Blackburn Rovers beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Ewood Park on Sunday, in front of their new owners. The takeover and that victory have brought some confidence into Sam Allardyce’s side as they take on Manchester United this weekend.
Sunday’s hero, Morten Gamst Pedersen, believes that the Blues can puzzle Sir Alex Ferguson’s men when the two sides meet at Old Trafford in a few days time. Pedersen scored a brace the last time Rovers beat the Red Devils at Old Trafford in 2005 and the midfielder is looking for a repeat of that achievement this time around.
Pedersen told the Lancashire Telegraph: “People remind me of that day in 2005 all the time and want to talk about it. It’s one of my biggest ever days on a football pitch – probably the biggest. That showed it’s not impossible for us to go there and get points off them. The league is so tight it’s unbelievable, lots of strange things are happening. We’ve got this win now so that means we can fully focus on going to United.”
The Norwegian international has been in impressive form recently, scoring five goals in five games. When Pedersen first arrived at Ewood, he was a breath of fresh air and his performances led to reported interest from United. However, his form has slipped over the last few seasons. But now, Pedersen feels he is back to his best thanks to his new, more central position.
Meanwhile, the Blues have been linked with a whole host of players since their takeover by Venky’s. Last week, strikers John Carew and David Ngog were reportedly on their way to Ewood Park. Now, Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips and Middlesbrough defender David Wheater are also apparently being targeted by the club. Whether these rumours are true or not remains to be seen, however it is inevitable that the Lancashire side will be linked to several players, now that the club have some money to spend.
One man unlikely to make the move is Pedersen’s fellow Norweigan team mate Erik Huseklepp. Local media reports that Huseklepp has been monitored by Rovers for some time now, but the club are now looking for a more proven goalscorer, which rules the striker out for the time being.
As for the new owners, it is thought that they have flown back to India after watching their side beat Villa. Rovers boss Sam Allardyce is hopeful that he will get a chance to discuss their plans for the club soon. These discussions may include how much the manager will actually have to spend in the January transfer window, which is the key question on the minds of supporters at the moment.
