Blackburn Rovers' top 9 best managers in order of games won (Ranked) | OneFootball

Highlights

Blackburn Rovers appointed John Eustace as their new manager in February 2024, becoming the 39th permanent manager to grace the Ewood Park dugout.

The former Birmingham City head coach took over from Jon Dahl Tomasson after the Dane left the club by mutual consent after a turbulent few weeks off the pitch.

The new Rovers head coach left St. Andrew's in October despite having Blues in the play-offs earlier this season, and was seen as a real coup as the Lancashire club.

While Eustace's tenure is only within its infancy, Rovers have had some successful managers during their 149-year history, but which has accrued the most wins during their time at Ewood Park?

Here, in order to help find out, we've taken a look at the nine of the most successful managers in the history of Blackburn Rovers based on wins during their time in Lancashire, with the condition that each spell lasted for at least 20 competitive games.

9 Joseph Warmsley

89 games won

Rovers had experienced a great deal of success under club secretary and manager, Tom Mitchell, but he resigned in 1896. Walmsley was appointed to replace Mitchell. It seemed Blackburn missed Mitchell as they slumped to 14th place in the First Division of the Football League in the 1896-97 season.

But after several relegation battles and one fourth-placed finish, Warmsley left the club in 1903 after being accused by the Football Association of approaching Everton players about fixing a vital game against Blackburn. He would finish with a record of 89 wins from 248 games in charge.

8 Don Mackay

91 games won

Mackay joined the club from Rangers in 1987, despite having great success with Graeme Souness during his time in Scotland.

They narrowly missed the play-offs in his first season in charge, but did win the Full Members Cup, beating First Division Chelsea, Oxford United and Charlton Athletic along the way.

In the next two seasons, Blackburn reached the play-offs, losing out on promotion both times. Following a relatively poor final season in charge (1990–91), he was relieved of his position early in the next season and went on to manage Fulham, but still managed to win 91 games from 232 in charge.

7 Bobby Saxton

93 games won

Saxton was named the head coach of Rovers in 1981 after the club had just failed to secure back-to-back promotions from Division Three, with manager Howard Kendall moved to Everton in the summer.

He only managed mid-table finishes for the next three seasons, then nearly achieved promotion in the 1984–85 season, but a poor finish the following year and finishing one place above the relegation places, followed by an abysmal start to the 1986–87 season, Saxton was relieved of his duties. Despite his time at Ewood Park not setting the world alight, he still managed 93 wins from 257 games.

103 games won

Dalglish was appointed as Blackburn manager in October 1991 by Jack Walker, just a few months after the boyhood Rovers fan had taken full control of the club.

Under Dalglish, Blackburn would rapidly achieve Walker's dream, winning promotion in their first season under the Scot's management in 1991/92 to become founder members of the Premier League, a title they would then win just three seasons later. That, however, would prove to be Dalglish's last act as Blackburn manager, and with key players also moving on, the club have sadly never been quite the same since. Even so, Dalglish's record of 103 in 196 games will be remembered by many Rovers fans.

The most recent manager to take the Ewood Park dugout that features on this list is now Birmingham City manager, Tony Mowbray.

Appointed in 2017, Mowbray oversaw Blackburn's relegation to League One despite an upturn in form. Mowbray signed a new contract that would keep him at the club until 2019, with an option of a further 12 months after that as well. Under his stewardship, Rovers won promotion back to the Championship after a single year in League One. He would guide the club to mid-table finishes in the Championship for the next two seasons before leaving Lancashire at the end of his contract. He is fondly remembered, and left the club having won 108 of his 267 matches in charge.

4 Johnny Carey

119 games won

Carey took charge of Blackburn in the summer of 1953, at which point the club had spent the last five seasons in the second-tier of English football.

That would remain the case until the Irishman's fifth and final full season at Ewood Park, when he took them to a second-placed finish that secured their place back in the top-flight in 1958. Carey would leave just a few months later to take charge of Everton, while continuing the role of Republic of Ireland manager that he had taken up in 1955. In total, Carey won 119 of 235 games in charge of Blackburn.

3 Jack Marshall

122 games won

Marshall was appointed manager of Blackburn Rovers following the sacking of Dally Duncan after just six matches of the 1960/61 season.

He would become a popular manager at Ewood Park, with his side noted for their entertaining, attacking football. During his first two seasons in charge of the club, Marshall successfully changed multiple players' positions, leading to his team being nicknamed as "Marshall's Misfits". The club struggled following the 1963–64 season after failing to win the title, and were relegated in 1966 - with Marshall resigning the following year having achieved 122 wins in his 329 games in charge.

2 Thomas Mitchell

127 games won

From Blackburn's current manager, to one of their very first, Thomas Mitchell, oversaw the running of the club for many years before the start of the 20th century.

Under the Scotsman, Blackburn lifted the FA Cup on five occasions, and in total, Mitchell would register 127 wins in 263 games under him - in a period in which the Football League was first established.

1 Robert Middleton

238 games won

Blackburn Rovers' most successful manager in terms of wins is Englishman, Robert Middleton. He joined the club in July 1903, replacing Joseph Walmsley.

Despite mid-table finishes during the early parts of his tenure, the addition of Jock Simpson from Falkirk in 1911 proved pivotal. Rovers would go on an unbeaten run that lasted three months after losing two of their first three games, with Middleton becoming the first man to win Blackburn their first Football League title. They would go on to win it again two seasons later, as well as winning the FA Charity Shield in 1912. Middleton would end his time with Rovers having won 238 of his 605 matches in charge.