Former Scotland star has sympathy for Kean

Wednesday 21 December 2011

Blackburn favourite Kevin Gallacher believes the abuse directed at manager Steve Kean is made worse due to the club's owners' absence from Ewood Park.

Kean received some vicious abuse during last night's 2-1 defeat to Bolton, which ensured Blackburn will spend Christmas Day bottom of the Barclays Premier League.

It seems inevitable the Scot will be sacked, yet in the immediate aftermath of the contest he declared his intention to continue in his role and claimed he would be "100% surprised" if the end came.

Yet, in denying a board meeting had been planned, Kean was also confirming no one from Venky's, the Indian poultry farmers who took control at Rovers last year, were actually present for what had been billed as a do-or-die game.And it is this stance which Gallacher feels is damaging Kean, and Rovers."The whole situation is very confusing," the former Scotland international said."The fans think Kean should be sacked, yet he came out in the aftermath of last night's game and said he still believed he would be there."Nobody knows whether there is a board meeting or not, and, if a decision is going to be taken, who will take it and who will say what has been done."Are the owners actually going to come over from India or just carry on regardless and try to get the wage bill down?"In previous years we had (former chief executive) John Williams to calm everything down. But that doesn't exist now."And, with the owners not present, the fans only have a single target for their ire."The fans are angry because the club was run so well for 20 years, one of the best run clubs in the Premier League," he said."Now that does not appear to be the case and they want to lash out."Normally it would be the chairman or the chief executive. In this instance it is the manager - and he is bearing the brunt of it all."It is a pretty bleak picture for Rovers, who will be attempting to become only the second club, after West Brom, in the Premier League era to avoid relegation despite being bottom on Christmas Day.Yet Gallacher believes it cannot all be attributed to Kean's lack of experience."Kenny Dalglish did the Double in his first year as manager," he said."What is experience? Do you need 10 years in the job?"Steve Kean had experience as a player and a coach. I think he was experienced enough to step up."Unfortunately the reaction has been the same for a few months now."I just think more questions are being asked of him because the owners are not there."

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Former Scotland star has sympathy for Kean

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