Indian tycoon offers Blackburn’s Sam Allardyce £100m transfer kitty

• Ahsan Ali Syed says he has a passion for Blackburn
• Businessman is the heir to a £5bn fortune

The Indian businessman attempting to take control of Blackburn Rovers has promised the manager £100m to spend on players should his £300m offer for the club be accepted. Ahsan Ali Syed’s representatives opened talks with the Ewood Park club yesterday and the 36-year-old was reported to have made a promise of a huge transfer budget. “I want to give him support financially so that he can perform wonders,” said Syed.

His comments came as a team from his company Western Gulf Advisory arrived in Lancashire yesterday with the aim of fixing a four-week negotiation period. The

Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Everton | Premier League match report

Everton’s longest unbeaten run for 24 years was unpicked by a goalkeeping blunder from Tim Howard as Blackburn avenged defeat in this fixture four months ago.

The Croatian Nikola Kalinic will not score an easier goal all season than the 14th-minute effort gift-wrapped to him when Howard dropped the ball under no pressure. It terminated Everton’s 11-game sequence without defeat, their best since 1986.

Lacking the slickness of their 3-2 win on the same turf, David Moyes’s visitors – back in rude health following an injury-blighted 2009-10 campaign – could not muster an equaliser to preserve their dominance over Rovers.

Blackburn even had to overcome the early loss of their pivotal midfielder David Dunn, who lasted nine minutes before succumbing to what appeared to be discomfort in his left groin.

Martin Olsson, operating in an advanced role down the left, had already gone close by that stage. Wandering off the flank within seconds of kick-off to beat the offside trap, he nicked the ball over the advancing Howard, but his chip from the edge of the penalty area lacked the dip to creep under the crossbar.

Despite the loss of Dunn, their most obvious source of creativity, Blackburn secured victory with the first goal of the Premier League season. There was no apparent danger when El-Hadji Diouf’s innocuous header forward was collected chest-high on the edge of the area by Howard. But the ball somehow squirmed from the American’s grasp as he planted his feet and the alert Kalinic swivelled to guide the ball inside the far post.

Everton struggled to replicate their sublime April performance when they consigned Blackburn to their only home league defeat of 2010. Only twice did they force Paul Robinson into action in the first half but shots from Tim Cahill and Stephen Pienaar lacked venom.

There was no lack of it in Morten Gamst Pedersen’s late challenge on Mikel Arteta, however, which merited the first caution of the afternoon. Significant previous between the pair – Arteta poked the Norwegian in the eye in April’s victory – spiced things up whenever their paths crossed and the referee, Phil Dowd, took exception to a tread on the standing boot.

Blackburn’s first clean sheet on the opening day for eight years was confirmed when Robinson fisted out Phil Jagielka’s late drive.

Premier LeagueBlackburn RoversEvertonRichard Gibsonguardian.co.uk

Aston Villa 0-1 Blackburn Rovers | Premier League match report

A season that started with a dismal home defeat ended in exactly the same fashion for Aston Villa as Richard Dunne’s own goal six minutes from time gave Blackburn Rovers a rare away victory. Liverpool’s failure to win at Hull City meant that Villa held on to sixth place but this felt like a highly unsatisfactory way to finish a campaign that had promised so much but ended up being a story of ifs, buts and maybes.

In truth, this never had the makings of a classic and for long periods in the first half it was easy to forget that a football match was actually taking place. Paul Robinson made a fine save to thwart James Collins in the seventh minute but it was just before the interval when Villa threatened again, the same player skidding a raking shot which the Blackburn goalkeeper pawed into the path of Gabriel Agbonlahor before smothering at the striker’s feet.

Blackburn had offered little before the break but there was renewed belief to their play after the restart and Steve Bennett should have pointed to the penalty spot when Collins clearly brought down David Dunn. Instead the referee waved away the appeals and, with the incident no doubt playing on his mind, sought to even things up at the other end when Christopher Samba fouled John Carew in the penalty area.

The game was edging towards a goalless draw at that point but one more Blackburn flurry down the Villa right brought late reward. Martin Olsson found the space to deliver an inviting cross and as Dunne sought to get in front of Junior Hoilett, the central defender, who picked up the players’ player of the year award on Wednesday night, sent a diving header beyond Brad Friedel.

Premier LeagueAston VillaBlackburn RoversStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk