Coventry boss becomes latest manager to praise Blackburn Rovers
Mark Robins has become the latest manager to praise Blackburn Rovers for their style of play despite the 1-0 defeat at Coventry City.
Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side have lost their last four matches in the league and on each occasion, the opposing manager has come out and unpromptedly praised Rovers.
Tony Mowbray and Enzo Maresca both claimed Rovers were the best side they’ve played this season. Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna likened them to Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa and now Robins has claimed Blackburn are the best team they’ve played at the CBS Arena
Despite his praise, the Coventry boss still felt his side deserved to edge the contest with Haji Wright’s late header proving decisive.
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“Yeah, I think so,” Robins said when asked if Coventry deserved to win. “I think they’re the best team in possession that we’ve played this season here.
“I like the way they play. They are really good and brave in possession. We started quite brightly when we looked like we had loads of energy and we were getting after them.
“We looked like we could create something and we were moving the ball OK but then in the second period of the first half they controlled it.”
“We did better in the second half when we hit the bar three times,” he added. “And the third of those times was the Yasin Ayari shot after he had shown great movement and great feet.
I think the goal was a really good goal from Haji who directed it well with his head, and we deserved it. But we had to stay in the game and we had to make sure that we didn’t concede a goal and that was really pleasing.
“We scored in the 85th minute and we saw out the last 10-15 minutes. I think we played eight over, so 13 minutes so we were really pleased to see it out, especially against such a good team.”
There was controversy mid-way through the second half when Andrew Moran’s goal was ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Ben Wilson. Referee Jeremy Wilson had initially given the goal but then consulted with his linesman and ruled it out.
Tomasson felt the situation was ‘strange’, though hadn’t seen a replay of the incident to decide whether the right decision was made. Robins felt that it was a foul but admitted Wilson was fortunate that the decision was overturned.
“Ben had the ball in both hands and the player has kicked it out of his hands, there’s no doubt about it,” said the Coventry boss.
“But I would still like Ben to take the kick (from the opponent) and not roll out of the way and drop the ball. That’s the one criticism I can level at him, and I don’t like doing it because he has been fantastic for us.
“But that’s one area where he can do that and ask the questions afterwards, so that was a bit too easy and if that goal had stood, because it looked like the referee was going to give it for a minute or so, that would have been really hard to take.”
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