The Great Lancashire Sack Race.

Tonight’s match between struggling Bolton Wanderers and the bemusing Blackburn Rovers is already being dubbed a relegation 6-pointer. Whoever loses is given the dreaded accolade of being bottom at Christmas.

Bolton have lost 13 out of 16 games this season and Blackburn? Well they’re a bit of a clueless embarrassment this year, mostly off the pitch. On it their performance isn’t actually that bad, in fact I reckon even if they were winning games the fans would be on the manager’s shoulder week in week out.

The Wanderers are rooted to the foot of the table and manager Owen Coyle must be getting more than a little nervous now. This game could well be make or break for him with many speculating the losing manager will find his P45 tomorrow morning. This match is seen as a one-on-one sack race between Owen Coyle and Steve Kean.

Over at Ewood Park all the focus is centred around their inexperienced manager Steve Kean, who was given the job after the new owners, Venky’s, sacked the experienced Sam Allardyce.

Since then the Rovers have been in free-fall and their fans have been on Kean’s back demanding his departure. Up to now this has proven a completely fruitless endeavour as clueless Kean still sits in the hotseat and was even given a bumped up new contract as reward for plummeting the club into the bottom three.

But to be totally honest I feel for Steve Kean. Alright, he isn’t the most experienced of managers and I was as shocked as everyone else to hear he’d be the guy replacing Allardyce but he couldn’t exactly turn down the opportunity could he?

I mean, would you as an everyday coach turn down the opportunity to manage a Premier League side? Of course not. It’s not his fault Venky’s gave him the opportunity, he’s doing his best and if it’s not good enough then how is he to blame?

Emile Heskey is another victim of onslaught every time he plays for England. How can you have a go at him? The manager puts him out there, if he plays like an overloaded clothes horse on a windy day then how on Earth can you blame him? If Fabio Capello called me up tomorrow and said he was taking me to the Euros I’d be very confused, but I’d say yes!

All of the scorn towards Kean, in my opinion, is being directed at the wrong guy. It’s the owners who put him there, now it’s down to them to put him out of his misery. Kean won’t resign and Venky’s won’t sack, because frankly they’re just as inexperienced as Kean is. Would you give a manager an improved wage for sitting in the bottom three? Of course you wouldn’t. I’m starting to be convinced Venky’s think football works like golf. Lowest score wins.

So if Blackburn do end up playing Championship football next season, which they may well be doing with a loss tonight, don’t blame Kean, blame the idiots who put him there.