Jon Dahl Tomasson has praised the attitude of Blackburn Rovers' players and staff after a difficult period behind the scenes.

Rovers' cash flow issues have been well documented, with Venky's facing difficulties getting money from India to supplement the playing budget.

That has caused uncertainty around the club as to what Rovers can afford to spend and how long these restrictions will last.

Reflecting on 2023, Tomasson was very pleased with the development on the pitch, notwithstanding the current poor run of form. As a whole, last year was a good one on the pitch, developing young players and continuing to blood academy talent into the squad.

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The club's talent factory continues to be their biggest asset. The Rovers head coach concurs and sees that as the best way to make the club sustainable and successful over the medium to long term.

"I must admit that I am always extremely pleased, and sometimes surprised, if you look at the challenges in the building - not only the playing staff but also people working here - after the summer, I think it is incredible how people are staying together," Tomasson told The Lancashire Telegraph just before the New Year.

"Seeing the fans as well, it has really impressed me a lot. We have developed players but, of course, a lot has changed and we have become even younger compared to my first period.

“I think everybody can see a very clear identity for Rovers, we have been able to put that into the club which is great.

"You have seen that also in the Academy and I think you need that to develop players over time, to be sustainable and able to sell players – a very clear plan. 

"It is great to see players buying into that, it is a hard-working and high-performance environment with players who want to become better. A lot of players have gone, of course, and we are very young."

After teething issues, Rovers' style of play under Tomasson became identifiable in 2023. The slick, one-touch passing has been a joy to watch in periods, with the highlights being the memorable FA Cup run, reaching the quarter-final and knocking out Leicester City.

Developing a clear philosophy is not an easy task but Rovers have achieved that. At the moment, they are enduring a tough spell but the style of football and core principles remain in place.

Rovers' Achilles heel is obvious, a leaky defence and a lack of clinical edge in front of goal, but large fundaments of the build-up play have developed in the last 12 months.

Tomasson believes this is crucial to play development and ensuring the club can apply a player-trading model.

“The most difficult thing in football is to give a team an identity, but I think it is needed because the club wants to sell players," Tomasson explained. 

"Other teams are looking at, ‘What can they do with the ball and without?’ You need to have a very clear mindset of how you want to play from a physical point of view but also a football point of view. 

"It also makes it easier to develop those players if you have a direction – you can show people around you, ‘That is the direction of the club’. That is positive.

“I always want to win games, I hate losing and I am not used to it. But if you look at this period and the performances, I think the players have done a really good job under difficult circumstances and against very good teams. 

"They have been playing against teams who are Premier League standard and they have been able to create more and could maybe have won those games as well. I think it is quite impressive what this young group has done."