Blackburn Rovers

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Since the lengthy international break across September and October, Blackburn Rovers have taken 12 points from a possible 21.

That is a healthy return by any measure.

The only real blemish was the 4-0 hammering at Swansea City, a day on which Rovers never turned up. Beyond that, there has been plenty to like.

With just over a third of the season gone, it feels like the perfect moment to take stock.

Most importantly, Rovers are looking up, not down.

Twelve months ago, supporters were nervously checking the bottom end of the table. Now the conversation is about the play-offs. That alone tells you how much has changed.

And it's about more than points.

Ewood Park feels alive again.

That revival began under Michael O'Neill, but Tony Mowbray has kept the momentum going.

Matchdays feel like events once more. The big away followings have helped. Not many clubs can hand over more than 7,000 tickets to travelling supporters, and fans have responded in numbers.

Crowds nudging 20,000 for games against Middlesbrough, Coventry City, Leicester City and West Ham over the past seven months have brought a buzz back to the place.

The only defeat among them came in a dead-rubber against an already relegated Leicester side.

The positivity extends beyond the stands.

Most of this squad bears the scars of last season's struggles. Apart from Sam Morsy, Jayden Fevrier and Gady Beyuku, these players have lived through difficult times at Ewood. Yet they look liberated rather than burdened by the experience.

That's where the Mowbray factor comes in.

His "soldiers and artists" philosophy sounds simple, but right now it's working a treat.

The artists are thriving.

Todd Cantwell and Dapo Afolayan have become central figures. Both have stayed fit. Both along with centre back Sean McLoughlin are ever-presents. Both are proving they can be difference-makers.

That's a far cry from last season.

Afolayan managed just one start after his February arrival and was hooked at half-time.

Cantwell started fewer than half of Rovers' league games and never really had the freedom to express himself.

This team is playing with far more adventure, which suits both players perfectly.

Anyone familiar with Mowbray's career should not be surprised.

For all his reputation as a no-nonsense centre-half, his teams have always tried to attack. That's in his DNA. It always has been.

Then there are the soldiers.

Morsy remains the heartbeat of the side. Mowbray calls him his coach on the pitch and it is easy to understand why.

His influence seems to be rubbing off on academy graduate Kristi Montgomery, who looks increasingly comfortable at Championship level.

Together, they give Rovers a solid foundation.

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The next phase of the season now feels crucial.

There are 24 league matches and at least one FA Cup tie before the next international break.

By March, we'll know whether this team is genuinely capable of sustaining a play-off challenge. Staying healthy will be key.

The long-term absences of Ryan Alebiosu and Adam Forshaw are significant blows. Both were hugely important last season.

Then comes January.

Rovers registered 23 players in September and Lewis Miller's return from long-term injury adds another option. There is room to manoeuvre, and every chance that the squad will evolve during the transfer window.

Mowbray expects backing. We'll soon discover exactly how much.

And then there's the question of Andri Gudjohnsen. Can he stay fit? Can he keep scoring?

Ten Championship goals from 11 starts is an extraordinary return. It puts him among the most clinical forwards in Europe statistically.

The bigger concern for Rovers might be whether they can keep hold of him if the goals continue to flow. Because strikers like that do not stay under the radar for long.

Still, if you'd offered Rovers supporters this position after 15 games, most would have snapped your hand off.

Three points outside the play-offs. Two behind West Ham. Momentum building.

Not a bad place to be.

Next stop: Burnley.

We asked for your thoughts after Blackburn Rovers beat West Ham 2-1 at Ewood Park in the Championship on Saturday.

Here are some of your comments:

Blackburn fans

Keith: Typical Rovers, always play better against fancied teams but a good rehearsal for our next match against somebody else in claret and blue. One new manager bounce overcome. Let's hope for another next time out.

Ronnie: West Ham thought they just had to turn up and Blackburn would roll over. Well that went well for them.

Rob: A team that has more chance of going up than West Ham. They certainly had West Ham's mark.

Vicky: Perfect day - Rovers win and Burnley lose from 4-1 up.

Jeff: Actually inspiring from Rovers for once. Tony has done a great job so far, and a great atmosphere at the end. We turned the pressure on us in the first half to a win- so well done lads.

