West Bromwich Albion head coach Tony Mowbray is expecting a potentially managerless Blackburn Rovers to ‘have a real go’ when the two sides clash tomorrow night.
It’s been a turbulent few days for Blackburn, who have had to contend with an approach from Championship rivals Derby County for head coach John Eustace. The club announced last night that they had reluctantly granted permission for the former Birmingham City boss to talk to the Rams, with a deal expected to go through prior to their game at The Hawthorns.
This has left the 1995 Premier League champions in a precarious situation ahead of a potentially season-defining fixture, with West Brom currently one place and two points better off in fifth in the race for the play-offs.
“Galvanise” – Mowbray Expecting Reaction
Despite the uncertainty, Mowbray is expecting the news to ‘galvanise’ the Blackburn players. He spent over five years at Ewood Park and is set to reunite with former players Lewis Travis and John Buckley. Speaking to BBC Radio WM, the 61-year-old said:
“Knowing the likes of Lewis Travis and John Buckley, they are very determined, focused young footballers, who will just want to win the next game.
“Players are pretty resilient. Most of them will have been through a few managers.
“They’re not all going to be distraught and not try because they’ve not got a head coach. I’m pretty sure it will galvanise the playing group, they will have a chat with each other and will come here and give it a real go.
“They’re a club I spent five and a half very happy years with. It’s a tough game for us when you look at their results. I’ve seen them twice this year at Middlesbrough, where I live. But they won both of those games 1-0.”
Writer’s View
Derby’s approach couldn’t have come at a worse time for Blackburn. We are less than 24 hours from the meeting and we still don’t know who will be taking charge of the clash. It is a strange situation though. It has been alleged that John Eustace wanted a new deal and reassurances over future transfer business, something that they club were unable to provide. Losing their head coach will be a real blow. The 45-year-old has performed a wonderful job and should he leave as expected, his successor will have big shoes to fill.
