Nigerian striker Yakubu became the first Blackburn Rovers player to score four goals in a single Premier League game as the Lancashire outfit collected three precious points against Swansea City. Steve Kean’s star summer signing has now bagged nine league goals in as many games – only Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero and Robin van Persie have found the net on more occasions this term.
The 29-year-old, who arrived as a cut-price replacement for the disappointing £6m forward Nikola Kalinic, was signed for a fee reported to be in the region of just £1.5m. Yet Yakubu has now scored more league goals in three months than the young Croatian managed in two years. Kean may have a poor managerial record to date, but the under-pressure Scot has undoubtedly brought some quality players to Ewood Park.
Unfortunately for Kean, some sections of the home crowd seem to have lost faith in his managerial ability. Indeed, even as Rovers were winning on Saturday afternoon, a number of fans were continuously calling for his head. The supporters’ anger towards the manager is understandable, particularly when you consider that Kean has guided Rovers to just seven victories in 35 league games. The fact that some were hurling abuse at the Scot after such an important win suggests that Kean’s relationship with some fans is irreparable.
Speaking about the reaction of the crowd during the game, Kean said: “I would like the majority of fans to be vocal and say to the minority who are protesting that they should give the team a chance. There are a lot of young players in the team and this type of thing could affect them negatively. There must be other issues because I can’t work out how these people boo if we win or score a goal. I would have thought the fans would want the same as me – for the team to win and to climb up the league. If they didn’t want that I’d be shocked.”
It remains to be seen whether Kean is able to turn things around at Ewood Park. Although the win over Swansea lifted Rovers off the foot of the table, the former Premier League champions are still stuck in the relegation zone. The Lancashire outfit could however find themselves further up the table before Christmas, as they are due to play Sunderland, West Brom and Bolton – all of them winnable. If Kean can guide Rovers to a couple of wins from those three games, then he may just be able to start getting some fans back on his side.
Meanwhile, Rovers will travel to the Sports Direct Arena to play Newcastle in the FA Cup in January. Kean’s side have already beaten the Magpies in the Carling Cup this campaign and he will be hoping for a similar result when the two sides go head-to-head next month.
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