Yakubu: Fans must get behind Kean

Yakubu has called on Blackburn fans to give manager Steve Kean a chance as the club to resurrect their season.

The Nigerian international scored all four goals in a 4-2 home victory over Swansea that saw the team climb off the bottom of the league table to 18th, but fans continued their protests against the club’s owners and manager Kean, with boos heard around the ground.

The former Everton man says he has never experienced such an atmosphere and urged fans to get behind the team.

“It’s a shame to see that reaction of the fans. It was not good but maybe we can change their minds after winning more games,” Yakubu told The Times.

“There’s always pressure when you’re not winning. There’s pressure on the players, pressure on the manager. The manager has been there with us, we’ve stuck together.”

“We just need to get out on the pitch and do our jobs, and hopefully we’ll be fine. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. It’s not nice but what can you do?”

“When you listen to all that, you are not going to perform. When you look at the way we played, we fight as a team. It’s a shame to see it even when we’re winning.”

Asked if he had a message for supporters, Yakubu was clear: “They should give (Kean) a chance. We won this match and that’s an unbelievable feeling. We’re going to stay in the league. We know it’s a long way to go. But we have experienced players and I think we’ll be fine.”

“The manager told us to go out on the pitch and believe in ourselves. We have to forget about what’s going on behind the scenes and just focus. And we did it.”

The experienced striker has scored consistently in the Premier League while at Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Everton, and his four goals on Saturday took him to nine in total so far this season.

“It’s unbelievable to get four goals in the Premier League,” he added. “But I always believe I can score goals and my team-mates have given me the opportunity to do that here.”

“We just need to start winning. To get three points is really crucial.”

“It’s been a shame because we’ve been playing so well. The luck is not on our side. Look at the way we are playing. We are not just kicking it long. A couple of months ago we were struggling, losing games late on.”