John: I can honestly say it's the best Rovers game I've seen for a long time, they played their hearts out. As Rovers fan I couldn't be more chuffed for the way they stuck together, and showed such grit and determination. And it paid off.

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West Ham fans

Clive: A new manager can't improve players that are not good enough to put a West Ham shirt on their backs. At least six players are not good enough to play in the Championship. West Ham will not get promotion until you change the core squad. One chance - January transfer window.

Paul: Not good enough. I remember last time we went down we just managed to win promotion through the play-offs. Same thing this time, I fear.

Sue: Played better but still don't take their chances. We could have won easily if they had taken their chances when they were in the box. Definitely need a centre forward. Got to keep confident and give Scott Parker a chance. He's only had four days.

Ewan: West Ham were clearly not clinical in the final third, Blackburn defended brilliantly and West Ham's wingers could not get past Blackburn's full-backs. Simply not good enough from a West Ham perspective.

Nigel: Hopefully reality is dawning on a squad full of ego and delusions of grandeur. They need to go back to basics, many weren't good enough for the Premier League and are now being found out in the Championship.

A root and branch update is needed and Scotty should take the opportunity to ring serious changes during this international break. If we do not go up at the first time of asking I fear our stay in this division will be a prolonged one.

Sofian: It was actually a decent performance compared to recent weeks. We pressed well, looked more comfortable in playing the game against a low block and we created plenty. However this defence and the goalkeeper are simply below par.

Mads Hermansen needs dropping for Alphonse Areola and we need to start winning games, and quick, in order to push for an automatic promotion spot.

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Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray has confirmed right-back Ryan Alebiosu will be out for "three to four months" with injury after his side's 2-1 victory over West Ham United on Saturday.

Alebiosu, who has started 14 of Blackburn's 15 Championship fixtures this season, picked up a knee injury during Rovers' defeat by Stoke City last week and had to be replaced in the first-half.

"He [Alebiosu] had a scan on Wednesday and it's not good news for us or for him," Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"He looks like he's going to have an operation. Three or four months, maybe a touch longer.

"He's devastated. Apparently he wrote on his social medias. It's a tough break for the football team because he does bring us an amazing ability to cover ground and join the attack really fast.

"He's going to have to be really disciplined and do the hard yards until he gets himself back in the new year."

Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray spoke to BBC Radio Lancashire after their impressive home win over West Ham United.

For a written selection of his quotes, click here.

Image source, Opta

West Ham head to Blackburn on Saturday (15:00 GMT) seeking to shore-up their leaky defence and get back to winning ways.

Tuesday night's 2-1 defeat at home to Stoke was a third defeat in four for Rovers, who have slipped to 14th, but Tony Mowbray's men have already beaten leaders Middlesbrough at home and drew at second-placed Wolves.

The Hammers came from 3-0 down at half-time to draw at Cardiff on Wednesday in Scott Parker's first game in charge but have won just two of their past eight games in all competitions, have conceded three times in each of their past three games and could tumble out of the top-10 if results go against them.

• Each of the past five league games between Blackburn and West Ham have been draws, with this their first meeting since May 2011 in the Premier League (1-1).

• West Ham have lost just one of their past 15 league games against Blackburn (W8 D6), and are unbeaten in their past 10 (W5 D5).

• Blackburn have lost their past two league games, last losing more consecutively in March/April 2025 (5).

• New West Ham boss Scott Parker has won all three of his away league games against Blackburn – at no side has he won more on the road in his managerial career.

• Andri Gudjohnsen has scored in each of his past four home league games. The last Blackburn player to score in five in a row at Ewood Park was Ben Brereton in November/December 2021.

We asked for your thoughts following Stoke City's 2-1 win at Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Tuesday night.

Here are some of your comments:

Blackburn fans

Martin: Perfectly good equalising goal- you have to question why the referee disallowed it!!

Alf: Stoke too quick, too slick and too savvy for Rovers for 80 minutes. Poor ref all game and still don't know why he disallowed the equaliser but a draw would have flattered us. Great away support.

