SOME would say the release of Blackburn Rovers’ annual accounts, coming just before kick-off against Middlesbrough on Saturday, was ill-timed.

But, in reality, the moment they emerged could not have been more apt. What was revealed in the accounts undoubtedly took the shine off what could prove to be a vital victory.

But it was not the first time this season – and it will not be the last – that the horrific mismanagement of the past casts a huge shadow over the brighter future boss Gary Bowyer and his players are trying to carve out on the pitch.

The figures contained in the accounts, while not particularly surprising, remain staggering.

How could they not?

A £35.5m loss.

A net debt that has shot up to £54.5m.

A wage-to-turnover ratio of 136 per cent.

It is simply unsustainable.

And while Rovers may indeed be working hard to rid themselves of high-earning but under-performing players signed before Bowyer took over the manager’s reins, it is not going to be a fast process.

And as things currently stand, certainly not fast enough to avoid the Financial Fair Play penalties that come into force next season.

Should Rovers stay down they seem set to face a transfer embargo.

Should they go up they are likely to be hit with a multi-million pound fine.

Either would be a damning indictment of the way the club has been allowed to be run.

But certainly the fine would be the lesser of the two evils as it would be offset by the riches that promotion to the Premier League brings.

But the question is, can Bowyer’s young side make it back to the top flight and go some way to easing the self-inflicted financial predicament the club finds itself in?

It is still too early in the campaign to say definitively either way.

But there are reasons to be hopeful. After a massive overhaul of the playing staff and serious injury after serious injury, Rovers are only four points behind the play-offs.

David Dunn is back for Saturday’s trip to Brighton while Ruben Rochina should return to full training after the international break – key players who can provide the spark that has at times been lacking.

To their credit Rovers overcame the duo’s absence on Saturday and – unlike against Charlton and Huddersfield – ground out a win against a team that had clearly come to Ewood Park to try to frustrate.

It was just a shame, then, that it was a win that got lost amid the pages of a document that underlines just how badly Rovers got it wrong last season.