LEE Carsley believes confidence has now been restored amongst the Ewood playing staff thanks to Tony Parkes's quiet revolution, writes Andy Neild

Morale had hit rock bottom after Rovers wretched start to the season appeared to have wrecked their promotion dream.

But Parkes has turned the tide on the back of a five game unbeaten run as Rovers prepared to face Port Vale today.

And Republic of Ireland international Carsley beileves that's largely down to his caretaker boss's subtle man-management skills.

"It was a tough job to come into because Brian Kidd was very popular with the lads - we were all sorry to see him go," said Carsley. "But Tony has taken over and he's done a great job.

"When he made seven changes in his first game, that more or less set the tempo that he meant business.

"And he's kept that going from there.

"It wasn't a case of someone coming in and ranting and raving and pointing the finger at people.

"Everyone knows Tony's not like that anyway.

"He's more likely to come and talk to you and tell you exactly what he wants.

"And that's exactly what he has done.

"He's made himself clear and he's got the team playing.

"When he first took over there was a definite lack of confidence going around the team, in terms of the fact we weren't scoring goals and weren't really looking like we were going to score.

"But at the minute, everyone seems to be clicking and we've become quite a hard team to beat."

Tuesday night's 2-1 victory over Charlton at The Valley was further evidence of how far Rovers have come under Parkes. And that has restored belief among both the players and supporters that promotion is back on the agenda.

"That was a big result for us because going into the game we knew it was going to be a big test of whether we had progressed or not," said Carsley. "And I think the result showed that we have.

"For the first time since I've been here we are playing with confidence.

"The atmosphere in the dressing room after the Charlton game was the best it has ever been."

However, Carsley's views would not seem to be shared by out-of-favour Matt Jansen, who has not featured under Parkes.

He said: "I don't know what I've done. I Must have upset somebody. Obviously Tony Parkes doesn't fancy me. Maybe I'll wait and see what happens when the new manager comes in."

Jansen, who is attracting interest from Rangers and has been linked with Manchester United and Arsenal, added: "I've kept my chin up, and hopefully I've shown a few people what I can do. I would like to be playing in the top flight. My best performances have been there, especially for Crystal Palace. But I've shown that I can also take on the First Division.

"Brian Kidd was a great guy and taught me a lot, but now he's gone. It was a real shame when he left."

Meanwhile, Rovers striker Ashley Ward has been linked with Spurs. a possible move to Tottenham.

Spurs boss George Graham is desperate for a striker and he is on the look out for a proven target man.

Ward would certainly fit that bill but Rovers are unlikely to consider any moves for the front man until a new manager is installed.

In the meantime, Parkes will continue to hold the fort and he expects to be in charge for the next two games at least.

On the injury front, defender Craig Short has been told he needs surgery to correct his troublesome calf injury.

Short has been dogged by the problem for a while and now faces up to six weeks on the sidelines.

But Billy McKinlay is continuing to make good progress after missing almost a year with a pelvic problem.

And Parkes is hopeful he could be back in contention in the next two or three weeks.

Rovers Under 19s beat neighbours Bolton 3-0 at Accrington Stanley's Crown Ground yesterday to maintain their position at the top of the table. Gary Hamilton scored twice and Ryan Baldacchino grabbed the other as Rovers bounced back from a rare defeat ast weekend.

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