Hughes Wants Complete Rovers Focus

Obviously Blackburn Rovers Manager Mark Hughes is bound to say that the Premiership match with West Ham United this afternoon is going to be a difficult game, but he also wants the hype surrounding our opponents to be banished from the memory.

As we know Rovers have failed to win a Premiership match at Upton Park since April 1994, with the main hype surrounding the position of West Ham manager Alan Pardew. After seeing his side lose eight successive League and Cup matches it is thought that Pardew may very well be sacked if his side fail to beat us on Sunday.

Sparky wants all thoughts of our recent short comings and Pardew's position put to the back of the players minds with him VERY keen to see us back on the winning trail after back to back League and Cup defeats against Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea respectively when Rovers face the Hammers in the live Sky Sports televised game from Upton Park. Hughes said:

"It will certainly be a difficult game for us. It is a game that seems to be taking on more significance as the hours pass.

"We are focusing on what we are going to do irrespective of the media speculation surrounding the game. We cannot allow that to affect how we approach the game, which is an important game for ourselves too.

"As always at Upton Park there will be a vociferous crowd. It is the old football cliché that you have to make sure the first twenty minutes are solid and you do not concede, and if we get over that period, then maybe we will start to disappoint the crowd and use that to our advantage.

"We haven't done as well against West Ham in my time. They seem to have a little bit of an Indian sign over us, but maybe this time it is a good time to play them."

I see this match being a very difficult game for Rovers even if all hype surrounding the game in forgotten. You always have that worry that a team on a bad run will see that end when they play you! Let's hope it isn't the case for Rovers today, although I really don't want Rovers to be the team to cost Pardew his job...

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