2001–02 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season


During the 2001–02 English football season, Blackburn Rovers competed in the Premier League.

Season summary

Blackburn won just four of their first 14 league games, a run which also included seven draws and three defeats. However, they had little time to savour their Worthington Cup glory that resulted from a 2–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on 24 February - they were deep in the relegation mire and occupying third place from bottom following a dreadful winter period, as they won two and lost ten in 12 games, the two wins seeing them do a decidedly one-sided double over Charlton Athletic. But Graeme Souness inspired his side, bolstered by the arrival of striker Andy Cole, to a considerable turnaround in form - seeing them win six in their final 12 games - which saw them climb to 10th place in the final table. UEFA Cup qualification had already been achieved thanks to the Worthington Cup triumph, but the club's fans were left wondering whether it could have been achieved automatically had it not been for the club's dismal winter period. Especially, their league record produced four more defeats than wins in contrast to a final goal difference of +4, concluding them as a comprehensively winning team despite their inconsistency.
At the end of the season, striker Mark Hughes retired at the age of 38, after a playing career spanning 22 years that had yielded two league titles, four FA Cups, a Cup Winners' Cup and three League Cups.

Final league table

;Results summary
;Results by round

Results

Blackburn Rovers' score comes first

Legend

FA Premier League

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R35 January 2002BarnsleyA1–112,314Hignett
R3R16 January 2002BarnsleyH3–110,203Grabbi, Dunn, Johansson
R426 January 2002MillwallA1–015,004Cole
R516 February 2002MiddlesbroughA0–120,921

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R212 September 2001Oldham AthleticH2–09,559Jansen, Dunning
R310 October 2001MiddlesbroughH2–1 9,536Hignett, Short
R428 November 2001Manchester CityH2–017,907Johansson, Johnson
R511 December 2001ArsenalH13,278Jansen, Hughes
SF First Leg16 January 2002Sheffield WednesdayA2–130,883Hignett, Cole
SF Second Leg22 January 2002Sheffield WednesdayH 26,844Jansen, Duff, Cole, Hignett
F24 February 2002Tottenham HotspurN2–172,500Jansen, Cole

First-team squad

Left club during season

Reserve squad

Statistics

Appearances and goals

! colspan=12 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Goalkeepers
! colspan=12 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Defenders
! colspan=12 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Midfielders
! colspan=12 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Forwards
! colspan=12 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Left club during season

Top scorers

Premier League