2005–06 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season

During the 2005–06 English football 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

Results

Blackburn Rovers' score comes first^[3]

First-team squad

Squad at end of season^[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Brad Friedel 2 DF Lucas Neill 3 DF Zurab Khizanishvili 4 DF Andy Todd 6 DF Ryan Nelsen (captain) 7 MF Brett Emerton 8 MF Robbie Savage 9 FW Shefki Kuqi[5] 10 FW Paul Dickov 11 FW Craig Bellamy 12 MF Morten Gamst Pedersen 13 GK Peter Enckelman 14 MF Steven Reid[6] 15 MF Aaron Mokoena 16 MF Tugay Kerimoğlu 17 FW Florent Sinama-Pongolle (on loan from Liverpool)

No. Position Player 18 DF Vratislav Greško 20 FW Paul Gallagher 21 DF Dominic Matteo 23 DF Lorenzo Amoruso 24 DF Jay McEveley[7] 25 FW Jemal Johnson 26 DF Andy Taylor 27 FW Matt Derbyshire 28 MF Gary Harkins 29 FW David Bentley 30 GK Richard Lee (on loan from Watford) 31 MF Sergio Peter 32 DF Eddie Nolan 33 DF Michael Gray 34 DF Tony Kane

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 5 MF Garry Flitcroft (to Sheffield United) 17 FW Matt Jansen (to Bolton Wanderers)

No. Position Player 19 MF David Thompson (to Wigan Athletic) 22 MF Jonathan Douglas (on loan to Leeds United)

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Steven Drench DF Craig Barr

Statistics

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	GK		Brad Friedel	46	0	38	0	2	0	6	0
Defenders
2	DF		Lucas Neill	42	3	35	1	2	1	5	1
3	DF		Zurab Khizanishvili	32	2	24+2	1	2	0	4	1
4	DF		Andy Todd	28	3	20+2	2	2	1	4	0
6	DF		Ryan Nelsen	36	0	31	0	0	0	5	0
18	DF		Vratislav Greško	3	0	1+2	0	0	0	0	0
21	DF		Dominic Matteo	7	0	6	0	1	0	0	0
33	DF		Michael Gray	37	0	30	0	1	0	6	0
Midfielders
7	MF		Brett Emerton	37	2	17+13	1	0+1	0	3+3	1
8	MF		Robbie Savage	42	1	34	1	2	0	6	0
12	MF		Morten Gamst Pedersen	42	10	34	9	1+1	0	5+1	1
14	MF		Steven Reid	39	5	31+3	4	1	0	2+2	1
15	MF		Aaron Mokoena	26	0	4+18	0	1	0	0+3	0
16	MF		Tugay Kerimoğlu	34	1	23+4	1	1+1	0	5	0
29	MF		David Bentley	35	5	23+6	3	1	1	5	1
31	MF		Sergio Peter	10	0	1+7	0	1	0	0+1	0
Forwards
9	FW		Shefki Kuqi	41	8	15+18	7	1+1	0	4+2	1
10	FW		Paul Dickov	26	7	17+4	5	1	0	3+1	2
11	FW		Craig Bellamy	32	17	22+5	13	1	2	3+1	2
17	FW		Florent Sinama-Pongolle	10	1	8+2	1	0	0	0	0
20	FW		Paul Gallagher	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
25	FW		Jemal Johnson	4	0	0+3	0	0+1	0	0	0
Players transferred out during the season
5	MF		Garry Flitcroft	2	0	1+1	0	0	0	0	0
17	FW		Matt Jansen	5	0	1+3	0	0	0	0+1	0
19	MF		David Thompson	8	1	2+4	0	1	0	0+1	1

Last updated: 19 May 2006
Source: Competitions

References