Tony Mowbray drops promotion claim involving Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough | OneFootball

The current Blackburn boss returned to Middlesbrough to celebrate their 150th anniversary - a club he's considered a legend at

Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray hopes that both his current club and his former side, Middlesbrough, can be celebrating promotion to the Premier League come the end of the season.

The Blackburn head coach was present at the Riverside on Sunday as Middlesbrough celebrated their 150th anniversary with a legends game. Close to 100 former Boro players and managers returned in a game which ended 8-7.

Mowbray falls under the catagory of both a legendary player and manager at Boro. The Saltburn-born defender spent nine years at the club as a player, leading them from the brink of liquidation to the top flight in consecutive seasons.

As a manager, he spent three years in the Riverside dugout between 2010 and 2013 as the club navigated life outside the Premier League following their relegation a year earlier.

Tony Mowbray still wants Middlesbrough to do well alongside Blackburn Rovers

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Despite managing numerous different clubs since last leaving Middlesbrough in 2013, Mowbray is still intrinsically connected with the football club. He still lives near the North Yorkshire coast and hopes for their success.

Therefore, when the opportunity came to return to the Riverside as part of Boro's 150th anniversary game during the international break, he took that opportunity and spoke to BBC Radio Teeside about how much the club means to him.

"This football club is like the beacon of light that keeps this town buzzing and thriving, and football is what Middlesbrough's all about, in my opinion," he said.

"I walk my dog on the beach at Redcar when I get back from Blackburn, and if I don't get stopped 10/15/20 times by people who want to talk about the Boro or how the Boro are doing."

Mowbray's main priority currently is bringing about success at Ewood Park, but he admitted that, ideally, both Blackburn and Middlesbrough would be celebrating a good season come May.

"While I'm the manager at Blackburn, I still want Boro to do extraordinarily well, and hopefully get promotion this year," he added. "In an ideal world, we both get promoted.

"But I always loved and will always love Boro. From the age of six, seven, with my dad coming to Ayresome Park, that's what life's all about, really."

How Middlesbrough fans reacted to Tony Mowbray promotion wishes

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There arguably isn't a more beloved figure across the EFL than Tony Mowbray. Even rival fans of those the 62-year-old has coached don't have a bad word to say about him.

That, ultimately, just serves to heighten the love that those who do have a connection with the Rovers boss feel for him, and the reaction online to Mowbray admitting he hopes that Boro earn promotion is as expected.

Other Middlesbrough fans were quick to call Mowbray one of their own, and are proud that the 62-year-old represents their club, writing, "We will always love you Tone. You are all of us! You represent us. ❤️ "

"Tony Mowbray is one of our own x," another commented.

Kim Hellberg will hope to deliver Middlesbrough promotion this season

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While Tony Mowbray's own promotion ambitions with Blackburn may seem a little more far-fetched, even despite some strong performances this year, Middlesbrough's own bid to reach the Premier League feels a lot more real.

Do you think Middlesbrough can secure promotion this season? Let us know in the comments.

Boro have had a lot of investment into the squad this summer in the hope of going one step better than their play-off final defeat last season and landing in the automatic promotion places.

So far, while Kim Hellberg's side haven't completely dominated in games like they did last year when everything was clicking, it's been a strong start results-wise, with Middlesbrough sitting third ahead of the return to action this weekend.

Somewhat ironically, their only defeat this season in league action came against Mowbray's Blackburn side in the second game of the campaign.

Boro welcome Wolves to the Riverside as action resumes on Saturday. The meeting between the third- and fourth-placed sides in the Championship will continue Middlesbrough's 150th anniversary celebrations, with this their official 150 game.