Blackburn manager Steve Kean signs new contract

Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean has signed a new contract through to June 2013 with the Premier League club.

After Sam Allardyce was fired in December, the 43-year-old Kean was given a contract until the end of the season by Blackburn's owners, Asian poultry giant Venky's.

Kean said Thursday ''the owners have shown great faith in me and I will do all I can to repay them. This is a great opportunity for me and I intend to grasp it with both hands.''

Venky's chairwoman Anuradha Desa says ''we have great confidence in Steve, someone who impresses us with his work ethic, enthusiasm, positivity and football philosophy.'' She stressed that ''stability is very important to us.''

Blackburn is 11th in the 20-team league.