The Sports Buff ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈

It was looking bleak, to the point of no return for this proud football club. Blackburn Rovers, once of the Premier League, and once a Premier League champion, were for large parts of this season in danger, grave danger of being relegated to League One.

For a club of such magnitude, this is surely a no-no. A club that had a player who would go on to become a Premier League record top scorer, it’s difficult to fathom such a thing.

But, 2026, or at least the last month or so, has been kind to the mighty Rovers. In part helped by the appointment of Michael O’Neil, who is going ot be juggling the dual roles of being Northern Ireland manager and Blackburn Rovers manager too.

As far as history is concerned, managers who have taken dual roles in this capacity have usually struggled, but for O’Neil, the former Stoke boss, it’s been so far so good.

To add to the further feel-good factor, Rovers are pulling away from the Championship drop zone at a rate of knots of late. From being in the bottom three, The Rovers are 19th.

This resurgence has been part new-manager bounce and part Leicester getting dragged into a relegation fight due to their failure to be compliant with FFP.

With promotion chasing, Bristol City and Derby County to come in the next two games, Michael O’Neil and co will be hoping the recent feel-good factor around Ewood Park isn’t short-lived.