DAVID Dunn has taken a swipe at Arsene Wenger by claiming Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson would not have moaned about Rovers' physical approach in the same way the Arsenal chief did at the weekend.

Wenger tried to re-open the old bully-boy' debate by branding Rovers as over-physical', and he even went one step further and suggested there was a desire of violence more than commitment' in some of their challenges.

However, Dunn fervently believes Rovers never over-stepped the mark at any point during the feisty 1-1 draw at Ewood, and he has dismissed Wenger's rant as sour grapes.

The 27-year-old, who grabbed Rovers' equaliser with a long-range strike that deceived Jens Lehmann, said: "It always seems to be the Arsenal camp that comes out with that kind of comment.

"I wouldn't be so sure that Alex Ferguson would say that. I think he'd expect that from his team as well.

"You've got to be able to mix it in this league, but I honestly don't think there was any bad challenges in the game.

"There's a lot at stake and there's a lot of professional people out there who are wanting to do well, so of course at times you are going to get a few rash tackles and that sort of thing.

"But I disagree that we were violent."We were committed, yes, and aggressive at times as well, but they're a good team and they've probably got better players than we have, with more ability going through the team, so we've got to close that gap and get against them by making it into a little bit of a battle.

"And we did that, and it proved fruitful."

After falling behind to an 18th minute strike from Arsenal's Robin Van Persie, Rovers were then indebted to Dunn for his timely 72nd minute equaliser, a strike which capped an impressive contribution from the midfielder, particularly in the second half.

However, while happy to soak up the plaudits, Dunn himself insists there is still plenty of room for improvement in his game.

"I wouldn't say that was one of my best games since coming back," said Dunn.

"I thought I played better against Chelsea last season, but I'm kind of getting there.

"I didn't play much in pre-season so I'm catching up on my games as well at the moment, but I was pleased with how it (Sunday) went."

The decision to select Dunn ahead of Tugay in Rovers' midfield engine room for the opening three games of the season has given the former Birmingham schemer a massive confidence boost, and now he's got the shirt, he's determined not to lose it for the forseeable future.

"It's a big thing for me (to get picked ahead of someone like Tugay)," added Dunn.

"I thought I was going to have to be patient and win my place six or seven games into the season.

"But I've got the shirt at the moment and it's down to me now. It's in my hands and if I keep playing well then there's no reason why I can't stay in the team."

Meanwhile, Rovers' chairman John Williams has praised the fans for the role they played in Sunday's gutsy second half fightback.

He said: "I thought our fans were magnificent. That's the loudest I've heard Ewood in a long time.

"When we were behind in the second half, the crowd really got behind us and the fans helped suck in that equaliser."

Matt Derbyshire will hope to play a part for England's Under 21s when they take on Romania at Ashton Gate tonight.

Rovers' Academy side kicked off the season with a 1-1 draw against Sunderland at the Academy of Light.

Both goals came from the penalty spot, striker Jamie Clarke netting an equaliser for Rovers six minutes from time.