Football Season Guide

Having just missed out on the play-offs in the 2024/25 season, the hope for Blackburn supporters was that the club would be able to build from there. Unfortunately for them, it was yet another false dawn. Rovers finished the previous season well under Valérien Ismaël but in truth it was John Eustace who’d laid the groundwork for their 7th placed finish before he unceremoniously departed the club in February 2025. Ismaël’s shortcomings were eventually exposed in his first full campaign in charge and he was sacked after less than a year, with the team floundering in the relegation zone. The Frenchman wasn’t helped by a spate of serious injuries on the pitch and the club’s transfer policy off it. Key players like captain Lewis Travis, Tyrhys Dolan, Callum Brittain and Dom Hyam departed in the summer of 2025. The decision to sell Hyam to Championship rivals Wrexham on the final day of the transfer window was particularly baffling. Rovers didn’t have time to sign a replacement and went into the season with just three recognised senior centre-backs. Two of them in Hayden Carter and Scott Wharton were coming back from long-term injuries! In other instances, Blackburn were simply unlucky with injuries. Important players like Ryan Alebiosu, Lewis Miller, Sondre Tronstad and top scorer Andri Guðjohnsen all missed significant periods of the season. Michael O’Neill was given the unenviable task of trying to turn the club’s fortunes around whilst maintaining his role as Head Coach of the Northern Ireland national team. It ended up being one of the rare gambles that actually paid off for Rovers. O’Neill battened down the hatches and was able to get the most out of a depleted squad by making them more difficult to beat. It wasn’t pretty, but it proved to be effective as Blackburn survived relegation. The fact that O’Neill decided to stay in international management despite Blackburn’s efforts to convince him to take on their head coach’s role permanently perhaps tells its own story. O’Neill along with Eustace and Jon Dahl Tomasson before him have all left the club of their own accord. Much-maligned owners the Venkys continued to be criticised for their apathy and acceptance of mediocrity – with supporters staging protests and boycotting home matches. The club’s hierarchy haven’t done anything to shirk that reputation so far. Tony Mowbray returns for a second spell as head coach. A much-loved figure in the game for his personality and brave battle against cancer, the appointment still looks like an uninspired one. Mowbray’s attempt at a romantic return to another of his former clubs West Brom in 2025 didn’t have the fairytale ending and he was sacked after just three months. Rover’s transfer business has also left a lot to be desired so far. Wide-man Jayden Fevrier who had a decent spell at Charlton last season is the only new player to arrive whilst important players like Tronstad and Ryan Hedges have departed. All the signs point to another season of turmoil for Blackburn.