Blackburn Rovers

Andy Bayes
Sport editor, BBC Radio Lancashire

Image source, Getty Images

If ever a night were to sum up where Blackburn Rovers find themselves at the moment, the home defeat by Coventry was it.

A side decimated by injuries before kick-off and ending the match with the medical team - just as much as the playing staff - needing reinforcements!

In almost all of the metrics provided by the BBC, Rovers were the team in control.

More shots, more possession, the opposition goalkeeper worked more... and so on.

As we all know, the only important statistic is the final score and Coventry managed the game well after Brandon Thomas-Asante (a Rovers target) scored early in the second half.

After six straight wins in the league before Christmas, Rovers have come undone of late, losing five of the next eight.

In all of the games lost, the team haven't scored a goal.

It's a worrying trend and one that head coach John Eustace is desperate to address during the transfer window.

Over the last decade, they've lost prolific goalscorers in Jordan Rhodes, Rudy Gestede, Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton Diaz but there has always seemed to be the next cab off the rank to lighten the load. This year feels different.

Losing Sam Szmodics a week into the Championship season removed a potential 33 goals on its own. Without him last season, I firmly believe they'd be playing League One football this year.

Finding the formula to replace that output was always going to be a challenge.

The overseas markets have been used to bring in Yuki Ohashi and Makhtar Gueye but expecting them to hit the ground running and deliver goals on a regular basis is asking an awful lot.

It has done nothing but heighten the urgency for a proven championship, course and distance striker. A seasoned pro.

This league asks a lot from players with the current absentee list being a very good example of that.

I did feel at the start of the month that if Rovers lumped their entire budget on a striker (who, let's not forget, cost the most), then I'd be quite satisfied.

I now look at a depleted squad and think maybe that's not the way forward.

As many as 11 players could miss Saturday's visit to Bristol City - and I stress, could.

A team of Pears, Brittain, Carter, Wharton, Batth, Pickering, Travis, Tronstad, Rankin-Costello, Sigurdsson and Ohashi would be a pretty strong outfit. They either missed the Coventry defeat or picked up a knock during the match.

One league win since captain Lewis Travis went out of the team injured in December shows his great importance and now a six-week lay off for his midfield partner Sondre Tronstad is an enormous blow to go alongside it.

The club have allowed veteran defender Kyle McFadzean to terminate his contract with youngsters Connor O'Riordan and Leo Duru going out on loan and midfielder Jake Garrett likely to follow suit.

It means that more academy players will be needed to bulk up a nine-man bench.

Sixteen-year-old Isaac Dunn (son of Rovers favourite David Dunn) is likely to be involved with the seniors until reinforcements arrive either from the treatment table or the transfer market.

Rovers fans will say they've been in this position before in January. In the top six, dreaming of a return to the Premier League and in need of quality additions to help them have a realistic chance of getting over the line.

The focus switches to the ownership in India and the boardroom in Blackburn.

Will they be able to provide the tools that John Eustace needs at his disposal to keep alive this unlikely play-off push?

My view is that Eustace, as head coach, needs to be in control of who is recruited.

He's doing an incredible job. I'm not sure that even the most optimistic Blackburn Rovers supporter would have expected a place in the top six after 28 games.

Eustace knows players are needed and he's also sure that everyone in recruitment or executive roles are on the same page.

It's only fair to say that the market has been slow for Championship clubs spending cash, especially those without parachute money.

Will that change before February 3? I suppose only time will tell.

I'd be surprised if any of the teams in the top four drop below fourth between now and May 3.

They seem in a mini-league of their own, with potentially more than a dozen other clubs eyeing places five and six.

The championship might be producing the highest quality football but it never fails to deliver in terms of its unpredictability.

Image source, PA Media

Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace spoke to BBC Radio Lancashire following his side's defeat by Coventry City.

"The effort of the boys was excellent tonight and the attitude was very good. We had five big chances which we didn't put away unfortunately," he said.

"Coventry scored with the first effort on goal, I think it was, right before half-time so it was a tough one to take.

"You can see we've got 11 senior boys out but the effort the boys put in on the pitch tonight was there for everyone to see.

