IN A funny kind of way, I rather like Blackburn's new owners.
I mean, granted, they've just ruthlessly sacked the man who saved the club from relegation two years ago, but they sound like they're going to be a lot of fun.
For a very short time, at least.
Their explanation for the dismissal of Sam Allardyce has been one of the brightest moments of my week.
'We want Blackburn Rovers to be fourth or fifth in the league or even better,' said owners Venky's chairman Anuradha Desai, like a child announcing the intention to be an astronaut.
'We wanted good football, wanted the games to be interesting and of course wanted to win and to have good players,' she continued as the watching world smiled politely.
'This is a major step but it was needed. We thought: Why delay?'
Why delay? Hmm, that's a tricky one. How about, 'Because there's half a season to go, you've got barely any money to spend and you still need 19 points to be reasonably sure of safety?'
How's that for a reason? Needlessly sacking your manager seems to be in vogue in the Premier League, but at least Newcastle had Alan Pardew lined up.
Blackburn will now be led by caretaker-boss Steve Kean, on the basis that, 'he works long hours'.
He may have to spend most of those hours placating the players as, unsurprisingly, there are reports that the squad is not taking this news too well.
There's nothing wrong with ambition, but it has to go hand in hand with reality.
Desai has not brought the kind of cash to the table that will propel Blackburn into the top four.
Even with the incoming Uefa financial fair play regulations, Blackburn are still at the mercy of their meagre turnover.
Unless they can double the amount of fans coming through the gate, they won't be able to compete at the top.
Goodness knows, I'd like Southend United to be fourth or fifth in the league, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen.
Everyone wants to see good football, but there was a reason why Allardyce wasn't supplying it.
It takes a high level of technical ability and mental strength to ping the ball around the pitch without making a mistake and giving it away.
Players capable of tiki-taka are not cheap. Allardyce built a strong foundation and focused on the basics, keeping the other lot at bay and working hard to take advantage of every opportunity for a safe attack.
Detractors
Or sitting deep, knocking it long and hoping for a set-piece, as his detractors might put it.
Either way it's not pretty, but it's practically guaranteed to stave off relegation. And relegation, as Desai may soon discover, is not as easy to recover from as it was last time Blackburn went down.
Reports suggest that the row began during a discussion of transfer targets. Allardyce wanted David Bentley and Roque Santa Cruz.
The new owners suggested cloven-hoofed Middlesbrough lump Kris Boyd and the ageing habitual slacker, Giovanni.
There are many reasons that Blackburn don't play like Barcelona, but it's not because they lack players of Boyd and Giovanni's calibre.
The new owners have an awful lot to learn about football. For the sake of Rovers' fans, I hope they catch up quickly.
On balance, Allardyce is probably best off out of this mess.
