Latest news with #BlackburnRovers'
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'I hope' - Blackburn Rovers star makes honest admission over competition
Balazs Toth is hoping to nail down the Blackburn Rovers number one shirt after making a strong start to pre-season. The Hungarian shot-stopper ended last season as Valerien Ismael's goalkeeper and that has continued after the summer. Though Aynsley Pears has been injured, the expectation is that Toth will begin 2025/26 in goal. That seemed unlikely as recently as March, when Toth had only been given two Championship appearances. But his run in the side at the end of last season allowed him to show his quality. The 27-year-old's confidence has visibly grown and his performances saw him rewarded with a first cap for his country over the summer. READ MORE: Now he's hoping that a strong pre-season will allow him to establish himself as Blackburn Rovers' number one. "Yes, it was a really good end of the season, especially for me and for the team also," Toth said. "I was lucky to jump into the team before six or seven games at the end of the season. After that, I got my first cap in the national team. "It was a proud moment for me and for my family also. In the pre-season, I got many opportunities to show my quality. I'm grateful for it and I hope that I will get the chance in the Championship also. "Today, I gave my first assist to Pape, so that was a really good day for me. Yes, I've worked really hard for it and I hope I will get the reward for that. I hope I will get the number one jersey." Toth has kept clean sheets in two of three pre-season games, with Rovers boasting a 100% record. Results matter little but building momentum and a winning habit certainly does no harm. Reflecting on the Spain camp and victory over Elche, the goalkeeper outlined the excitement internally ahead of the new campaign. "Yes, we did enjoy it as a team. We didn't get any day off, so we worked really hard. We played two tough games the week before we played against Everton," he continued. "It's like in the Championship because we play on Saturday, Tuesday and Friday. It was a tough week. "You see the results. We got the reward because we put a lot of hard work into the session. We got the reward because we won against Qatar and now against Elche. It was a very tough game because they kept possession and they were really, really good. We won the game, so it was a good game for us. "It's always nice to win the game. As we spoke about the changes before the game, we just keep pushing and trying to keep this winning mentality. "We have one more game next week and after that, we start finally. I couldn't wait for the start." On the travelling fans, he added: "It's brilliant. Our fans, to be honest, I've never met brilliant fans like them. It's amazing that more than 100 or 200 people came out to watch our games and to help us to win these games. "Without them, we wouldn't have won the game."
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tottenham Hotspur coach takes Championship job with more appointments imminent
Blackburn Rovers' rivals, West Brom, have ended their search for a new head coach after sacking Tony Mowbray. Tottenham Hotspur Assistant, Ryan Mason, has penned a three-year deal to replace the former Rovers boss. The Baggies sacked Mowbray after they failed to make the Championship play-offs. Advertisement Mason has been identified as his successor and has decided to leave his role as part of Ange Postecoglou's backroom staff to take his first senior management role. He'd been part of the coaching team at Spurs for seven years under various managers. "This is a huge club with a fantastic infrastructure and an incredible fanbase, and I am excited about what we can achieve together," Mason said after being unveiled. READ MORE: Blackburn Rovers' big summer battle that could force late transfer activity "Having spoken at length to the board and those at the club I am convinced that Albion is the perfect place for me to be and I can't wait to get started. Advertisement "I will bring with me a huge amount of enthusiasm, dedication and ambition, and look forward to a positive future together at such a fantastic club." Nigel Gibbs, who joins from Reading, has been named Mason's assistant, with Sam Pooley coming in from Rangers as the club's first-team coach and head of performance. More Championship jobs could be snapped up this week with Hull City close to appointing Bosnian boss Sergej Jakirovic. He is leaving Turkish outfit Kayserispor after half a season to take the gig in East Yorkshire. After flirting with relegation when the 48-year-old took charge in January, Jakirovic moved the club well away from danger to the relative comfort of 13th place, but is now heading for his first job in English football. It is a done deal, though Hull have to wait until a visa is secured which won't be until the end of the week at the earliest. Liam Manning's move from Bristol City to Norwich remains ongoing, with legalities being finalised. When that is complete, only Queens Park Rangers and the Robins will have vacancies for next season, though Leicester City may still choose to replace Ruud van Nistelroy and Danny Rohl's position at Sheffield Wednesday seems untenable.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Valerien Ismael's unprecedented transfer wish as Blackburn Rovers wait continues
