Source: SKY_Sports
Pedersen - No Hughes sentiment
Blackburn winger Morten Gamst Pedersen will be hoping to get one over on his old boss Mark Hughes when Rovers head to Manchester City at the weekend.
Current City manager Hughes helped the tricky wide man to establish himself in the Premier League after suffering a difficult spell under Graeme Souness at the start of his Blackburn career.
And while Pedersen concedes that he owes a debt of gratitude to his former manager, he is adamant that his only concern on Saturday will be securing survival for Blackburn.
"He did well for me, no doubt about that, and I did well for him," reflected Pedersen.
"But I have to put that behind me when I go on the pitch as he is manager of City and I am playing for Blackburn.
"This is an important game for both teams as we are fighting to stay up and City are looking to get into Europe. But we have a good record against them."
One way that Blackburn may try to exploit the City defence is by using a technique of Pedersen's that he previously practiced under Hughes.
"I have always been able to throw the ball long and we did that a little bit when Mark was here," added the 27-year-old of his impressive touchline delivery.
"It is something I learned from playing handball. It is more to do with technique and timing, rather than being the strongest man in the world.
"I played the sport until I was 17 and was quite good at it. I had trials for the national team but did not get picked. I was not big enough then."
If the long-throw ploy is to work though, then much of it
will rest on the head of Christopher Samba, who is set to retain his makeshift role as a striker.
The defender has been preferred to Blackburn's other striking options in recent weeks - due in main to his 6ft 4in frame and aerial prowess - but Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has admitted that it is only a temporary measure while Rovers seek to beat the drop.
"I am not looking at it as a long term option. It is a necessity at the moment. We will address the situation at the end of the season," said Allardyce.
"Obviously Chris is a little bit more comfortable at the back, but he has done an outstanding job on the front line based on his younger days as a centre forward.
"The longer he has played there, the more he has improved. A lot of people have not given him the credit he deserves."
