Blackburn Rovers should be considering Stockport County raid after play-off heartbreak | OneFootball

Blackburn should be alert to a possible Dave Challinor exit this summer following Stockport's play-off final defeat

Blackburn Rovers are on the hunt for a new head coach this summer after being dealt the unfortunate news that Michael O'Neill wouldn't be continuing at Ewood Park next season.

It was a rather shocking announcement for Rovers fans, with reports in the lead-up to his decision indicating that the Northern Irishman was ready to commit to a full-time return to club management, after juggling the role with the Northern Ireland job since arriving in February.

Nevertheless, O'Neill chose to stay with the Green and White Army, with a chance to manage at the home European Championships in 2028 seen as a greater prospect than helping Blackburn kick on after a successful short-term tenure in the Ewood Park dugout.

Indeed, Blackburn were a top-half team under O'Neill, winning five, drawing five and losing five of the 15 games he oversaw, and that form helped Rovers finish five points above the drop.

Now they need someone new to help them avoid another relegation battle next season, and perhaps developments after Sunday's League One play-off final could lead them to pursue Stockport County boss Dave Challinor.

League One play-off loss a "sliding doors" moment at Stockport County - it could affect Dave Challinor's future

For the second successive season, Stockport finished third in League One but were unsuccessful in the play-offs, this time losing convincingly in the final at Wembley against Bolton Wanderers.

Unlike last year, though, when they were beaten on penalties against Leyton Orient after accumulating 87 points during the regular season, there seems to be some acknowledgement that things will need to change to maintain or better their performances in 2026/27.

There's already some movement happening at the top of the club, after it was announced that County's CEO, Simon Wilson, who has been instrumental in devising a strategy that helped the Hatters go from a National League side to one on the brink of the Championship, will leave the club this summer.

And with Wilson's departure now imminent, with Sheffield Wednesday reportedly set to profit from it, there's potential that there may be even more off-field movement this summer at Edgeley Park.

Following the Wembley defeat against Bolton, Dave Challinor labelled the game a "sliding doors moment" and was coy about what the future looks like at Stockport for both himself and the club as a whole.

"We need to sit down over the next week and see what things look like," he said.

"I need to speak with Mark [Stott, Stockport owner] and Damo [Damien Allen, Stockport's new Sporting Director] about where we're all going."

While that doesn't confirm anything, it does mean that County are likely set to be in for a busy summer as the club decides what their next moves are following two promotion near-misses.

Whether that means Challinor will move on or not is yet to be seen, but if he does, there'll be a long queue of top-end League One sides and lower-end Championship ones ready to pounce — Blackburn should do their best to be at the front of that queue.

Dave Challinor is a Championship manager in the making and could realise that at Blackburn Rovers

The overarching feeling among Stockport fans is that Dave Challinor is one of their greatest modern-day managers, and if he were to call time on his near five-year stint at Edgeley Park, it would be for brighter pastures, rather than to a fellow League One club.

Blackburn could be a perfect move for him, as he could take a club that has clear quality, as shown in the final 15 games of last season, and help them avoid any relegation worries at a minimum, but also help perhaps push them back towards the play-offs.

After all, the 50-year-old's immense record of never finishing outside a play-off spot in full seasons as a manager stayed intact for a 15th year this season, and he won't want that streak to come to a close anytime soon.

A move for Challinor this summer would be the perfect way to begin the off-season for Blackburn, and it would fill those in the stands with confidence that the club are ready to push forward, rather than continue to stagnate and flirt with the idea of relegation.

Time will tell whether the 50-year-old will be available for a Championship club this summer. It's safe to say that all eyes will be on what Stockport's direction is after once again falling short in the play-offs.