In the fourth of our five-part series charting Rovers’ 1992 Division Two promotion season, Lee Richardson tells ALEX JAMES about working with Kenny Daglish and being out of the side.

WHEN Lee Richardson joined Blackburn Rovers in 1990 he was the club’s record signing at £250,000.

Within two years the club had paid more than 10 times that for Alan Shearer and were about to embark on a debut Premier League season and a top flight rise which would culminate in them winning the title in 1995.

How things can change.

“None of us understood what was going to happen at the club,” said Richardson who now works as a sports psychologist primarily at Lancashire Cricket Club.

“I came in for a club record at the time and any time I made a mistake all the lads would shout ‘how much?’ It was the same when Alan Shearer came in, he got the same treatment that I did.”

Richardson, now 48, made his debut in a 4-2 opening day defeat at Bristol City in August 1990.

He was appointed captain that season as Rovers beat the drop by just two points and was expecting more of the same the following year.

He featured in the first 18 games of the campaign but, by November, Rovers had seen Don Mackay sacked, Tony Parkes’ caretaker spell in charge come to an end and Kenny Dalglish arriving.

Now things were really changing.

“That season was an interesting one,” said Richardson with some understatement. “Kenny Dalglish came in in the October. We had done alright in the league under Tony Parkes. He had us playing a 4-3-3 formation and it seemed to suit us quite well.

“We were hearing things about Kenny coming in but no-one believed it.

“He was the biggest name in management at the time and none of us thought there was any way he would come to Blackburn.

“We were in the dressing room and collectively you could see everyone’s amazement when Kenny walked in ahead of that Plymouth game.”

But arrive he did and, coupled with Jack Walker’s investment, Rovers pieced together a fine run which looked set to take them to automatic promotion.

Richardson didn’t see much of it as he lost his place among the first arrivals of the new era.

But, as Rovers’ stuttering end to the campaign threatened to see them miss out on the play-offs, the then 22-year-old returned to feature in the final five games and suddenly found himself in the squad for the play-off semi-final against Derby County.

Richardson added: “I was a little bit in and out of the side under Kenny. We had brought in Gordon Cowans and Tim Sherwood so there was more competition.

“It was the first evolution of the squad really, we were used to 15 or 16 first team players and then suddenly we went up to 28 players! We were signing people all the time.

“I wasn’t in the side much in the second half of the season but I came on against Derby in the play-off semi-final and I liked to think I helped change the game.

“Then I started the second game against Derby and we got through to Wembley and I fully expected to start in the final.

“But typically Kenny didn’t announce the team until the afternoon of the game and I wasn’t in it. I came on for 20 minutes and obviously that was great and we won the game but I wanted to be playing from the start.”

While the campaign ended in Wembley glory for Rovers it was a frustrating one for Richardson who made 19 starts in all competitions, and he left the club in 1992 to join Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen.

But, like so many who moved on during that time, he speaks highly of Dalglish’s man management.

“Kenny didn’t want me to go and I had mixed feelings,” adds Richardson who went on to play for Oldham Athletic and Chesterfield.

“I wanted to play all the time and I couldn’t handle not playing. I went up to Aberdeen and I don’t regret going there because I played a lot of games and played in cup finals and Europe and had a great two years.

“I had a good relationship with Kenny and he said I could stay and fight for my place.

“I think he liked me as a player. When I was a youngster coming through at Halifax he had me watched while he was at Liverpool but they wouldn’t pay the fee that Halifax wanted and so I went to Watford.

“Looking back now I probably would have stayed at Blackburn and fought for my place.

“I might have played some football and potentially got another Premier League move off the back of it.

“At the time I didn’t really get the Premier League when it started, I didn’t think you could replace the First Division and so I didn’t see it as quite the big deal to play in when I moved.

“I enjoyed my time at Aberdeen but it would have been nice to have played for Rovers in the Premier League and they then went on to win it which you would never have thought when I joined.”