Blackburn Rovers have been one of the Championship's surprise packages this season and are in very good form at a crucial time in the second tier.

Rovers got the better of high-flying Sheffield United to a 1-0 scoreline last time out in further proving their top six credentials while some much fancied clubs battle away outside the play-off places.

Jon Dahl Tomasson would have been seen as a risky appointment by some sections of the Ewood Park faithful but the Dane has adjusted to second tier level very quickly and supporters will have high hopes for his tenure at the club.

Tomasson gave a very level-headed response when asked if Rovers are still in with a shout of automatic promotion on The Official EFL Podcast.

He said: "I'm a realist, I understand where we're coming from as a club.

"It has been extremely tough to be a Rovers fan for the last decade, probably.

"We are slowly building, we want to become better, we need to become better, on the other hand we all know that we are not favourites to go up, we are not favourites to be around the play-offs.

"But we are there! and we will chase the moment and chase the dream.

"We are realistic that we can also lose the next game in this great league."

The Verdict

The underdog mentality is a smart one for Tomasson to adopt at this juncture, especially considering that Rovers fell away from a similar position last season.

There are not sides of the quality of Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United breathing down their neck this time around, but few are convinced at this stage that they will be able to hold on.

Regardless of whether they stay in the top six or not, this should be seen as a very promising first season in the Ewood Park dugout for Tomasson, in taking charge of a squad that has many drawbacks compared to the sides around them in the table.