HOT PROPERTY
Rovers boss Tomasson ready to battle Vinny
JON DAHL TOMASSON began his rivalry with Vincent Kompany within hours of arriving at Blackburn by going head-tohead with him for a flat.
Tomasson viewed a property on Wednesday and was told by the estate agent that Burnley’s new boss Kompany is also keen. Blackburn’s director of football, Gregg Broughton, who accompanied the new Rovers manager, said: “As soon as he arrived at Blackburn, we went flat hunting in Lancashire.
“The estate agent told us it was between him and Vincent, who also wants it. I suggested they flat share, but that’s not going to happen!”
Tomasson’s appointment at Ewood Park and Kompany’s at Turf Moor add spice to the clubs’ fierce rivalry, which has been on hold for the six years the Clarets were in the Premier League.
The East Lancashire foes will be vying for promotion and Tomasson says he is relishing going up against Kompany (inset) and Burnley. “He was a great player,” said the Dane. “He worked in Belgium and I don’t know him that well as a manager.
“To be honest, I love these derbies, they give me energy. I’ll love that this season, the fans too.
“I’m really looking forward to those games and I understand Burnley is really not the thing at Rovers.”
Tomasson, 45, faced Blackburn during his
12 months at Newcastle under Kenny Dalglish in the late 1990s and he knows how desperate Rovers fans are to see their club back in the Premier League.
“I was on the bench probably for that game!” he joked, in reference to his less-than-successful spell with Newcastle.
“Blackburn are a club who are hungry to go in a special direction and create success.” Blackburn chose Tomasson as Tony Mowbray’s successor because he won back-to-back titles with Malmo in his two seasons and led them to the Champions League group stages last year, at Rangers’ expense.
The former AC Milan star and 2003 Champions League winner achieved this on a limited budget by developing players. Rovers hope he can work his magic again and he is their most high-profile appointment since Graeme Souness in 2000 in a sign of owners Venky’s new ambition. “We will work hard but also work with a clever mind,” he said. “Yes, we can’t buy players like the rest of the clubs, but one thing we can do, and promise to do, is work hard and be better at our jobs than our rivals.”