Blackburn Rovers F.C. season as play-off winners, ending 26 years outside the top flight. Rovers made headlines in the summer of 1992 by paying an English record fee of £3.5million for the 22-year-old Southampton and England centre forward Alan Shearer. After finishing fourth in 1992–93 and runners-up in 1993–94, they went on to win the Premier League title in 1994–95. The title chase went down to the last game of the season, but despite Rovers losing to Liverpool they edged out rivals Manchester United to win the championship. Kenny Dalglish moved upstairs to the position of Director of Football at the end of
History of Blackburn Rovers F.C. to the position of Director of Football at the end of the championship season, and handed over the reins to his assistant Ray Harford (1945–2003). Alan Shearer was sold to hometown club Newcastle United for a then world record fee of £15million in the summer of 1996. Rovers failed to win in their opening 10 games of the 1996–97 Premiership and Harford resigned. They were relegated in 1998-99. They were promoted back to the Premier League in 2000–01. In 2001–02 they won their first-ever League Cup by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. In 2004–05 they