Four years ago this month, Blackburn Rovers' new owners sacked Sam Allardyce, who had led the club to a 10th-place finish the previous season and were 13th in the Premier League when the axe fell.

Anuradha Desai, chairman of Venky's Group which had taken over the club a few weeks earlier, said: "We have taken this decision as part of our wider plans and ambitions. We want good football and Blackburn to be fourth or fifth in the league or even better. The fans should trust us because this is in the best interests of the club."

Allardyce's replacement was first-team coach Steve Kean, followed by Henning Berg (for 57 days), Michael Appleton (for 67 days), and for the last 19 months, Gary Bowyer. In four years, Venky's has sacked four managers and overseen one relegation, which is why the fans have never trusted the owners.