It’s now been 11 days since Blackburn Rovers took the decision to sack Valentin Ismael, with the Riversides having not won a single game in eight matches.
Since he was given the boot, Rovers beat Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 with caretaker manager David Lowe at the helm, but his side did then suffer a 2-0 defeat to Norwich, putting them in further bother towards the bottom of the Championship.
Whatever happens, they need a quick solution, with it looking as though Lowe will be in the hotseat for a third game in a row when they travel to Queens Park Rangers on Valentine’s Day.
The latest on Blackburn’s hunt for a new manager
This has already been a drawn-out process and it would appear that a swift resolution is not forthcoming.
Indeed, Blackburn had been in talks with Gary Rowett about becoming their manager and were reportedly in talks to do so. They were even planning to offer him the job.
However, earlier this week, that move fell through, leaving Rovers having to search for an alternative. They may well have found one in the shape of Michael O’Neill who has emerged as a candidate for the job. He has been the manager of Northern Ireland since 2022 where he is enjoying his second stint in charge of the national team. He was previously at Stoke City so boasts experience of EFL life.
Another option could well be Lee Johnson. That’s according to journalist Pete O’Rourke who revealed on social media that he is ‘on the radar’ of plenty of EFL teams who are seeking a new manager either now or in the summer.
Johnson is currently coaching in Europe, where he is the boss of Lommel SK in the second tier of Belgian football.
Why Johnson would be a good appointment for Blackburn
It’s safe to say that the 44-year-old’s stock has fallen since the brilliant job he did at Bristol City.
With the Robins, he established them as a strong Championship side, finishing 11th in the 2017/18 campaign and as high as eighth in 2018/19, narrowly missing out on a play-off spot.
Yet, he has had to rebuild his career after less promising stints at Hibernian and Fleetwood Town where he won just 26 of the 74 games he took charge of.
However, at Lommel SK, he has done a pretty fine job with the Belgian outfit currently sitting in sixth place, having lost just six of their 23 outings to date.
He’s doing a similar job there as he did with Bristol City and it would appear he’s got his mojo back.
On the face of it, he may not be the most appealing or most exciting manager to bring in but like the aforementioned Rowett, he’s got experience of the EFL, managing 402 games in the Championship and League One. He has also now been brave enough to test himself abroad, where he has no doubt learnt a great deal about his management style.
Let us not forget just what Johnson achieved with Bristol City. Their league placing of eighth back in 2018/19 was their highest finish in the football pyramid since Gary Johnson led his men to fourth back in 2007/08.
|
Lee Johnson manager career |
|
|---|---|
|
Club |
Win % |
|
Oldham Athletic |
35% |
|
Barnsley |
39.2% |
|
Bristol City |
38.7% |
|
Sunderland |
51.3% |
|
Hibernian |
38.5% |
|
Fleetwood Town |
27.3% |
|
Lommel SK |
48.3% |
At Sunderland, while he failed to engineer promotion success in League One, ending the 2020/21 campaign in fourth and losing in the play-offs, they did win the EFL Trophy at Wembley. Discounting their play-off wins in 2022 and 2025, that is the only trophy they have won since being crowned Championship title winners in 2006/07.
So, he does have decent pedigree and what might also interest those at Ewood Park is that he has actually just lost two of his seven matches with Rovers, winning on three occasions.
Based on the above, they could do worse than turning their attention to Johnson.
Blackburn Rovers now exploring deal for title-winning boss after Rowett talks stall
The Lancashire side have now got another option in mind.
