26 | FW | WAL | James Thomas |
| 32 | GK | ENG | Ryan Robinson |
| 34 | FW | ENG | Marc Richards |
| — | DF | SCO | David McNamee |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Jimmy Corbett |
| — | MF | ENG | Neil Danns |
| — | MF | SCO | Burton O'Brien |
| — | MF | USA | Jemal Johnson |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | Club From | Fee |
| 11 May 2001 | DF | Gordon Greer | Clyde | £250k |
| 17 May 2001 | MF | Tugay Kerimoğlu | Rangers | £1.3 million |
| 18 June 2001 | FW | Corrado Grabbi | Ternana | £7 million |
| 29 June 2001 | MF | Alan Mahon | Sporting CP | £1.5 million |
| 7 September 2001 | DF | Lucas Neill | Millwall | £600k |
| 5 October 2001 | DF | Nils-Eric Johansson | Nurenburg | Undisclosed |
| 29 December 2001 | FW | Andy Cole | Manchester United | £7.6 million |
| 21 February 2002 | DF | Hakan Ünsal | Galatasaray | Undisclosed |

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | Club To | Fee |
| 13 September 2001 | FW | Nathan Blake | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £1.5 million |
| 19 October 2001 | MF | Jason McAteer | Sunderland | Undisclosed |
| 23 November 2001 | FW | Marcus Bent | Ipswich Town | Undisclosed |
| 12 December 2001 | DF | Marlon Broomes | Sheffield Wednesday | Free Transfer |
| 14 December 2001 | GK | John Filan | Wigan Athletic | £600k |
| 1 February 2002 | DF | Jeff Kenna | Birmingham City | Free transfer |
| 8 March 2002 | MF | Damien Johnson | Birmingham City | Undisclosed |

### Loans In

| Date | Nation | Position | Name | Club From | Length | Reference |
| 20 February 2002 | | FW | Yordi | Real Zaragoza | Until end of season | |

### Loans Out

| Date | Position | Name | Club To | Length |
| 4 September 2001 | DF | Simon Grayson | Notts County | One Month |
| 6 September 2001 | DF | Marlon Broomes | Grimsby Town | One Month |
| 10 October 2001 | GK | Alan Miller | St Johnstone | Three Months |
| 13 February 2002 | DF | Simon Grayson | Bradford City | One Month |

## 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 | 45 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 23 | GK | IRL | Alan Kelly | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ENG | John Curtis | 16 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | NOR | Henning Berg | 38 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | NOR | Stig Inge Bjørnebye | 29 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Craig Short | 26 | 1 | 21+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 14 | DF | SWE | Nils-Eric Johansson | 28 | 2 | 14+6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 17 | DF | TUR | Hakan Ünsal | 8 | 0 | 7+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | DF | ENG | Martin Taylor | 29 | 0 | 12+7 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | SCO | Gordon Greer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | DF | AUS | Lucas Neill | 31 | 5 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 3 | MF | TUR | Tugay Kerimoğlu | 43 | 3 | 32+1 | 3 | 3+1 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Garry Flitcroft | 32 | 1 | 26+3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | David Dunn | 36 | 8 | 26+3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | IRL | Damien Duff | 39 | 8 | 31+1 | 7 | 1+1 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 12 | MF | WAL | Mark Hughes | 30 | 2 | 4+17 | 1 | 1+2 | 0 | 4+2 | 1 |
| 15 | MF | ENG | Craig Hignett | 29 | 8 | 4+16 | 4 | 2+1 | 1 | 5+1 | 3 |
| 16 | MF | IRL | Alan Mahon | 22 | 1 | 10+3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3+3 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | NIR | Keith Gillespie | 39 | 2 | 21+11 | 2 | 2+1 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | ENG | Darren Dunning | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | MF | IRL | Jonathan Douglas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | ENG | Andy Cole | 20 | 13 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Matt Jansen | 43 | 16 | 34+1 | 10 | 2+1 | 0 | 4+1 | 6 |
| 13 | FW | ESP | Yordi | 9 | 2 | 5+3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | NOR | Egil Østenstad | 7 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 21 | FW | ITA | Corrado Grabbi | 19 | 2 | 10+4 | 1 | 1+1 | 1 | 1+2 | 0 |
| Left club during season ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | ENG | Marcus Bent | 10 | 0 | 1+8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | AUS | John Filan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | WAL | Nathan Blake | 3 | 1 | 0+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | IRL | Jason McAteer | 4 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | NIR | Damien Johnson | 12 | 2 | 6+1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 22 | DF | IRL | Jeff Kenna | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

### Top scorers
#### Premier League

* Matt Jansen 10
* Andy Cole 9
* Damien Duff 7
* David Dunn 6
* Craig Hignett 4

## Football League Cup Final line-up

| Blackburn Rovers | Tottenham Hotspur |
| GK | 1 | Brad Friedel |
| RB | 28 | Martin Taylor |
| CB | 4 | Henning Berg (c) |
| CB | 14 | Nils-Eric Johansson |
| LB | 5 | Stig Inge Bjørnebye |
| RM | 18 | Keith Gillespie | 75' |
| CM | 8 | David Dunn |
| CM | 12 | Mark Hughes |
| LM | 11 | Damien Duff |
| CF | 10 | Matt Jansen | 74' |
| CF | 9 | Andy Cole |
| Substitutes: ||
| GK | 27 | Alan Miller |
| DF | 2 | John Curtis |
| MF | 15 | Craig Hignett | 75' |
| MF | 16 | Alan Mahon |
| FW | 17 | Yordi | 74' |
| Manager: ||
| Graeme Souness ||
| GK | 1 | Neil Sullivan |
| RB | 18 | Ben Thatcher |
| CB | 6 | Chris Perry |
| CB | 26 | Ledley King |
| LB | 3 | Mauricio Taricco | 79' |
| RM | 7 | Darren Anderton |
| CM | 8 | Tim Sherwood |
| CM | 14 | Gustavo Poyet | 84' |
| LM | 23 | Christian Ziege |
| CF | 10 | Teddy Sheringham (c) |
| CF | 9 | Les Ferdinand |
| Substitutes: ||
| GK | 13 | Kasey Keller |
| DF | 30 | Anthony Gardner |
| MF | 29 | Simon Davies | 79' |
| FW | 11 | Serhii Rebrov |
| FW | 16 | Steffen Iversen | 84' |
| Manager: ||
| Glenn Hoddle ||