Blackburn Rovers 2025-26 - 'anything but dull'

Blackburn Rovers finished five points above the Championship relegation zone but it was not plain sailing this season [Getty Images] There is a lot to unpack from the 2025-26 season for Blackburn Rovers. Just 12 months ago, they missed out on the play-offs in the final 20 minutes of the campaign. The hope was progress.

The reality was survival - secured on matchday 45 . It has been said that without points deductions for West Bromwich Albion and Leicester, Rovers would have gone down. But the facts are simple - both clubs were punished for overspending and everyone at Ewood Park can now look ahead to another season in the Championship.

BBC Sport takes a look back at a turbulent year for the Lancashire club. A season like no other Blackburn were three points adrift of safety when Valerien Ismael was sacked on 2 February [Getty Images] The past year delivered pretty much everything. And then some: The club's 150th anniversary The departure of a long-serving CEO A head coach leaving less than a year into the job The appointment of another head coach who already had a job Two home games abandoned with Rovers leading An unmanageable injury list, including seven players requiring surgery A major churn of players, with five academy debutants And the loss of "Mr Blackburn Rovers" himself, Tony Parkes A gamble from the start From the outset, 2025-26 looked a tough ask.

The summer overhaul raised eyebrows. Players with Championship know-how were allowed to leave and replaced, mostly, by those yet to prove themselves at that level. Sean McLoughlin was the exception.