Following a 3-0 defeat at home to automatic promotion-chasing Bournemouth last weekend, Blackburn Rovers’ hopes of a place in the play-offs were quashed.
The Lancashire side looked comfortable in fourth after beating Derby Country 3-1 in mid-March, but a run of just one win in seven matches has resulted in them dropping as far down as ninth!
Tony Mowbray’s men were arguably overachieving when it looked like a place in the play-offs was on the horizon, with a ninth-place finish perhaps a fairer reflection of where Rovers should be in the division.
But the Championship is an unforgiving league —games come thick and fast, and a run of just one win in seven is what you’d expect from the likes of the relegated Peterborough United or Barnsley and not a side chasing promotion.
It’s certainly a sorry state of affairs at Ewood Park. While they were not fancied for one of the play-off places in the English Championship betting odds prior to the season getting underway, to crumble in the manner in which they have will still be bitterly disappointing.
It looks like a long way back to the top for Blackburn from here. Rovers’ talisman Adam Armstrong departed to Southampton for £15 million last summer, which wasn’t invested back into the squad as Mowbray was able to spend little more than a million, and their chances of keeping Ben Brereton Díaz are looking slim after the Chilean international’s rise to superstardom.
Then there is the task of finding a new manager this summer. After five years at the helm, Mowbray’s contract is due to run out at the end of this season and there have been no talks with the club’s chiefs in regards to a renewal — leaving the door open to a fresh face taking the reins at Ewood Park for the first time in half a decade.
In Mowbray’s time in charge in Lancashire, Blackburn have been relegated to League One, been crowned champions of the third tier on the first time of asking and never finished higher than 11th in the Championship. So, now is probably the right time to bring someone else to the club, but the list of candidates doesn’t look all that convincing.
Wycombe Wanderers boss Gareth Ainsworth, who has been in charge of the Chairboys for the last decade, is the favourite for the job. However, Wycombe are currently in the League One play-offs and should they earn promotion to the Championships, it’s hard to see Ainsworth leave for Ewood Park.
Due to his experience of working on a tight budget, and even earning two promotions during his at Adams Park despite those restrictions, the 48-year-old is perhaps the best candidate though and should Wycombe stay down in the third tier, then it looks almost certain the Blackburn-born man will take over from Mowbray.
Daniel Farke is also reportedly interested in the role, which would certainly be welcomed by the Rovers’ fanbase, but it’s hard to see the two-time Championship-winning manager taking over and having as much success as he had at Norwich City on such a small budget.
Derek McInness, who is currently in charge of Scottish Championship side Kilmarnock, Lee Johnson, who was recently sacked by League One side Sunderland, and Michael Appleton, who lasted just 67 days during his last stint as Blackburn boss in 2013, are definitely not convincing candidates.
The road ahead for the Rovers certainly looks bumpy, and they won’t be tipped to be anywhere near the play-offs in the Championship outright predictions next season. There is a fear of the unknown currently amongst the supporters, which obviously comes with the departure of a manager after five years in charge.
This is now a very big summer for the club. The wrong appointment in the dugout from the board and failure to bring in a new goalscorer should Brereton Díaz leave as expected could be very costly — and Blackburn could fall even further down the table!