Go get the rooster? – Oppo Profile Friday, 28th Aug 2026 09:57 by Clive Whittingham It’s been another summer of angst, upheaval and protest at Blackburn but - as usual when we tip them to struggle - Rovers have started well after the second coming of Tony Mowbray – Ian Herbert tells us what we can expect on Saturday. How was last season? Last season was a complete slog. At no point prior to the appointment of Michael O’Neill did Rovers look comfortable in the division and therefore capable of survival but the appointment of the genial Irishman saved our bacon. Typically, Rovers then failed to retain the services of the very man who had turned things around and so the season ended on a note of massive uncertainty. The appointment of Valerien Ismael was at the time widely received as underwhelming/concerning/plain daft* (*delete as appropriate) and the seemingly inexorable slump towards League One would have been just reward for such incompetence. That Suhail Pasha/Rudy Gestede managed to bring in someone competent to save Rovers was a feather in their cap, albeit short-lived as it transpired. The highlight was undoubtedly the away win at Sheffield United that secured our status, enabling me to walk around my locale and engage with my neighbour and window-cleaner from a position of superiority for once. Small mercies. How did you feel about Tony Mowbray’s return? I was underwhelmed. That a club who famously refused to engage with him as his last contract expired, seemingly incapable of treating him with even a modicum of respect as his term ended, could return to appointing him speaks volumes for the integrity and imagination of the Rovers hierarchy. That Mowbray would even consider returning to work for the people who treated him so abominably last time, let alone accept an offer to return, speaks volumes for the options he had on the table. Mowbray will do the job, not complain and will act as a human shield for the hierarchy. He may also lead the club to the third tier once again given the squad he’s inheriting. Blackburn so far… For all that, a much better start than I anticipated… Significantly so. It would not have been too far-fetched to expect to have been on the receiving end of a couple of defeats by this stage given the calibre of the opponents. Four points is a truly heartwarming state of affairs. Mowbray seems to be the continuity Michael O’Neill candidate and has carried on with the avuncular, calmly assured persona that yielded good results at the back end of last season for MON. TM has worked out a First XI that is balanced, albeit with inherent weaknesses - see below - and got them working hard and crucially for each other. Can’t help feeling we are in the calm before the storm stage of the season… How’s the transfer window gone? Eerily quiet… We’ve lost loanees Cashin & Gardner-Hickman; Cashin will be much harder to replace. We’ve released Hedges and Tronstad; Tronstad is a massive loss. We’re likely to lose more before the window closes. The likes of Toth, Cantwell and perhaps Atcheson could move on and the academy prospect Igor Tyjon is seemingly on his way to Arsenal. What remains is a squad packed with youth and potential but categorically not enough Championship acumen to generate confidence. We need defenders who can remain fit, midfielders with experience (& legs…sorry Adam Forshaw…you can’t play 46 games of 90 minutes…) a left-sided attacker & someone to score 15 goals. Not much then. The introduction of professional shithouse Sam Morsy is a shrewd addition to the squad. Mowbray likes an enforcer who can be relied upon to carry out instructions. The problem Rovers have though is that Morsy & Forshaw will effectively job share - neither of them is capable of 46 x 90 minutes - and when you add that to the job share at centre back between injury prone Wharton & Carter, that adds up to two extra squad places being required to accommodate those players. At time of writing, rumours abound, but mainly of outgoings. The potential move of Toth to Celtic lingers in the background, much like a shitting dog over the shoulder of an earnest but unaware local TV news reporter doing a serious piece to camera. Sidnei Tavares is apparently attracting interest and the queue of Rovers fans prepared to drive him wherever in the World he should fancy would stretch the length of the M6. The suspicion is that over the weekend the “EMERGENCY PL LOAN” red button at Brockhall will be called into action and not before time. Ins >>> Moussa Baradji, 25, CM, Yverdon Sport, £1m >>> Jayden Fevrier, 23, RW, Stockport, £500k >>> Sam Morsy, 34, CM, Bristol City, Free Outs >>> Sondre Tronstad, 30, CM, Released >>> Ryan Hedges, 30, RW, Released >>> Nathan Redmond, 32, RW, Released >>> George Pratt, 22, CB, Bradford, Loan >>> Connor O’Riordan, 22, CB, Barnsley, Loan What needs doing? Mowbray seemed v downbeat last week and then you went and won. The first XI could probably amass enough points to keep us lower mid-table. The issues are how many of that first XI will still be at Ewood on September 2 and, if they are, what are the chances that none of them will get injured, tired, suspended between now and May? As that contingency seems as likely as Gianni Infantino admitting publicly on global TV that he is an awful human being perhaps Rovers should strengthen the squad? We are weak in quality cover in all departments and a nippy left wing back/left winger plus a promising central midfielder would help immeasurably. Still fearful Of course; we are Blackburn Rovers, there is no end to our ingenuity when it comes to devising ways to implode/shoot ourselves in the foot. The overarching suspicion is that Venky’s ultimately want this club to wash its face financially and that kind of ambition in the economic madhouse that is the Championship means you soon become a League One club…for at least one season, before League Two becomes your place of permanent residence. Our natural rivals could therefore end up being Accrington Stanley if this is taken to its logical conclusion. If the remaining days of this window are used wisely, my fears could be allayed but the traditional #FebruaryFalloff under Mowbray means we have to have a meaningful points cushion by March 1. I’m still expecting to be starting my reviews of the Championship league table from the bottom up. Links >>> Rovers official website >>> Official website >>> Lancashire Telegraph — Local Paper >>> BRFCS message board and podcast >>> Rovers Chat — Blog If you enjoy LoftforWords, please consider supporting the site through a subscription to our Patreon or tip us via our PayPal account loftforwords@yahoo.co.uk. Pictures - Reuters Connect Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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