Championship Preview: Blackburn Back Where They Belong

A team with the history and pedigree of Blackburn Rovers should never find themselves languishing in League One - a sentiment I’m sure many Leeds fans would agree with. But after an excellent promotion-winning campaign last season, Blackburn will feel they are back closer to where they belong.

A shaky start had seen them slip to 10th in the league and dreams of promotion seemed a long way off, but under the guidance of Tony Mowbray, Blackburn lost just once in the league after October. Strong performances from Bradley Dack, Danny Graham, defender Charlie Mulgrew (a club record 14 goals from defence) and Leeds United loanee Marcus Antonsson fired Blackburn into second place, just two points behind league leaders Wigan Athletic.

So what can we expect from Blackburn this season? Well they certainly shouldn’t be lacking for goals. Last season they had three players who reached double figures and three more players with 8 or 9 goals. They have strengthened their midfield, signing Jacob Davenport from Manchester City and Joe Rothwell from Oxford.

One area Blackburn may need to improve on is how they start a season. A shocking start in their relegation season two years ago cost them a place in the Championship - even 22 points from their final 15 games couldn’t save them. Similarly last year, as we have seen above, a slow start left them languishing in 10th place after 3 months of the season. If they can get off to a fast start, they could be a force to be reckoned with through the rest of the 2018/19 season.

The good news for Leeds fans is that last time Blackburn were in the Championship, we did the double over them - with 2-1 victories both home and away giving Leeds the 6 points. A last minute winner from Pontus Jansson at Ewood Park one of my personal highlights of that season.