The Saturday Interview: Lee Carsley talks to Andy Neild

YOU could be forgiven for mistaking Blackburn Rovers' new signing Lee Carsley for EastEnders hard man Grant Mitchell.

But the £3.375m capture from Derby has more in common with Walford's loveable rogue than just looks.

Both men decided to take up a new challenge this week and call time on the employers who gave them their big break.

And both have also had parents in the pub-trade.

Forget the Queen Vic, Carsley's dad used to own The Cornerpin in Sheldon.

But what the pair share most is a hard exterior which hides a softer centre.

Carsley's all-action displays have earned him the tag as a tough-tackling midfielder who knows how to look after himself.

What more do you expect, though, off a guy who loves all-action movies in the Bruce Willis mode?

But off the pitch, the 25-year-old is a totally dedicated family man who lives a quiet existence and prefers to keep himself to himself. "I don't drink, I'm tee-total, and I'm not one for night-clubbing.

"I like to be at home where I can be around my family.

"For some reason I've never drunk, even though my dad used to have a pub.

"I take my football very seriously, especially now someone's put so much faith and confidence in me by splashing out an enormous amount of money, and I don't want to let anyone down."

When it came down to deciding whether or not to swap Derby County for Blackburn Rovers, his family was the deciding factor.

Lee's son Connor was born with Downs Syndrome eight weeks ago. It's been a traumatic time for him and his wife Louisa and any move had to be in the best interests of the family as a whole and especially baby Connor.

"When I met up with Brian Kidd we talked for a couple of hours and I would have signed there and then had I been a single man.

"But it was all about making the right decision for the whole of the family.

"When Connor was born as you can imagine it was pretty desperado.

"I wanted to check the local hospitals out first before I decided.

"And when I found out what sort of facilities were available in Manchester then that was another plus factor in deciding.

"People might have thought I was waiting to see how Rovers did against Wimbledon at the weekend but that was never the case.

"As soon as I knew that Brian Kidd and Blackburn were interested I wanted to come.

"I just had to make sure everything was right."

Brought up in Sheldon in Birmingham, Carsley has come along way since he first started playing for the Catholic Community Centre as a youngster under the management of his godfather.

While playing for 'the three Cs' he attracted the attention of Derby scout Les Dolphin who then took him to the Baseball Ground where he signed schoolboy forms. There, he successfully served his apprenticeship and broke into the first team as a 19-year-old, making his debut in 1994-95.

Under the shrewd management of Jim Smith and his assistant Steve McClaren, who ironically became Brian Kidd's successor at Manchester United recently, he quickly began to make a name for himself.

And in four years as a first team regular they successfully moulded him into a midfield general who has now made the grade at international level.

"Jim Smith was brilliant off the field - he really takes care of his players.

"He's very understanding. Like this situation with Connor, he just told me to take as much time off as I needed.

"And Steve McClaren is a dedicated coach who was very enthusiastic.

"Between them they brought the best out of players. I can see Steve being like Brian Kidd one day at Manchester United.

"But he's got some catching up to do because I think Brian's the best in the business."

When he found out Rovers were interested in signing him, the lure of working with Kidd proved to be a key factor.

Ex-Derby team-mates Christian Dailly and Ashley Ward gave a glowing report of life at Blackburn.

He also consulted Republic of Ireland team-mates Jason McAteer, Damien Duff and Jeff Kenna before opting for Ewood. And, from what he has seen so far, Rovers are light years ahead of what he has left behind.

The training facilities at Brockhall have particularly impressed him, although like most new signings, he has taken time to find his bearings.

"I had a bit of trouble finding the training ground at first so I've just been following the statues (which line the route in). "This is the kind of thing Derby want to get but it's going to take them about four years to build it.

"Even then I can't see it being as good as this because this must be one of the best training grounds in the Premier League.

"People keep saying it must have been a wrench to leave Derby but it certainly doesn't feel that way. The facilities are brilliant and everyone has been so helpful here."

Now Carsley is hoping to repay the faith Kidd has shown in him by keeping Rovers in the Premier League.

And in the process he can go along way to silencing the jibes made by some corners of the media in the wake of his big money move.

One hack described him as 'a hod-carrier of a midfielder' who was 'a very poor version of David Batty'.

Kidd, for one, certainly believes he has far more to his game than simply being a stopper.

And if hard work and endeavour are any yardstick to go by then Carsley should achieve his two goals - to become the best player he can and help make Rovers successful again.

"I don't think I'm anywhere near the finished article but if I keep working hard on the training field then hopefully I'll improve."

Under someone like Kidd, that's one wish which may be granted sooner than he anticipates.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.