Tony Mowbray: Blackburn Rovers confirm departure of boss after five years in charge

Blackburn Rovers beat Birmingham City 2-1 on Saturday in Tony Mowbray's final game in charge

Blackburn Rovers have confirmed that boss Tony Mowbray is to leave the club after five years at Ewood Park.

The 58-year-old had said last month that he was set to leave the club when his contract expired this summer.

Rovers made a bright start to the season but tailed off and finished in eighth place in the Championship.

Chief executive Steve Waggott said Mowbray had "brought stability to the club and created a platform for his successor to build on".

Mowbray told the club website: "It's been a wonderful experience to bring my values to a football club over a five-year period and to create an environment where people enjoy coming into work every day and where players feel like they can improve every day.

"I've really enjoyed it, it's been very rewarding and I thank everybody for coming along on the journey with me."

Mowbray took over from Owen Coyle in February 2017 and was unable to keep Rovers in the Championship that season, but helped them return to the second tier at the first attempt.

The club fell away from the play-off race in his final campaign with the club, which ended with a 2-1 win against Birmingham on Saturday in his 267th game in charge.

Analysis - 'Fans will appreciate Mowbray's stability'

BBC Radio Lancashire sport editor Andy Bayes

Mowbray leaves Blackburn Rovers in far better shape than it was when he succeeded Owen Coyle.

Although he couldn't quite preserve their Championship status in 2017, it took only 12 months to return and they have never really looked like dropping out again since.

His recruitment has largely been successful with the likes of Bradley Dack, Adam Armstrong, Sam Gallagher and Ben Brereton Diaz impressing during his reign. He used the loan market with degrees of success too, Harvey Elliott, Tosin Adarabioyo, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Jan Paul van Hecke being standouts.

Mowbray has stated in recent weeks that his work-life balance was key to him leaving the club, but he has also added that if he had been offered a new deal earlier this season, that he would have signed it.

It is perhaps the right outcome that the two go their separate ways after two promising seasons were derailed by relegation form from February onwards. This season's run of four wins from the final 18 games saw them slip from second to eighth place.

A lot of Rovers fans will appreciate the five years of stability and strong leadership that Mowbray brought to the club.

He has been very much a 'manager' in a traditional sense. It remains to be seen who will become the eighth manager appointed by owners Venky's, in their 11-and-a-half-year tenure.