Blackburn Rovers: Tony Mowbray reveals what the Venky's have said about January transfers | OneFootball

Blackburn's boss has opened up about a conversation he had with the club's owners.

There has been significant tension at Blackburn Rovers over the Venky's ownership for some time, and it has been particularly pronounced in recent weeks at Ewood Park.

Balaji Rao attended Rovers' home clash against Millwall, ending an eight-year absence from Ewood Park, and was subject to chants from the home supporters as Tony Mowbray's men ran out 3-1 winners.

Much of the discontent has been around spending, and this summer the club dished out around £3.2million on signings despite narrowly avoiding relegation to League One last term.

It has been a mixed start to the season for Blackburn, taking nine points from their opening eight matches, and Mowbray has provided details of his conversation with Balaji Rao ahead of the January transfer window.

Tony Mowbray opens up on Balaji Rao chat ahead of future Blackburn Rovers transfers

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While it is early days into the new season, it already looks like it will be a more competitive Championship campaign, particularly towards the bottom, where some of the newly promoted sides are already thriving.

That means that several second-tier mainstays could get sucked into the relegation zone, with Preston North End, Watford and Derby County showing early struggles.

Blackburn have delivered some encouraging performances but are certainly among a cohort of sides that could get dragged into a relegation battle if they cannot build some consistency over the coming months.

The January window will therefore be of paramount importance, and Mowbray has spoken to Rao about the support that could be coming his way.

“I had a short conversation," Mowbray told the Lancashire Telegraph about his time with Balaji.

"Again, he was reiterating the support that will be coming and was there, but wasn't ultimately utilised.

"He's been positive, been supportive. He, as much as anybody, wants this club to do well and be successful.

"I feel as if I'm in a difficult position because I speak to these people and they're the owners. I'm very respectful to them. They're very respectful back to me.

"I'm just trying to be as honest as I can. The support is going to be there and I hope that I can transform that support onto the pitch so that the team is winning every week and the team can excite the fan base."

What do Blackburn Rovers need in January?

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Firstly, there are a few areas of Mowbray's squad that look a little short and adding depth and quality will be important for when they lose players to injury over the season.

In goal, Blackburn have just Aynsley Pears and Balazs Toth, so adding a third should be on the agenda, while Scott Wharton's injury has left Mowbray with three natural centre-back options.

Rovers haven't found scoring goals an issue so far this season, with Dapo Afolayan and Andri Gudjohnsen notching four apiece in all competitions.

However, with Augustus Kargbo out injured, Yuki Ohashi remains the only other natural centre-forward, so targeting another striker should also be a priority.

Bulking out the squad with added options in key positions is key, and, of course, if the club can acquire added quality, then that would be very much welcome at Ewood Park.

Venky's don't appear to be going anywhere at Blackburn Rovers

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Despite the clear unrest among Blackburn fans, it does not appear that the ill-feeling towards the Venky's will see them sell up anytime soon.

The recent appearance of Balaji was surely a deliberate one to remind supporters of their commitment to the club, but he will have heard the chants aimed towards him in the build-up to the match.

Conversations with Mowbray offer some encouragement that the ownership will back the manager in January, but that backing was not there in the summer when it was desperately needed.

The relationship between the ownership and the fans is certainly beyond repair, but with the Venky's not budging, the best fans can hope for is more investment in the winter window.