London — It is 22 years since Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers were duelling for Premier League supremacy, but a rivalry that has faded into footballing obscurity will be rekindled when they meet in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday. With Blackburn anchored in the Championship relegation zone and uncertainty hanging over the future of their manager, Owen Coyle, their glory days seem a very distant memory. At the start of the Premier League era, they were powerful challengers. Managed by Kenny Dalglish and bankrolled by steel magnate Jack Walker’s millions, Rovers were the only side to win the title other than United between 1993 and 1997. Their 1995 triumph, spearheaded by former England striker Alan Shearer, prevented United from being champions five years in a row, and they finished runners-up in 1994. Unlike United, who used their success in the early 1990s to become one of world football’s richest and most powerful clubs, Blackburn fell away. Dalglish moved upstairs to beco...
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