Luke: Played really well. Definitely deserved at least a point. The disallowed goal looked really harsh.

Brian: I have to say I thought it was a poor game overall. A lack of conviction/desire/imagination from both sides and 0-0 would probably have been the expected result, albeit Stoke defended better than Rovers, which wasn't hard to achieve given their two very soft goals. Maybe it's tired legs, but that's being too nice. They all need a kick up the backside! More fight and belief needed.

Will: Rovers played really well most of the game. Keeper has made a howler by being so far out of his net for the miles out free kick. Rovers had another calamity at the back with the own goal but they kept going and it paid off with the first of Gudjohnsen's goals.

The second should have stood. He didn't foul the player, it should have ended 2-2, the ref made the wrong decision. Controversial headlines will begin now as it should instead of a heroic comeback headline. I really hope they play well against West Ham but fear they will get pummelled by them.

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Stoke fans

Skeppers: A great result again for Stoke. Disappointing to not get a fourth clean sheet and disappointing to see Vik spill one again. But he is still the best GK in the league. Don't know what the BBurn commentators were on about. We didn't buckle at all. We completely controlled that game. BBurn were poor and didn't start playing until the last 5 minutes so they never deserved anything from this game. It was clearly a push on Wilmot by Gudjohnsen. Ref was spot on.

Roy: Ref let almost everything go, which favoured home side, until the 'goal' at the end. To be fair to him, whatever he saw, he saw it straight away. Looked like he blew his whistle before the striker even headed it.

Lee: Must say I feel that we was very lucky for them to their goal disallowed tonight, but it's about time we had a little luck.

Johno: Got away with it after giving the ball away too often. Soft foul at the end but definite push.

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Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray was left baffled by a disallowed Andri Gudjohnsen goal that cost his side a point at home to Stoke City.

Having pulled one back to make it 2-1 on 87 minutes, Rovers thought they had then levelled when Gudjohnsen powered home a header, only for referee Andrew Kitchen to wipe it out for a mild contact with Stoke defender Ben Wilmot, as Blackburn's three-game winning home run came to an end.

"Having watched it back, the disallowed goal is embarrassing really. The referee gets it hugely wrong," Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire. "People come to watch football to see entertainment and goals.

"I can't understand it really. Does he put his hands up? Yes, because the guy is going to back into him, to protect himself and hold him off.

"Is it a forward motion and a push? No. Does the guy throw his arms up in the air?

"What hurts a little bit more is the inconsistency of the officials, I suppose. A few weeks at West Brom, Gudjohnsen gets blatantly pushed with two hands. Play on, they go down the other end, get a penalty, get back to two each and then win the game late on.

"Most of the performance was good enough to have won the game. We've just got to take it on the chin. And they were silly goals to have lost."

The first came just before the break when American midfielder Jack McGlynn tried his luck with a cheeky long-range left-foot free-kick from out on the left touchlineand caught out home keeper Balazs Toth, whose desperate attempt to recover at the near post was in vain, before an unlucky, but avoidable own goal.

"I'd been warning them all week that McGlynn's got a wand of a left foot," added Mowbray ."You've got to cover the goal.

"We played pretty well. We've played probably not as well and won football matches. But, there you go, that's football."

This will be the 108th meeting between Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City in a fixture which dates back to the very first Football League season of 1888-89.

Stoke head to Ewood Park on Tuesday (19:45 GMT) with only the leaders Middlesbrough (14) having taken more than their 13 points in the past six games.

• Blackburn Rovers are winless in their past four league games against Stoke City (D2 L2), with both meetings last season finishing 1-1.

• Stoke City have lost just one of their past 11 away league games against Blackburn Rovers (W6 D4), going down 3-1 in February 2024.

• Blackburn have won each of their past three home league games, as many as across their previous 15 combined (D6 L6). They last won more consecutively at Ewood Park between August and October 2024 (5).

• Following a prior 12-game winless run (D3 L9), Stoke have now won their past three away league games. They last won four in a row on the road in November/December 2005.

• Andri Gudjohnsen has scored in each of his past three home league games. The last Blackburn player to score in four in a row at Ewood Park was Ben Brereton (5 in November/December 2021).

