AS Gary Bowyer was addressing the media yesterday afternoon he had no idea of the events taking place 100 miles down the M6.

Lee Clark, the then-boss of Birmingham City, tonight’s visitors to Ewood Park, was about to become the ninth Championship manager to lose his job this season.

Incredibly Clark’s sacking means Blackburn Rovers boss Bowyer is now the fifth longest serving manager in the division, behind Rotherham United’s Steve Evans, Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe, Ipswich Town’s Mick McCarthy and Reading’s Nigel Adkins.

It is also ironic that Bowyer spent part of his press conference talking about how he believes football, and society at large, has become preoccupied by short-termism, and how he believes he faces a balancing act at Ewood Park.

That balancing act being his need to improve results at the same time as trying to steadily rebuild a club that appeared in terminal decline until his arrival in May last year.

“There were six lads under the age of the 24 in the final 10 players on Saturday,” said Bowyer, whose side, after their 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town on Saturday, are 13th in the standings, four points from the top six.

“These experiences they are going through as young players – which they still are and people forget sometimes – will stand them in good stead.

“You can talk about experience but how do you get experience? It’s by going through the situations that we’re going through.

“The core group of players we’ve got are the future of this football club. In two years’ time they’re going to be 24, 25, some of them, and if we manage to keep hold of them, then what a future the club has got.

“So that is what has been important in terms of the recruitment side of it.

“But as the same time we don’t lose sight of the fact that we’re trying to get results because it’s a results business.

“When you’re not getting results there’s an air of disappointment, no more so than the players and the staff themselves."

Cricket-fan Bowyer added: “It’s society nowadays. People love Twenty20 cricket rather than a Test match.

“What do I prefer? I prefer a Test match because it’s about a long strategy and a long-term plan and that’s what we’re trying to put in place here.

“I think football now, people continually look short term and don’t give people long enough.

“I think there are three managers now in their second job this season alone and that’s crazy.”

For now Bowyer’s sole focus is on beating Birmingham tonight and ending a winless run which stretched to four games on Saturday.

But given the timing of Ben Marshall’s equaliser at Portman Road, and given the fact Rovers played the final third of the match with 10 men, it felt more like a victory.

Bowyer said: “What we’ve got to do is use the momentum and the emotion of that last-minute equaliser, which was a fantastic free kick from Marshy, and use that to our advantage tomorrow.”

Last-gasp hero Marshall has started the last three games at right back.

But with the fit-again Alex Baptiste and Adam Henley impressing off the bench at Ipswich, Bowyer hinted his man of the moment could be moved back into midfield tonight.

A lot will depend on whether skipper Grant Hanley recovers from the knee injury which ruled him out on Saturday.

Bowyer will give his captain, and attacker Josh King, every opportunity to prove their fitness.

If Hanley fails to recover in time, and with Matt Kilgallon suspended following his controversial sending off against Ipswich, Baptiste will start at centre back.

“Baps was magnificent for us on Saturday,” said Bowyer, who is still without Jason Lowe, Tommy Spurr and Chris Brown.

“He’d only trained twice with us but we chucked him on, straight into a tough and difficult game, and he just got on with it.

“If we have to play Baps there tomorrow then it won’t be a problem for us.”

If Hanley is passed fit, Bowyer has the option of playing Baptiste at right back.

But he admits Henley, who despite being a natural in the position has had to play back-up to Marshall, has also staked a claim.

“I thought Adam contributed massively on Saturday and it enabled us to put Marshy forward – and he’s got four goals now so that’s something we might look at if everyone is fit and well,” said Bowyer.

“Adam’s been unfortunate with the competition in front of him but at no stage has he ever dipped in terms of his attitude or his intensity in training.

“He’s just got to wait for his opportunity because when he does get it, I’ve got no doubt he won’t let us down and he will certainly take it.”

Birmingham, who have won only once at home in the past year, parted company with Clark and his assistant Steve Watson yesterday afternoon after Bowyer had finished speaking to the  media.

The club statement confirming the duo’s departures, however, arrived only after Clark had conducted a press conference to preview the Rovers clash.

Birmingham slipped to fourth bottom after going down 1-0 to Bolton Wanderers at St Andrews on Saturday.

First-team coach Richard Beale and chief scout Malcolm Crosby have been placed in caretaker charge.