Forget Gary Rowett: Blackburn Rovers must appoint another ex-Stoke City boss instead | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers should heavily consider appointing Michael O'Neill as their new boss

Blackburn Rovers’ hunt for a new boss goes on after Valerien Ismael’s dismissal by the club, and a surprise name has emerged as a potential candidate who could well prove to be an excellent fit.

Blackburn find themselves towards the foot of the Championship table, with the danger that the club could well be facing another relegation to League One for the second time in less than a decade.

Former Barnsley, West Brom, and Watford boss Valerien Ismael’s time in charge at Ewood Park came to a disappointing end following their 1-0 loss at home to Hull City, meaning he has won just one of his final 14 games in charge.

There have been numerous candidates who have been sounded out as potential replacements for Ismael in Lancashire, with Alan Nixon reporting that former Stoke City and Oxford United boss Gary Rowett is set for talks over a move to the club.

Rowett was dismissed by the U’s earlier this season amid their own relegation fears, and the 51-year-old has been without a role in management since.

However, Nixon has also reported that another former Stoke boss and current Northern Ireland men’s team manager, Michael O’Neill, has emerged as a potential option for Rovers, in a surprise move that could well suit them perfectly.

Michael O’Neill could be the perfect fit at Blackburn Rovers amid relegation fears

In Nixon’s report, it is said that O’Neill is being considered as a standby option should the move for Rowett fall through, though the 56-year-old should be considered for the post just as favourably.

Indeed, O’Neill has previous Championship experience, having spent just shy of three years in charge of Stoke City between November 2019 and August 2022.

The Northern Irishman decided to take the role as the Potters’ boss whilst still in charge of his country’s national side, replacing current Charlton Athletic head coach Nathan Jones in the process after the Welshman’s dismal time in the Potteries came to an end.

Stoke sat bottom of the Championship table upon O’Neill’s arrival, with just two wins in 15, leaving them on just eight points; his objective was clear.

He won his first game in charge 4-2 away to Barnsley, which included a halfway-line strike from Sam Clucas, as the 56-year-old began to rebuild confidence in his side ahead of a fight for survival.

Survive he did, finishing in 15th, eight points clear of the relegation zone, and would follow that up by finishing 14th twice in his only two full seasons in charge.

O’Neill was the victim of abysmal previous spending by Stoke (heavily influenced by Rowett, incidentally), and was therefore massively limited in his manoeuvrability in the transfer market.

After just one win in the first five opening games of the 2022/23 season, O’Neill was harshly dismissed and replaced by Alex Neil, who too would go on and spend unwisely before his ultimate sacking in December 2023.

Despite having never finished in the top half during his stay with the club, O’Neill is remembered fondly by the majority of Stoke fans for his ability to stabilise the club in one of the most precarious positions in its history, and with Blackburn too finding themselves in the midst of relegation fears, the 56-year-old could be a savvy fit.

His work with Northern Ireland cannot be shied away from either, having guided the Green and White Army to their first-ever European Championship finals in 2016, before becoming the first-ever fifth-seeded team to win their qualifying group in Euros history and reaching the Round of 16, ultimately losing out to Wales.

Wherever he has gone, O’Neill has dealt with limited resources and has flourished despite having his side’s back seemingly against the wall, and could work similar magic should he take charge at Ewood Park.

Blackburn find themselves in the bottom three following the weekend’s results, after their 2-0 away loss to Norwich City and West Brom’s goalless draw at home to Stoke City, seeing the Baggies go above them for the time being.

With just one third of the season to go, the former Premier League champions must start to pick up points sooner rather than later, otherwise they may find themselves cut adrift.

Fortunately for them, Sheffield Wednesday are all but relegated on negative points, so only two other spots in the bottom three remain up for grabs.

With Oxford, Leicester City, West Brom, and Portsmouth all tightly packed at the bottom, it looks like a relegation race that could go down to the wire, something no team, including Blackburn, will be keen to be a part of.

The correct managerial appointment, whether that be Rowett or O’Neill, must be made by Rovers, otherwise they will almost certainly be playing their football in the third tier next season.