Fake CV gets Burnley fan short-listed for Blackburn manager's job

Michael Appleton was sacked recently as Blackburn boss.

A Burnley fan sent in a fake CV to troubled club Blackburn Rovers and was astonished when he saw the reply.

James McDonagh, 30, got invited to interview for the managers’s job in spite of being a fan of Rovers’ rivals, Burnley, and mentioning in his CV that he wanted to achieve ‘back-to-back’ relegation for the team.

But that didn’t matter to the English club as they sent him an email informing him he was in the frame to manage the Championship side. The email was promptly sent by Shebby Singh, who works for Blackburn’s Indian owners Venky’s.

The email read: ‘Having checked your application and your credentials from your CV, we would like to shortlist you for the vacancy.’

Speaking to The Sun, Mr McDonagh said, ‘They’re a bit of a joke club at the minute and I thought I could probably do better than their last few appointments.

‘I wasn’t expecting to get shortlisted but Blackburn’s owners are known for their barmy decisions.’

In November 2010, Venky’s London Ltd brought a 99.9% stake in Blackburn Rovers. The new owners did manage to clear a certain amount of the club’s debt, but it wasn’t enough as frustration among fans increased after the club’s downfall.