BLACKBURN Rovers’ under fire owners Venky’s have hired a London public relations firm in an attempt to improve their media coverage.

After a series of PR disasters during their Rovers regime, Venky’s have called on The Sports PR Company to drive the way the club handle the press.

The Sports PR Company were involved in dealing with the publicity surrounding the appointment of new boss Michael Appleton and are understood to have been signed up until the summer initially.

The company’s website boasts of ‘pro active and reactive PR services’, ‘profile building and image protecting’, ‘assistance in seeking sponsorship deals’ and ‘media training for clients’.

Tellingly, they also have experience of ‘crisis management’, including helping handle the coverage of Fabrice Muamba’s heart failure and rugby player Matt Stevens’ drug scandal.

Clients the company have worked with include Didier Drogba, Theo Walcott and former England star David Beckham.

Venky’s are understood to be concerned about the negative press they have been getting over their running of Rovers, with a large section of the Ewood Park faithful angry about their role in the club’s slide into the Championship.