Andrews: I don’t want to play for Rovers again

REPUBLIC of IRELAND midfielder Keith Andrews says he doesn’t expect to play for his parent club Blackburn Rovers ever again.

The 31-year-old is due to return to Ewood Park at the end of his highly successful six-month loan with Ipswich Town on January 2.

Andrews, who has scored nine goals for the Tractor Boys this season, believes he was treated poorly by the Premier League’s bottom-placed club prior to his move to Portman Road.

“If I’m being completely honest I feel my time there is done and don’t want to play for them again,” he said. “I didn’t particularly like the way I was treated by the club last summer.”

Steve Kean had told Andrews he was in his plans but that situation quickly changed with a move to another Championship side, believed to be Leeds United, lined up soon afterwards.

“They told me they had agreed to let me go out on a season-long loan to another Championship club, not Ipswich.

“It came as a bolt out of the blue to me. I said I didn’t want to go to that particular club but after chatting to my family I agreed to another loan move, this time to Ipswich.”

Andrews, who has 18 months remaining on his Blackburn contract, insists it’s not simply a fallout with their current manager: “I fully respect him as manager. From my point of view there are absolutely no hard feelings with him but a lot went on at Blackburn and people within the club know what I’m on about.

“They threw their cards on the table, told me they wanted me to move on and I took it on the chin. Now I think it would be best for all concerned if I moved on in January.”

Ipswich boss Paul Jewell has stated that he wants to keep Andrews at Portman Road but the player says that despite his agent meeting chief executive Simon Clegg and owner Marcus Evans on Monday, the Blues are yet to show serious interest in retaining him.

“I can’t really say too much but I haven’t been given the impression by the club that they want to do anything,” he said.

Ipswich could well find themselves priced out of the market with Premier League Aston Villa, Everton, Wigan, Bolton and Swansea all interested in Rovers’ €2m August 2008 signing from the MK Dons.