EPL Index now tells us that Yakubu is the most lethal striker in the whole of the Premier League, converting 41% of all his chances so far this season.

I must admit to being somewhat dubious when the Nigerian signed for Rovers on deadline day. There was no doubting his sheer class and ability before he signed, and he was in typically Gary Lineker esque form on his debut against Arsenal (doing jack all game but scoring)…shooting blind to open his account. He just knew where he was and where the goal was, and yesterday he showed what he was about again. He ghosted into just the right place for his first 3, and took a great penalty to boot.

Yak is now showing Everton exactly what they are missing in letting such a goal machine go, and I really believe we grabbed a bargain at just £1.5million. It seems strange however that Yakubu decided to celebrate 2 of his goals with Kean, when we have been told that Kean didn’t even want him….he is the next Van Nistelrooy/Shearer/Lineker/Cruyff after all.

Steve Kean’s reign looks set to continue for at least the next few weeks (although some reports suggest he may be about to get booted), which is why yesterday seemed so bitter sweet.

The victory was vital, and puts us once again back in the mix, and we can start looking up the table again, but Kean’s remarkable record speaks for itself in being just so poor just shouts loud and clear. If the man had a shred of dignity he would surely walk away, but I suppose you can’t blame him if he’s set for a lovely big payout if he ever does get fired.

It’s also a strange situation to be in, as who would replace him?! We all dream of Sparkys return, but he won’t want to come back here, he feels he has much bigger fish to fry, and my guess would be some idiot living off former glories like Dowie.

I can never see Kean being liked around Ewood again, unless we went on a silly run and ended up qualifying for Europe but I can’t see it.

Many will think we have turned the corner after yesterday, but I genuinely believe a team only slightly better than Swansea would have come away from Ewood with  at least a point.

Swansea played some neat stuff, but that man Yak showed why class is permanent, and how much we have missed a real goalscorer for so many years.

First we had the 2-1 Rovers win at Ewood in May 2010, when Samba scored a 68th minute winning header much to the dismay of Arsenal boss Arsene Winger. See BBC match report and subsequent Wenger winge here.

Then there was the 0-0 draw at the Emirates last season when Jermaine Jones became a true hero with a gritty and scintilating performance.

And yesterday, Rovers epic 4-3 victory over the Gunners in what can only be considered a Premier League classic. The game had everything; controversy, own goals, debut goals for a striker, late drama…the list is endless.

But this time around, the game was more significant for Blackburn than it was for Arsenal.

A march before the game (due to logistical problems) which I did not attend but was in support of seemed to pass by without much an impact on the seemingly infallible Kean. His post match comments of “only 1% of the fans were unhappy” is seemingly delusional. Surely he knows it is the majority of the fans that are unhappy and not the minority? I know some are still sat on the fence, but a protest doesn’t represent the true number i.e. protest marches against the government don’t have 40 million people going crazy in London now do they?!

(Glenn deserves a lot of credit for sticking his neck out and organising it. I salute you sir! )

A victory for Rovers seems to have laminated Kean, protecting him from the elements of the storm that is surrounding him, and Venky’s vehement approval of the erm…’Manager’ continues, and after the performance, Kean may well have bought himself some more time in the eyes of many. Another win against Newcastle will propel Rovers a few points away from danger and  probably ensure Kean lasts until at least Xmas.

I certainly didn’t agree with people wanting Rovers to lose the game. No matter who the manager is and how much he is hated, we must always support and get behind the team and cheer the team to victory, which I have to say was done by everyone inside Ewood yesterday (yet another cock-up by Kean).

In the context of the season and the career of Steve Kean, this was a HUGE game. “Sacked in the morning” was the cry from the Arse fans (which some Rovers fans joined in), but a touch of sheer class from Yakubu breathed life into a very lackluster 1st half Rovers performance and in truth we were lucky to go in just 2-1 down at the interval. I brought a friend along yesterday who is an Everton fan, as my regular fellow attendee had to work, and he made the very good point that Givet was getting shafted on the left flank and either needed supporting more by Hoillett or replacing with Olsson…I could only agree entirely.

I bumped in to a couple of chums who I went so school with in Southport, and we all agreed we would be lucky to get even a point from the game, and were more likely to get a battering.

Queue a surprising and effervescent second half Rovers peformance. Olsson was the key impact man, and gave support to Givet and adrenaline, power and pace to the left flank. Givet looked a different player after the introduction of Olsson.
All in all very satisfying second half performance in my opinion, and Yakubu seems to be a cog we have been missing for a few years – someone who is just a genuine out and out poacher.

After the game I walked out of Ewood with a big grin on my mush for the first time in a long time, and was left wondering…sack, back or crack?

The phrase is usually saved for the waxing rooms of salons up and down the country, but I think it sums up our situation perfectly.

A. Sack him, and we’ll probably end up with another yes man who is just as bad.
B. Back him, and we’ll possibly go down.
C. Crack. He’ll either crack it, or he’ll crack up and walk out, leaving us with problem A.

I genuinely don’t think A will happen. Venky’s seem to love him, and hopefully they do know something we don’t. I really hope Kean does crack it. I don’t hate the man, and a successful Kean means a successful Rovers, as he isn’t going anywhere it would seem.

I hope we can bask in the victory for a few more days before it all starts up again. We should revel in these moments as we don’t know how long they are going to last.

The issues and the questions still remain, but again the strange thing is Kean appears to have the full backing of the players.

Maybe, we as fans are delusional, and we should be fully behind the bald drink driver and back him to the hilt. I think though that we have been more than forgiving with Kean. He already took us to the brink of disaster last season, and most fans, myself included, decided to give him pre-season and early this season for him to turn things around. He didn’t, but has he now?

I think I’ll pass further judgement after the Newcastle game (which I shall be watching in the warmth of my armchair (getting married next month so a bit short on £)).

Adios, speak soon!

We look set to miss out on the big money centre forward we have all been craving all summer (well, the last 3 really!), but look to gain one of the most well respected centre-halves in the country.

I would have argued before pre-season that the centre of defence was our strongest area of the pitch, but with the departure of Jones, the inexperienced and young Hanley continuing to look exactly that and Nelsen seemingly badly and possibly irreparably injured, it became obvious we needed a big strong centre back to work with Samba (although as I write I’m still not 100% convinced he won’t leave, or indeed Dann will confirm as signed).

Yakubu appears close, but is a big let down compared with what we all hoped and wanted…

I’ll leave it at that for now, and write again after the window (or winder if you’re from Yorkshire (spits)), closes!