I WAS at Ewood Park on Tuesday to see Blackburn beat Sunderland, and was left with a few thoughts – most saliently, just how poor Sunderland were.

In a game against a team with one of the worst defensive records in the Premier League, and the worst home record in terms of matches lost, Sunderland managed to create just one good chance in the whole game.

Granted they were without Cattermole and Sessegnon, who will both be available on Tuesday, but I was nevertheless surprised at how ordinary they were.

Whatever your opinion of Steve Kean as a manager, one thing I came away from the ground thinking was, what a remarkable resilience he has. For that you have to admire him. I think it is safe to say that he is working under considerable restraints imposed by the owners.

He has received tremendous abuse from the fans, had to sell key players like Jason Roberts and Christoper Samba, and been unable to play Michel Salgado.

Yet whatever has been thrown at him he has taken on the chin and remained defiant in the extreme.

And his team has now given themselves a fantastic chance of survival.

If you take Paul Robinsdon, Morten Gamst Pedersen and Yakubu (who is astonishingly still only 29) out of Tuesday night’s line up, the average of the team would have been about 24.

Steve Kean is doing a decent job under difficult conditions – and may yet have the last laugh.