SAM Allardyce was sacked because he was not the right man to turn Blackburn Rovers into a top-five team, the new club owners said.

Speaking exclusively to the Lancashire Telegraph, Venky’s chairman Anuradha Desai reiterated her view that the team needed to entertain.

Allardyce was dismissed yesterday afternoon in a move that stunned players and fans alike.

Mrs Desai said last night: “We want good football and Blackburn to be fourth or fifth in the league or even better.

“The fans should trust us because this is in the best interests of the club.”

The new owners face a battle to convince supporters. More than 3000 fans have so far voted in the poll on the Lancashire Telegraph website and around three-quarters say Venky’s had made the wrong decision.

Mrs Desai warned fans not to expect a quick appointment, saying her family wanted to take their time.

She said they were happy to leave the team in the hands of coach Steve Kean for ‘a couple of months’.

Allardyce was given the news by chairman John Williams at the behest of owners Venky’s, who had spent last week discussing their plans for the future with advisors and sports agency Kentaro.

Some of the players are said to be furious.

Concern had been growing around Ewood over Allardyce’s position ever since it was revealed Venky’s would be meeting Kentaro for talks about transfer targets and budgets last week.

The owners had yet to ask Allardyce what he had planned for the January transfer window and are now understood to have never envisaged him playing a long-term role in the club’s future.

Venky’s list of potential transfer targets are believed to have included former Hull City midfielder Geovanni and Middlesbrough striker Kris Boyd.

Allardyce had his own wish list, drawn up with chairman Williams, which was understood to include the likes of Roque Santa Cruz, Robbie Keane, John Carew and David Bentley.

The differences in opinion over transfer targets are understood to have proved the final nail for Allardyce, with the relationship between manager and the new owners already strained after they called for him to play ‘more entertaining football’.

The Rao family have bought Rovers to enhance their brand and want the club to play a more attacking brand of football than the style they believed Allardyce had brought to Rovers.

Mrs Desai’s insistence on an attractive and successful side is rooted in her wish to transform Rovers into India’s favourite team, which is key to her family’s development plans for the club.

Last night Mrs Desai said: “It is nothing against Sam but we have a different vision looking forward and we want the club to grow.

"It is not about the Bolton match. It has been a long time in our minds.

“We wanted good football, wanted the games to be interesting and of course wanted to win and to have good players.

“The fans should trust us and have belief in us.”

Warning it may take time for a replacement, she said: “Our thinking now is that it will be a British manager, but we are open if there is an outstanding candidate: someone who would be really, really good for the club.

“Right now Steve Kean will take over while we are looking for someone to take over on a permanent basis.”

She also assured fans that the position of popular Rovers chairman Williams, a key ally of Allardyce, was safe.

Anuradha Desai's answers in full

We do not mean anything bad for Sam Allardyce but we feel that we need to take the club up in the league and grow.

We want Blackburn Rovers to be fourth or fifth in the league or even better. It is not about the Bolton match. It has been a long time in our minds.

It is nothing against Sam but we have a different vision looking forward and we want the club to grow.

We had been talking to Sam in the past few weeks but he did not fit in with our vision for the club’s future.

We wanted good football, wanted the games to be interesting and of course wanted to win and to have good players.

We needed to do some changes and Sam going is, of course, the main change. This is a major step but it was needed. We thought: Why delay?

The fans should trust us and have belief in us because this is in the best interests of the club.

Our thinking now is that it will be a British manager, but we are open if there is an outstanding candidate: someone who would be really, really good for the club.

Right now Steve Kean will take over while we are looking for someone to take over on a permanent basis. Steve is a hard worker and he is doing a very good job as a coach.

We have been studying him and have been very impressed. He works long hours and is talented at his job. He also works well with our very skilful young players and that is important.

The future of the homegrown players is very important.

It could now be a couple of months before a new manager is put in place.

Right now we are going to have a study and put a lot of thought in to who the next manager of Blackburn Rovers will be.

We don’t want to make a hasty decision and we are in a good position to take our time because Steve is quite capable.

I know that John Williams was very close to Sam but their situations are very different. John is safe.

My message to the fans is that we want the club to go up and develop and we want it to perform much better.

Whatever we do we want to say to the fans that we have the best interests of the club in mind.