7 Premier League Teams That Never Reached Their Full Potential

Second place finishers in 1993/94 and league winners in 1994/95, Blackburn Rovers were on the up. Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton formed the country's most prolific striking partnership, and a sustained period of success was on the cards. Kenny Dalglish had found a winning formula and all things pointed towards a bright future for the newly crowned English champions.

The 1995/96 season started in disastrous fashion, with Blackburn languishing in the bottom half of the table and facing possible relegation by mid-December. Things turned around in the second half of the season and they even managed to challenge for the UEFA Cup spots. Unfortunately, Rovers failed to make it into the top 6 and sold Alan Shearer in July to Newcastle.

Blackburn made critical errors at critical times. Allowing Kenny Dalglish to step down and replace him with Ray Harford might not have seemed too big of an issue, as the continuity was still there. However, this change would see the team's entire rhythm change. Rovers lost their edge and struggled to regain their form.

Selling Alan Shearer, who guaranteed 30+ goals a season, was perhaps the biggest reason for Blackburn's fall from grace. The board's naivety became clear when they instructed Harford to simply replace Shearer with another "big name." As a provincial club, Blackburn didn't have the resources to rebuild or the reputation to lure a player of similar stature. Importantly, winning a Premiership in 1995 didn't offer the same financial rewards as it does in 2020.

Unlike the other clubs on this list, who found success afterwards, Blackburn are currently playing in the Championship. A far cry from the championship they won in 1995.