Blackburn Rovers vs Swansea City preview - Kean seeks home comforts

Posted Saturday, December 03, 2011 by PA

Blackburn boss Steve Kean is targeting maximum points from a trio of home games before Christmas as the team prepare for a potentially season-defining period.

Rovers have performed creditably at Ewood Park against the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea, but a dramatic 4-3 win over the Gunners in September remains their only victory in 13 Barclays Premier League matches and they are currently bottom of the table.

On paper the next four fixtures look promising, with Blackburn hosting newly-promoted Swansea before visiting Sunderland and then taking on West Brom and Bolton at home.

And they are games Kean feels Rovers must make the most of.

"We really need to make sure over the next four games that we put points on the board," said Kean, whose side lost to Cardiff in the Carling Cup quarter-finals this week.

"When we've been at home this season, I think we've played very well in a number of games.

"We've played against a lot of big clubs. We've beaten Arsenal, played well against Tottenham (a 2-1 defeat) where I feel we should have got something, and played very well against Chelsea, where we narrowly lost (1-0).

"But it is about victories now. There are times when you can take positives from playing well against these clubs, but what we need to do now is get points.

"Three out of these next four games are like cup finals for us. We deprived ourselves the opportunity to go forward in a tournament (the Carling Cup) and possibly get to a cup final, so we need to make these games our cup finals.

"I believe we will get the points and that we can go on an unbeaten run.

"I think the lads have shown that they can perform at the highest level against the clubs that will be up there challenging for the title, but now we need to perform in these games and I'm sure we will."

Having made five changes for the Cardiff match, Kean is set to reinstate the likes of goalkeeper Paul Robinson and striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu to the first XI.

He is also hoping to have three defenders available again after hamstring injuries, with Christopher Samba, Michel Salgado and Martin Olsson - none of whom he chose to risk fielding in the cup tie - all in line to return.

Meanwhile, Swansea midfielder Leon Britton has sympathy for Kean's plight but is determined to make life even more uncomfortable for the under-fire Rovers boss.

He said: "If we get an early goal there may be a bit of unrest among the fans and they could get on the players' backs if we did that.

"If we don't it won't be the be all and end all, we want to win the game and if it takes until the 89th, 90th or 91st minute we'll take that, but we are looking for a bright and quick start.

"We are trying to open that gap between us and the bottom of the table. Saturday is another opportunity to push up the table, we don't want to be looking over our shoulders, we want to look ahead and this is a real opportunity to push on and open up that gap."

But Britton, who along with fellow midfielders Joe Allen and Mark Gower has made an impressive start to life in the top flight, admits he feels sorry for Kean and the Blackburn players having experienced life at the wrong end of a league table with Sheffield United last term.

"I have played in teams getting booed off at half-time and it has an adverse effect," he said.

"People pay their money and are entitled to their opinion but if the team are struggling it's not what you want to hear as players."

If Swansea are to record that first away win, and end a scoreless run of three games, they look set to have to do so without top scorer Danny Graham, who is struggling with an Achilles injury.