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RHODES CAN SCORE

The Blackburn manager Michael Appleton has said that he expects the striker Jordan Rhodes. The striker managed to score the goals in the recent 2-0 win over Bristol city. The striker has been one of the positive aspects of the club this season. His goals in the match against Bristol were his 19th this season. It is an incredible return for the player who has made 28 appearances in all competitions. He was one of the expensive signings in the Championship this season, but he has so far proved to be a great value. However, the manager Appleton has said that would like to see an improvement from the player when it comes to the hold-up play.

Even the opposition manager Sean O’Driscoll was in praise of the striker by saying that he is very much similar to Alan Shearer at his best. The former Blackburn Rovers striker is regarded as a legend after his achievements with the club. Hence, it is quite a praise to be compared alongside a player like Shearer. O’Driscoll has praised the attributes of Rhodes by saying that is extremely quick and alive in the box. It makes him the first person to react to any opportunities and half chances that may come his way.

“He’s a very good finisher. That is why the football club paid the money that they did to bring him here. I want to bring more to his game, I want him to be better at holding the ball up,” said the Blackburn manager. “He’s clever. Give him a chance inside the six-yard box and I know who my money would be on. You’ve got mark him from a corner. He’s not the quickest, he’s just clever. I’ve watched him so many times, he almost feeds on scraps and he doesn’t get frustrated, which is his biggest plus for me,” said O’Driscoll.

MURPHY IMPORTANT TO TEAM

The former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy has been one of the important members of the team according to the Blackburn Rovers caretaker manager Gary Bowyer. After the recent sacking of Berg, Bowyer has been handed the task of managing the first-team until a replacement is found. He has singled out the former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy as an integral member of the team, who is capable of getting him out of the Championship. Blackburn managed to lure the services of Murphy in the summer. Many expected the 35-year-old not to play an integral part in the team, but he has been excellent in the first half of the season despite his age.

Murphy scored in the recent match against Bristol city, which helped the team manage three consecutive victories. As a result, they have been able to make their way up the table into the 13th position and they remain just five points below the play-off position. Instead of focusing on his future, the caretaker manager Bowyer has showered praise on the former Fulham captain. He has said that Murphy is one of the few members of the squad to have won the FA Cup – with Liverpool – and it clearly showed in his experience.

“It was a great start for us and a good strike from Danny. Since myself and Terry have come in and had to look after the team, Danny has been brilliant his support for us has been magnificent and we can’t praise him enough. His goal was good and he reminded the lads on Friday that he had won the FA Cup with Liverpool. He has been great for the lads and great for us,” said Bowyer. The team will be having a few critical matches in the month of January when they will be featuring the likes of Wolves and Charlton.

BURNLEY WANT DERBY

The Burnley midfielder Chris McCann has said that his team are extremely looking forward to the prospect of bringing an end to the bad run of form that they have suffered against their arch rivals Blackburn. Burnley come into this match looking to beat Blackburn Rovers for the first time since 1979. This is extremely astonishing given the fact that it is one of the oldest rivalries in football. McCann has said that Burnley fans have suffered for a long time in this respect, and they need to savour the chance to taste victory against one of their biggest rivals.

Chris McCann has not been part of this fixture in the past three times because he has been injured on every occasion. He is very much looking forward to meeting Blackburn for the first time in a competitive encounter. The 25-year-old has said that these kind of matches do not come often. He has recalled the first time he was part of this derby – as a ball boy. Robbie Savage was a player for Blackburn during that period in 2005. Even though he was born in Dublin, McCann has said that he has been adopted by the town of Burnley as he has been playing for the club since the age of 16.

“You’re thinking ‘this is a massive, massive thing’. People underestimate how big it is, especially for the people of Burnley. You walk around the town and the first thing people say is ‘we can’t wait to play Blackburn’. You see how much it means to them, so you don’t want to disappoint anybody or let anybody down,” said McCann ahead of the match. Since the arrival of the new manager, Blackburn have been struggling to get results in the league. They have just one victory in the last five matches.