Reasons to be cheerful?

The signs were considerably ominous during the initial stages of the 2011/12 Premier League season. A few games had passed, Rovers were not performing and transfer deadline day was fast approaching and it appeared that this term had already become one of damage limitation.

However, fast-forward three weeks and it seems that Rovers may actually have reason to be cheery soon - we have reached the light at the end of that tunnel. I would even go as far to say you could now put forward the case that we are entering one of the most fascinating periods in the recent history of our football club.

The current Blackburn squad is one of the most raw and fearless in the Premier League, who could just turn out to surprise the rest of the top tier and exceed expectations this season. Outside the top 5 there is no club with as much untapped potential as us right now.

Junior Hoilett has become the player we all hoped he would be after the long drawn out affair with his work permit. Mauro Formica and Ruben Rochina both have undoubted talent that, with careful nurturing could lead them to becoming players with the ability to dictate every match they play in.

Martin Olsson has grown into a Premiership footballer over the past two seasons, whilst Steven N`Zonzi and Radosav Petrovic have the all the weapons to become one of the most fearsome (and tallest) midfield partnerships in Europe.

The early impressions of David Goodwillie and Jason Lowe have been equally encouraging, with both youngsters injecting some great energy into the team`s play and showing terrific work rate to complement their unrefined capabilities.

Together with the know-how of Rovers stars such as Robinson, Salgado, Givet, Samba, Dann, Dunn, Pedersen and Yakubu it may emerge that we have struck the perfect balance of youth and experience, which could make this cross-generational Rovers side one to be feared and enthralling to watch.

The season may have started in an awful fashion, but this team is undergoing a re-generation, and with players still adapting to the league`s style and a fresh, more aesthetically pleasing tactical approach, the situation can only develop in a positive way. It is unlikely that we`ll be in the lower echelons of the league come May 2012.

Paul Hill is a life long Rovers fan and also a writer for the official Torquay United website.

You can follow him on twitter on @paulhill3 and read his personal blog on Paulhill3.wordpress.com

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