MICHAEL Carrick insists he won't underestimate Blackburn despite their recent struggles and sought to play down the impact of a potential protest from the home fans at Ewood Park tonight.
Blackburn's supporters are angry with the running of the club and last week told officials, including former Boro striker Rudy Gestede, to stay away from games.
Potential protests are planned at Ewood Park tonight, where Boro go in search of a a fifth win in seven games as they continue their push for a Championship play-off place.
As well as the disgruntlement in the stands, Rovers are in woeful form on the pitch, having slipped to 11th in the Championship on the back of four straight defeats.
But Boro boss Carrick said: “We’re certainly not looking at it as a good time (to play Blackburn).
"There's no way we're looking at other things outside this building, really, for a helping hand.
"We need to look at ourselves and concentrate on ourselves and have all eyes on what we can do to perform and not what other things are going on in and around other clubs.
"It's not for us to worry about or think about. The game will take care of itself. Whatever way it goes, however way it goes, it's up to us to do our best to be able to deal with it."
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Should Boro score first at Ewood Park tonight, the home fans could make the atmosphere extremely difficult for the Rovers players.
Carrick said: “It's an easy one to say, every game I think we're always trying to start well and score first.
"Pretty much every team on planet will talk about starting well, starting fast, trying to get the first goal, and it is important, of course it is.
"I think certain games towards the end of the season, when it gets to this stage, you want to try and gain every little inch that you can within the game. So certainly from the start is important, but it's just as important finishing games.
"Whether that's player changes and adapting as the game goes, certainly managing the end of games and whether we have to find a goal like the other day, or whether you're up and you’ve got to manage the game and find a way to win.
"All of a sudden, because it's the time of year, it takes on a whole kind of new challenge. The start of the game is something we focus on, but not any more than probably we normally would."
