Manager Damien Johnson credits video analysis as a large part of the sides success in the competition.
It’s a great time to be a Blackburn Rovers fan.
The first team are on the verge of promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking, and the kids aren’t doing too badly either.
Rovers’ Under-23 side have just wrapped up a promotion of their own, claiming the Premier League 2 Division 2 title with a match to spare.
Having led the way for the large majority of the campaign, Aston Villa's 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United means Rovers simply cannot be caught at the summit.
It's been some campaign for the youngsters this term under the stewardship of Damien Johnson, whose side have lost only three games all season. Johnson, the former Blackburn and Birmingham City midfielder - with over 300 games in the Football League to his name - highlighted video analysis as not only a big part of his job, but also key learning tool for his young squad.
The Manager explains the challenge getting players involved initially with video, but how it’s an easy sell when they see how analysis positively affects their development as a player.
“What you find is, when they see the benefits, you see that there is a real appetite for it. If I don’t upload a game the players are asking when are you putting the game up?” says Johnson.
“The players even want to go through footage of training.
“It’s just getting that initial buy-in and making them accountable.”
In Johnson’s role as a Development Coach, video analysis plays a huge role in terms of helping players reach their potential. The investment in young players has seen breakthrough campaigns for the likes of Lewis Travis, Joe Nuttall and Willem Tomlinson, who have all appeared for the first team this term under Tony Mowbray thanks to their excellent displays for the Under-23’s.
According to Johnson, video has now become integral in present-day football compared to when he himself was in the professional ranks.
“It’s changed dramatically from being non-existent from when I started, to being a huge tool and component in the game now.
“I started in 1995 and there wasn’t any [video analysis], and if there was a video, it was when you got beat and you had to watch the whole game as a punishment! (laughs).
"Now the game has moved on so much that even training sessions are filmed.”
The Rovers final fixture against West Brom doubles as their championship coronation.The future is bright for this proud and historical club.