Blackburn Rovers forward Augustus Kargbo is close to returning to their starting line-up after his injury absence, boss Tony Mowbray has said.

Kargbo has come off the bench four times since a hamstring injury kept him out of action for over a year.

"He's almost ready for full selection I think," Mowbray said.

"You can watch him and he does a wonderful thing, he'll travel 60 yards really fast up the pitch off the ball and as I'm watching five minutes later he's still walking back and that's telling me he hasn't got the core fitness really yet to do the job from the start.

Kargbo came on at half-time in Saturday's 4-0 defeat by Swansea as he adds more minutes ahead of a full return.

"I think in the short term he'll start from the bench I would suggest," Mowbray added.

"He's a good option and if he can bring what he did for half an hour or so the other day then that'll be very positive for the team."

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FC Halifax Town have signed defender Lucas Houghton on a month-long loan deal from Championship side Blackburn Rovers.

The 19-year-old right-back made his debut for Rovers' senior team in their 2-1 defeat by Sheffield United in the Carabao Cup in August.

He joins in time to be available for selection for the Shaymen's home fixture against Yeovil Town on Saturday [12:30 GMT].

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Blackburn Rovers pair Yuri Ribeiro and Yuki Ohashi will travel with the squad and will be on their bench for their Championship trip to Swansea City on Saturday.

Ribeiro has missed the past month while Ohashi has been out for two months with both suffering from a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, Kristi Montgomery is in line to return having missed last week's win against Wrexham.

"Yuri and Yuki are both going to travel and are both available for the bench, which is good news for us," boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"Kristi's trained fully so fingers crossed there's no reaction with that."

Meanwhile Mathias Jorgensen is set for a further spell out having suffered a setback from his own hamstring issue earlier this month.

"He's not travelling. I think as well as dealing with the injury, we need to deal with the psychological side with him," Mowbray added.

"We've given him a few days to see his family and recover because it's been a pretty tough journey that he's had.

"Then to break down when he was on the cusp of getting back to full fitness is tough for him.

"Our thoughts are with him at the moment but hopefully it's only another three weeks or something like that and he'll be back on the grass again."

Blackburn Rovers have transformed under Tony Mowbray and are now seeking a spot in the play-offs when they cross the border to Swansea City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Rovers are currently two points shy of the top eight after winning four of their past six league games (D1 L1).

Opponents Swansea though are hoping they will break out of their rut after two successive defeats to keep their spot in the automatic promotion places - and maybe even regain their place at the very top.

• Swansea City have won five of their last six league games against Blackburn Rovers (L1), conceding just four goals across that time.

• Blackburn Rovers have won just one of their last nine away league games against Swansea City (D1 L7), a 3-0 victory in August 2022.

• Despite losing their last two league games, Swansea have 23 points across their opening 12 Championship matches this season, their most since 2007-08 when they won League One (also 23 points).

• Blackburn have won four of their last six league games (D1 L1), as many as they had in their previous 19 (D7 L8).

• Blackburn's Andri Gudjohnsen has scored six goals in his last six Championship goals, netting a brace in his last two. He also has the highest shot conversion rate of any player to have had at least 10 shots in the division this term (50% - 8 goals from 16 shots).

Blackburn Rovers defender Hayden Carter is hoping he has turned a corner with his fitness after being plagued by injury in recent years.

The 26-year-old has played just 26 Championship games across the past two seasons due to injury struggles but has already featured in eight this campaign.

"I missed a week with a little niggle but I think I've been fit from the first day of pre-season," Carter told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"It was similar last year. I came back and won the fitness test but luck wasn't on my side. Hopefully that has fully changed now and I can stay fit."

Carter was eased back into the side across the opening four matches for Rovers, coming off the bench in two, before making his first start in their fifth game against Millwall.

The defender was in the XI for the following three games until being used as a substitute in their game against West Bromwich Albion.

"The Bristol City game was the first Saturday-Tuesday I've done since March so I wasn't expecting to play West Brom," Carter added.

"That's something I've learned about myself to benefit my team. If I miss one game to save myself from getting injured and missing the next 10, I'm willing to do that. The manager speaks to me regularly about."

