Blackburn exit the bottom three but boss Kean still leads the sack race
Published:Blackburn are out of the relegation zone for the first time since September, but despite their recent improvement, Steve Kean is considered unlikely to see out the season as their manager.
The inexperienced boss has been abused by the Ewood Park crowd all campaign yet was spared against Fulham following a 24-hour protest against the owners prior to the game, and his team thrived in a more positive environment.
Even though star man Yakubu saw red after just 23 minutes with the match goalless, Rovers rallied to secure a highly impressive 3-1 win, only their third as hosts this term and one that means that they are on a run of one defeat in four fixtures.
One of the main problems so far this season has been a failure to build on encouraging results, their three previous victories all followed by losses, and with similar doubts over whether this is a false dawn, they remain 4/6 to go down.
That’s a longer price than two other clubs however, with bottom club Wigan 4/9 and Bolton 1/2, so there is reason to believe that Kean is unlucky to still find himself favourite to be the next tactician turfed out at 7/4.
The optimism-fuelled Scot has had far less support from both fans and board than the man closest to him in that market, Bolton boss Owen Coyle, and despite vastly different pre-season expectations, is currently two places better off.
It is also arguable that if Blackburn were going to get rid of Kean, they would have done it by now, with plenty of setbacks and unrest in the stands to prompt a change. To axe him as the future begins to look brighter would be a tad nonsensical.
Third in the sack race pecking order is Chelsea chief Andre Villas-Boas, whose 7/1 odds look chunky given that Roman Abramovich binned Luis Felipe Scolari three years ago when he feared that they wouldn’t qualify for the Champions League.
