Blackburn fans should aim their wrath at the real culprits

SteveKean’s professionalism and unshaken optimism throughout what has clearly been one of the most challenging and hate-f illed periods of his career will only serve to turn the inexperienced Blackburn boss into a success story, whether that be at Ewood Park or not.

After beating Fulham 3-1 on Saturday to put their heads above the parapet of relegation for the f irst time since September, Kean can take a well deserved bow for a run that has seen him take four points away from Old Trafford and Anfield in the previous two games.

Blackburn fans, who have protested, heckled and threatened the man, all so far in vain, should now realise their frustrations were being thrown in the wrong direction.

Agreed, Sam Allardyce should never have been sacked, Kean never appointed, and a record of just seven wins in 39 games should never have been deemed acceptable. But none of these issues are Kean’s fault.

Those calling for his head, in an ever depraved downward spiral of football’s inhumanity, should instead be venting their frustrations at Venky’s brothers, Balaji and Venkatesh Rao, who have appeared to enter the club on a regressive budget with the view to asset strip at the same time as shamelessly promoting their chicken.

Instead the fans have been on at Kean, staging protests outside the stadium, boycotting matches and generally hurling vile abuse.

Kean has done nothing wrong. He’s actually maintained the upper hand throughout this ordeal by largely ignoring calls for his resignation and protecting his young players by shouldering the responsibility and taking positives while all around him lay negative backlash in unprecedented proportions.

Highly commendable

If his managerial career survives through this diff icult spell, which it seems to have done so far, with the worst having surely passed, Kean will be able to deal with anything thrown at him in this most ungrateful of industries.

The way he’s kept his team of underachievers together, with positive mentality and belief, throughout the most trying of atmospheres at the club, is highly commendable and if they do manage to survive relegation he should be among the names for manager of the season for the turnaround he would have spearheaded against absolute adversity.

With his biggest enemies coming from within in the form of chairmen and the club’s own supporters, Kean has shown the strength of character to last in the profession despite appearing to enter management vastly out of his depth in an apparent overnight undeserved transfer to the top.

If only Blackburn fans would appreciate him a bit more and make scapegoats of the real culprits.