Blackburn Rovers' wait for a summer signing breakthrough continues, though they are not the only Championship club yet to break their duck. Only six signings have been announced so far across the division, including three loan deal that have been turned permanent. The three 'Citys' have been active with Jacob joining Norwich, Gustavo Puerto to Hull and Alfons Sampsted to Birmingham. The other three deals are free transfers; Hector Kyprianou to Watford plus Daniel Iversen and Jordan Thompson to Preston North End. Advertisement The summer transfer window doesn't officially open until Sunday, June 1. It will close again on Tuesday, June 10 because of the Club World Cup and then re-open on Monday, June 16 until deadline day on Monday, September 1. Valerien Ismael was adamant he wanted new faces through the door by the start of pre-season. That means it will be a busy June for Rovers if they're to meet expectations. READ MORE: Ex-Blackburn Rovers star Adam Wharton suffers setback after FA Cup final injury Negotiations are on going to sign Modipo Sagnan, a key target to bolster their centre-back options. Much will depend on the final decisions of Danny Batth and Andi Weimann as to whether they have to recruit another this window. Advertisement Talks with the out-of-contract pair remain ongoing but, as reported by The LT this week, there is a growing belief they will decide to join Derby County and reunite with John Eustace. That would be a blow and surely add to Rudy Gestede's shopping list. This time last year, there were nine deals confirmed in the Championship waiting to be officially processed when the window opened on June 14, and then there were only 21 more before the start of July. Rovers did not get their first player through the door until right at the end of the month with Makhtar Gueye signing on July 30. Ninety per cent of all signings in the Championship were announced after July 1. In fact, 50 per cent of deals were done after August 1, nearly 40 per cent were done after the first game of the season on August 10 and 25 per cent in the last two days of the window, as per number crunching from Stoke-on-Trent Live. Rovers' earliest business in recent seasons was, ironically, in the summer of 2023, where the start of the end began for Jon Dahl Tomasson. Niall Ennis penned a four-year deal on May 26 whilst Sondre Tronstad and Arnor Sigurdsson were confirmed before the end of June. They then had to wait until August to finish their business after issues in India became apparent. Players remain on holiday and the Championship season has only just officially concluded after the play-off final. But now things will begin to gear up. Maybe not in terms of 'done deals' but negotiations, agent talks and speculation.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Blackburn Rovers women's team relegated after owners opt against required funding
Blackburn Rovers' women's team have been relegated from Women's Super League 2 (English football's second tier) after the club decided against meeting the league's requirements on facilities, player welfare and staffing. The Lancashire club was given until Monday to state its intention to the Women's Super League Football (WSL Football) — the organisation in charge of running the top two divisions of English women's football) — to finance their women's team's licensing criteria and retain their tier-two status. Advertisement Rovers finished second from bottom in the Championship, rebranded as WSL2 for the 2025-26 season, ahead of relegated Sheffield United. A meeting with members of the club's hierarchy took place on Monday May 12 and players and staff were left in limbo since being informed of the situation last Tuesday, May 13. Many within the team were said to be 'devastated' by the unfolding situation. But on Tuesday, they were informed by the club that no financing would be provided. Regulations for the women's pyramid state that any club which withdraws from a league can only re‑enter at least two tiers lower. Precedent was set when Reading were relegated to the fifth tier of English football ahead of the 2024-25 season after financial uncertainty and the collapse of an 11th-hour takeover bid. Advertisement Compliance and development reviews are standard across the top two tiers and carried out ahead of each new season. Every club is asked by the league to comply with the participation agreement. Blackburn's demotion follows on from controversy last summer, during which it was reported their women's team's playing budget was constrained to just £100,000 for next season, with their players, who are all semi-professional, receiving salaries of £9,000. The decision to cut the playing budget incurred fierce criticism. Blackburn have significant pedigree in the women's game with a strong academy set-up. The club have produced England internationals and Euro 2022 champions Keira Walsh, Ella Toone and Georgia Stanway. Blackburn's men's team finished seventh in the Championship in the most recent season, narrowly missing out on the playoffs. Advertisement For the 2023-24 financial year, the club reported a profit of £3.3million. However, without the club-record sale (around £22million including add-ons) of midfielder Adam Wharton to Premier League side Crystal Palace, the figure would have been a £17.2m loss which is similar to 12 months prior. Blackburn defender Niamh Murphy wrote on social media last week about the possibility of relegation: 'I have been a Blackburn player for three seasons and the only consistency there has been is the lack of financial support from the club. 