Ranking Blackburn Rovers' top 7 best managers based on PPG - Mark Hughes = 3rd | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers could enjoy a bright future under current boss John Eustace.

The Lancashire club managed to survive because of some crucial wins during the latter stages of the 2023/24 campaign, with victories at Leeds United and Leicester City saving them in the end.

Considering Rovers were on the slide under their former boss Jon Dahl Tomasson, Eustace hasn't managed Blackburn at an easy time.

However, he has shown in the past with Birmingham City that he can work within a fairly limited budget and keep teams in the Championship.

It will be interesting to see what business is done this summer, with the future of Sammie Szmodics potentially set to determine how much they are able to spend in the transfer market in the coming months.

Looking back in this piece though, we take a look at their seven most successful managers, based on points-per-game.

7 Gary Bowyer - 1.39 (PPG)

Bowyer took charge of Rovers for a couple of caretaker spells before being permanently appointed in May 2023.

Spending over two years at the club as permanent boss, he managed to guide the club to 8th and 9th-place finishes during his two full seasons in charge of the club.

Unfortunately, a poor start to the 2015/16 season saw him dismissed in November 2015, but he has managed to get opportunities elsewhere.

Managing Blackpool, Bradford City and Salford City since his departure from Ewood Park, he most recently took charge of Dundee.

6 Tony Mowbray - 1.47

Mowbray did a very good job at Rovers, guiding them to promotion back to the second tier in 2018 and establishing them as a solid Championship side again.

His biggest regret at Ewood Park probably came towards the end of his spell there, with Rovers missing out on the play-offs in 2022 after a decline in their form during the latter stages of that season.

Even with that in mind, he looked set to be a big miss following his departure during the same year, having developed the likes of Adam Armstrong, John Buckley and Tyrhys Dolan during his time at the club.

Recently stepping down from his role at Birmingham, you just hope he can make a full recovery from his health issue and potentially return to management at some point in the future.

5 Graeme Souness - 1.50

Souness enjoyed a very interesting managerial career, taking charge of Rangers, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Southampton, Torino, Benfica and Newcastle United, ending his time as a manager with the latter.

He also took charge of Blackburn for four years between 2000 and 2004.

They were promoted back to the top flight in 2001 under the Liverpool legend, with Souness also keeping them in the top tier and winning the League Cup during his time with Rovers.

Currently, he is a TV pundit for a number of different channels, including Sky Sports.

4 Jon Dahl Tomasson - 1.51

Tomasson has big shoes to fill after Mowbray's departure, but he did a decent job at Ewood Park during his first campaign at Rovers.

At the end of the 2022/23 campaign, Blackburn only missed out on the play-offs due to goal difference and during that season, he also guided the club to the last eight of the FA Cup.

Unfortunately for him, his success didn't last at Ewood Park and with the team in woeful form, he left the club in February 2024, being replaced by Eustace.

However, that hasn't prevented him from taking another excellent job, with the 47-year-old currently the manager of Sweden.

3 Mark Hughes - 1.55

Hughes made the big decision in 2004 to leave Wales for Blackburn - but it was a decision that worked out fairly well in the end - with Rovers becoming a force under Hughes.

The likes of David Bentley and Roque Santa Cruz became very recognisable figures under the Welshman during his four years in charge - and he ended up joining Manchester City in the end after a good managerial spell at Ewood Park.

Things didn't really work out for Hughes at City following his arrival in 2008, but he has managed a number of other clubs since then and was most recently in charge of Bradford City.

Rovers played in the UEFA Cup under Hughes - a key reason why his spell there will be remembered fondly.

2 Tony Parkes - 1.58

Parkes was a key figure for the club, playing for them 350 times and also taking caretaker charge of the club on six occasions.

That is an incredible achievement - and he also took caretaker charge of Blackpool on one occasion.

In terms of his caretaker spells at Ewood Park, his most successful one came between 1999 and 2000, winning 1.58 points per game.

1 Kenny Dalglish - 1.84

Dalglish did an incredible job during his time at Rovers, although that isn't a surprise considering the success he enjoyed as a player and as Liverpool's manager.

Blackburn were in the second tier at the time of Sir Kenny's arrival, but they managed to get back to the top flight and were competitive at the top end of the Premier League.

Winning the top-flight title in 1995, with Alan Shearer playing a huge part in their success, Dalglish was able to secure another trophy to his name in management.

He enjoyed a magnificent time in Lancashire and is a Blackburn legend, as well as a Liverpool one.