ERIC Black insists Blackburn Rovers have not yet hit the standards needed to achieve an instant Premier League return, making their early season results “unsustainable”.

Rovers’ caretaker boss has attempted to radically alter things at Ewood Park since Steve Kean’s departure and, despite just two points from his three games at the helm, is adamant ‘on field change’ was needed.

Black will again be in temporary charge for tomorrow’s Championship trip to Derby County, as Rovers’ attempts to land Tim Sherwood as their new boss continue to falter, and is desperate to help the team improve their performances.

He admits his efforts to change Rovers’ style of play, including the use of a new 3-5-2 formation, have not had the desired effect but believed something had to give.

He said: “I think we need to be more offensive in what we do and more direct in what we do. I don’t mean I want the ball to be kicked up the pitch, that is not what I am saying.

“This is a traditional football club where supporters want to see energy, competitiveness, shots on target, blocks, aggressiveness.

“It needs to be that type of performance. Whether I can transform that in the time I have here I don’t know, that is my challenge.

“I believe the club needs an identity because of the type of people that are here.

“It is a working class town and they want to see energy and aggressiveness.

“Blackburn Rovers have been like that for as long as I can remember. We need to turn that into promotion.”

Rovers were sitting third in the table when Kean quit the club in September, with just one league defeat, but Black believes results had been deceptive.

He insists Rovers can’t claim to be “a Premier League” team and believes “10 per cent extra” might need to be added in the January transfer window to make promotion dreams realistic.


“I have been in the league a long time and I am not deluded by results,” he said. “You can’t be deluded as a coach, you have to be performance based.


“Results keep you in the job but if you are doing that on a slightly shaky basis you have to be trying to resolve that basis. I would have to agree we have not performed exceptionally well. The first few results were fantastic but I don’t think it was sustainable.


“We are a Championship team. I don’t care if we have 22 Premier League players, we are a Championship team and it is a different league. I know the differences and I know what is required in the make up and I am not convinced at the moment we are there.


“Something has to change. That is only my opinion. Someone might come in tomorrow and say we can play in a certain way and we will go up and that is their decision. If they get up, they will be proved right.


“I think there is 90 per cent the right ingredients to achieve promotion. I don’t think there is 100 percent. You have to try and get to that 100 per cent and it might take until January to supplement that.


“I am a great believer that you need a variation of front players. I don’t think we have got enough front players for this type of division, a Leon Best type.


“We have got a lot of players who have played off the front but we need players used to playing two up. That has not been possible.”