Berg a great price to keep his Blackburn job beyond this season
Published:Henning Berg is the man Blackburn have eventually installed as Steve Kean’s replacement and Ladbrokes are very generously offering a price of 1/2 that he’s still at the helm come the end of the season.
The Venky’s Group afforded his predecessor almost two years to get things right, refusing to dismiss him even when relegation loomed, then when relegation was confirmed, then again when he reached biblical levels of unpopularity amongst the fans. Instead they waited until he had the team one point off the pace in the Championship before swinging the axe.
A bizarre move but, nevertheless, it means they are unlikely to dispatch with Berg until he has them pushing for a Champions League place; he’ll have the remainder of the season in the very least to try to get Rovers back in the big time.
It’s 2/1 for him to achieve that this season, while they’re 7/1 shots to win the 2012/13 Championship title under his guidance.
Both seem a bit short based on Rovers current form, yet they have the firepower to rocket up the league if Berg can find the right formula to get them playing.
His record at his previous club, however, suggests he may struggle to achieve this feat. Lillestrom – one of Norway’s elite sides – gave him the boot after winning just 28 of his 89 games in charge, where he could finish no higher than 10th in the 16-team Norwegian Tippeligaen.
With the possibility of funds to invest in January and a squad that is the envy of most in England’s second tier, it would be an unprecedented display of incompetence if results left Rovers’ owners in a position where they had to relieve Berg of his duties. For this reason, the 6/4 that says he won’t be in charge at Ewood Park by the time this season ends should be left alone.
On a note unrelated to football, Ladbrokes also have it down as 1/1 that Berg’s unfortunate first name sees him embroiled in one of Venky’s infamously disgusting TV adverts for some kind of chicken product during his tenure.
All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date