Watch the full interview above.

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If proof was needed that a good old fashioned dressing down from the manager can have the desired effect, Saturday's win over Wrexham was it.

Rovers were far too vulnerable at West Brom, throwing away a two-goal lead and leaving Tony Mowbray with plenty to say afterwards. His criticism of the centre-backs was pointed and public. Their response against the Red Dragons was emphatic.

Rovers were outstanding defensively. Organised, disciplined, uncompromising and determined to keep a first home clean sheet of the season.

Yes, Wrexham had opportunities but failed to take them. The protection of Balazs Toth was so effective that the goalkeeper did not have a single save to make.

What's most impressive is this squad is largely the same group of players that endured such a difficult campaign last season.

Yet the difference is striking.

Confidence is growing, standards are rising and there is an identity to this team that simply wasn't there 12 months ago.

Rovers managed just four home wins in the whole of last season. By the end of October, they have already matched that. That statistic alone tells a story of significant progress.

I've written before about the calming influence Mowbray brings to the club, but his impact is becoming increasingly obvious with every passing week.

This is a manager who has overcome enormous personal challenges in recent years and is now relishing being back where he belongs. His fingerprints are all over this side.

His team selection ended the ever-present records of Ryoya Morishita and Kristi Montgomery through injury, opening the door for Jayden Fevrier and Moussa Baradji. Both seized their opportunity.

Fevrier offers exactly the kind of attacking threat defenders hate facing. Direct and always looking to cut inside, he went close to opening the scoring with a trademark effort.

Baradji, meanwhile, produced his most convincing display in a Rovers shirt. The talent has never been in doubt. The challenge now is to build on it and deliver the same level at Swansea next weekend.

Mowbray certainly believes in him. He said: "We've spent a bit of time with him in the analysis suite talking about discipline because he's got every attribute to be a top, top player.

"He can leap like a salmon, he's fast, he's as strong as an ox, he's got twinkling feet... what can't he do?"

Todd Cantwell and Andri Gudjohnsen will rightly attract plenty of attention after another hugely influential afternoon.

Cantwell is flourishing. Not only is he producing moments of quality, he's also delivering the numbers to match. It was always going to be fascinating to see how the relationship between player and manager developed.

Mowbray has a long history of getting the best from gifted footballers and Cantwell looks to be the latest beneficiary.

Gudjohnsen, meanwhile, continues to enhance his reputation. In commentary, I'm genuinely running out of superlatives.

His first-half finish was the mark of a natural goalscorer, instinctively finding the right space at exactly the right moment. His second was ruthless, putting the game beyond Wrexham after excellent work from Cantwell.

The mood around Rovers is changing.

No one is getting carried away and there is still a long way to go, but there is growing belief both inside and outside the club. The team is improving, the results are following and Ewood Park is becoming a place of optimism once again.

Not so long ago, home matchdays felt like something to endure. Right now, they feel like something to enjoy.

Image source, Opta

Blackburn welcome Wrexham for a meeting between two sides hoping to close the gap to the Championship play-off places on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Rovers, who are 10th and two points off the top eight, lost for the first time in five games last time out - going down 3-2 at West Brom - but had won three of four (D1) before that.

The Red Dragons, who are four places and just one point behind Blackburn, thrashed bottom side Preston 4-1 last weekend for only their third win of the campaign.

Phil Parkinson's side will hope to record back-to-back victories for the first time this season.

• Blackburn Rovers have won just two of their 16 league games against Wrexham (D10 L4), a 2-1 win in August 1971 and a 1-0 win in September 1980.

• Wrexham are unbeaten across their previous seven away league games against Blackburn Rovers (W2 D5), conceding just four goals across that time.

• Blackburn have won both of their past two league games at Ewood Park; Rovers last won three in a row at home in October 2024 (run of five).

• Wrexham have won just one of their past six away league games (D3 L2), while they've conceded in each of their past six league matches home and away. Since the start of 2025-26, they've only had a longer run in December 2025 (run of seven).

• Blackburn's Andri Gudjohnsen leads the Championship this season for the highest positive xG differential (3.8), netting six goals so far from an xG tally of 2.2.