AMONG the positive spin and self-advertising from Steve Kean at the weekend, there was an interesting number.
It was the number 14, the number of times Kean travelled to India to meet Venky’s during his time as Rovers boss.
Everyone was well aware that Kean often flew back and forth to Pune to meet the Rovers owners in 21 months at the helm at Ewood Park.
But still to see the number in print was a stark reminder. Fourteen is an awful lot of visits.
His number of league wins as Rovers manager was only a smidgen higher, at 17.
That number 14 is perhaps the biggest reason why Kean lasted as long as he did as Rovers boss.
The results were not good, and his popularity levels with fans were awful, but he built a relationship with the owners.
There was much criticism when Gary Bowyer travelled to India at the beginning of April, ahead of an important match against Derby. But the early signs are that was short-term pain for long-term gain.
Yes, it is obvious to everyone, Rovers managers should not have to travel to India regularly for meetings.
It would be far more appropriate for the owners to travel to Ewood Park more regularly to watch games and speak to the boss.
Then the manager is not put in the difficult position of choosing between building a relationship with the owners and taking training.
Henning Berg said recently that he opted to stay in England and take training, and admitted it might have been a factor in his sacking after only 57 days in charge.
So on that basis it is hard to blame Bowyer for accepting the invitation to travel to Pune in April.
The timing was not ideal, but if it paved the way for him to get the job and the early signs of stability we are now starting to see at the club, perhaps it was for the best.
The last two-and-a-half years have shown that Rovers are a club capable of being thrown back into chaos at any moment, but there appears to be a new optimism at Brockhall.
Bowyer speaks common sense and of the need to instil a culture of hard work, with the aid of people such as Craig Short who understand and love the club.
It is a culture that fits closely with the club’s Latin motto ‘arte et labore’, meaning ‘skill and labour’.
Results will be the thing that Bowyer is judged by, and he makes no bones about that.
His summer dealings have been hampered in part by the ludicrous wage bill the club have been left with after a year of gambles in the transfer market, many of which did not pay off.
But given the right resources and the right support from above – the latter appears to be there at the moment – Bowyer seems to have a plan of how he wants to go about things.
If that requires the occasional trip to India to keep the owners happy, then maybe it is a price worth paying.
What everyone wants now is for Bowyer to deliver results and ensure a long and stable period at the helm.
A sustained period of calm, above all else, is what the club need heading into the new season.
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