soccer

'It's such a risk' - Rovers fans react to O'Neill appointment

[BBC]
Michael O'Neill celebrates with his arms raised as his side score a second goal during the World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Northern Ireland and Slovakia
Michael O'Neill also held a dual managerial role while in charge of Stoke City [Getty Images]

Michael O'Neill is the new Blackburn Rovers head coach after being appointed on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

The 56-year-old will continue to lead Northern Ireland for their World Cup play-off tie against Italy next month while also trying to steer Blackburn away from the Championship relegation zone.

Is this the right appointment and will O'Neill's dual role work?

We asked Rovers fans for their views and here are some of their opinions:

Luke: Really unsure about this dual role as a manager. I feel in the current situation, deep in a relegation battle, we need all his focus on just Rovers.

Simon: What concerns me is if you give a manager a contract to the season end, what incentive is there for him to keep them up? I like the look of the backroom team.

Steven: This is how far as a club we have sunk. No disrespect to Michael but come on a part-time appointment? We can no longer attract top people to our club because the investment from the owners is minimal and their communication is non-existent. All we can hope for is that soon they will sell us to someone who will care.

Neil: He did the same at Stoke and kept them up and even took them to the top end of the table. The part-time moniker sounds like he's only going to be there three days out of seven, which is far from the truth. All it means is during international breaks he'll be with Northern Ireland when we wouldn't have a game anyway and that's where his coaching staff take over.

Roverite95: Which club would appoint a part-time manager in the midst of a relegation battle? Shambles!!!

Lesley: Keeping us up is the main priority, sort out the defence on set-plays and get the respect of the players, and stress the importance of game management, especially in the last 15 minutes.

Ed: Pep Guardiola wouldn't keep Rovers up. Apparently the Rovers job is part-time now.

Chris: We'll only be able to judge at the end of the season but we've got to get behind him and his backroom staff for the rest of the season. Bringing Phil Jones on board could be a masterstoke.

Iain: This is such a risk to have someone with a split focus in charge as we battle to beat the drop, but I am somewhat encouraged by the new first-team coaches joining as well. I don't think fans are surprised though and we have all had enough of the ownership now. No decision surprises us anymore.

Finley: It's definitely a 50/50 appointment, especially with the Northern Ireland job as well. But to be honest I think he can definitely do the job and I'm sure he'll keep us up and we can progress and, who knows, play-offs next season?

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