Gary Neville told Sky Sports that Blackburn must band together if they want to return to the Premier League.
Negative atmosphere has sealed Rovers' fate, says Gary
Gary Neville told
Sky Sports that everyone at Blackburn will need to pull together if the club are to make an immediate return to the top flight.
Rovers' relegation to the Championship was confirmed on Monday night after they suffered a 1-0 loss to in-form Wigan at a rain-sodden Ewood Park.
Read our match report here
Blackburn have spent the entire season in the lower reaches of the Premier League, while disillusioned supporters have regularly voiced their anger towards manager, Steve Kean, and club owners, the Venkys.
Rovers full-back Bradley Orr gave a dignified post-match interview in the wake of his side's demotion, and Neville says the 1995 Premier League champions must show similar character in the second tier next term.
"They'll need to show strength and have players that are all facing in the right direction," said the former Manchester United star.
"It's not going to be easy because you've seen teams that have gone down to the Championship and only a few of them have come back up directly. The atmosphere around the club isn't great but they need to get behind each other.
"The Blackburn fans are good people but they are frustrated. If ever a manager, a group of players, and a set of fans need to go on holiday, it's Blackburn's. They need to get through their match against Chelsea on Sunday somehow and have a break from each other.
"They need to revitalise and come back next season stronger than ever because keeping everyone together is key when you're in bad moments."
Painful
Blackburn were denied what Neville called a "certain penalty" against Wigan after referee Mark Clattenburg failed to see Rovers forward Junior Hoilett tumble in the box under a challenge from Latics' wing-back Emmerson Boyce.
But he says the "negativity" that has infected Kean's men this season is the main reason why they will be playing Championship football next year for the first time since 2001.
"At the moment there won't be one person in the club feeling good but in football you pick yourselves up," said Neville.
"They are not the first side to go down and have been relegated before, but it is particularly painful for a team that were champions 17 years ago.
"It hasn't been good for them this season and you think about that game before Christmas when they played Bolton. I've never seen an atmosphere like that in a ground so early on in the season; there has been negativity surrounding the club from start to finish.
"You did think that with about seven or eight games to go Blackburn may have enough to get out of it but they have had a terrible run these last few weeks and have faded."
Spirit
Wigan, meanwhile, secured their Premier League status with Monday night's triumph and can now look forward to an eighth successive season in the elite division.
Athletic lost eight games on the bounce earlier this term but a run of six wins out of eight, which has included victories over Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle, has fired them to safety.
And Neville reserved praise for the way Latics chief Roberto Martinez has galvanised his troops and stuck to his footballing principles.
"There were many people who thought Wigan would go down and in early March I did not give them a chance with the run of fixtures that they had coming up," added the ex-right-back.
"They have done it the hard way; they let their more comfortable fixtures this season pass them by but then they go to Liverpool, Man United, Arsenal, Newcastle and Stoke [and picked up wins].
"To show that spirit and that quality of football at the most difficult time of the season when you are down at the bottom of the league and under that pressure is unbelievable.
"Roberto Martinez has never wavered in his belief and made his players believe; he has to take huge credit because he has overachieved in this last two months. His team have relaxed, played with freedom and looked dangerous going forward."
Neville concluded: "We talk about experience when you're going for the title but Wigan's experience from last season has probably made them believe more than the other teams [towards the bottom of the league]."
