Orr insists unwanted record is not on Rovers' minds (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Orr insists unwanted record is not on Rovers' minds
8:13am Friday 17th February 2012 in Sport
By Chris Flanagan, Sports reporter
BRADLEY Orr has stressed that Blackburn Rovers must target clean sheets if they are to aid their chances of staying in the Premier League – even if he believes they should not put too much focus on an impending top flight record.
Rovers claimed a 3-2 win over QPR on Saturday to climb out of the relegation zone but there was still frustration from players and manager that two second half goals from the visitors prevented them from claiming their first clean sheet of the season.
Not since the 1975/76 season had any top flight team gone 25 games without a shut-out from the start of a campaign but Rovers equalled that mark, set by Sheffield United, at the weekend.
Steve Kean’s side will now have a tough task to avoid surpassing the Yorkshire side’s unwanted streak, with their next match at Premier League leaders Manchester City next Saturday.
Right back Orr made his full Blackburn debut against QPR and knows the importance of clean sheets if Rovers are to survive.
But, having only joined Rovers at the end of the January transfer window, he admits he was unaware of how close the club are to surpassing Sheffield United’s mark and thinks the statistic itself is not important.
“I didn’t know about that but it doesn’t really matter,” said Orr, who was part of a QPR defence that kept an incredible 25 clean sheets in 46 league games on the way to promotion last term.
“The main thing is staying up, that’s more important.
“Obviously if someone offered you a 2-1 or a 3-2 win, you would say yes. It’s just vital that we win.
“But it would be great if we can keep a few clean sheets between now and the end of the season, because that would help us get results.
“It would give us a good chance of getting the wins we need.
“Any clean sheet is important and we would love to start doing that.”
Rovers are also just two games away from equalling Burnley’s run of 27 Premier League games without a clean sheet, which started 11 games into their relegation campaign two years ago.
Only West Bromwich Albion, who went 34 games without a clean sheet last term, have gone longer than Burnley without a shut-out during the course of a Premier League season.
Like Orr, Kean is similarly eager to start securing clean sheets in the near future.
While pleased with Rovers’ attacking qualities on Saturday, he said: “We certainly have to be thinking about defending as well because we’d worked all week (before the QPR game) and I think that showed in the first half.
“Our intensity of getting up to the ball and our defensive shape I thought was good, although we did have a little wobble once they scored.
“It’s making sure that we can start keeping clean sheets because we’ve not managed to get one yet.”
Comments are closed on this article.

Comments (58)
8:31am Fri 17 Feb 12
Morst The 88th Min Heartbreaker of Dingles! says...
.
What's a Clean Sheet?
8:53am Fri 17 Feb 12
RobbyRover says...
I'm sick to death of hearing Kean and some players telling us what we're going to do. Yes Bradley I can excuse you this once. But we've heard all this season about "top 10 is still on", "we're about to go on a huge winning streak", "we've been working on defence all week" etc etc. Just SHUT UP and start letting your feet do the talking.
8:53am Fri 17 Feb 12
burner says...
9:39am Fri 17 Feb 12
dangerous dave says...
The talk of 'clean sheets' we have had all season from big mouth Kean and his team but to no avail - thats why we languish at the bottom of the Premiership!!!
So Mr Orr no more talk of clean sheets just do the job you and the rest of the defence are employed to do!!!
OUT WITH KEAN OUT WITHE THE VENKYS
9:48am Fri 17 Feb 12
cboyer says...
COYB!!
9:49am Fri 17 Feb 12
French Rover says...
The following season a new manager came in (Laurent Blanc went to manage France) who didn't rate Modeste and he only made 15 appearances most as sub and scored 3 goals.
Ungainly he may be but the Bordeaux
fans I know didn't laugh at his lack of goals...so if you are going to have a dig at a Rovers player at least make sure of your facts first.
9:56am Fri 17 Feb 12
grover_the_rover says...
Shish Kean!
Defending is HALF of football!!!!!!!!!!!!
! He only realises this 14 months into the job, nice. Does anyone know if he got any clean sheets last season?
10:00am Fri 17 Feb 12
SimonGarner says...
Why did we get rid of Nelsen again?
10:10am Fri 17 Feb 12
thresholdweller says...
As for Robby Rover and Modeste, how many minutes has he played so far? Nothing like giving a lad a chance in a new country.
And cboyer on Orr, good to read some balance.
10:23am Fri 17 Feb 12
OnePostThenTheOther says...
10:26am Fri 17 Feb 12
OnePostThenTheOther says...
Sorry Brad. I take it back. In comparison to Kean you truly are a football genius.
10:29am Fri 17 Feb 12
RobbyRover says...
Regardless, he was hardly the defensive stalwart we needed. And Bradley harldy showed himself to be the quality a "Champions League in four or five years" side should be signing on Saturday! (Although I did think he looked ok coming on against Arsenal)
10:29am Fri 17 Feb 12
OnePostThenTheOther says...
Ooops. Too late.
10:31am Fri 17 Feb 12
maggie-T says...
10:49am Fri 17 Feb 12
no1 dingle hater says...
10:50am Fri 17 Feb 12
no1 dingle hater says...
10:53am Fri 17 Feb 12
jeppo says...
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Its a bizarre situation isnt it, Kean has the nouse to be able to get his teams to score goals, but somehow we can't defend, despite having some quality defenders and a decent keeper.
.
I know many on here used to crave entertaining football, which is exactly what we are getting, but Oh for a bit more pragmatism and ugly defending!!
11:37am Fri 17 Feb 12
burner says...
