Original Uhlsport football shirt Blackburn Rovers 1998/99

Four years earlier, Blackburn Rovers were Premiership champions. A year earlier they already qualified for the UEFA Cup. They were among some people's outsiders for a title challenge.

But it all went wrong for Rovers, who soon got into a relegation battle. Manager Roy Hodgson paid his job in November. Manchester United assistant Brian Kidd was named as his replacement, but he was unable to bring Rovers to safety and their relegation was confirmed in the penultimate game of the season. They were sentenced to a place in Division One, but managed to retain many key players and approached the new season as most people's favorites for an immediate return to the elite.