Blackburn Rovers appoint Tony Mowbray as new head coach

Blackburn Rovers have appointed Tony Mowbray as their new head coach for a second spell in charge.

Mowbray, 62, spent more than five years managing Rovers between 2017 and 2022.

He replaces Michael O’Neill who decided to not to take the job on a permanent basis following an interim role during the second half of last season.

Mowbray has been in management for more than two decades and most recently led Sunderland, Birmingham and West Brom after his first spell at Blackburn ended.

When he took over at Ewood Park initially in February 2017 he could not save Rovers from relegation to League One, but then won promotion back to the Championship in his first full campaign in charge.

After re-establishing them in the second tier, Mowbray did not sign a new contract at the end of the 2021-22 season and was replaced by Jon Dahl Tomasson.

This time around he arrives at a club who endured a turbulent 2025-26 campaign.

They hovered around the relegation places for much of the year and sacked Valerien Ismael in February before appointing Northern Ireland boss O’Neill.

O’Neill managed to keep them up as they finished 20th in the Championship and five points above the drop zone.

Blackburn said Mowbray would “lead a new chapter for the club” and brings “a wealth of experience, strong footballing principles and a clear understanding of the club’s identity and ambitions”.