Allardyce: Blackburn Rover winger gets better with age

9:02am Thursday 9th September 2010

By Andy Cryer

SAM Allardyce believes El-Hadji Diouf is getting better with age – but admits the controversial winger needed Rovers’ young guns to get him back on the Premier League track.

The Senegalese international has been one of Rovers’ shining lights at the start of this campaign, following an impressive pre-season, with Allardyce putting his new lease of life down to him ‘feeling the pressure’.

Diouf looks set to continue his budding partnership with compatriot and namesake Mame Biram Diouf at Manchester City on Saturday, either side of lone striker Nikola Kalinic, as Rovers bid to shock the Premier League’s big spenders.

He has been a regular in Allardyce’s side for the majority since being reunited with his former Bolton boss in January 2009 but ‘Big Sam’ claims a spell out of the side might have been the spark he needed.

After a bright start to life at Ewood Park, Diouf started to have less of an impact but, after being dropped for a period last season, he has responded to the challenge of Rovers’ emerging youth in style.

“I think he has been here a long time now and perhaps he got a little bit cushy thinking his place was safe,” said Allardyce.

“Then though lots of young lads started playing really well and put everybody at senior level under a lot of pressure, that is where we hold our biggest hope again this year in terms of improvement.

“We have to hope our younger players keep getting better and the older players have to kick on because transfer wise we are very limited indeed. We showed that by signing two players one on loan and one on a free.”

Diouf arrived in the Premier League back in 2002 when Liverpool signed him from Lens for £10m but he failed to live up to expectations, scoring just six goals in 80 appearances.

He then became a crowd favourite during a four-year spell under Allardyce at Bolton, but the Rovers boss believes some of his play has developed since then.

“It comes more regularly and more often. You could see by the strength of the player how he has developed over the past few years.

“He has always had the ability to beat a player but he has got a little bit quicker now.

“He accepted a really good pass from Chris Samba and used his strength and ability and pace to get past the defender and pick his head up to provide a ball for Mame to score.”