INTERVIEW

Ribeiro's Nottingham Forest fuel in Blackburn pursuit

Yuri Ribeiro has made a positive start at Blackburn Rovers. <i>(Image: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns)</i>
Yuri Ribeiro has made a positive start at Blackburn Rovers. (Image: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns)
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As far as introductions to a new football club go, Yuri Ribeiro has experienced almost every emotion in six weeks at Blackburn Rovers.

The Portuguese left-back signed on a free transfer in January and has been catapulted straight into the side. His Championship experience has been invaluable with Owen Beck and Harry Pickering on the sidelines.

Signed by John Eustace (sort of), Ribeiro has also had a new head coach thrust upon him. He insists it's important the players help Valerien Ismael in these opening weeks, as much as he can help them.

"Really good, I'm feeling that I'm here for a long time, just past one month, so it's really, really crazy," he says.

READ MORE: Blackburn Rovers suffer another injury setback ahead of Stoke City clash

"I'm saying this to all my family, that sometimes I'm just thinking that I arrived here for six months or one year ago, especially because everyone inside of the club really helped me to feel at home. 

"People are really nice here inside of the club, they try to help me every day, so this is why it was so easy.

"Of course, I know from before the league, I know the championship, after three years I'm more experienced, so I know the league, I'm more experienced, so everything counts, and I'm here to keep going and to help my teammates.

"I want to help everyone, I want to make assists, so I just need to keep going. I'm really focused here. I know what I need to do and I will keep going and I will do more and more because I know how things are in football, so I just need to keep focused."

Ribeiro has been in a top-six fight before, which ended in painful circumstances with Nottingham Forest. Remarkably, there was a seven-goal swing on the final day of the season which saw them miss out to Swansea City.

That was a reminder that until the fat lady sings, nothing is a foregone conclusion. Ribeiro uses that as fuel, hoping to avoid that feeling again.

"It's really, really important now because also when I was in Nottingham we were fighting for the playoffs and I think every game is important, like every goal," he explained.

"I remember that when I was in Nottingham, because of one goal that we didn't go to the playoffs, it was Swansea. It was crazy.

"Yes, this gave me the experience. I remember it was like one week that I cannot believe this. It was because of one goal.

"Yeah, even I didn't expect that I would be in the holidays. So I had to pack everything. I take like two, three days to pack everything to go to Portugal to the holidays.

"So we have to keep going, but I'm confident. Now we have a game tomorrow that is really, really important, and then against Cardiff. Then there's a break, and then the last eight games go like one month.

"So I think it's very, very important for each of us to keep the focus because now starts to be really serious. I think the group can make a lot of difference. 

"If we stick together, we have to stick together to fight, because I know how dizzy we are, and to not lose focus. And it was like crazy. It was really bad."

Ribeiro is out of contract in the summer but there has been no talks over extending his stay yet. He is enjoying life at Ewood Park and be open to fresh terms.

"I don't know. I don't know how it will be, but I'm happy here. Like I said before, I'm just really focused here now to end the season in the best way," he said.

"Then maybe we'll speak with the club, me and my agents, we'll see. But my focus is to help my teammates and we'll see."

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