BRFC Articles

Kev bites back!

Tell us about this stint in hospital, Kev?

"It was one of the most frightening experiences of my life. It got to the stage where I couldn't sleep because I couldn't swallow and I was very worried. Thankfully, the infection cleared and now I'm back in contention for a place."

Illness apart, you've had a hard start to the season, haven't you?

"It's been a shock in all honesty. I thought I played well at the start of the season but then the team played badly against Leeds and I found myself on the bench. Kevin Gallacher then came in against Tottenham and scored two good goals, so rightly I found myself out of contention. But now I'm fit again, I'm working harder in training and hopefully that will impress the manager."

The move came out of the blue, didn't it?

"Absolutely, I had just come back off my holiday in Cyprus with a couple of the Chesterfield lads and my agent phoned to tell me that both clubs had agreed a fee. It was just a case of me going up to Blackburn to have a look around and as soon as I saw the stadium, met the manager and saw the squad at the club, I jumped at the chance. I've got more chance of winning things here than I have at Southampton."

Is it true you were homesick at Southampton?

"Initially that was true because Southampton was a long way from my family and friends but by last Christmas I had bought my own place, felt settled and was playing reasonably well. Towards the end I was enjoying where I was living, although the injury I picked up in January was getting me down and I didn't really play for the rest of the season."

You became an instant hit at Saints. Did that surprise you, coming from Chesterfield?

"Not really. I have always had a lot of confidence in my ability and the chance to test myself against the best defenders in the country gave me an extra spring in my step and a little more burst of pace. I had to prove myself to the fans and I think I won them over almost straight away, really."

What aspects of your game did you have to change in the Prem?

"The training and general organisation in the Premiership is much different to Chesterfield. You also have to deal with the greater media interest. When you score goals in this division, everybody wants to speak to you, so you have to make sure you don't over-do it when it comes to interviews. But saying that, my lifestyle off the pitch hasn't changed. I'm still the same down to earth person I was before I joined Southampton."

That goal you scored against Everton was special, wasn't it?

"It's got to be my favourite goal without a doubt and I must admit that I never get tired watching it on TV. But what surprised me was the time and space I was given as I closed in on goal. But in general I tend to find that you get more time in the Premiership. There is more respect for opponents and not everyone dives in to tackle you all the time."

How highly do you rate Roy Hodgson?

"He's worked for the Swiss national team, in Italy and Sweden, so his track record speaks for itself. He is a perfectionist and he pays attention to detail in everything he does in training. For instance, we now come in for afternoon training which is something most of the lads have never experienced before. Even if we've played the night before, we will still come in for a light session but it will help us long term."

Is training different to Southampton then?

"It was a lot more enjoyable down there and we played a lot of five-a-sides, and did a lot of shooting practice. But it's different here. Roy takes part in a lot of training sessions himself and he takes us through moves he wants to see on the Saturday. You have to listen and pay attention to the manager much more here."

Is it hard having Martin Dahlin and Kevin Gallacher pressing you for a place alongside Chris Sutton?

"Definitely. I've never had a pressure like it before. Once I was in the team at Chesterfield, I was regular and at Southampton I was never substituted, even if we were losing. It's a new experience for me but I wouldn't say it's a pressure which has affected my form. Once I get another chance in the Rovers side, I'll be fired up for it and I'm raring to go now. I won't take playing in the first team for granted which I might have done in the past." 

Is it true that some players want to leave Rovers?

"Last season the manager made it clear that he wanted to add to the side to make them title contenders and he's done that, so I don't think there's any unrest in the camp. All the lads want to play for Roy and everyone's perfectly happy. But we don't take any notice of the papers or anyone else. We just concentrate on our own game and although we haven't made a good start to the season, we are playing good football in spells. We have had a bad run of injuries so far and I don't think you'll see the real Blackburn Rovers until after Christmas."