John Eustace stressed the importance of resetting Blackburn Rovers' culture to ensure they stayed in the Championship this season.
Rovers secured safety on the final day of the campaign with a dramatic 2-0 win at Leicester City. Second-half goals from Sam Szmodics ensured they stayed above the bottom three with each of the four teams in contention winning.
It was a brilliant way for Blackburn to end a disappointing season, with the away fans sent home happy.
Reflecting on the achievement, Eustace stressed the importance of changing the losing mentality at Rovers when he arrived. The team were shipping goals when he arrived but ended the campaign with five clean sheets in nine games.
READ MORE: Rovers player ratings as Szmodics is the hero again
"It feels great, the effort of the players has been fantastic," Eustace said.
"They got us through with the support of the fans. I think in the three months since we have come in, it's been very important that nobody gets carried away with the highs or the lows.
"We've had to stay level headed and that is what we've done since we came in. We've been doubted on a number of occasions but we have always bounced back.
"It's five defeats in 18 games and that's a fantastic return from when we came in. We had a run of defeats when I came in, we were written off and on our way down.
"It is very important that people realise that when we came in, we had to change the character, the culture and the environment. A lot of injury problems and people playing through injuries, lacking fitness.
"Every vital point we have picked up, it's now very evident that it keeps you in the league. To have five clean sheets in the last nine is a sensational return, especially with the group having to change personnel at different times.
"I think to keep a clean sheet in any game is very difficult. It takes a lot of hard work on the training field.
"When you aren't clinical enough in the final third, which we haven't been, you have to make sure you stay in games. We didn't want to chase games and therefore lose games.
"We have stayed in the league and that's been a massive effort from the players. I am very proud of the players, the staff and the fans."
At the time Rovers scored, a Leicester City goal would've put them in the bottom three. Instead, Szmodics netted and Birmingham City were relegated.
Eustace insisted he had no idea what the results were elsewhere until after the match.
"I didn't have a clue what the scores were, I wasn't interested in anyone else," he insisted.
"I only care that we were doing the right things and we did. My job is to coach the team and make sure they're prepared. I had enough to worry about with Leicester trying to break us down.
"I was very confident we'd come here and be competitive and we have. If we do things right, we'd win and we did."
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