Newcastle United v Blackburn Rovers - Peter White's big match preview

THERE are at least six good reasons why Blackburn Rovers should have an extra incentive to claim their first win at St James's Park for nearly 40 years tomorrow.

In no particular order, they are: Kenny Dalglish, Alan Shearer, David Batty, Shay Given, Alan Irvine, Terry Gennoe...

That's right, half a dozen former Ewood stalwarts who are singing a vastly different "Toon" these days.

The influence of three is being felt backstage at St James's, while two of Rovers' on-pitch rivals will be missing tomorrow - Shearer suffering the agony of another long absence and Given called up for World Cup duty by the Republic of Ireland.

But the presence of Batty in Newcastle's midfield could well be a significant one.

In some quarters, Batty has long been underestimated as a footballer, too many people preferring to see him purely as a destroyer - a man who wins the ball then lets others do the playing for him.

As Rovers supporters will testify, that's simply not the case and he has been enjoying a rich vein of form for both Newcastle and England this season.

One person who isn't surprised by Batty's continuing rise in the popularity stakes is Burnley's assistant manager Glenn Roeder, himself a former Newcastle skipper.

And he has inside knowledge of the midfielder's qualities from working alongside him in the England camp - most recently in Rome when, as it turned out, all roads led to France for our international set. Roeder has no doubts about the importance of Batty to any side and the player's presence has become even more vital to Newcastle after the loss of top stars such as Shearer, Les Ferdinand and Tino Asprilla.

"Newcastle should count themselves lucky to have David Batty," said Roeder.

"He is a model professional, someone all young players can look up to. He does not seek any limelight and just gets on with his job with the minimum of fuss.

"I cannot praise him highly enough as a professional footballer or a man.

"In training, he gets everything right. He has a nice little smile at the right minute but, when it matters, he takes everything so seriously.

"He's absolutely great to have in the dressing room.

"People outside the game are only just beginning to realise what a good player David Batty is.

"Those who work with him already know that. He's a winner.

"And I am delighted that he is going to get the World Cup stage his talents deserve in France next summer."

It's one of those co-incidences which continually crop up in the game that Batty should be facing his first club Leeds one Saturday, then coming up against his second in Rovers the following weekend - with a European Cup tie in between! But, despite Newcastle's flop at Elland Road last weekend, it's the sort of challenge Batty will relish.

As Roeder said: "Playing against your former teams two Premiership games in a row might faze some players but not Batty.

"He will be lifted by all this."

If there is one major flaw in his game it is his attacking, highlighted in our Carling Opta profile by the fact that he has had only one shot so far this season!

Batty's tackling and passing, however, have been as reliable as ever, though he does tread a fine line between being competitive and going too far.

An important part of his game is about controlled aggression but 23 fouls so far this season, along with two yellow cards and a red, suggest a few problems.

The most impressive statistic concerns his passing, with an excellent completion rate of 88 per cent.

Batty suffered, like the rest of his team-mates, during last Saturday's 4-1 humbling by Leeds.

It sent shock waves through the Newcastle fans and gave Dalglish plenty to think about too.

But there will not be anyone more determined than Batty to prove that was a one-off.

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