I WAS almost ready to jump from the stands onto the pitch at Ewood Park myself on Monday night.

I would have loved to have been out there when Rovers were flinging in cross after cross from the flanks during the early stages of the Everton game - but as an attacker rather than a defender.

It was so tempting to get out there amongst those statues that were masquerading as the Everton defence, because I used to love joining the strikers in the area whenever we had a set piece.

And for that reason, it was so refreshing to see Markus Babbel get in there and score because that's what centre backs should be doing.

We're the guys who are used to getting up above opponents and heading crosses so it makes sense that we should be putting this into practice at the other end - why should strikers get the glory all the time?

It can be difficult to set a target as a centre half because you don't know how many opportunities you're going to get to actually be in those positions, but I always thought that between five and 10 goals should be a minimum tally for a centre half over the course of a season.

So I was willing Babbel and Andy Todd forward with everyone else in Ewood when Rovers had the chance to plant one into the box, especially as Everton's defenders left so much space in there you'd have thought they were trying to set a cricket field rather than defend a penalty area.

But the best thing about seeing those two in attacking positions was that it was so early in the game. Babbel could even have had another and Todd was also just wide - all in the first half.

So much for sitting back and keeping it tight!

But let's hope this wasn't just some over-exuberance in front of the TV cameras because we need to see the likes of Babbel getting in amongst it every week.

I know he hasn't really played much in the last two and a half years but that was how long it was since his last goal so he should really be looking to make this a regular part of his game now.

After all, judging by his performance against Everton, he can afford to concentrate on improving his attacking prowess because his ability to defend certainly doesn't need much work.

I remember early in the season when Lorenzo Amoruso was storming forward for every corner and he nodded in two in his first four games. Well, Rovers now need Babbel to be the man to make as much of a nuisance of himself in the opposing area as he does in his own.

It should be something a centre half can enjoy, for a welcome break more than anything.

Imagine facing a corner and you're the defender. You're tense, keeping a close eye on the man you're marking, looking to see where the ball goes, tracking everyone's position. It's your department, your office, it's where you earn your money.

But at the other end, it's like a holiday camp. There's no pressure on you to score so you should enjoy a little foray forward.

And if there's a goal in it for you, everyone's happy - apart from your hapless opposite number that is!