Pick of the stats: Stoke City v Blackburn Roverspublished at 09:56 BST
09:56 BST
Image source, Opta
Blackburn Rovers will look to pull further clear of the Championship relegation places when the visit Stoke City on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 15:00 BST).
Michael O'Neill's side were just one point above the drop zone after a 1-0 defeat to relegation rivals Oxford on 11 March but are unbeaten in the four games since (W2 D2) and are now six points ahead of Leicester in 22nd.
The Potters - who are 12 points behind the play-off spots and 13 clear of the drop - are on course for a mid-table finish.
None of Stoke's previous 15 home league games against Blackburn have finished level, with the Potters winning nine and losing six.
Blackburn have alternated between victory (3) and defeat (3) in their past six away league games against Stoke, losing 1-0 in this exact fixture last season.
Stoke have won their past two home league games – the Potters haven't won three on the bounce at home since April/August 2024, while in the same season they last did so in August/September 2021 under current Blackburn boss Michael O'Neill.
Blackburn Rovers have kept a clean sheet in their previous three league games, last going four without conceding in November/December 2024 (a run of five).
Stoke City's Sorba Thomas is the only player with both 10 goals and 10 assists in the Championship this season. The last player to achieve that in a league season (excl. play-offs) under manager Mark Robins was current Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres in 2022-23 at Coventry (21 goals, 10 assists).
Blackburn's £10m loss not 'that bad' - Maguirepublished at 16:26 BST 8 April
16:26 BST 8 April
Media caption,
Maguire: 'It's like being the bank of mum and dad'
Blackburn Rovers have reported a loss of £10.4m loss during the 2024-25 season - but is it as bad as it seems?
The club has seen an uptick in their generated revenue but are spending 114% of those funds on player's wages and have also reported operating losses of £21.4m, with just £13m profited from player sales.
"The money coming into the club has gone up by 11% but the wages bill went up by the same amount and as a result of that they lost probably about £400,000 a week," football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"If you take a look at the auditors' report that has specifically said that if the Venky's cannot extract money from India, we've got a big problem - but it looks like the recent pronouncements are a little more positive in that sense.
"I think the way to look at a football club owner, it's a bit like being the bank of mum and dad. It's this constantly willingness to provide the football club when the wages need paying every month."
However, given the context within the second tier, Rovers' losses are comparably tame.
"By Championship standards, it wasn't that bad," Maguire added.
"I think that's indicative of just how inoculated we all have become to football as a loss making industry and you don't have to be Dizzee Rascal to know that the finances of the Championship in particular are best described as completely Bonkers."
'Rovers will have taken outcome of Easter programme'published at 15:36 BST 7 April
15:36 BST 7 April
Andy Bayes BBC Radio Lancashire sports editor
Image source, Getty Images
Had four points from six been offered to Blackburn Rovers boss Michael O'Neill before the Easter programme, he would almost certainly have taken them.
Two clean sheets across the double-header underlined his pragmatic approach, making his side as hard to beat as possible with resources stretched to the limit.
O'Neill is painfully short of options and he knows it. The timely return of Scott Wharton to the starting eleven has helped, but the problem remains: he wants to operate with a back five, yet has only three centre-backs available, with four others sidelined.
Across the two matches - a 1-0 win at Birmingham and a 0-0 draw with West Brom - Rovers named the same starting eleven on both occasions, with six players completing 180 minutes. Part show of confidence, part necessity, it reflected where O'Neill's trust now lies. Since his arrival, he has been clear that this is not the time to wait for players to show potential; he needs those who can cope at the level immediately.
Rovers were the only team in the bottom six to take maximum points from either game. Results elsewhere could hardly have been kinder, prompting suggestions that the stalemate with the Baggies was an opportunity missed. On the evidence on show, it wasn't.
It was a meeting of two sides intent on not losing. Nobody wanted to blink.
Rovers keeper Balazs Toth again enhanced his growing reputation with an outstanding first-half save from Aune Heggebo, and that proved decisive in securing a point apiece.
A half-time switch to 4-4-2 brought greater attacking intent, but a largely unemployed Max O'Leary remained untested.
Adam Forshaw and Moussa Baradji deserve praise for their energy and industry across the two games. Forshaw has completed three games in a row now, having not done since his Plymouth days in November 2024.
Baradji has yet to fully win over all of the Rovers faithful, but these were among his most promising performances as he pushes for a permanent move in the summer. There is ability there undoubtedly, it's about channelling it in the right way.
O'Neill will now look to offer his players some respite ahead of Saturday's visit to Stoke, the start of four season-defining fixtures squeezed into eleven days.
Southampton's FA Cup progress, combined with a Friday night home game against Coventry, is far from ideal - but if results fall their way, Rovers could steal a march on those around them.
The results mean Rovers are six points above the relegation places with five games to play.
"Overall we have to be happy with four points from the two games," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"I didn't think we played as well today - there's always a worry after what the players put into the game on Friday that they can't get to the same level physically.
"I think first half we struggled a little bit with that, gave the ball away a little bit cheaply, and the goalkeeper makes an amazing save for us, which we needed at that point in time.
"But second half I thought we were a lot better. I thought we looked like the team more likely to win the game, but we didn't maybe make the best of some of the opportunities that we had.
"So overall we have to be pleased with a clean sheet. It keeps us six points clear of the teams that are in the bottom three and chalks another game off."
