BLACKBURN Rovers boss Gary Bowyer believes modern football lacks on-pitch leaders.

Bowyer grew up at Nottingham Forest, tomorrow’s visitors to Ewood Park, alongside Stuart Pearce and Roy Keane.

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But he fears the likes of former Forest and England captain Pearce and ex-Manchester United and Republic of Ireland skipper Keane, who he once shared digs with, are being lost to the game.

Bowyer says he is trying to address that at Rovers.

He admits he needs more on-the-field generals and has challenged his largely young squad to show they can ‘step up to the mark’ in the final four games of the campaign.

But he accepts that players and characters of the ilk of Pearce and Keane are becoming rarer.

“You talk to coaches and managers up and down the country and they’ll all say the same thing, there’s a shortage of them (leaders) now.

“I think it’s a reflection on society, not just football, but, yes, there is a shortage.

“In the days gone by even when you were in the reserves the young lads themselves placed demands and weren’t afraid to point the finger. Don’t accept mediocre performances – we grew up in that.

“It was all about winning and the importance of it and you had to fight for everything in those days and that breeds the winners.

“It’s something we’ve been certainly talking about and looking at in terms of different ways in which we can create an environment where we can develop leaders because that’s what we’ve got to do now as they’re not as readily available as they once were.”

And if Bowyer cannot do that with the players he currently has at his disposal at Rovers, whose 2-2 draw at Birmingham City on Tuesday mathematically ended their play-off hopes, he will look elsewhere.

“The lads we’ve got here are an honest bunch,” said Bowyer.

“But, with four games left, we need to see their response and see who is going to take that mantle on, if you like, and be a leader.

“Because you’re probably right, it’s probably one or two areas that we’re missing.

“And if that’s the case and then we don’t see enough people stepping up to the mark for it, then in the summer, with the limited options available to us, it’s something we’d definitely identify to bring in.”

Bowyer cut a deeply disappointed figure after his side twice threw away a lead against Birmingham.

It was the ninth time this season they have failed to take three points after going in front.

And Bowyer said: “You saw how I was after the game on Tuesday and the frustration I had because, no disrespect, we should have been winning that game.

“We didn’t and we’ve had a few games like that now, Millwall away, Blackpool at home, Huddersfield at home, and there’s six points without really going through it.

“That’s the frustrating thing and on Tuesday it probably boiled over for me.”

Ninth-placed Rovers will go into tomorrow’s clash with 10th-placed Forest 15 points behind the top six.

And Bowyer said: “The league table reflects how you’ve been throughout a course of a season and we haven’t been ruthless enough.”