Big Sam - Rovers need to be strong

Rovers manager Sam Allardyce knows that his team will need to be a dam sight better than they have been in recent weeks when the all singing, all dancing band that is Chelsea rolls into town tomorrow.

Rovers are in 17th in the league at the moment and the former Geordie and Trotters boss feels that is about right given their recent struggles.

I don't believe its a false position, it's one of our own making in the main.' the Rovers boss said to Sky Sports.

'We haven't had clean sheets and given ourselves the opportunity to win games of football 1 nil, because if you look at your goals scored ratio you'll see it's slightly less than one goal a game'.

The encouraging news for the Blue and White Army is that Chelsea failed to win at Ewood twice last season, a 1-1 draw in the league and an absolutely epic penalty shoutout win in the Carling Cup being the outcomes.

The bad news is that a swine flu hit Rovers got smashed 5-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season however.

Allardyce continued - 'We managed a very creditable draw last year, I thought we were outstanding here last year to go 1-0 down against them and come back to a very very good 1-1 draw. Something that we deserved as well.

'So on our day we can give everybody a game at Ewood and get a result. It is obviously the result that I want more than anything tomorrow.'

'They are the biggest challenge at the moment, they are top of the league and they've had a fantastic start to the season,' added the Rovers boss.

They've got Michael Essien back, they've got Jose Bosingwa back, two players who would definitely be in the starting line-up every week, but that have been missing for most of last season and Chelsea still won the league.


Steven N'Zonzi is likely to be out after pulling up at Anfield last week and Herold Goulon misses out as the game comes a bit soon for him.

Outcast Jason Roberts is back in the squad however.

Rovers are probably going to line up as follows...

Robinson, Salgado, Nelsen, Samba, Givet, Jones, Grella, EH Diouf, Dunn, Pedersen, Kalinic.

Do us proud boys.

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