Fulham manager Chris Coleman has no time for critics of the physical style favoured by Blackburn and Bolton.
Both clubs have come under fire for their combative approach but it has proved successful with Blackburn sat in mid-table of the Barclays Premiership and Bolton claiming fifth place
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has griped in the past that his players have been bullied out of contention but Coleman believes only teams that can be targeted in this way condemn the tactics.
“The people who complain about big Sam Allardyce and Bolton are generally the teams who have just lost to them and been beaten up,” said Coleman ahead of the clash with Rovers.
“It’s the same with Blackburn. The teams who don’t like it when you get stuck into them, they’re the ones that complain.
“There are some teams in this league who pretend they play a lot of football but in reality they don’t play that much football. Then they get tagged a football team. I won’t name any names.
“We’ve played against them and I’ve been left scratching my ahead and saying that’s not a footballing side. It’s all about perception.
“The majority of people who know anything about football will be looking and saying ‘what are they talking about’. Have we just watched the same game?”
Coleman believes Blackburn boss Mark Hughes, his former Wales team-mate, is right to continue with the strong-arm tactics for as long as they keep working.
“Mark won’t give a monkeys about what anyone is saying about his team as long as they’re successful and the club is going in the right direction,” he said.
“You have to think like that. Mark doesn’t care and big Sam doesn’t care. It’s about winning games. We’ve played great football this year but we need to win more games.”
Hughes landed the Blackburn job after an impressive spell with Wales – his first managerial position – and Coleman admits he would like to emulate the former Manchester United striker by coaching the national side at some point in the future.
“As a player Mark was fearsome – a tough, tough boy. He was a good player as well of course,” he said.
“With Wales Mark faced the same problems as me when I started at Fulham. One day he was in the dressing room and then bang he had to pick the team.
“He impressed with Wales but missed the day-to-day involvement that you get as a club manager. As an international coach you can’t work on things that are going wrong, you have to wait until the next game.
“For me that’s the biggest thing I’d miss if I became international manager. I’d love to be Wales coach one day in the future, and I mean one day in the future. I’m very, very happy where I am at the moment.”
