Comment by Harry Nuttall Blackburn Rovers are in danger of becoming another Manchester City as their quest for a new manager drags on.

Nobody seems to want the job at Maine Road. And the question has to be asked: Why is no one rushing to snap up the job at Ewood?

It has to be admitted that although Blackburn Rovers have a long and proud tradition in the Football League they haven't been breaking many pots for a long time with, of course, the one superb exception of the Premiership two seasons ago.

But, already, that happy memory is fading and now the talk is not of the giddy heights of championships but the gloom of relegation.

What Rovers need now is a man of determination, a man who has played in the top flight, a man who is respected in the game, a man who is not afraid of anything and who has the backing of the fans and the players.

One man stands out above all the other candidates who have been banded about the local and national Press for weeks. Never mind about Venables and Eriksson; forget Wilkinson and Kendall; forget Hodgson. Forget 'em all.

The solution is simple: It's on the doorstep. Appoint Colin Hendry (pictured) as player-manager with Tony Parkes as his No.2. End of problem.

Ok. It's going to be a hard slog to the end of the season. A Hendry and Parkes combination isn't going to pull any hot chestnuts out of the fire, but they will keep things ticking over and everyone can start to look forward to next season.

In a recent poll of Citizen readers Big Col was head and shoulders above the rest of the team - including Alan Shearer, who went off like a shot a few weeks later. Hendry is not only the most popular player to have graced Ewood since the days of Bryan Douglas and Ronnie Clayton, he is also an adopted "local lad". And there aren't many of them around these days.

Fans may hark back to the days when Kenny Dalglish managed the Rovers and took them to the Premiership. King Kenny made a big name for himself as a player and was given his chance to move into management. It was a switch that paid off. And there is no reason why another top Scottish international should not make a similar successful switch to management.

Hendry will be 31 next week and, at the rate he fearlessly throws himself into the fray, he isn't going to last forever in the thick of the Premiership battles. He reckons he has another two or three years in the top flight. Perhaps. But, now is the time for the Rovers to make a brave decision - and give the Blackburn Buccaneer his big chance and a new challenge.

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