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There is a lot to unpack from the 2025-26 season for Blackburn Rovers.
Just 12 months ago, they missed out on the play-offs in the final 20 minutes of the campaign.
The hope was progress. The reality was survival – secured on matchday 45.
It has been said that without points deductions for West Bromwich Albion and Leicester, Rovers would have gone down.
But the facts are simple – both clubs were punished for overspending and everyone at Ewood Park can now look ahead to another season in the Championship.
BBC Sport takes a look back at a turbulent year for the Lancashire club.
A season like no other
The past year delivered pretty much everything. And then some:
- The club's 150th anniversary
- The departure of a long-serving CEO
- A head coach leaving less than a year into the job
- The appointment of another head coach who already had a job
- Two home games abandoned with Rovers leading
- An unmanageable injury list, including seven players requiring surgery
- A major churn of players, with five academy debutants
- And the loss of “Mr Blackburn Rovers” himself, Tony Parkes
A gamble from the start
From the outset, 2025-26 looked a tough ask.
The summer overhaul raised eyebrows. Players with Championship know-how were allowed to leave and replaced, mostly, by those yet to prove themselves at that level.
Sean McLoughlin was the exception. I remember describing it as a gamble to head of football operations Rudy Gestede. He preferred the word "risk".
Only three players – Balazs Toth, Yuri Ribeiro and Yuki Ohashi – started both the final game in May 2025 and the last match of this season at Ewood Park. That alone tells its own story.
Popular players moved on, and while that's football, the sheer volume of departures in one window inevitably fuelled concern.
I've criticised the club previously for allowing contracts to run down – Tyrhys Dolan the latest case – so it would not be fair to complain when Rovers cashed in on those who could have walked for nothing at this point.
Lewis Travis, Callum Brittain and, eventually, Dom Hyam all fell into that category.
Hyam's late move, though, was the hardest to accept. Letting him go on deadline day without sufficient cover was a mistake.
I also feel that had John Buckley's services been retained, he had every chance of playing in excess of 40 matches this season.
Hits, misses and mixed returns
Transfers are never guaranteed and this season's business has been exactly that – mixed.
Ryan Alebiosu's emergence softened the blow of losing Brittain. Lewis Miller impressed with heart-on-his-sleeve performances until injury cruelly ended both his season and World Cup dream.
Andri Gudjohnsen would almost certainly have hit double figures for goals but for twice being struck by injury.
January arrivals provided a boost. Eiran Cashin made an immediate impact on loan from Brighton, while Mathias Jorgensen chipped in with vital goals at Millwall and QPR.
And then there's Ryoya Morishita.
Morishita has been exemplary on and off the pitch.
Impossible not to like, his performances improved steadily as the season wore on, his enthusiasm infecting teammates and supporters alike.
He lives locally, engages with the community and gives young fans memories they won't forget.
The 29-year-old was a worthy recipient of the club's player of the year award and while Valerien Ismael won't be afforded masses of credit for his tenure in charge, he does deserve accolades for insisting Rovers wait all summer for him while Lech Poznan’s European commitments played out.
Not every signing has delivered and that's natural.
Time will tell whether Dion De Neve, Axel Henriksson and Sidnei Tavares develop into long-term Championship players.
What Rovers now need above all else is stability. A sixth successive season with a sixth different manager on the final day cannot become the norm.
Avoiding a repeat of this 20th-placed finish requires a clear plan and decisive leadership.
All eyes on O'Neill
Retaining Michael O'Neill feels absolutely critical.
Despite some horrendous luck with injuries, O'Neill guided Rovers to safety with a pragmatic, solid approach that wasn't based on styles of play. It was a case of pick up points by any means possible.
His dual role has ended, and while he has a release clause in his Northern Ireland contract, triggering it is relatively straightforward, but O'Neill holds the cards.
O Neill's reputation is high, the IFA want him to stay and Ewood Park made its feelings clear at the weekend.
If he returns to club football full-time, he'll want assurances and a hands-on role.
He's canny when discussing his future – you think he's dropped a hint, then listen back and hear something entirely different.
Clarity should come soon once he returns from a family holiday.
A busy summer ahead
Beyond the managerial question, there's plenty to address.
Can Rovers tie down Toth with just a year left on his deal? Can they fend off interest in Alebiosu? And how do they rebuild a midfield that looks undercooked, with Sondre Tronstad heading for the exit?
And, how do they address the chronic lack of goals that has held them back all season?
Off the pitch, change continues.
A new CEO is expected over the summer, work is already under way at a cost running into millions to replace the club's decaying 35-year-old pitch system, and discussions are ongoing over a permanent tribute to the late Tony Parkes, who was remembered so beautifully in the final match of the season.
One thing, at least, remains constant.
Following Blackburn Rovers is never, ever, dull.
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