Blackburn Rovers Football Club News

• Nickname:Rovers
• Founded:1875
• Manager:Steve Kean

• Ground:Ewood Park
• Capacity:31,367

Safety delight for Allardyce

10 May 2009 - 11:32:28

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Sam Allardyce is looking forward to planning for next season after Blackburn Rovers effectively ensured their Premier League survival with Saturday's 2-0 win over Portsmouth.

Goals from Benni McCarthy and Morten Gamst Pedersen - his first of the season - moved the Ewood Park club up to 14th place in the table on the magic 40-point mark which usually guarantees survival.

Rovers have taken 27 points from 19 games under Allardyce since his arrival and the Rovers chief is delighted with the response of the players since he replaced Paul Ince in December.

"I don't think they've received the credit they deserved, but we are unfashionable and we aren't bothered," he told the club's official website.

"But we are happy, we are delighted with what we've achieved. We can start doing a bit of planning without forgetting we have two games left to go.

"I'm praising the players and the staff who have got behind me and obviously the club as a whole, the directors and of course the fans.

"We've reached the magic number with two games to go, but I want us to go on and kick on now.

"It is a tremendous effort not to have to wait until the last two games, we've done it relatively comfortably and I think that just goes to show how much we've achieved in the 19 games I've been here.

"I know mathematically we aren't safe just yet, but I don't think anybody is going to catch us now."