JIM Smith believes Yakubu can provide Blackburn Rovers with the same lift he once gave to Portsmouth – as long as his confidence is boosted by an early goal.

The former Rovers manager worked with Yakubu during his days as assistant to Harry Redknapp at Pompey and saw at first hand the ability the Nigerian possesses when he is firing on all cylinders.

Yakubu could potentially make his Rovers debut at Fulham on Sunday after signing from Everton on the last day of the transfer window, having endured a difficult couple of years following a serious Achilles’ tendon injury.

But the 28-year-old previously took the Premier League by storm - starring in the top flight for the Toffees, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth after making an immediate impact at Fratton Park when he arrived halfway through their promotion season in 2002/03.

Earlier that season Yakubu had caught Redknapp’s eye with a goal against Manchester United and a hat-trick against Olympiakos for Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League.

“Yak was vital for us,” said Smith, who managed Rovers between 1975 and 1978.

“He came in during the promotion season and he gave the players such a lift.

“Harry was trying to bring in players and it was a signing that showed our ambition.

“I think he can do the same at Blackburn and give them a lift.

“He’s extremely strong, he’s got pace and he scores goals. And he’s a super lad, a lot of fun in the dressing room.

“It’s just consistency with Yak, which is probably why he’s ended up at Blackburn.

“You do need to keep an eye on him and keep talking to him, but he’s a good lad. If you can keep him motivated he will score goals.

“He just needs to get that goal early on because he’s not always the most confident lad. Maybe he has lost a bit of confidence.

“But once he gets scoring and gets that confidence, he’s flying.”

Yakubu is likely to be competing for a place at Rovers with Jason Roberts, who has started the club’s opening three matches of the campaign.

Eight years ago it was Roberts arriving at Fratton Park when Yakubu was very much a regular at Portsmouth.

It was perhaps Yakubu’s form at the time that contributed to Roberts staying at Pompey for only four months on loan before dropping down a division to ultimately help Wigan into the Premier League, but Smith believes the competition between the pair brought the best out of them both at the time.

“The problem Jason had at the time was that Yak was flying,” said Smith, now 70.

“It’s difficult for them to play together because they have both got a similar style.

“Jason and Yak both do need players around them to feed them in.

“Jason had everything, the only thing you would have said was that he wasn’t a natural goalscorer. But he’s matured a lot as a player since.

“If one was playing the other one was upset, if the other was playing the first one was upset, so they had to keep scoring.

“It was a constant threat, so maybe it could be the same again.”

Smith hopes Rovers can climb the table after opening the campaign with three straight defeats, losing at home to Everton in their last game after missing two penalties.

“I really enjoyed my time there, it’s a lovely club and a good set of fans,” he said.

“They were very unlucky against Everton and I’m sure if they can get a couple of wins they’ll be on their way.”

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