Caretaker Bowyer sweeping up the mess
IF HE’S not careful, Gary Bowyer could end up becoming Blackburn manager permanently after securing a second valuable win in less than a week as caretaker boss.
Rovers fans chanted Bowyer’s name as he masterminded a comfortable win over his dad Ian’s former club and their unpopular new boss Alex McLeish.
This was all happening as former Leicester manager Peter Taylor’s odds on filling the Ewood Park vacancy were tumbling following the 57-day Henning Berg fiasco.
Blackburn’s global adviser Shebby Singh has returned from India and had hoped to name the new manager last night. He is now waiting for the ruling Venky’s group to select their new man from a list which is believed to include Taylor, Kevin MacDonald, Billy Davies and former India Under 15 coach Judan Ali, who was the only one of those candidates at this game.
Bowyer would not rule himself out and he is now third in the betting behind Taylor, who has been working in Bahrain, and former Forest boss Davies.
Bowyer, who also plotted the win at Barnsley on Saturday, said: ‘We have not had time to think about anything else. I will give the club more time. Terry McPhillips and I have been here for years, we care about the club and we will see what happens. We are looking to push on. We will just carry on until we are told otherwise.’
Bowyer (right) said of yesterday’s win: ‘I could enjoy it at the end. The players were magnificent again. They do care about the club, they have some pride and they have shown that.’
Fans who have persevered with the club under Venky’s have long given up trying to gain inspiration from the directors’ box or dugout. It can’t have helped the mood at Ewood Park that the home players’ efforts on the pitch were again overshadowed by events in the boardroom.
The fans will have forgotten the opening 45 minutes of 2013 already, but after the heavens opened it took just three minutes of the second half for the home side to breathe life into the game — and their season — with a fortunate opening goal from Ruben Rochina. The midfielder powered forward from halfway after taking over following Josh King’s impressive run from deep. He appeared to lose control of the ball as he approached the visitors’ penalty area but Forest defender Daniel Ayala went for route one with his clearance and smashed the ball against Rochina’s right shin.
The ricochet deceived Lee Camp and flew inside the Forest keeper’s far post.
After Jake Kean had made a superb reflex save to keep out Forest’s only chance — Billy Sharp’s instinctive close-range touch to a Dan Harding cross — and earn his first clean sheet as Blackburn keeper, the hosts took command.
McLeish said: ‘The Blackburn keeper won them the three points.’
Jordan Rhodes scored his 13th goal since his August move from Huddersfield with a well- taken 75th- minute strike. Colin Kazim-Richards and substitute Morten Gamst Pedersen created the opening for the striker, who danced past Ayala and Camp before slotting home.
Man of the match Kazim-Richards added his third goal of the season three minutes later, lashing home Adam Henley’s tempting cross from the edge of the area.
Forest fans vented their frustration at the club’s owners and McLeish, who said: ‘I could not see that coming at halftime but they got a fluke goal. I don’t think there is a pot of gold for January but we are looking at names with the owners.’