Under-fire Kean ready to meet protesting fans

BLACKBURN Rovers manager Steve Kean says he is ready to meet some of the club’s disgruntled fans if required to do so. The Ewood Park outfit are bottom of the Barclays Premier League and a section of Rovers supporters have for some time been staging protests against Kean, calling for him to be sacked.

The Scot, who it was announced last week had signed a new contract, said after Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Stoke that he was putting the criticism to the back of his mind. But he said he shared fans’ frustrations – Blackburn have won just once in the league all season – and yesterday he insisted he would be happy to speak with them directly. “I will always take direction from other people at the club more qualified than me to organise something like that,” the 44-year-old said ahead of tonight’s Carling Cup quarter-final at Cardiff. “But if it is going to happen, then I would be available to do that.”

Asked if he thought such a move was needed, Kean said: “I don’t know. Possibly they might want to know more about what is going on at Ewood. I think there has been a lot of suggestion that they would like to know a little bit more about the organisation and the running of the club. That is not my department, but I’m happy to talk on the football side.”

Kean goes head-to-head with fellow Scot Malky Mackay, who could heap more pressure on Kean if one of only two non top-flight teams left in the last eight beat Rovers. Crystal Palace will fly the flag for the Championship tomorrow night against Manchester United, while Arsenal and Manchester City could both play shadow squads in their quarter-final at the Emirates tonight.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Emmanuel Frimpong, Yossi Benayoun and South Korea captain Park Ju-young are all in contention as some of the Gunners key men will be given a break. Former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves, fit after a recent calf injury, and defenders Kolo Toure and Stefan Savic are among the more high-profile City players who could be involved.