"We have to defend better from the corner and second phase.

"The goal after half-time was a disappointment because we spoke about things we had to do defensively which we didn't, then after that we were huffing and puffing but the attitude was very good."

Blackburn Rovers host Coventry City in a bid to stay within the play-off spots on Tuesday evening (19:45 GMT).

Rovers lost to a buoyant Oxford United last time out, while the Sky Blues beat Bristol City to edge further away from relegation danger.

Coventry striker Brandon Thomas-Asante was the one to deliver the winner in their victory over the Robins and the Ghana international also has fond memories of playing against their weeknight opponents.

• Blackburn Rovers are winless across their past eight league games against Coventry City (D5 L3), failing to score in each of their past three matches against the Sky Blues.

• After winning the reverse league fixture 3-0 in October, Coventry City are looking to complete a league double over Blackburn Rovers for the first time since the 1966-67 season.

• Each of Blackburn's past six home league wins have ended with them keeping a clean sheet, while 11 of their past 12 league games at Ewood Park have had at least one side keep a clean sheet.

• After winning their first away league game under Frank Lampard at Millwall in December, Coventry are winless in their past four away league matches (D1 L3).

• Coventry's Thomas-Asante has scored three goals in his past two league games against Blackburn, though failed to score in his only league game against Rovers at Ewood Park in August 2023.

Image source, Rex Features

Blackburn Rovers' veteran defender Kyle McFadzean could be on his way out of the Championship club, according to boss John Eustace.

The 37-year-old joined Rovers in January 2024 on an initial short-term deal however he extended his time at Rovers during the summer.

He has made three appearances for the club this term, all of which have come from the bench, with his most recent coming in their 1-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday in December.

"He came in today and there's an opportunity for him to move elsewhere. He'll be talking to that club today or tomorrow," Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"He's a fantastic professional and most importantly, a fantastic person.

"It was very important that we re-signed him in the summer. You can see the effect he's had on the whole group.

"It's been a frustrating time for him because the centre-halves have done so well. He's someone that I've got huge respect for."

Eustace also revealed the club were interested in signing one player with two weeks of the January transfer window remaining, while Jake Garrett and Connor O'Riordan could depart on loan.

"I think there was a bid for one player. I don't know how that's turned out. Apart from that, I'm not sure about anything else," he added.

"Those two [Garrett and O'Riordan] will go out on loan again. They'll get the minutes for their development."

Kevin Gallacher
Premier League title winner and BBC Radio Lancashire summariser

Image source, Rex Features

After seeing Rovers beaten 1-0 at Oxford it's clear to me that defensively we're quite sound but attacking wise we're still not getting it right.

The full-backs were staying as part of a back four and rarely getting forward. I'm so used to seeing Owen Beck and Callum Brittain getting crosses in - granted there may not have been people in the box but we only really saw it in the final 10 minutes.

Maybe it's down to the performances of Oxford's Przemyslaw Placheta and Siriki Dembele, who have both been coached by John Eustace before, that they were limited. Both of those players would certainly improve Rovers' squad.

To me, this was an opportunity to get a result and we've thrown it away.

Eustace has been clear that he needs reinforcements. A striker and a wide player with pace are on the wish list. We'll just have to wait and see if he gets them before 3 February.

There's no doubt about it, we need help from the top for John to get them over the line. Now there are injuries, you really notice that the squad is not deep enough. I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed that it happens.

Sondre Tronstad will be a big miss and I'm hoping his hamstring injury isn't going to rule him out for long. He's been consistently the best player at the club for some time.

Depending on what players we get, they need to hit the ground running. Some might not have played regularly this season, so they'll need time to catch up.

If we're ambitious enough, who knows, we might make the play-offs. Eustace has maximised what he's got so far this season so it would be great to see him backed in the transfer market.

Image source, Rex Features

John Eustace says his Blackburn side will have to adapt to the loss of their "player of the season" if Sondre Tronstad misses games with a hamstring injury.

The midfielder was substituted after pulling up in the first half of the 1-0 defeat at Oxford United.

And Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire the Norway international will be a huge miss if he is ruled out after assessment this week.

"Sonny has done something to his hamstring so we will have to look at that on Sunday. He has been player of the season up to now and you can see when he goes off the pitch we were a little bit different.

"We will have to adapt [if he is ruled out]."

Eustace said the Oxford defeat was a frustrating afternoon for his Rovers side.

"I didn't think we started very well and rode our luck in the first 15 minutes," he said. "But after that I thought we grew into it and played some good stuff.

"We were disappointed not to take any of our chances and we need to be better in that final third. Second half we couldn't match them for 10 minutes and then they have punished us with a very good free-kick.

"It is something we have to learn from. We are down to the bare bones with the squad and there are players who are having a second or third game in a week who haven't been playing as much.

"We have to learn from it and move on. It was pleasing to see the boys' efforts fighting and pushing at the end but we were not good enough."

Oxford United welcome Blackburn to the Kassam Stadium on Saturday (15:00 GMT) seeking to continue their fine form under Gary Rowett.

The Us are unbeaten in five, claiming 11 points, ahead of the visit of Rovers, who ended a five match winless run, during which they claimed just two points, with Wednesday's 3-0 win over Portsmouth, which took them up to fifth.

• Oxford United have lost each of their past three league games against Blackburn Rovers, conceding 2+ goals in each of those defeats.

• Blackburn Rovers have lost just one of their past 12 league games against Oxford (W5 D6), a 3-1 defeat in December 1990.

• Oxford have won their past two home league games and could win three in a row for the first time since their opening three games at the Kassam Stadium this season.

• Blackburn Rovers have kept a clean sheet (3) or conceded exactly once (4) in their past seven away games (W4 D1 L2), their longest streak without conceding multiple goals on the road since April 2018 (8 in a row).

• Oxford United manager Gary Rowett has won just two of 12 career league games against Blackburn Rovers (D4 L6), 1-0 at home with both Birmingham in October 2016 and Millwall in July 2020.

Image source, Rex Features

Blackburn Rovers head coach John Eustace has been charged by the Football Association with misconduct following comments made to the media after their 1-1 draw against Leeds United on New Years Day.

Referee Oliver Langford awarded Leeds a late penalty after defender Dom Hyam's challenge caused Leeds forward Mateo Joseph to fall in the box, a decision which Eustace labelled as "soft" and suggested would not be awarded to the visiting team.

It was then converted by Leeds defender Pascal Struijk in the 88th minute to provide an opener before Rovers equalised two minutes later.

The FA's statement read: "It's alleged that (Eustace) acted in an improper manner during post-match media interviews by making comments that imply bias and/or question the integrity of a match official and/or are not in the best interests of the game."

Eustace has until 20 January to respond to the charges.

Andy Bayes
Sports Editor, BBC Radio Lancashire

Image source, Getty Images

Wednesday night was a match Blackburn Rovers had been waiting for. The game in hand on the rest of the teams in and around them in the table.

Many will have had it down as a home banker. But it felt like the game was going to need something different for the deadlock to be broken.

John Eustace has made changes to his team on the hour almost all season. In 26 league fixtures, 10 substitutes have scored. That's a pretty good return and certainly such decisions helped in this one.

The arrivals of Amario Cozier-Duberry, a youngster with a big future, and Makhtar Gueye, a target man, unpredictable, and still searching for his first league goal at Ewood Park since his summer move, were instrumental in the win over Portsmouth.

Gueye's header to open the scoring was textbook. Can he have the same impact in the starting XI? Time will tell.

Andi Weimann's goal took him to the top of the scoring charts with seven for the season, but the striker role is the area that is crying out for reinforcements.

Players continue to be linked who have Championship experience. That has to be key, that is what's missing right now from a squad who have surprised the majority of the division with their current placing.

A Championship-ready front man could do this squad a world of good with 20 big matches still to come.

Every credit to the coaching staff and the players for being top five with 26 games played. Many felt this season could be one of struggle and fighting the drop.

