Although Sam Allardyce has struggled to bring new faces into Ewood Park this summer, keeping the popular Norwegian could turn out to be his shrewdest bit of business. With six years of loyal service already, Pedersen knows exactly what it takes to make an impact in the Premier League and still has the desire to achieve much more. Signing a four-year contract was a sign of the faith he has in Allardyce to build on last term's impressive 10th-placed finish and the 28-year-old insists there is nowhere he would rather be. "It is always a temptation when other clubs are interested in you and you are in the position I was," he said. "You can be tempted to think the grass is greener. "But when I sat down and thought about it, I knew the right thing was to stay. "I have a love for the club. I have been here for six years and there are not many players who stay in one place as long as that anymore. "I am still a first-choice, so I must be doing something right and it is a big compliment they want to keep me." The 28-year-old requires rather less time to work out the best way for Blackburn to improve this term. Starting last term with just five wins from the first 22 games, Rovers found themselves trying to scramble away from the drop zone before forcing their way into a mid-table position. Pedersen feels confident that if Blackburn can improve on that dismal effort, the class that was shown by a team that held both Chelsea and Manchester United in the latter weeks of the campaign has already been proved. "We had a poor start last year," he said. "If we can get a good one this time we can push up a bit further. "The point is if you get to Christmas and you are around mid-table, it is much easier. Then you might be able to gamble in some games to get a win. "If you are down near the bottom you always have to play safe." However, as he looks forward to Saturday's Premier League opener with Everton, Pedersen accepts life for Blackburn is not going to get any easier. On the contrary, with clubs like Manchester City soaring away thanks to their vast resources and even the likes of Stoke, Wolves and West Ham starting to flex their financial muscle, Pedersen feels Blackburn will have to use all their famed fighting spirit to keep making progress. "It does get harder," he said. "We have to realise where we are. We are not the biggest club in the Premier League. "Of course it is going to be hard to compete with those who have loads of money to buy players and push for the top four. "We don't have money like Manchester City, who can buy whoever they want and could probably put out two first XIs that are worth more than any other team in the Premier League."
