Here is a round-up of Rovers-related news.

 

SHARE ALLOTMENT

Venkateshwara London Limited, set up by Rovers' parent company Venky's London Limited, have now converted £10m of the £17.3m owed following the sale of the training ground into shares.

The latest share allotment, dated January 24, was for £7.45m.

On June 24 2021, Venkateshwara London Limited became the registered owners of Blackburn Rovers Senior Training Centre & Lodge at Brockhall Village following the transfer from Blackburn Rovers Football and Athletic Club.

The settlement of the sale is due by June 30 2023, the year end date of the football club’s accounts.

Venkateshwara London Limited is separate to Venky’s London Limited which was set up in October 2010 ahead of their purchase of the club, and owns 99.99 per cent of Rovers, but both come under the VH Group.

The incorporation of the new company is listed on Companies House as having taken place on June 11 2021, two weeks before the sale of Brockhall.

The first allotment of shares came in March 2022 for £310,000, with a further amount of £2.5m made in September 2022.

From June 2021 – June 2022, the rent charged to Rovers for the training ground was £356,000, with the proceeds of the sale of the training ground due by June 2023 and carries interest at a rate of four per cent above the State Bank of India base rate.

By reducing the outstanding loan figure by £7.45m (£10m overall), it gives Venky’s the opportunity to potentially reduce the rental charge to the club.

 

ASH’S ENGLAND HONOUR

Ash Phillips made a late appearance off the bench for England Under-18s in a late win over Australia in the International Tournament in Lisbon.

The Rovers defender captained the side on Friday when they battled back from 2-0 down to draw with Norway.

They left it late again, scoring a 90th minute winner to beat Australia on Sunday, having seen their two-goal lead cancelled out in the second half.

Phillips was one of a number of changes from the Norway draw, with Crystal Palace striker Zach Marsh making the most of his chance to put England 2-0 up with a brace.

The Aussies hit back, but there was a late show from England once again when Watford forward Adrian Blake netted the winner.

England round off their competition when they face hosts Portugal on Tuesday.

 

ACCLAIM FOR SHERON

Rovers Under-21s manager Mike Sheron has completed his UEFA Pro Licence.

Sheron received the highest coaching certification available in Europe alongside Middlesbrough assistant manager Jonathan Woodgate, Northampton Town boss Jon Brady and former Arsenal assistant Steve Bould.

Sheron has been in charge of the Under-21s for the last two seasons, following the departure of Billy Barr in 2021, stepping up from the Under-18s, with his association with the club stretching back a decade.

The licence is specifically designed for anyone aspiring to work at the very top of the game in leadership and management positions within the Premier League, Football League, FA Women’s Super League and the international game.

This course is delivered across nine modules over an 18-month period and across a learning programme that combines face-to-face learning with independent study and a minimum of six one-to-one coach development visits to support your learning through the season.

 

LIONS SIGN NISBET

Millwall have completed the signing of Hibernian striker Kevin Nisbet on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee.

Nisbet has been in good goalscoring form for Hibs, earning him call-ups to the Scotland national team as well as a move to the Championship.

It is reported that the fee for the 26-year-old is in the region of £1m.

He was linked with a move to Rovers on a number of occasions, but the club ruled out any likelihood of him signings, with Nisbet finally making the move to Millwall who had a bid accepted for him in January.

On his signing, Gary Rowett said: "It’s a fabulous addition for us. Kevin is a goalscorer but also has so many other attributes to contribute to the squad. 

"When I’ve spoken to him you can tell he’s raring to go and excited to play in front of our fans.

"He thrives off that energy from the supporters and I’m sure they will get that exact same buzz from him as well.”

 

DORAN DEAL

Former Rovers trainee Aaron Doran has extended his stay at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Now 32, Doran first joined the club on loan in January 2011 before moving permanently six months later.

Doran, who played three times for Rovers, has since clocked up 370 games for ICTFC, scoring 53 goals and is the club’s second-highest appearance holder.

Doran battled back from two lengthy knee injuries to remain a key player upon his return. In 2018/19, he was named the ICTFC Supporters Player of the Year.

Doran has recently been part of the squads reaching the Scottish Cup Semi-Final in 2019, the play-off final in 2022 and the Scottish Cup Final in 2023, and celebrated his testimonial with the club in the last year.