David Bentley regrets leaving Blackburn Rovers. _(Image: Undr The Cosh)_
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David Bentley admits that he regrets leaving Blackburn Rovers but revealed Mark Hughes’ departure to Manchester City and pressure from the England coaches swayed his decision.
The former England international played the best football of his career at Ewood Park after signing from Arsenal. He was a huge part of the club’s successful years in the mid-2000s which saw Rovers punch above their weight in the Premier League.
Those days are spoken of fondly by former players and supporters. Bentley, who struggled to recapture his Rovers form elsewhere, says he played the best football of his career there.
“Mark wanted to play the high-intensity style, he was used to it at Manchester United so we had expressive players,” he told [Undr The Cosh.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvwjOEreUbo)
“We had Benni McCarthy, Santa Cruz and Tugay. We had very good players. To finish fifth and sixth for two/three years, that’s massive for Blackburn, for where they were at. I know they won the league years ago but the consistency then, we were one of the best teams.
“I played my best football there. I had the most freedom and I loved it, being around the dressing room with the lads, the football club was great then. I don’t know what it’s like now.
“The people, the community, I loved it there.”
However, Bentley was put under pressure by Fabio Capello and his coaching staff to leave Rovers for a bigger club. With the World Cup coming up, that played heavily on his mind.
Hughes’ decision to join Manchester City in 2008 proved to be the decisive factor with Bentley concerned that Blackburn would decline following his exit.
“I wish I had never left Blackburn,” he continued.
“Capello’s number two told me I had to leave or I wouldn’t play, as simple as that. That was the truth. Even though we were finishing fifth, sixth. I wouldn’t get in the team.
“That media narrative about having to play for a big club is 100% true. You get wired up that you’re going to play for England and they tell you that you’ve got to move.
“It did play a big part (of him leaving). I had a meeting with Mark Hughes after they said that to me in April and I was honest with them. The club told me who they’d sign and what they wanted to do.
“Then Mark went to Manchester City and that was me done. I felt from that point that the Blackburn thing wasn’t going to continue. I loved the club and everything about it but from that point, I felt that if I’d stayed, I might not have got to the World Cup.
“I was worried Blackburn would decline from then and I was worried about that. I put a transfer request in to join Tottenham then, I have always wanted to play for them.
“I regret how I left. I faked an injury because you don’t want to get hurt and I wanted to put the deal through. The issue was that it wasn’t very beneficial for Blackburn to sell me as Arsenal got 50% sell-on.”
Bentley would return to Ewood Park in 2013 after Rovers had been relegated to the Championship. However, it wasn’t an enjoyable experience for him as he felt the bubble had burst from their golden era.
“I went back to Blackburn on loan under Michael Appleton and the club was completely different,” he explained.
“People had left, all the physios had changed. It was completely different. It did hurt. I wanted to go back and thought it might reignite me. I went back in and it was on its head.
“If you find an environment that suits you, you look around football and players find themselves in the wrong place. Looked at Manchester United at the moment. Players look like they can’t control a ball and then they go elsewhere and they’re a world beater.
“It’s not always just about football. There is more to it than that, more of a feeling. If you create an environment, whether that’s business or football, you will excel.
“I was lucky, other people created that environment and I was lucky to land in it. I did engage and participate in making that a good environment too.”