Blackburn Rovers fans claim 'liberation' after manager Steve Kean resigns Blackburn's response was initially one of confusion, with managing director Derek Shaw telling Press Association Sport: "I have been travelling down to London and this is the first I have heard of it." Rovers eventually confirmed the news almost an hour later, simply saying on their official website: "Blackburn Rovers Football Club can confirm that Steve Kean tonight resigned from his position as manager." Operations director Paul Agnew and Kean's assistant, Eric Black, were unavailable for comment. Mark Fish, secretary of the Blackburn Rovers Action Group was somewhat more vocal, though, telling Press Association Sport: "I am delighted. It's been a long 12 months for all involved, and I never thought I'd see the day when he went. The supporters are liberated and free of Steve Kean. I am just enjoying the fact that he has gone. He has treated the supporters with contempt. We've got 8,000, 9,000 boycotting and empty seats are one thing he can't mask. I have longed for this. The action group, who have regularly protested against Kean's employment throughout his reign, issued a more formal statement in which they said: "Following 654 days as manager, 373 days since the first protest, 74 matches, 37 defeats, one forfeit, one relegation, a third board of directors, three assistant managers and a community in mourning, today will go down as the day when Blackburn Rovers was liberated from the man who has brought a whole club's supporter base to their knees with tears. They have had thoughts of helplessness and pure anguish at what they have seen unfold at Blackburn Rovers since that ill-fated day he was appointed in December 2010. Never in the club's history has one man brought so much despair to the terraces and survived against all odds like Steve Kean has managed to - until today. Supporters have publicly expressed their disappointment at Kean's refusal to apologise for the relegation, and have voted with their feet. The average attendance this season rests just above 13,000. It's been long, hard and painful 12 months. A lot has been spoken and many words have been written. However, one thing has remained constant - the supporters' fight to have a well-run club, with a manager who does not take the supporters for granted," the statement added. Steve Kean has single-handedly turned lifelong supporters away from the terraces by his lack of respect, his derogatory comments, his poor performance as a manager and constant excuses. Having gone through last season with little dissent from his boardroom, Kean found newly-installed director of football Shebby Singh a different beast over the summer. He initially told Kean he would be sacked if he lost three games in a row, while earlier this week said the situation was getting "worse by the day." The Action Group now want to build bridges with Singh and the Venky's, though, saying: "The BRFC Action Group now wants to put all its energies in helping rebuild the family community club of just two years ago. Mistakes have been made and lessons need to be learned. Since Shebby Singh's appointment, open and honest dialogue has been forthcoming and welcomed. Now is the time for all supporters to unite, put their full support behind the manager's replacement and the players and be the club's 12th man in the quest for promotion.