CALLING all Blackburn fans; your team needs YOU!

After Sunday's dismal performance against Portsmouth, Rovers need to bounce back this evening with a positive display against Birmingham City in the Carling Cup.

And you the fans can play your part by raising the roof at Ewood and spurring the team on from the stands.

The atmosphere in the ground on Sunday was noticeably flat as Rovers struggled to break down a well-drilled Portsmouth defence.

I know there was precious little for the supporters to get excited about on the day, but sometimes the fans have to lift the team when things aren't going well, rather than vice versa.

Against Arsenal earlier in the season, that was exactly what happened, and Rovers responded brilliantly by storming back from 1-0 down to grab a precious point with 10-men.

Now the challenge is to reproduce that same atmosphere on a more regular basis because, believe me, it does make a difference.

In the days when I used to play for Rovers, the support we got from the fans was absolutely magnificent.

Every player had his own song and when there was a lull in play, or the team was struggling, the fans would go through their full repertoire and it gave everyone a lift.

I think we need to get back to that now. We need someone to come up with more songs, both for specific individuals and the team as a whole.

If Ewood is to become a fortress again then everyone has to play their part.