Chicken punches above its weight

Chickens often punch above their weight when it comes to exposure in the national media, and the chook that graced the turf at Ewood Park last weekend was no exception. 

The bird was released on to the pitch in protest at the management policies of Blackburn Rovers Indian owners, the Venky chicken business, on the day that the club was relegated from the Premiership.

It was a splendid performance by the chook which, according to Google rankings, subsequently appeared in over 1,300 news articles. Furthermore, the bird could only be caught once it hit the back of the Wigan net – which was more than Blackburn Rovers could achieve.

As a bit of a poultry anorak, my only complaint is that it was clearly a layer and not a broiler, which would have better epitomised the Venky’s business interests.

PS This is not the first time I’ve seen a feathered intruder at a football game. Reading about it took me back to the early 1980s when I found myself in the North Stand of Ipswich Town’s Portman Road ground, up close to where all the Norwich supporters were “caged” in. Some local character had smuggled in a budgie and a can of lighter fuel. Well, I’ll spare you the gory details. Suffice to say it didn’t end happily for the budgie….