Blackburn: The view from the opposition

The midfielder spent more than 16 years at the club, having been signed up for the Academy at the age of seven after being spotted playing for his local junior side in Wallasey.

He made 55 appearances in a red shirt and played a key role in helping Kenny Dalglish's team reach Wembley three years ago.

After leaving Liverpool, he joined Bolton Wanderers and appeared as a substitute in the fourth round this season at Anfield.

He has recently switched to Gary Bowyer's Blackburn on loan until the end of the season and will be watching from the Main Stand on Sunday due to being cup-tied.

Is frustration the right word to describe how you feel at not being able to play against your former club at Anfield on Sunday, having already played here for Bolton?

You do come across these games when you do wish these rules weren't part of the game, but it's something where I was lucky to play here for Bolton. I managed to get on the field and really enjoyed it and it was good to go back for myself and my family. This game will be tough for me to sit there and watch it.

How nice was it to go back to Anfield and also come away with what was a great result for Bolton?

When you leave a team like Liverpool, especially with how big they are and so big around the world, and you've been there as a player between the age of seven and 23, it's something that you always want to go back there and play. We got them in the draw and I was lucky enough to get on the pitch and get some time on the field. I got a great reception and I thank the fans for that. It was a great experience and we got a great result to take them back to the Macron Stadium.

What is your role then going into this game, are you trying to help the other lads and make them aware of what they can expect from playing at Anfield?

To be honest with you, I won't be doing that much extra. We are just in for normal training and the day before the game the gaffer will get us in and do some work on what team we will be playing. It will just be a normal week and we will watch a video of Liverpool and the way that they play. They are playing really well at the moment and they were great against Manchester City last weekend, but the lads are looking forward to it.

Watch the video here »

It must be a strange one for you as you'll want Blackburn to win but you will always have that feeling towards Liverpool...

I've always been a Liverpool fan and I always will be. When it comes to the game on Sunday it's an awkward one as I want Blackburn to do well because I'm a Blackburn player at this moment in time. I wish the lads all the best and I do hope they go there and show exactly what this group is all about. We have a strong squad who can cause a lot of teams problems and the lads will be looking to do that on Sunday.

In the time you've been at Ewood Park what have you made of Blackburn Rovers and the squad they have got?

I knew straight away when I came here after speaking to the manager it was a good decision to make, an easy one to make when you look at the size of their squad. With the depth and the quality they have here, I knew I was coming into a good club. The lads like to play football and it's perfectly suited for the way I like to play. The facilities here are second-to-none. There is the indoor facility, four or five pitches just for the first team alone, so the conditions are fantastic. They have everything they need to get themselves back in the Premier League. They have got a very young squad as a lot of the lads are still between 21 and 23, with a few experienced lads, so if this squad can gel together they will be right up there.

The Championship is such a competitive division and Blackburn are in the middle of it just now, so what is realistic for the team between now and the end of the season?

Every team wants to try to get that last play-off position, which is going to be a tough thing to do, but we have to go into every game just concentrating on ourselves and try to take the three points. If we can do that, then in the Championship teams tend to beat each other and you never know because someone might slip up. We've got to keep fighting right until the end and see where it takes us.

Is a cup run like this a hindrance to the play-off hopes?

No, I think every cup run is a massive boost for the lads. They have come through some tough games. They beat Swansea City at home quite comfortably, they did the same to Stoke City as well and now they go to Liverpool full of confidence in the FA Cup and fully aware of the tough game it is going to be, but they have got nothing to lose. They will go there, try their best and see how it goes on the day.

The goalscorers always catch the eye but you have had a chance to assess the Blackburn squad. Who are their main threats?

It's going to be a massively tough game. The lads know how good a side Liverpool are and they know the way Brendan has got them playing, which is fantastic for everyone to watch. We have got natural goalscorers and we have also got natural width to get balls into the box. It's a showcase for them to go and express themselves and compete against some of the best players in the world, to be honest with you, and they are really looking forward to it.

Blackburn will certainly come and give it a go won't they, as they are not the type of team to just sit back and play for an Ewood Park replay?

No, of course we will give it a go. We have got nothing to lose. It's an FA Cup game, it's a chance to get to Wembley in the semi-final, which is something this club would love, the fans would love and especially the players would love. So they go there with nothing to lose. We will go there full of faith and you never know what can happen in the FA Cup.

How impressed have you been with Liverpool recently?

Very. Brendan has stuck with this formation and the young lads who came in like Emre Can have done very well. Emre has done tremendously well. Being a Liverpool fan I do watch quite a few of their games. Jordan Henderson has been superb, Joe Allen has stepped in and done really well since Stevie has been injured. You've got Raheem, who I played a lot of games with in the Academy, who is on fire and creating all sorts of chances for his teammates. The whole squad seems to be gelling together and they have done since Christmas.

Watch the video here »

As a fan looking at Coutinho and the way he is playing in the last few weeks, how impressed have you been with him and what is it like coming up against a player like that?

There's nothing much you can do as you just on the day have to see if you can stop him! From the moment he came into the club you knew he was going to be something special and it was only a matter of time. He has started to kick on now for Liverpool and really express himself and show what he is capable of doing. Hopefully he can continue to do that... but not on Sunday!

Are you still in touch with a few of the boys at Liverpool and still keep an eye on things?

I still speak with a few of the lads and also with some of the lads who also left the club. I speak with Martin Kelly quite a bit, I was speaking to Martin Skrtel after he got the Man of the Match award away at Southampton - he is a good guy and we have always kept in touch. I speak with Jon Flanagan and still keep in touch with the staff. I'm a massive Liverpool fan and I always will be; it was a massive part of my career coming through the ranks.

You were part of the team that got to the FA Cup final in 2012 and came close to winning a second trophy that season at Wembley. What was it like to have been a part of that side?

It was a dream to be honest with you. I had come through the Academy as a young lad and I was lucky to get the chance to play in an FA Cup final for Liverpool. That is something that I will never forget, not just for me but for my family and friends as well. We were unlucky on the day to lose but it was an occasion that I will always remember. I do think silverware is not that far away for Liverpool now under Brendan. For a club like Liverpool, the main thing they want is the Champions League and I don't see why they can't make that.