IT may be 15 years since he left Blackburn Rovers but you only have to spend a short time with Jason Wilcox to realise his passion for the club still runs deep.

But, then again, how could it possibly not?

Not when he joined the club as a 14-year-old and left it, in 1999, as a champion of England.

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Of the 20 players used by Kenny Dalglish during the never to be forgotten 1994-95 Premiership campaign Wilcox was the only one to have worked his way through the ranks at Ewood Park.

By the time of his departure, to Roses rivals Leeds United, Rovers were heading for relegation to the old Division One.

But, led by Graeme Souness and then Mark Hughes, the club would rise again.

After promotion in 2001, an 11-season stay in the top flight, including a Worthington Cup final victory and further forays into Europe, followed.

Wilcox, as a fan, was delighted.

His delight turned to dismay, however, at the events that followed the arrival of Venky’s as the club’s owners in November 2010.

But Wilcox believes Rovers, mainly thanks to the steadying hand of boss Gary Bowyer, are moving in an upward direction again.

“It was quite frustrating being a past player and someone who always looks out for the club’s results, knowing that while the owners may have come in with good intentions, they were getting poorly advised,” said Wilcox, now 43 and the coach of Manchester City U18s.

“We signed poor players, players who weren’t good enough and players who didn’t have the right make up for Premier League and then Championship football.

“Only now has the current manager managed to steady the ship.

“He’s got some really good staff around him, he’s a very good bloke, very honest, and that’s what you need.

“I’m sure that if the owners can stand by him and make sure he gets enough support, he’ll do well because he knows what players he wants – and that’s hardworking players with that little bit of quality.

“If you’ve got players who want to work hard for each other, and add match-winners like Jordan Rhodes, then you’ll have a chance in the Championship.

“And I think that’s where we are at the moment. I think we needed somebody to steady the ship and that’s what the manager has done.

“It was a difficult task and he’s done it extremely well. Everyone should be grateful to him and his staff as they’ve worked really hard.

“The job now for him is to get the club back in the Premier League, back where it belongs, and hopefully he can do that.

“I think it’s a club on the up again rather than going in the opposite direction as it was a couple of years ago.”