The window business remains critical to where they finish. It's likely the current top four will be in that final six come May, but can Rovers realistically be one of the other contenders for the two remaining spots?

They've been here before in recent years, but never made the play-offs in their soon to be 13-year absence from the top flight. It's safe to say that it's all to play for.

Image source, Rex Features

Blackburn Rovers head coach John Eustace has praised the impact of his substitutes in the team's play-off push.

The 3-0 win over Portsmouth was a first league victory in six games and saw Rovers climb back up to fifth.

They needed to wait until the 61st minute to go in front against Pompey, but Makhtar Gueye provided the breakthrough - Rovers'10th league this season scored by a substitute.

Almost a third of Blackburn's 31 goals have come from substitutes, contributing an extra 10 points to their tally of 42. Without those, they would be down in mid-table.

"It's a great record to have and it's showing how important the squad is," Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"Makhtar was disappointed not to be starting. But when he came on, he certainly made a big difference."

Blackburn Rovers have made a £1.75m bid for Coventry City striker Brandon Thomas Asante, with the Ghana international only making the starting XI once this season for the West Midlands side. (Sky Sports, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's gossip here.

Image source, Rex Features

Blackburn Rovers defender Dion Sanderson says he couldn't wait to be reunited with boss John Eustace.

The 25-year-old moved to Ewood Park on loan from Birmingham City last week and is back working under Eustace who he spent time with at both Blues and QPR

"It all happened quite quickly, my agent told me there was interest from Blackburn and straight away I was like, get me down there," Sanderson told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"I've got nothing but good memories under John - at Birmingham we had a strong half season and he built that connection with the players"

Blackburn are currently seventh in the Championship, one point outside the play-off places and Sanderson believes Eustace has all the qualities to manage at the top level.

"To me he's a great person first of all. He's really ambitious, dedicated to his job and will hammer down on the basics and there's no cutting corners which is how it should be.

"I'm glad to see him doing well here and I'm glad to be here to help."

The defender is in line to make his Rovers debut in Wednesday's Championship match at home to Portsmouth.

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford is on a "long list" of players Blackburn Rovers are looking at as potential signings in January. (Lancashire Telegraph), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip here.

Image source, Getty Images

Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace is hopeful that wingers Amario Cozier-Duberry and Ryan Hedges will be fit for Wednesday's rearranged Championship fixture against Portsmouth (19:45 GMT).

The pair missed the FA Cup win to Middlesbrough at the weekend due to illness.

Midfielder Adam Forshaw and Birmingham City loanee Dion Sanderson are both available and could make their debuts at Ewood Park, while captain Lewis Travis is back training on grass but is still a "couple of weeks away" from a full return.

The match was originally meant to take place in November but was postponed due to Storm Bert.

Blackburn Rovers seek a return to the play-off spots as they host relegation-threatened Portsmouth on Wednesday (19:45 GMT).

Rovers have not won any of their past five league games to see themselves drop out of the top six, just one point shy of West Bromwich Albion and two away from Middlesbrough in sixth and fifth respectively.

However, they did beat Boro on Saturday to advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup and will be hoping the victory reignites winning ways.

Meanwhile, Pompey lost out to League One's Wycombe Wanderers in their cup tie on Friday and will drop into the bottom three if Cardiff City avoid defeat against Watford on Tuesday.

• Blackburn Rovers are unbeaten across their past five league games against Portsmouth (W4 D1) and will be looking to win three matches in succession against Pompey for the first time since January 2006.

• Since 1985, Portsmouth have won just two of their 16 away league games against Blackburn Rovers (D3 L11), with both of those victories coming in the Premier League (2-1 in March 2004 & 1-0 in September 2007). During that run, Pompey have netted just 10 goals in total and more than one in a match just once.

• After a six-game winning streak in the league between November and December, Blackburn are without a win in their last five such games (D2 L3), losing each of their last two at Ewood Park.

• Portsmouth have lost each of their past four away league games, failing to score in three of those games and conceding 10.

• Portsmouth's Josh Murphy is one of only four players in the Championship this season with at least five goals and five assists, scoring and assisting in a game already in 2025 against Swansea City.