Over the course of the past week, Rovers have announced that a pair of fan favourites; skipper, Charlie Mulgrew and winger, Elliott Bennett, have both extended their existing deals with the club, which will see both contracts run until the summer of 2021.
Both players, who were part of the 2016-17 relegation campaign, stuck to their words by remaining with the club in League 1 and helped guide the Blues back into the Championship, in the 2017-18 season, at the first time of asking.
Mulgrew, who signed for the club on deadline day during the summer of 2016, has taken the club by storm with his leadership and his set-piece goal-scoring qualities. Having joined Rovers with a sublime portfolio and a whole host of top honours and accolades in Scotland, Mulgrew was able to continue his fine performances below the border at Ewood Park, as he shone on multiple occasions for Rovers, whether that being in 2016-17 with his double winners against Newcastle United, or in 2017-18, with his promotion-winning goal at Doncaster Rovers.
The Scottish International played a vital role in Rovers’ return to the second-tier last season as he completed the campaign with 14 goals from centre-half, which coupled with his goals from 2016-17 and 2018-19, now sees the defender on 21 goal from 89 games in Blue and White, which average at an astonishing, 1 goal in every 4 games for the 32-year old. In addition to his achievements on the pitch, the captain added to his ever-growing list of awards, last year after he was named in the EFL Team of the Season and the PFA League 1 Team of the Year, which goes to show the impact he has had on Rovers’ team since he arrived.
Reflecting on his new deal, Mulgrew spoke of his delight to the clubs’ media team, whilst also thanking the staff, the players and the fans for their support;
“The decision to commit was pretty straightforward, as this is a club I’ve wanted to be at. Things have been very positive since the manager came in and I’m delighted to have signed on. Ever since the gaffer has come in, we’ve been on an upward spiral and he’s brought everybody together. The plans for the club, in the future, sound great and I hope that I can continue my input and be the best I can in order to help this club forward.
“I said, from the moment we went down, that I wanted to help bring the club back up and thankfully we did that. Everyone around the place is brilliant, from the lads, to the coaches to the non-footballing staff, everyone has been great with me, so I’m delighted to be here. Staying here after the relegation was a key decision for me, because my enjoyment of being here made my decision for me. We’ve had a good start this year, but we’re not getting carried away.
“We’re doing all we can to push on and try to get into the Premier League. We’ve got some great players and some great staff in the background, so hopefully we can achieve that in the next few years. The fans have been great from the moment I walked through the door, and the lads have all picked up on that. We’re all thankful to have them and we’ll be doing all we can to keep fighting for the fans.”
Bennett, who has just entered his third full season with the club, has firmly asserted himself as a popular player, down to his work-rate, tenacity and versatility which has seen Bennett play in a multitude of positions in Blue and White, ranging from full-back, to centre-midfield. With a century of starts under his belt in Rovers’ colours, Bennett will be hoping he can double his tally by the end of his new deal.
Having joined the club in January 2016, Bennett arrived with a reputation, having helped Norwich City achieve promotion into the Premier League, only 8 months prior to joining Rovers. Despite a rocky start to his career at Ewood Park, Bennett managed to cement himself as a mainstay on Rovers’ team sheet, following the arrival of Tony Mowbray in February 2017, which has been shown in Bennett’s appearance stat of having been the player who has played the most under the current gaffer.
Despite not scoring as much as he would probably like, with only 8 goals in all competitions, Bennett compensates for his lack of goal-mouth action with his linkup play, his tough tackling and his incomparable engine, which allows him to continually run around for the whole 90 minutes. In addition to his stamina, the winger’s versatility causes him to be indispensable for Tony Mowbray, who had, on a number of occasions, deployed the 29-year old in defensive positions, as well as his more natural attacking roles.
Bennett also spoke to the clubs’ media team after sealing his new deal, and like his skipper before him, he heaped praise upon all the various aspects of the club;
“I’m buzzing to get the deal done. As soon as the club got in contact, I was desperate to get it done, and thankfully it was all a straightforward process. I make no secret about how much this club means to me, we’ve got a great group of lads and the manager’s been great with me ever since he’s walked through the door, so it was a no-brainer on my part.
“I get on with everyone here, both on a footballing level and on a personal level, the fans have also taken to me really well, which also played a part in my extending my stay. I love coming into work every day and pulling on the shirt every week. I’m loving my time at this club and I hope I can repay the faith in me.
“The ideal scenario for me would be promotion with the lads. I wold love to play in the Premier League again and with the positive direction that the club is going in, at the moment, I could probably see it happening in the future.”
After getting the reaction from the players, attentions turned to Tony Mowbray, who hailed the influence of both, Mulgrew and Bennett as well as reiterating their importance to his plans.
“I think the deals are important for the club. They set the standards both on and off the pitch. Charlie is a leader who leads by example, whether that being on the training ground or on the pitch. He shows every day in training, how he leads by example, whether that being making sure nobody is late for meetings or putting his body on the line during 5-a-side games. Elliott, I’d have to say, falls alongside Charlie in that category of ‘being a leader’. He’s a diamond of a lad and I’m delighted that they see the club as a place where their careers can prosper.
“I think every successful team needs a few leaders in the dressing room. It allows the team to have a few ‘captains’ among the squad who lead by example, and that’s what we have with Charlie and Elliott. I think both players deserve the reward of a new contract, and I’m confident that because of their work-ethic, they’ll be with us as the journey progresses. I think they’ve both improved on the field during my time and I think they enjoy having a direction to go on and having a target to achieve.
“Every player in my opinion should strive to play as long as possible, regardless of their age and I think that’s the case with Charlie. He trains like a trojan and he has a wand of a left-foot. He always comes in striving to be the best that he can and the key aspect from both, Elliott and Charlie, is that they’re willing to work on their flaws and improve the attributes that have got them to where they are today.
“Elliott’s versatility is key to his consistency in the team. He’s spent the last couple of weeks at right-back. He can also play in the centre of the park, on either flank and behind the striker, which makes him a key player for this football club. The loyalty only stretches so far from my position, I’ve had this discussion with him saying that, if we can get into the Premier League in the near future, does he have the ability to cut it in the Premier League? His challenge is to keep working hard to show me that he is capable of doing such a thing, and I know that he has the desire, work-rate and the personality to keep improving.
“In terms of succeeding in the manner that we want to, we need to take things slowly and build the team in a way that will allow us to eventually believe that we can make a promotion challenge. In order to do that, we need to be united as one, from the owners down to the supporters. For us at the moment, it’s a gradual climb which will see us build over a number of transfer windows. We need to be wary about what we’re doing, but also need to keep working hard and continuing our progression.”
