Tim's praise for 50-up Mousa

Tim Sherwood paid tribute to Mousa Dembele after the midfielder clocked up 50 appearances for us in the Premier League in Sunday’s 3-1 win at Swansea.

Mousa , who joined us from Fulham in August 2012, has featured in 32 of our 34 matches in all competitions this season.

Head Coach Tim, a central midfielder in his playing days, capped three times by England and skipper of Blackburn’s title-winning team in 1995, underlined the difficulty of playing against the Belgian international in those central areas.

“Mousa’s a nightmare to play against because he can drop his shoulder and leave you on your backside!” said Tim, who played 118 times for between 1999-2003.

“Opponents can’t get the better of him physically either. He’s such a strong man, he gets away from players. He’s a real top talent.

“We’re trying to get him further forward to play in and around the penalty area because he has the capability of creating and perhaps scoring more goals. We’re getting him into the areas to achieve that.

“He’s very well respected within the group. The lads know the quality he possesses and treat him with the respect he deserves.”