Fulham 1-1 Blackburn: Daily Mirror match report

Steve Kean last night insisted he will not have his managerial neck wrung by Blackburn’s chicken farm owners.

Kean woke up yesterday to predictions he would become the first casualty of the season if his side slipped to their fourth successive defeat – and the worst start in the club’s history at Craven Cottage.

Despite being on the receiving end of a second-half siege, Rovers clung on for a point and, while they stay bottom, the Scot claimed his job was safe.

Kean said: “It doesn’t affect me. The speculation is just that – speculation.

“I’ve got the dressing room, the backing of the squad and the backing of the owners. I’m in contact with them every day and went to India to see them last week.

“They’re happy with the way we’re playing. We had backing in the window, and have a ­competitive squad.

“If the fans stay with us, they’ll see many performances like that away from home which will give us more than a point. I’m very confident we’ll finish in the top half.”

Kean’s confidence seemed misplaced after 90 minutes that did not augur well for either side, starting in beautiful autumn sunshine and ending amid a downpour.

In between, there were two good goals and one bad match, with the only real drama coming in stoppage time as Junior Hoilett was concussed in an ugly clash with Mark Schwarzer.

Fortunately for the Canadian, who spent nine minutes on the deck before being immobilised and carted off in a neck brace, the only damage was mild concussion and four stitches. But more serious damage could be done to both these teams over the months to come, despite terrific finishes from Ruben Rochina and Bobby Zamora.

Blackburn, at least, had an excuse. After three straight defeats, even a draw will have seemed like salvation.

But Fulham had none and the howls of anguish from the home fans at the final whistle were understandable.

“It was frustrating,” said boss Martin Jol. “In the second half, we had eight or nine crosses to the near post and you need to come up with better finishing. We lacked a cutting edge.” Despite dominating after Zamora curled home the leveller, cancelling out Rochina’s excellent 20-yarder, the final ball was not good enough and when half-chances did fall to them, Paul Robinson was equal to the task.

The former England keeper made athletic leaps to foil Danny Murphy and, in the last minute, Clint Dempsey while Brede Hangeland also failed to make the most of a Murphy corner.

It was, in Hangeland’s words “extremely disappointing”, from both sides, with quality limited except in the finishes.

Blackburn went ahead on 32 minutes with a goal that did little for the confidence of Fulham’s £10.6million deadline-day recruit Bryan Ruiz.

And Jol admitted: “The pace was too quick for him.” But six minutes later Zamora equalised as he curled in from the angle.

Much of the rest was ­forgettable. It could be that sort of campaign for both.

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