We have to keep believing, insists Blackburn Rovers boss (From Lancashire Telegraph)

We have to keep believing, insists Blackburn Rovers boss

10:00am Saturday 22nd December 2012 in Sport By Andy Cryer, Blackburn Rovers reporter

EWOOD Park manager Henning Berg has urged his struggling Blackburn side to “keep the belief” after insisting that Rovers can’t afford to play with any fear.

A run of just one win in nine Championship games under Berg’s control leaves Rovers seven points off the play-off places but he insists there have been signs for hope.

Ahead of this afternoon’s crucial visit of Brighton and Hove Albion, Berg has stressed the importance of his players retaining confidence in themselves.

He said: “In difficult times it is easier to be a bit more passive, to not go forward, instead of taking a step forward you drop off because you are not 100 per cent sure.

“When you are winning, everyone is buzzing, everyone is doing the right things without thinking too much. We just have to make sure we handle these set backs the right way and we find ways to look forward.

“Everyone gets affected with the results. We are all human beings and when you concede a goal, someone will start to doubt, that is human nature.

“At the same time I know what we did against Blackpool was good on many, many fronts in the first half, so we know that we have that potential, we know it is possible for us to play well and win games.

“That is why we should not listen only to the media. Of course your job is to look at the results, I can understand that, but as managers, coaches and players we have to look at the performances as well.

“We have to see what in the game we are doing well so we can take confidence from it and what we need to improve to make sure we get the right results.”

Berg accepts results have not been good enough since he took charge at the start of November but believes there have been enough signs in recent weeks to suggest fortunes can be reversed.

“Those things we need to improve, it is not impossible to change and those things we are doing well we expect to keep doing well,” he said.

“We have to look behind the results sometimes, even though it is difficult for those outside to do that.

“We are looking forward to every game we play. In the last few games we have played we have been within possibilities of winning.

“In terms of performances we have not been too far away but at the same we have not able to defend as well as we would have liked, expecially in the last two games.

“When we played Burnley away I thought we defended very well in our own box, not as good higher up the pitch. It has not been the same things every time.

“It is a learning process, we have to focus on the concentration, the focus.

“The Brighton game is a good game for us. They are a good team but we are playing at home and we are looking to impose ourselves on to them.”

Meanwhile, keeper Paul Robinson did not train yesterday and Jake Kean is set to keep his place in the side today.

Comments are closed on this article.