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Kean targets European football

Steve Kean: Aiming for only his second win of the Premier League season against Chelsea
Image: Steve Kean: Aiming for only his second win of the Premier League season against Chelsea

Steve Kean insists Blackburn can fulfil their ambition of playing European football within five years.

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Blackburn boss looking to the long-term

Steve Kean insists Blackburn Rovers can fulfil their ambition of playing European football within five years. But he insists fans will have to be patient as Venky's, the club's cash-rich Indian owners, look to the long-term at Ewood Park. Rovers climbed off the bottom of the Premier League with a 3-3 draw at Norwich - despite surrendering a two-goal advantage in the dying stages. It has done little to appease many Blackburn supporters, with more protests expected against Kean when his side host fourth-placed Chelsea on Saturday. However, the unfazed Scot reckons the Rao family, who own Venky's, are "rock solid" in their support of him.

Millions

"The owners want us within four or five years to competing in Europe season on season," he told The Times. "I don't think there's any reason why we can't do that. "But what they want to do is to do it gradually. "I don't think they're going to throw hundreds of millions at it to get there in one season." Venky's took over the Lancashire club last year, insisting they wanted Rovers to finish in the running for Europe and also made a failed audacious attempt to lure Brazilian star Ronaldinho to England. However, Kean insists he is not under pressure to deliver instant success.
Direction
He added: "Obviously when you're in a position in the bottom three, it's not nice, but they're very successful business people. "And once they make their mind up about what direction they want to go in any business, I think they will stick to it. "They will give it a period of time and then they will judge it. Certainly not within ten games. "They know where they want us to go long-term and nothing is going to change."

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