Blackburn Rovers are a club in crisis on and off the pitch

After 72 hours of pure chaos, it would've been nice for the football to provide some relief for a fan base in desperate need of positivity. 

There is no sugarcoating it, Blackburn Rovers are a club in crisis both behind the scenes and on the pitch. They have won one of their last 11 Championship games, taking five points from 33. That is relegation form.

Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Queens Park Rangers moved Marti Cifuentes' side to within five points of Rovers. Huddersfield Town thumped Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 and now instead of four teams fitting into three places, the net is closing in on those above.

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I'll be honest, I'd dismissed relegation as a serious possibility. The return of key players from injury, hope for additions in the January transfer window and faith in Jon Dahl Tomasson was core to that belief.

But there is no debate that Rovers are in for a fight. They are off the rails at the moment.

Behind the scenes, the mood is toxic. So much so that the club felt the need to gag the head coach on Friday. Tomasson toed the party line of 'no comment' but what he did say painted enough of a picture. He said plenty without saying much.

Rovers and Tomasson have done little to sway the opinion that unhappiness with the January transfer window has caused tension behind the scenes and was the primary reason that he missed Friday's press conference.

To add further misery, the deal to sign Duncan McGuire is in the balance. Only 12 months after the Lewis O'Brien fiasco, it's 'here we go again', albeit in slightly different circumstances.

Tomasson's response to The Lancashire Telegraph's questions on McGuire were again revealing. The tone was one of utter disbelief.

It's understood the club will have more clarity on the situation in the next 48 hours, with an appeal process ongoing after a paperwork issue. 

This latest turn of events does not paint the club in a good light. Gregg Broughton insisted the O'Brien saga didn't impact Rovers' reputation in the transfer market, and whilst they do a lot of good work with young players, the whole McGuire dram has been an optical nightmare.

Blackburn Rovers fans are completely disillusioned with the hierarchy at the club. Tomasson still has some credit in the bank, though that is waining, but the chants at Ewood Park made clear where supporters are laying the blame for this malaise.

The club is trapped in a loveless marriage. Venky's have always paid the bills but now they simply may not be able to. Their reliance on the goodwill of overseas High Courts is unsustainable.

That said, better the devil you know? There is not a massive queue of creditable investors waiting to take over the club. Certainly not those with the ability to write off losses to the tune of circa £20million a year.

If you look at clubs like Birmingham City or Hull City, both of who've been taken over relatively recently, it's an example of how proactive communication and clever thinking can earn you favour. Blues fans are incredibly happy with Knighthead despite the Wayne Rooney disaster. 

On the pitch, Rovers are hurtling towards the bottom three at an alarming rate. Saturday's defeat to Queens Park Rangers was their eighth of the season at Ewood Park. They added two more goals to the 'against' column too, now at 55 for the season.

Five points from a possible 33 is relegation form. The performance was disjointed and frustrating in the first half but QPR had shown weaknesses too. The game was there for the taking and I'd have still made Rovers favourites.

QPR stepped up in the second half and sensed their opportunity. The first goal was unfortunate in the way it cannons off the post and hits Aynsley Pears but Ilias Chair had threatened to cut inside and curls one all afternoon.

If there was misfortunate with the first, the second was self-inflicted. Joe Hodge had the freedom of Ewood Park as he walked into the box unchallenged and finished fantastically.

As the second goal went in, the boos drowned out the celebrations from the away end. A chorus of chants against Venky's and Chief Executive Steve Waggott followed. A fan base completely fed up.

Rovers did rally and though Sam Gallagher got a goal back, QPR saw out ten minutes of stoppage time with relative ease. There were no goal-mouth scrambles or backs-to-the-wall clearances.

With QPR and Huddersfield picking up points, the alarm bells are ringing. That was the phrase Tomasson used when quizzed on the very troubling form.

In this run, they have failed to beat Rotherham United, Huddersfield Town and now QPR. Failure to defeat Stoke City will only further impound the reality that Rovers are now in a relegation scrap.

It is Tomasson's job to turn this around. Whilst he is clearly working in very difficult circumstances, his side haven't bounced back as hoped in January. 

Key players are now back and there have been no midweek matches. There has been an improvement on the December displays but results have not turned around as you'd have hoped.

How much are the off-field issues affecting the players? It's impossible to say but it can't be great for morale. There is no lack of endeavour and, hopefully, the new signings can bed in and make a difference.

Rovers need the McGuire case like a hole in the head. They will be crossing all their fingers and toes for a reprieve. Otherwise, the fan's mood will plummet further.

The last 72 hours has been a circus at Blackburn Rovers. News moves fast and so the club will be hoping there isn't another kick in the teeth around the corner.