The next appointment Blackburn Rovers make may be one of their most important ones in a long time, given the position that they are currently in.
They were sixth in the Championship when John Eustace decided to leave for Derby County last February, when they appointed Valerien Ismael as his replacement.
The French manager lost 19 of his 42 league matches in charge of Rovers, last season and this term, and left the club in the relegation zone, before they beat Sheffield Wednesday without him earlier this week.
Blackburn are now only above the drop zone on goal difference, with West Bromwich Albion below them, and they face relegation to League One if they do not get this appointment right.
The type of manager Blackburn need
This is easier said than done, of course, but the club need to find their next version of Tony Mowbray, who enjoyed huge success during his time at Ewood Park.
He took over in February 2017, as they were struggling in a relegation battle, and could not prevent a relegation to League One, but Rovers stuck by him for their League One campaign.
Mowbray rewarded them for their faith in him with a promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking, finishing second in the third tier, and he kept them up in his four full seasons in the Championship.
|
Tony Mowbray at Blackburn |
|
|---|---|
|
Season (league) |
Finish |
|
21/22 (Championship) |
8th |
|
20/21 (Championship) |
15th |
|
19/20 (Championship) |
11th |
|
18/19 (Championship) |
15th |
|
17/18 (League One) |
2nd |
|
16/17 (Championship) |
22nd |
Blackburn now need a manager who has the potential to provide long-term stability, even in the event of a relegation, in the same way that the 4-2-3-1 manager during his time at the club.
That is not an easy task for the board. Finding a manager who has the qualities required to guide a team to safety, whilst also having the potential to lead a promotion push if they get relegated is not simple.
Former Wales and Sunderland manager Chris Coleman was recently linked with the job as a possible Eustace repeat, but there is another candidate who could be Blackburn’s next Mowbray.
Blackburn open talks to hire 4-2-3-1 manager in possible Eustace repeat
Blackburn Rovers have reportedly held talks with a manager who could be a John Eustace repeat at Ewood Park.
The manager who could be Blackburn’s next Mowbray
Plenty of managers have already been linked with a move to Ewood Park, including, but not limited to, Robbie Savage, Chris Coleman, David Wagner, and Slaven Bilic.
One of the most interesting links, however, has been Reading head coach Leam Richardson, because his career so far suggests that he has the potential to be a Mowbray-esque figure for Rovers.
The manager, who plays the same 4-2-3-1 formation as Mowbray typically, took over at Reading when they were 19th in League One at the end of October, and has led them to tenth place at the time of writing.
This shows that he has the motivational and coaching skills to drag a team out of a relegation battle, despite taking Rotherham down from the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign.
Richardson could, therefore, be suited to Blackburn’s short-term goal of avoiding relegation from the second tier, as they are currently in a bad spot in the league, but he has shown that he can lift a group away from danger after taking over mid-season.
|
Leam Richardson at Wigan |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season (league) |
Games |
Finish |
|
22/23 (Championship) |
20 |
23rd |
|
21/22 (League One) |
46 |
1st |
|
20/21 (League One) |
34 |
20th |
Richardson’s job at Wigan, meanwhile, was described as “remarkable” by journalist Josh Bunting as he took them from a struggling League One side to the title to earn promotion to the Championship.
This means that the 46-year-old head coach also has the ability to lead a group to promotion with his coaching skills, which shows that he is not wedded to one way of managing or playing football.
Richardson’s time with Reading and Wigan shows that he is multi-faceted as a coach. He can manage a team to climb away from a relegation scrap or to fight for a league title, depending on the situation.
Therefore, the Royals manager could be the perfect appointment for where Blackburn find themselves. He would give them a chance of staying up, given his achievements with Reading, but his time at Wigan shows that he would also be the best man to get them back to the second tier if they do go down.
Only 4 losses in 30 games: Blackburn identify ex-player as top manager target
Interim boss Damien Johnson picked up a win on Tuesday evening but will be replaced.
Richardson could follow in Mowbray’s footsteps by initially taking the team down to League One, after taking over in a bad position, before leading the side straight back up.
