By Rob Kelly IN A DIFFERENT LEAGUE
As we continue to mark the 20th anniversary of Lancashire Business View, here is a look back at our July/August 2005 issue.
Lancashire Business View spoke to the new chairman of Blackburn Rovers, John Williams, about the club 10 years after its Premier League title triumph under the ownership of Jack Walker.
John talked about how £3m was still going into the Ewood Park club every year from a trust fund set up following Jack’s death in 2000.
However, he also revealed that the Walker legacy had created problems. He said: “There is an unrealistic expectation on the club from many of the supporters. Blackburn is one of four clubs to have won the Premiership and the fans expect us to do better.
“The simple fact is that we can’t be as ambitious as when Jack was here. He always wanted the club to break even, but when he was alive, the fan in him would take over and he would find funds for a new player. That simply cannot happen now.
“Roman Abramovich quite clearly bought the league for Chelsea. He has spent £200m on players and the wage bill is more than £100m a year. Blackburn’s is £30m.”
We also reported on bids to bring multi-million pound leisure developments to the east of the county including Spice! – a proposed venue celebrating the local impact of herbs and spices.
More funding was going into another east Lancashire town with £300m being poured into Burnley. A new technology centre had been
opened and there were talks of new secondary schools, new shopping centres, health and sports complex and work at the historic Weavers’ Triangle.
Hugh Simpson, Burnley Council’s head of regeneration, said: “Our philosophy is to regenerate all aspects of the borough – the economy, housing, education, health and community safety.
“We want to raise the game all the way around so that we have a lasting impact across the board.”
He added that other initiatives such as the Network 65 Business Park and Shuttleworth Mead Business Park showed the authority’s support for business.
IN THE NEWS July
• Live8 concerts are held around the world to raise awareness of poverty.
• A coordinated terrorist bomb blasts strike London’s public transport system during the morning rush hour, killing 52 and injuring 700.
• ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’, the sixth book in the series by JK Rowling, is published worldwide as nine million copies sell in 24 hours.
August
• A new European Union directive banning tobacco advertising comes into effect.
• Adidas acquires Reebok in a reported $3.8bn deal.
Here are some of the headlines attracting attention in July/August 2005
• The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) issues an official statement formally ending its armed campaign that had been ongoing since 1969, ordering all its units to surrender their weapons.
• In one of cricket’s closest ever Test matches and despite a brave unbeaten 43 from Australian tail-ender Brett Lee, England sneaks a two-run win in an Ashes series turning second Test at Edgbaston.
• New Orleans is almost completely flooded when levees along Lake Pontchartrain break in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
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