Rovers boss Kean defiant despite defeat at Swansea

Blackburn manager Steve Kean remains adamant his side can avoid relegation despite their woeful performance in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Swansea.

Rovers’ fifth straight loss means they remain in 19th place, three points adrift of safety, having played at least one game more than the sides around them.

Rovers’ remaining four fixtures also provide few crumbs of comfort, with their away trips taking them to Champions League hopefuls Tottenham and Chelsea. They also face Norwich and fellow strugglers Wigan. Kean believes two wins and a draw will be enough to keep the club in the Premier League, but a major improvement on their abject Liberty Stadium display will be required if that goal is become a reality.

But the Scot says their victory at Manchester United before Christmas, plus other positive away performances at Liverpool and Everton, means his side have nothing to fear at White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge.

“We are all upset by this performance,” he said.

“You don’t come to an away ground and try and lose, but if we can go to Anfield and Goodison Park and draw, and Old Trafford and win, there is no reason why we can’t go to White Hart Lane and Chelsea and get something.”

Kean refused to accept his side’s dismal run of results has left them bereft of confidence at a crucial stage.

“Confidence is a mindset,” he said. “People say if you get on a good run it breeds confidence, but we need to look at how we have done it before.

“We have to look at what we were doing well a few weeks ago when we got out of the relegation zone.’’

Swansea’s win ended their own run of four games without a win and moves them to the brink of safety.

The result came on the back of their worst performance of the season in a 3-0 defeat at QPR on Wednesday, after which manager Brendan Rodgers apologised to the club’s supporters.

After seeing strikes from Gylfi Sigurdsson, Nathan Dyer and a Scott Dann own goal secure the three points, Rodgers led a post-match huddle between squad and management on the Liberty Stadium pitch, which he said summed up the bond that exists at the club.

“That was a symbol of our togetherness. We have had to stick together over the last four games,” he said.