MENTION the dreaded ‘C word’ to Sam Allardyce and you are guaranteed short shrift as he focuses on restoring some much-needed belief around a shell-shocked Ewood Park.

The Blackburn Rovers boss is never shy to offer his views on most subjects in football and beyond with a refreshing honesty, but yesterday’s Brockhall press conference left you in no doubt the Championship is very much a taboo subject.

Without a win in nine Premier League games, just three points above the Premier League drop zone and growing dissent from the club’s supporters suggest all is far from well at Ewood Park as Rovers prepare for Fulham’s crucial visit tomorrow.

But, turned on its head, Allardyce will rightly point to his side’s 13th position in the table, the number of chances currently being created and their home form during his reign as reasons to stay positive.

The manager is the first to accept the pressure is building but, when asked if he feared dropping into the abyss – the Championship – an incredulous Allardyce left everyone in no doubt what his thoughts were.

“What are we? Five games to go? A ridiculous question at this stage of the season. I am not going to answer a daft question like that,” he said.

“We are in a good position in the league and if we win the next two, people will probably be daft enough to talk about Europe League. Just like you are daft enough to talk about the Championship.”

Defeats in their next two Premier League home games, the visits of Fulham and Wigan, and Rovers will suddenly leave their league position looking a lot more perilous though as the pressure grows.

But, having rescued Rovers from deep in the mire last time round, Allardyce is no stranger to pressurised situations and is now looking for the same response from his players as on many times last season.

He said: “It hasn’t changed much has it. We thought we were going to get the right side of where we wanted to be when we won out first away game at Bolton and it was a back to back win.

“We thought things were looking better and we would push on but now we are facing our Premier League fixtures with no victories. It is a concern for us all and it is bringing more and more pressure.

“You don’t get a win and the pressure builds and builds. You accept that but you don’t let it bring you down and you keep focused and keep believing in how to go about your job and your task and don’t let the distractions faze you. Eventually you hope that all important victory will come your way.”

Thursday night’s second half performance against Aston Villa will at least have given supporters some renewed reason for optimism, as they showed signs of returning to the home form that has made Ewood Park a fortress over the last 12 months.

The first half display in the 1-0 Carling Cup semi final first leg defeat to Villa though was unacceptable though – with Allardyce now looking for his side to make up for lost time.

He said: “I always split the season into four phases – three 10s and an eight. Each phase you go into and have a rough idea of what you should be trying to achieve.

“Obviously we have fallen behind that as a team so we have this phase to make up the points we failed to get in the first 21 games and try and turn those results in victories.

“We are very, very close to winning games of football. We have faltered though for whatever reason and to put that all-important victory in the bag and make us look comfortable.

“It is a difficult game for two reasons. Fulham are an excellent team who are extremely well organised and the other difficulty is it is our third game in six games.

“It is not a game we want to do anything other than win but we have to try and overcome those difficulties.

"They are bound to be fresher in terms of their physical and mental state but we will have to be driving ourselves harder towards the last part of the game.

“To get a win I think we will have to try and get a lead as early as we can.

"Hopefully that will give us something to hang onto and use when we are bound to fatigue later on.”