TONY Mowbray hopes he can resolve Blackburn Rovers’ defensive deficiencies, but still wants his side to carry an attacking threat.

Rovers have scored 36 goals in 31 league games this season, but have shipped 49 to leave them second bottom of the Championship.

Mowbray has a reputation of a coach who likes his side to get the ball down and play open, expansive football, but he is prepared to alter his approach to ensure league survival: “My session on Thursday was based around defensive football and what we’re going to do and how we’re going to try and tighten up,” he said.

MORE TOP STORIES:

“I’m hoping that I can resolve that, but I still want to attack and try and score goals.

“I need to make sure that if we’re attacking we’ve still got the back door shut and we have players whose job it is to not go past the ball and to protect the team from a counter-attack.

“Over a period of time we can do some more extensive work and I will drill them and drill them on what I expect and where I expect them to be on a football pitch.

“I see modern football as a positional game, how to fill spaces on the pitch, how many men to commit forward, how many players to defend with, when do you gamble and when do you use your game management, so I want them to learn.

“From what I can see in their eyes, some of it is new to them, which is always good, and I hope they take to it.

“I wish there was an international break so we could have put down some foundations of what’s expected, but we will do a lot of stuff on the analysis of games, what went will and what didn’t go so well.

“I’m a big believer on repetition of good habits.”