Blackburn dressing room reaction to poor form and 'noise'

Rovers have dropped from sixth to 12th in six weeks under Valerien Ismael and are now out of the play-off race. However, a longer form line of four wins in 20 tells the true picture of the post-Christmas collapse.

With fans venting their anger at the board, owners and head coach, Ewood Park is a tense place to plat the moment. Hyam insists that off-field noise can not be an excuse for recent results and performances.

"It's tricky at the moment. Everyone knows the form hasn't been good enough," Hyam said.

READ MORE: Blackburn Rovers players set six-game challenge to secure long-term futures

"Performances haven't been that good, but obviously the results look a lot worse. We're working really hard on the training pitches and in the meetings to try and get some momentum. 

"We'd take a bad performance and get some three points, so it's one of them that there's no choice. We're professionals, we keep digging in, we keep going and hopefully, we can get some points sooner rather than later for the whole club, the fans included.

"There is stuff going off the pitch as well, which is completely out of our control. We've got a job to do on the pitch for 90 minutes. It didn't help at the start, don't get me wrong. It was a shocking start. 

"We found it tough to come back from, but like I said, we've got the job to do. There's always noise at every club, but it wasn't a great start.

"It's a difficult situation we're in right now, but a few wins you can get together and hopefully the momentum shifts. 

"Crazy things happen every year, so like I said, we're just focusing on the next game and trying to get three points there."

There are a number of players facing uncertain futures at Rovers beyond the summer, though Hyam isn't one. The option in his contract was activated last week which extends his stay until 2026.

"Yeah, really happy to get it sorted. It was a clause in my contract way back in 2022 or something that I was keen to have done as well. So, yeah, happy it's sorted and looking forward to it now," Hyam said.

"It's the uncertainty that won't be there now really. As you go towards the end of the season and contracts are up and option years become available, it's something I don't have to think about now.

"It isn't something that plays on your mind but you do think about it. I've got games to focus on and even if it wasn't going to happen, I'd still be concentrating on my football and stuff. Thankfully, it doesn't matter any more.

"It's a good feeling for me. It's good to know what I'll be doing. It's peace of mind."

Hyam is one of only four outfield players to have played every minute in the league this season. Bristol City's Jason Knight and Zak Vyner, plus Oxford United's Ciaran Brown, are the others.

"I've been lucky enough to play every game, yeah. Not every player gets that luxury. I completely understand," he admitted.

"I've had fortunate moments as well and we've had dips in form. Luckily, I've kept a place where it's all about consistency at centre-half as well. You want to get a run of games in.

"Thankfully I've played every minute so far and hopefully that can continue. Part of the job as well."