A negative week on the pitch has been negated by some positive news off it, after it was announced today, that manager Tony Mowbray had committed his future to the club, after he put pen-to-paper on a new long-term contract with Rovers.
The highly-regarded boss sealed a deal that will see his contract end in three-and-a-half years’ time – the summer of 2022, to be precise – after lengthy, but positive talks with the club’s hierarchy. The boss, having made the switch to Ewood Park in February 2017, has changed the landscape of the club with his honest and hard-working mentality – all subsequent traits which he has instilled into his players.
Despite failing to prevent Rovers’ slip down to League 1 in 2016-17, Mowbray came in and earnt 22 points out of a possible remaining 42, from the 14 games he was at the helm for in the Championship. From that moment, the manager instilled his own imprint and ideas into the squad over the summer of 2017, as he managed to acquire and simultaneously keep important assets such as Charlie Mulgrew and Danny Graham – to only name a couple – who both remained at the club, whilst the likes of Bradley Dack and Richie Smallwood came into the side and added to the quality within the existing squad, as Rovers’ League 1 campaign unfolded.
The stint in the third tier, only turned out to be a blip in Rovers’ history, as they returned to the Championship at the first time of asking, via the automatic promotion spot of 2nd in the league, whilst also claiming a club record 96 points in the process. Mowbray, despite an increasingly dodgy start to the 2017-18 season, managed to completely overhaul Rovers’ fortunes as he masterminded Rovers’ return to the second tier. Since their return to the Championship, the manager has continued his process of rebuilding the club, which included a mixture of loans and permanent transfers, over the summer of 2018, which totalled to 7 arrivals.
With this season approaching its midway point, the former Middlesbrough centre-half has guided Rovers to a healthy 13th place from 19 games, whilst also boasting a near impeccable home record which has only seen the Blues lose once on the Ewood Park turf, in 29 games. Further adding to the team’s success, Mowbray finds his side only 5 points off the playoffs, which will no doubt encourage some fans to dream of potential, but rather unrealistic, back-to-back promotions.
After pledging his long-term future to the Blue and White halves, the popular boss spoke of his delight following the extension of his contract, to the club’s media team, whilst also laying out his aims for the next three-and-a-half years.
“I’m humbled to be offered the opportunity to extend my stay at this amazing football club. I’ve been enjoying the journey for around 20 months now and I’ve found it to be an amazing place with some amazing people working here, both on and off the field. The history of the club initially attracted me, however the people and the infrastructure within the building are what compelled me to stay.
“We need to keep improving and building on what we’ve done as a club, in order to prove to the Owners that we can get the club back on track towards the Premier League, which will hopefully lead to them supporting us through their presence and their investment. The supporters as well, are the most important people in the debate as it’s their club we’re trying to take back to the Premier League, in an attempt to try and play the big giants at the top of the game.
“Saying that, who’s to say that we can’t build-up in order to be a long-term Premier League side? We, of course have our hands full with the Championship, but that’s the main long-term goal for everybody at this club, however our main short-term priority, is to solidify ourselves in the Championship.
“I have this internal desire in my stomach that drives me to try and get this club back to where it belongs. As I’ve said to various supporters’ groups, I’ve met with the Owners in India, and they’ve been nothing but humble and supportive of what we’re trying to do as a club. My aim is to make football enjoyable for this town and to bring moments of desire to the club, which is something I’m striving to achieve, similarly to how last year panned out with the victory away at Doncaster Rovers and the amazing day against Oxford United.
“The test for us now, is whether we can put ourselves on a level, similar to that of a Leeds United, or an Aston Villa, in order to genuinely feel that, at the start of any season, we have as good a chance as them to get into the Premier League.
“I would like to be the guy who builds the bridges between the supporters and the Owners. I’d like to get the Owners back to Ewood and get the supporters to accept them. I think the way to do that is to try and work as hard as possible in order to show the supporters the positive human values of everyone at the club. It’s a long journey and we can’t achieve anything by talking about it, we need to go and apply our words.
“We’ve had a pretty bad week, this week, but overall, I think our start to the season has been good and I’m sure that with the help of the supporters over the 46 games and the gradual improvement in the transfer windows, due to the Owners investing, we’ll soon be able to compete at the top end of this division.
“Modern football has become a results driven business. The fans can love you one moment and want you out the next. What I can guarantee to the supporters however, is that, every day that I’m in the managerial hot seat at this club, I’ll be giving everything I’ve got in order to move towards our long-term goals. We had poor results against Preston North End and Wigan Athletic this week, but hopefully, after our discussions and preparations during training, we can go out on Saturday against Sheffield Wednesday and rectify our errors.
“The supporters have been fantastic with me ever since I stepped through the door and they really do help us win games. Their efforts both home and away have been magnificent and that’s justified by our brilliant home record of 1 defeat in 29 games, which is something we have to build our success on. We need to keep trusting each other and keep working hard for each other, both on the pitch and within the town and community. It’s important for the players to connect with the people within the town in order for the supporters to see that the players do care about the hard-working fans who pay their hard-earned money to watch them play every week. We hope that we can provide the fans with an entertainment that justifies them spending their money on coming to watch us.”
Steve Waggott, also commented on the renewal of Mowbray’s contract, to the media team, as the Chief Executive was quick to praise the manager for his personal and managerial qualities.
“This is the second time I have worked with Tony and what always shines through when working with him is his passion, hard work, enthusiasm and honesty.
“His attention to detail and style of management has already brought success to Rovers by gaining promotion at the first attempt out of League One and back to the Championship. His vast experience and knowledge of the game is building a platform for hopefully future success and I am delighted we have secured his services until 2022.”
In addition to Waggott, the Owners also released a brief statement echoing Waggott’s words, whilst also expressing their delight at being able to come to an agreement on the 55-year old’s future.
“We are delighted that Tony Mowbray has agreed a new long-term contract with the football club.
“Tony is someone we have the utmost respect for, both as a person and a football manager. He conducts himself the right way, his philosophies and values match our own, and we have a common ambition.
“Over the course of his tenure, he has united the supporter base and assembled a group of players that not only give their all for the shirt but have also shown that they can compete with any team in this division. As this team develops and grows, we are excited by what they can achieve.
“The new deal ensures stability, which is so vitally important, and provides a platform for the club to continue to move forward in the right direction. We want this great club to get back to where it belongs, and Tony will have our steadfast support and backing as we embark on this journey together.”
