Rovers make a quiet stop at second home

Back in England,Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean and captain Ryan Nelsen are accustomed to being a part of high-profile press conferences bustling with journalists fighting to get questions in and a barrage of photographers jostling for space to capture the best frame. Their first press meet in their second home Pune,however,was in stark contrast. With a total of five print journalists,three from television,and a scattering of photographers,the conference was low-key to start with — a compensation for the cancellation of their exhibition match,more than anything else.

Former Malaysian centre back and TV personality Shebby Singh — invited by Blackburn’s owners Venky’s to be a part of the event — was flummoxed when the organiser passed on the responsibility of the introductions over to him. His experience in front of the camera,however,came to the rescue and he managed it successfully,and even gave a brief introduction of the youth programme planned by Venky’s. Shebby did,however,forget to introduce himself which left one of the media persons asking his cameraman who the moustachioed gent was,to which the latter replied confidently: “He is the assistant coach.”

Following this,the guests went through the motions,dully answering the questions posed by the journalists. These were directed mostly to Kean and ranged from reasons for their disappointing 2010-11 season to the latest transfer targets. “We are looking at some strikers and some defenders but we cannot reveal names at the moment,” replied Kean. Questions such as “What kind of football will Blackburn Rovers play” and “What are the expectations for the upcoming season” were met with obvious answers.

Ryan Nelsen was queried about Blackburn’s defensive frailties and his experience of playing under four different managers. “Each manager has a different style of play and puts his fingerprint on the team. It does become difficult to adjust,but we are professionals and we are expected to adapt quickly to each style,” he said,revealing the barest minimum of startling insider knowledge.

Even “the assistant coach” had gone quiet by now.