BRFC Articles

Jan the man

Why did you join Blackburn, Matt?

"Brian Kidd is very ambitious about where he wants to take the club and he impressed me with his ideas when we spoke. He has money to spend on players and he's a very good coach. He's proved that with his time at Man. United. Blackburn are looking to return to the days when they won the league a few years ago and I want to be part of that."

Didn't you recently sign a new deal at Palace?

"I signed a three-and-a-half year contract at Palace when I left Carlisle, then, in the summer, Aston Villa and Southampton came in for me. The chairman asked me to sign a new contract to dispel some of the rumours and I was happy to do so. Things were on the up with Terry Venables coming and I signed a six-year deal. But unfortunately things didn't go as well as Mark Goldberg had planned."

Did you want to leave Palace then?

"It's been a difficult time at Crystal Palace for everyone involved. I was pulled out of games for one reason or another and in the end they had to sell me. I was happy to spend the next few years of my career at Palace but they had to sell me for financial reasons. But I didn't want to leave. There were rumours that I had said I didn't want to play for Palace but they weren't true. They pulled me out because they said I wasn't in the right frame of mind. We sat down and discussed things and I left the decision up to them and they told me I wasn't going to play."

Did it hurt then when Terry Venables told the fans it was you that said 'Don't play me'?

"It hurt and it was frustrating. They made it out to be my fault and that wasn't the case at all. I felt I had a good rapport with the fans and they didn't know what the truth was behind the situation. The crux of it is they had to sell me. I was disappointed that Terry Venables was critical of me. He's a great man and I got on well with him. He's a good coach - it's just they've got a lot of problems at Palace at the moment."

So why did you chose Palace over United in the first place?

"I chose Palace because when I met with former chairman Ron Noades and he showed me around, I was very impressed with his ambitions for the club. And I believe that it worked out well for me in the end. Obviously turning down Man. United is a big decision and I spent more than a few hours thinking it over. But in the end I phoned United and told them my decision and they wished me all the best in the future. I thought I would have more first-team opportunities at Palace."

So is first team football a factor in the clubs you choose?

"Of course. The first team opportunities were immediate at Palace and I got a lot of first team experience playing at Selhurst Park. I loved playing in the Premiership and I was upset when we were relegated. The same applies for my move to Blackburn. I wouldn't have chosen to come here if I didn't think I was able to play first team football. I'm just glad to be back in the Premiership."

Do you think Blackburn will beat the drop?

"Blackburn will stay up, no doubt about it. The manager has got a lot of money if he needs it and with the coaching staff he has I can't see them going down. There is no doubt in my mind that we will stay up. I wouldn't have come here otherwise. My ambition was to play in the Premier League and Palace weren't going there so this is a great move for me. I can achieve everything that I want at Blackburn."