Date of Birth: 10 03 1981
Place of Birth: Kingston
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: Ireland
International Caps 15
International Goals 2
Steven Reid Rumours and Transfers
10 08 2007
Mark Hughes says that losing is not an option for his Blackburn side on the 1st day of the season.
Rovers travel to Boro on Saturday however then miss out on the midweek league fixtures as they are playing in the UEFA Cup 2nd qualifying round.
With Blackburn's 2nd Premier League match being against Arsenal a week Sunday, Hughes fears that unless his players get off to a good start at the Riverside they will be playing catch-up.
He said, "We would like to hit the ground running and the 1st triumph is vitally important. God forbid we lose our opening game because we will then miss a league fixture in midweek when everyone else is playing and then have a very difficult game against Arsenal. That means we maybe faced with a situation where we would still be looking for our 1st point when others already have points on the board. We are away for the 1st game of the season which appears to be the norm for us and that will make it difficult. However, we can take comfort from the fact that we have a decent record against Boro in recent times. We are also stronger at the moment than we were last year and we have added to the team and welcomed other guys back from injury."
Steven Reid's comeback from a cruciate knee ligament injury and Swiss full back Bruno Berner is out for 4 months after breaking a bone in his right foot however otherwise Hughes has a full team to chose from.
New forward Roque Santa Cruz is probably going to start alongside Benni McCarthy after impressing in training.
Blackburn captain Ryan Nelsen said, "He's so bloody good that he's been a pain in the neck, I have only been happy to be on his side in training. He's big, he's quick and he's skilful and he was a good signing. I am sure he will prove to be very successful in the Premier League."
