Source: Team_Talk
Allardyce asks for one last push
lackburn manager Sam Allardyce has asked his players for one final end-of-season push ahead of Monday's clash with Arsenal.[LNB] On the face of it there would appear to be precious little for the Rovers players to play for in the final home match against the Gunners and Sunday's trip to Aston Villa.[LNB]Blackburn guaranteed their safety a few weeks ago, although after this weekend's results have dropped to 13th in the Premier League.[LNB]But for Allardyce, there is money, pride and a fond farewell to the fans to consider, so he is demanding no let-up, even though for many a deserved holiday beckons.[LNB]The money stems from the fact there is £750,000 per place up for grabs, and as Blackburn could still finish 10th, that means a potential £2.25million on offer.[LNB]The pride centres on Blackburn's poor recent record against Arsenal as they have lost the last five meetings, conceding a remarkable 19 goals in the process.[LNB]As for the farewell, that speaks for itself because although Rovers have lost just three of their 18 league games at Ewood Park this season, one of those was the last time out against Everton.[LNB]"It would be really great to have a good send-off," said Allardyce.[LNB]"We all suffered disappointment in the last minute against Everton after a tremendous fightback, which is something I'm still pretty sick about.[LNB]"You always want to finish on a high when you're playing your last game of the season as a thank you to the fans, and the best way to do that is to finish with a win.[LNB]"If we can do that against one of the top four that would be great, particularly as we've not beaten any of them at home this season.[LNB]"We pushed Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool close, drawing all three games, so it would be good to get a victory over Arsenal if we could."[LNB]For Allardyce and a club such as Blackburn, every penny is crucial, admitting chairman John Williams has been drumming it into him the past few weeks to finish as high as possible.[LNB]Allardyce knows points have slipped through his side's fingers of late, in particular conceding the last-minute strike to Everton and drawing at Portsmouth and Wolves when they have dominated.[LNB]"It's very important as a team we realise we've done very well, but in terms of getting more money in the budget that extra place is also important," added Allardyce.[LNB]"We slipped up at Portsmouth and Wolves away from home, and we let slip a point against Everton.[LNB]"That's five potential points we've thrown away, which would have put us in 10th right now. That extra £2.25million from finishing that high would be most welcome."[LNB]Chris Samba and Brett Emerton should be fit to face the Gunners after recovering from groin and hamstring problems respectively.[LNB]El Hadji Diouf and Vince Grella are also available after missing the draw at Wolves with tonsilitis and a stomach bug respectively.
