Alan Shearer season. Speculation of a transfer to Liverpool, who finished the season as FA Cup winners, also came to nothing. During the middle of 1992, Southampton's manager, Ian Branfoot, became "the most popular manager in English football", as he took telephone calls from clubs "trying to bargain with players they don't want plus cash". Although Branfoot accepted that a sale was inevitable, he claimed that "whatever happens, we are in the driving seat". In July 1992, Shearer was sold to Blackburn Rovers for a fee of £3.6 million, with David Speedie reluctantly moving to The Dell as part of the deal.
1999–2000 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season Colin Hendry, who had been part of the title winning team in 1995 and who had started his first spell at Ewood Park in the 1980s, was linked with a return to the club as player-manager. Other names linked with the vacancy included Graeme Souness, Colin Todd, Roy Evans and Joe Kinnear. The appointment of Graeme Souness on 15 March 2000 gave renewed hopes of a resurgence in 2000-01. Blackburn finished 11th in the final table. 1999–2000 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season Blackburn Rovers F.C. were in Division One for the 1999-2000 season, having been relegated from the FA Premier League