When Sam Szmodics talks, your ears prick up.

He might be Blackburn Rovers' talisman, their top goal-scorer, but he's also one of their leaders in the dressing room. Whenever he is on media duty, you know there is going to be plenty of honesty.

There is no dressing up two wins in 17 Championship games and Szmodics didn't try to either. However, the most important thing is changing that form line and ensuring Blackburn Rovers remain a Championship club.

Two home games against Millwall and Plymouth Argyle won't decide that but they will go a long way to influencing Rovers' faith.

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"The atmosphere is alright, it's positive, we need to be positive," Szmodics opened with.

"I think we've played ok and we're trying to be positive in the club. On the outside, it's no news to anyone that we're down there and in a battle.

"We are one point away but we're trying to be positive. It is a big game tomorrow night and we want to win.

"It's been a wild season, we have put in some great performance and I think we deserve to be higher than we are. We have to face where we are in the league now, man up and quit the talking.

"We have to do our job on the pitch which in some games we haven't done. If we perform like we did against Newcastle, we'll have no worries.

"We have 11 games to go, it is so tight down there. Everyone is bunched up, a couple of wins and you're out of it. We have two big home games now, two teams that are fighting to stay in the league.

"It's massive to get a win on the board, it would relax everyone and give them the boost they need. I think we've deserved more in past games.

"A win would calm everyone down. Everyone is a bit panicky which we all understand but it is our job to go out and do our jobs."

Szmodics has experienced relegation before, most recently with Peterborough United in 2021/22, which sparked his move to Ewood Park.

He knows what the effects are not just on the pitch but behind the scenes. Szmodics stressed that the dressing room is acutely aware of the situation they're in and who can change it.

"Nobody wants to get relegated, I've had two in my career," he said.

"It's horrible, it's not nice. Financially for yourself and the club, it's bad for your confidence and you're in the league below. It's not a nice feeling.

"It's life-changing for everyone. Fans don't want to go down and as players, we don't want to go down.

"We are in a relegation battle but two wins can change it all around. We've been in a rut, there are 11 left and we want to turn it around.

"It's tough for the fans and it's tough for us. Nobody wants to be down at the bottom of the table. The players hurt as much as the fans, we don't want to be in this position.

"The meeting we had (with supporters in February) was an eye-opener. We understand fans care but when you speak to them away from football, in a normal room, it shows what it means to them.

"I hope it showed what it means for us, playing for Blackburn Rovers which is a humungous club, it's why people like me come here."

John Eustace is still chasing his first win in charge but has had little time on the training ground to enact change. Understandably, the focus has been on tightening the team up.

"It's been different, it's been difficult for him coming in considering the position we're in," Szmodics explained.

"He said this morning we have to roll our sleeves up. We have to take the bull by the horns and get us out of the trouble we're in. We have the individuals to do so.

"We had a different way of playing under Jon and the manager hasn't had much time to implement what he wants to do. He's definitely shored us up at the back which we need, five at the back which we didn't really do under Jon.

"It's been tough mentally and physically, 120 minutes against Newcastle, it took seven hours down to Swansea the day before. Mentally and physically, with a newborn at home, it's not ideal at the minute.

"A lot of games, Saturday, Tuesday. When we can rest and recover we have to do it right. Training has been limited which is tough, there are injuries.

"These aren't excuses, it's just where we're at. We have to man up and do our job, we don't want to run out of games. But we're not in a crisis, one point away but two wins and that moves us away and gets our spirits up."