11:46am Fri 17 Feb 12
French Rover says...
11:49am Fri 17 Feb 12
Dukes says...
venky and kean out nowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
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12:04pm Fri 17 Feb 12
flyingv1 says...
12:04pm Fri 17 Feb 12
bring back the good old days says...
So clean sheets are needed in order to aid our survival. Well blow me down, that's where we've been falling down.
Its a **** good job we have such enlightened people in our set up.
12:23pm Fri 17 Feb 12
givet82 says...
odeste,orr etc dont get me wrong tho im no steve kean fan but alot of people who sat round me in the blackburn end give him no chance from the beginning,chance of staying up 50/50 like the bookies give us who know a bit about it.
12:26pm Fri 17 Feb 12
eddie the eagle says...
12:35pm Fri 17 Feb 12
alfa111 says...
1:03pm Fri 17 Feb 12
noddymcleod says...
ing" signings ?
Rovers lack of stamina has been apparent throughout the Kean reign.
Contrast to Rovers under Sparkie when we were usually better in the second half - and so were QPR last week. It is a question of concentration and fitness levels but also a question of motivation.
Dear old Bill Shankley said his team was trained to reach its optimum fitness level at the beginning of the second half. The old Liverpool team scored umpteen late goals, as do the superbly fit, well trained and motivated United under Fergie.
1:45pm Fri 17 Feb 12
DeLaRosa says...
1:46pm Fri 17 Feb 12
Morst The 88th Min Heartbreaker of Dingles! says...
I heard Stoke didn't get a kick against Valencia last night?
.
Every destructive idea of how to play football always gets defeated by beauty and freedom to express in the end!
.
33rd..........
1:58pm Fri 17 Feb 12
Ronaldpetercooper says...
Incidently I think Orr will be a usefull acquisition.
2:30pm Fri 17 Feb 12
StLedge says...
2:52pm Fri 17 Feb 12
flyingv1 says...
Took a couple of hours for someone to notice. Bnag is out of order.
Cheers mate
3:37pm Fri 17 Feb 12
RobbyRover says...
Agreed he's an improvement, however he's not really a signing that conveys ambition. If QPR thought he had it they wouldn't have sold him to a relegation rival! I wonder how many games he can play before his contract says he's "injured"...
3:40pm Fri 17 Feb 12
Brfc24138931 says...
4:59pm Fri 17 Feb 12
reiko082 says...
I thought Kean's January pursuit of a striker (an underwhelming one at that) was odd, a kick in the teeth for Rochina, Goodwillie, Slew & Blackman.
Personally felt a Sav in midfield was more important than a striker.
With regards to Orr's comments, I hope the guy does well. Clean sheets are what Rovers need.
6:58pm Fri 17 Feb 12
Morst The 88th Min Heartbreaker of Dingles! says...
.
Now my faithfull blues the 2012 calendar is now for sale at only £1.
.
You can spend the rest of the year looking at Samba, Nelson, Roberts, Salgado, Andrews, Jones and many many more players I have got rid of!
7:10pm Fri 17 Feb 12
makaveli96 says...
Nobody knows what I'm dealing with.
7:11pm Fri 17 Feb 12
makaveli96 says...
7:13pm Fri 17 Feb 12
makaveli96 says...
7:15pm Fri 17 Feb 12
makaveli96 says...
7:17pm Fri 17 Feb 12
makaveli96 says...
She hit the roof.
7:18pm Fri 17 Feb 12
makaveli96 says...
7:20pm Fri 17 Feb 12
makaveli96 says...
7:21pm Fri 17 Feb 12
makaveli96 says...
8:23pm Fri 17 Feb 12
rover-till-dudp says...
8:44pm Fri 17 Feb 12
Keep Darwen Green says...
8:58pm Fri 17 Feb 12
alfa111 says...
10:02pm Fri 17 Feb 12
rover-till-dudp says...
1:10am Sat 18 Feb 12
craftandgraft says...
geroid adason. ....the fantasy league.
herve villechaise 1943 - 1993.
(he got up well for a little man)
david speedie.
alltimesuperhero.
ultrablackburnrovers
internationalolympic
rescue.
s o f u ltd.
8:41am Sat 18 Feb 12
Morst The 88th Min Heartbreaker of Dingles! says...
.
Life at Rovers may be bad but it could be worse!
.
33rd..........
11:56am Sat 18 Feb 12
Far East Calling says...
12:21pm Sat 18 Feb 12
One Ronnie Clayton says...
1:18pm Sat 18 Feb 12
nontetleydrinker says...
1:23pm Sat 18 Feb 12
nontetleydrinker says...
Venky chicken is yummy.
2:55pm Sat 18 Feb 12
Dukes says...
4:06pm Sat 18 Feb 12
Lancs - pensioner says...
4:13pm Sat 18 Feb 12
Lancs - pensioner says...
10:28am Sun 19 Feb 12
Morst The 88th Min Heartbreaker of Dingles! says...
Tetley Tida Lida Lee,
Tetley Tida Lida Lee,
Roberts scores against Burnalee!
.
33rd Year and Counting Sad Dingles!
4:15am Mon 20 Feb 12
Far East Calling says...
a shot l can't resist it, but just a thought can the Rovers stand to be in the top flight, the game has changed dramatically, its now more about money than football, and has the population in Blackburn changes and one section his more interested in cricket than football, l can see in maybe 15 or 20 years crowds of 12 and 14 thousand at home matches, l might be wrong time will tell, and again l say thank you Kean and Venkys.