Jon Dahl Tomasson believes Blackburn Rovers are growing in stature and is proud at the development he’s seeing in his young group.
Rovers came from behind to beat Millwall 2-1 at The Den with goals from Joe Rankin-Costello and Callum Brittain securing a third-straight Championship win. Having lost nine of their last 11 midweek away games, Rovers dug in to complete an impressive comeback.
Having fallen behind so early, more experience sides than Rovers would have buckled under the pressure. Instead, they weathered the storm and grew into the match in an intimidating atmosphere.
Rovers have played well in-possession throughout 2023, with Tomasson’s style and imprint growing on the club with each month. The other intangible qualities needed to win matches in a 46-game slog are developing too.
READ MORE: How Blackburn Rovers' right unpicked Millwall
At Millwall, they showed incredible resilience and grit to fight back and then preserve their lead. It’s those qualities that impressed Tomasson, especially considering the age of the group.
“It’s very difficult to come here,” Tomasson said. “We all know that we can play incredibly good football, this young team plays very good football.
“But there are also other things. Fighting, staying in the game, showing resilience. Coming here and conceding after 90 seconds, then winning the game. We should be really delighted, it’s a big compliment to all the lads.
“I am proud of the boys, they’re doing everything for Rovers. They play good football but they want to get results for the fans. It’s a young side so sometimes we are learning on the job but the willingness is great.
“When you start a new project, there will be bumps in the road. There have been less bumps in the last year but there were a lot of changes in the summer. A lot of players with experience went away so these young players have to learn fast.
“They’re trying their best and doing everything to learn fast.”
Rovers have now shot up from 20th to 10th at the time of writing, following three Championship wins. Having lost the previous four, their record stands at six wins, six defeats and one draw after 13 outings.
It’s for that reason that Tomasson is not getting ahead of himself despite the improved run of form. The unrelenting nature of the Championship means that the form can still turn with the flip of a coin.
That said, the Rovers head coach has confidence in his side. He thinks if they continue following their game plan, points and performances will follow.
“We can win every league game and we can lose every game. Before we won three on the bounce and then lost four and we could’ve won those games. That’s the league, we all know it’s one of the best in Europe.
“We should be confident. We are a good side and we can beat every team in this league. We know we’ll lose games.
“For me, it’s important we do the right things, the right attitudes. If we follow the game plan, we can see the development over time and I know this team will keep getting better.
“It’s not about 11 players. It’s about everyone, you’re still important if you’re not playing or you’re injured. You have a role in the dressing room.
“It’s true, they’re working well and finding each other. The first goal was a good example of that, the second goal was a great switch of play to the right and side.”
Rovers are only one point off the top six in what is an incredibly stodgy portion of the division. With games against Swansea City and Norwich City, two teams also encased in the same tight part of the league, there is an opportunity to get further points on the board and climb the ladder.
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