Concerning Ewood Park factor should worry Blackburn Rovers fans | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers' home record this season was only worsened by Sheffield Wednesday's

Blackburn Rovers have secured their status in the Championship for another year, though at times it didn't always look to be the case, and the Lancashire-based outfit must address one glaring issue heading into the next campaign.

It's not been a particularly memorable year for Blackburn supporters, whose side barely scraped survival this season.

Valerien Ismael's tenure ended with a whimper, as the former Barnsley, West Bromwich Albion, and Watford boss was dismissed and replaced by Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill.

The Northern Irishman had previously joined Stoke City in troubling circumstances and helped to keep the Potters afloat, and was tasked to do the same with Blackburn, which he did with a game to spare, as the 56-year-old weighs up the three-year deal offered to him by the club.

O'Neill has the chance to guide Rovers into next season, where he will have the opportunity to oversee the club's recruitment and rebuilding process. The former Stoke boss will be looking to avoid a similar situation with Blackburn next season if he were to take the job, and must fix one glaring issue if he is to avoid another relegation battle.

Blackburn Rovers must address their dire home form next season

Ewood Park has been the host of some memorable fixtures over the years, with Blackburn having previously lifted the Premier League trophy in front of their own fans.

That was over 30 years ago now, and times have drastically changed for the club, with Blackburn having not been in the top-flight of English football since relegation in 2012, spending more time in the third tier in the past 14 years.

With the controversial ownership of the Venky's isolating a lot of supporters, attendances at Ewood Park have dwindled over the years, as, according to data from Transfermarkt, Blackburn's average home attendance this season was just 14,993, less than half of their capacity of 31,367.

And, when considering their record in front of their home fans this campaign, it's not difficult to understand why.

Only Sheffield Wednesday, who won their first home game of the season on the final day against West Brom, have a worse home record than Blackburn this year.

Rovers won four, drew nine, and lost 10 of their 23 home games this year, scoring just 19 times, with fans rarely having much reason, apart from leaving, to get up off their seats.

Fortunately, a top-half away record has been enough to see them pick up enough points on the road to secure survival, but if they are to avoid finding themselves in a similar position next time around, their home form must simply improve.

Whoever takes the hot seat at Ewood Park next season must be made aware of this issue and give supporters a reason to look forward to coming to home games next time around. Otherwise, it could be another disappointing year in Lancashire on the horizon.

Michael O'Neill must address Blackburn's form at Ewood Park if he takes the permanent post

At this point, no other manager is in the running to be Blackburn boss next season other than O'Neill.

Five wins, five draws, and five defeats were enough to keep the club afloat, and he has been rewarded for his role in keeping Blackburn up with a three-year deal in Lancashire.

There is little indication at this stage whether he will take them up on that offer, with the Northern Ireland boss having only ventured into club management in England with Stoke previously.

O'Neill must provide Blackburn fans with a reason to be excited about games at Ewood Park once again if he is to take that role, and he will be acutely aware of his duty to make this a reality.