JASON Roberts insists there are no excuses for Rovers’ perilous Premier League position – but believes survival will ensure an exciting Ewood Park future.

Rovers’ experienced striker believes the club have the best crop of youngsters anywhere in the top flight and insists it is everyone’s duty to ensure they are given the best platform to develop in East Lancashire – Premier League football.

Steve Kean’s men travel to West Ham this afternoon just three points clear of the drop zone but, with just three games remaining, know victory would go a long way in securing their survival.

While Roberts was quick to admit Rovers ‘have to do better’ after seeing them embroiled in the relegation dogfight for much of the season, he insists the development of the likes of Phil Jones, Martin Olsson and Junior Hoilett can only be good for the future.

He said: “I struggle to think of another Premier League side that has the amount of good young players we have in our club at the moment.

“It is exciting for the club and it is exciting for me as a senior professional to be around them every day. To see so much talent at a young age is very, very good and to see them progress as I have done has been a real privilege.

“What we have to do is make sure that they are performing at a Premier League level with Blackburn Rovers next year.

“I have seen all the boys come through from the youth team all the way through. It has been a privilege to see that, they are all good boys and I think there is a very exciting future for them at this football club.”

Roberts is no stranger to fighting for survival, having already helped Rovers out of a couple of tight situations in the past couple of seasons.

He also experienced the dreaded drop when he went down with West Brom in 2003 but admits the situation is very different at Rovers this time around.

“When we went down with West Brom we simply were not good enough,” said Roberts. “We tried everything, there was no lack of effort, we just were not good enough.

“That was a newly promoted side and this is an established Premier League squad. It is fundamentally different and we want to make sure we are away from the bottom of the table as soon as possible.

“There are no excuses and there have never been any excuses from us. We as a squad know we have to do better, without a doubt and that is what we have been endeavouring to do.

“I thought the win against Bolton was just reward for how hard we have been working recently and now hopefully that will give us the belief to go into the other games and get something from them, regardless of how we play. That is the key thing, it is about results.”

The 33-year-old isn’t about to let any talk of Rovers’ dismal Upton Park record put him off their search for safety this afternoon - insisting their record of just one win at the Hammer sine 1963 means little.

“It is funny. People talk about our not so great record at West Ham but I think of really good memories when I play at Upton Park,” he said.

“I remember winning there quite a few times with Wigan. I have some good memories of Upton Park. I have probably scored four or five goals there. I scored for West Brom when we got promoted.

“We are not going to think of it as a bogey ground. From my viewpoint ‘what a good time to turn it around. There will come a point when the run is ended so why not today?

“There is no better opportunity than a game of this magnitude. I think it is going to be a really good atmosphere and they really think they need to win.

“From our point of view we need something out of the game.. I am sure the West Ham fans will turn up and be very passionate as they always are.

“We will know it is going to be a tough game. They will look at this game and see it as a good opportunity to turn their run around and win a game.”