BLACKBURN Rovers today outlined the pressure they are under to enforce a no-standing policy on match days at Ewood Park.

The club have come in for criticism from their own fans in recent weeks after a number of supporters were warned about standing up in home areas during games.

However, Rovers secretary Tom Finn has explained that the club are only acting in line with national guidelines that have been set out by the Football Licensing Authority - and every club in the country must enforce a similar policy.

Finn said: "Clubs are deemed to be responsible for the behaviour of their own fans and all clubs have been required to ensure that their supporters adhere to the regulations in this area. This has been easier to achieve at the club's own stadium as those who offend regularly risk sanctions being taken against them.

"The problem, therefore, generally within football is that of persuading away supporters to remain seated.

"For the past two seasons, clubs have been required to report to the Football Licensing Authority after each match and advise if supporters of the visiting team stood persistently. This process indicated that the away supporters of certain teams did stand persistently at almost all the games recorded through that process.

"The behaviour of those clubs is now being monitored closely and some local authorities in receipt of this evidence have chosen to reduce the number of seats the home club can provide to the away team. This can obviously have revenue implications.

"We do try to persuade away supporters to sit when they come to Ewood Park. We have produced a leaflet that is sent out to all ticket purchasers, we have posters displayed at the turnstiles asking for fans co-operation and we make PA announcements if standing does take place. We then report on the away fans behaviour to the FLA.

Finn said the club have issued warnings to a number of fans who have persistently stood up during home matches.

But he stressed Rovers are continuing to work closely with supporters' groups to ensure that all fans comply with safety regulations.

He said: "There are from time to time a number of supporters, generally towards the rear of each side of the Blackburn End, who seem to want to stand throughout the match. We have communicated with many of the individuals concerned and the issue has been raised previously with the Fans Forum and Supporters Association.

"A few weeks ago the standing increased so we wrote to all season ticket holders in those areas affected asking for their co-operation in ensuring that we continue to comply with the terms of our Safety Certificate. This approach is unquestionably preferable to confrontation on matchdays. We realise that this is a sensitive issue and will continue to communicate with supporters and ask for their assistance in continuing with their generally excellent behaviour both at Ewood Park and when supporting the team away from home."