Rovers rubbish Maradona reports

Blackburn Rovers’ owners have firmly dismissed reports that Argentina great Diego Maradona might replace the sacked Sam Allardyce as the English Premier League club’s manager.

India-based poultry firm Venky’s dumped Allardyce on Monday after a weekend loss at north-west rivals Bolton, which left the side 13th in the table and five points above the relegation zone.

Allardyce’s exit came less than a month after Venky’s purchased Blackburn for 23 million pounds (30 million dollars).

Several names have since been touted to replace him, including Maradona, who managed his native country at this year’s World Cup in South Africa, where Argentina bowed out at the quarter-final stage after a 4-0 loss to Germany.

Anuradha Desai, the chairman of Venky’s, was adamant Maradona, who won the World Cup as a player in 1986, was not on his way to Ewood Park.

“This is something that, because we have offices everywhere, somebody spoke about, but it is not true,” Desai told BBC Radio Five Live on Wednesday.

“There is no connection. This is something from before we got into the EPL — he knows one of our friends, but nothing beyond that.

“He is not being considered, not now and forever for the future. I can assure you there is nothing we are having to do with Maradona.”

Meanwhile, Desai said the decision to axe Allardyce — a move condemned as “stupid” by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson — had nothing to do with transfer policy and revolved instead around Venky’s plans for the club.

“We have a long-term vision,” she said.

“We want to take the club up to higher heights in terms of position, in terms of overall betterment of the club, in terms of development of younger players — the future.

“In that, Sam definitely didn’t fit in. We don’t want to be, all the time, in danger of being relegated — three points away, five points away.

“I don’t think this team deserves that. This team has a lot of potential and we can see that.”

Steve Kean, previously first team coach, is currently in temporary charge and Desai said the appointment of a new full-time manager would not be rushed.

“We are looking for a manager in the future but that is going to take time. We don’t want to make a hurried decision.

“We want to understand, meet a lot of people, take opinions and study the scenario,” she added.

“For the time being we have given Steve Kean the job.

“I can assure you he is the guy who is hands-on, he knows the strengths and the weaknesses of the players.

“He has been working hard with the players and I am pretty sure he will do an excellent job.”

Kean, a 43-year-old Scot, was wanted as manager by Kilmarnock but opted to stay at Ewood Park with Allardyce, who recruited him last year.