'Whilst this season may not look successful to others, we have once again avoided relegation despite having the smallest budget. This is a huge success and a credit to the women's players and staff. 'This group has worked relentlessly hard all season for so little reward. We all earn less than a liveable wage, with many players having to live away from home whilst also having to work other jobs to survive, and this is what we get in return.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Blackburn Rovers, Sports Business, Championship, UK Women's Football 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Outrage as top football club to fold team with raft of Welsh players left to look for new jobs
Outrage as top football club to fold team with raft of Welsh players left to look for new jobs It has been alleged that the players found out about the decision via a WhatsApp message from their teammate Simon Parker, Head Coach of Blackburn Rovers' Women's team Several Welsh footballers are set to be left looking for new jobs amid reports that Blackburn Rovers' owners are highly likely to pull funding for its women's side next season. The team is set to withdraw from the Women's Championship next season due to the owners being unwilling to provide the funding to meet the division's minimum requirements on facilities, staffing and player welfare. While no official decision has yet been made, players have allegedly been told that the club's mind is "99 per cent" made up. The deadline to decide if they want to meet the requirements and keep their place in the Women's Super League 2 next season is May 19, with talks set to be held over the weekend. Without funding, however, they could be demoted to the Women's National League North, while the club's supporters group is concerned that the team is now "days away from ceasing to exist". In the meantime, players have been left in limbo over what the future holds as they wait for an official decision to be made. Eight Welsh players are set to be affected, with senior Wales internationals Georgia Walters, Chloe Williams and Poppy Soper likely to be forced into finding new jobs alongside Orla Howard, Senaiya Knill, Charlotte Salisbury-Williams, Casi Evans and Darcy Lancaster. Article continues below Rovers Women have also produced England stars and Euro 2022 winners Keira Walsh, Ella Toone and Georgia Stanway. Defender Niamh Murphy claimed earlier this week that the first team were told by a teammate via WhatsApp that there is a "99% chance the owners will not be financially supporting the team next season". "Via WhatsApp today we, Blackburn Rovers Women first-team, were made aware that there is a 99 per cent chance that the club's owners won't be financially supporting the team next season," the 22-year-old full-back wrote on X. "We were told by message by a fellow teammate that the club have been given a seven day deadline to state their intention to financially support the team and if this isn't signed then the club will be forced to drop out the Championship/WSL 2. "I have been a Blackburn player for three seasons and the only consistency there has been is the lack of financial support from the club." Murphy added: "Whilst this season may not look successful to others, we have once again avoided relegation despite having the smallest budget. This is a huge success and a credit to the women's players and staff. "This group has worked relentlessly hard all season for so little reward. We all earn less than a liveable wage, with many players having to live away from home whilst also having to work other jobs to survive, and this is what we get in return. "Us players and staff deserve far better than what we've experienced in recent seasons. We've once again been left in the dark, waiting to see if the owners will have the decency to do what's best for their players, staff and women's football." The Blackburn Rovers Supporters Coalition has also issued a statement in response to the "deeply alarming" reports, saying that a withdrawal of funding would leave the women's team "days away from ceasing to exist". Article continues below It slammed the club's owners for "putting their self-interest above and beyond the fabric" of the club, adding that "any move to scale back support is not only a betrayal of [the women's team's] legacy but a disgraceful signal of indifference".
