Sam loves himself a bit of Diouf

Sam Allardyce has today singled out El Hadji Diouf for some praise and loves the attitude and challenge that the guy brings.

The Senegalese winger has always been a difficult character and will never be a neutrals favourite but there has always been one man whos knows how to get the best out of him - the current Rovers boss.

Now whilst Allardyce admits that Diouf is hardly a bed of roses he insists that the positive aspect and influence that he brings to the table far outweighs the drawbacks.

Diouf bagged his first Ewood goal last weekend and his overall performance was about as high as it has been at Rovers since he joined last season in January.

Allardyce speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph said - "I sometimes wonder what I`m doing when I bring in the likes of El-Hadji Diouf and Pascal Chimbonda.

"But at the end of the day, I like good players.

"I just find their personalities quite interesting if I`m honest. They bring a bit of spark and a bit of life to the day to day training here.

"They get on some people`s nerves, I understand that, because the pair of them never shut up!

"But they`re always bright and cheerful to have around.

"Yes, I do enjoy the challenge of managing them, and if they are playing well on the field, as a manager, you will cope with it.

"If you`ve got a player with the ability to turn a game, like I have with Diouf, then you are prepared to put up with that little bit of temperament.

"Sometimes if you want to have a good team, then you need characters, and Dioufy is certainly one of them."

I completely echo the sentiments of our manager here.

He is never going to be everyones choice and some will never forgive him for things he has done in the past and that is fair enough.

But all footballers have their problems and Diouf is no different. Characters have a negative aspect to their personality and Diouf is probably a pain the backside from time to time.

But would he get booed by away fans so much if he was a bad player? No I didnt think so either...

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