Fellow strugglers Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion also had players in the Northern Ireland squad with Championship fixtures taking place on Friday and Monday.
"That's football, people have opinions and a lot of them are ill-informed if I'm honest," O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"The players I pick for my international squad, from a limited pool of players are consistently in my international squad.
"The clubs think it was a conflict of interest I may play the players and risk them against Wales - none of the players played 90 minutes and some didn't pay in the first game [a World Cup play-off loss to Italy]."
Blackburn are four points clear of the relegation zone with seven games remaining and visit Birmingham City on Friday (15:00 BST) with O'Neill now keen to focus on keeping Rovers in the Championship.
"I thought it was a nonsense and to be honest the best thing for me is to ignore stuff like that because it's not important, my focus is here now," he added.
"I won't have another international game until the end of May or start of June so my focus is here now and I tend not to give too much air time to that type of opinion."
Championship clubs spend more than £69m on agents feespublished at 17:15 BST 1 April
17:15 BST 1 April
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Ipswich signed Sindre Walle Egeli for a club record £17.5m in January
Championship clubs spent just over £69.5m on agents fees over the past 12 months according to figures released by the Football Association,, external an increase of £6m on the previous year.
The figures cover the period from February 2025 with Ipswich Town the top spenders, paying £11.7m having spent the first three months of the accounting period in the Premier League.
Southampton (£8.3m) and Leicester (£5.8m), who were relegated alongside Ipswich are the second and third-highest payers on the list.
Troubled Sheffield Wednesday were the most frugal when dealing with agents, spending £534,559.
Wrexham come in sixth on the list with an outlay of £3.6m while current Championship leaders Coventry spent just short of £1.5m.
Atcheson makes Northern Ireland debut as Donley scorespublished at 10:47 BST 1 April
10:47 BST 1 April
Image source, Getty Images
Blackburn Rovers defender Tom Atcheson made his debut for Northern Ireland on Tuesday after Oxford United forward Jamie Donley opened the scoring during their 1-1 draw with Wales.
The 19-year-old came on in the 80th minute to earn his maiden appearance for the international side after receiving his first senior call-up from boss Michael O'Neill, who manages both Northern Ireland and Rovers.
Atcheson was the only Rovers player to have been named in the squad amid concerns regarding O'Neill's dual role.
Oxford are understood to have raised a complaint of conflict of interest after four of their players were called up for the international side, including goalscorer Donley.
Pick of the stats: Birmingham City v Blackburn Roverspublished at 09:16 BST 1 April
09:16 BST 1 April
Blackburn Rovers will aim to gain further ground on the bottom three when they make the trip to St Andrew's on Friday (15:00 BST).
Rovers are currently four points clear of 22nd placed Leicester City but have had limited time with boss Michael O'Neill during the international break, who was fulfilling his duties as Northern Ireland boss.
Meanwhile Blues are hoping to keep their faint hopes of the play-offs going by remaining imperious on home soil.
Birmingham have won three of their last four league games against Blackburn (L1), as many as they had in their previous 20. They're looking to complete their first league double over Rovers since 1950-51.
Blackburn have lost 1-0 in their last two away league games against Birmingham, last going three visits without a goal between 1987 and 2000.
Birmingham have lost four of their last six league games (W1 D1), having been unbeaten in their previous eight before this (W5 D3).
Blackburn have won 56% of their points away from home this season (24/43). Ignoring point deductions, only Sheffield Wednesday (58%) have earned a higher share on the road in the Championship this term.
Blackburn Rovers have underperformed their expected goals more than any other side in the Championship this season (-12.1), netting just 36 goals from an xG of 48.1
The BBC's 72+ EFL podcast team have taken a look at the Championship relegation picture, with some huge games in store at the end of the international break.
Easter Monday (6 April) sees Blackburn and West Brom face-off, level on points just above the drop zone, just hours after second-bottom Oxford United head to Portsmouth.
Third-bottom Leicester will also head to Portsmouth and Blackburn during the run-in.
Former Watford and Reading winger Jobi McAnuff said: "We know Easter weekend is absolutely pivotal and that Portsmouth v Oxford game is looming large, though they both have another game first (on Good Friday).
"It could genuinely could come down to those matches against the teams in and around you. They are absolutely massive.
"Portsmouth are, at the moment, the team I'd be a little bit concerned about in terms of their current form.
"You take it game by game, of course, but that is 100% one everyone in the squad is looking at going 'we need to win that game - if we are going to stay up that is a must win.'
"This two weeks now for Portsmouth is going to be the longest because it's doom and gloom - (losing) 6-1 against a team on their holidays in QPR (in their final game before the break)."
McAnuff also hailed the impact of interim West Brom boss James Morrison, who has taken eight points from his five games at the helm after replacing Eric Ramsey, winning the past two and only being denied three straight wins by a last-gasp leveller against Southampton.
"The big thing about those games - clean sheets," McAnuff said. "When you are in a battle, being hard to beat is the fundamental thing.
"They were really close against Southampton and got pegged back right in the last couple of minutes. It could have been a killer blow.
"To come back from that and now find those couple of wins, they'll have gone into this break absolutely bouncing. The confidence, that feeling back in the dressing room, is absolutely massive at this stage.
"Massive credit to James Morrison because there were a few eyebrows raised. He knows the club inside out and sometimes that's what it takes.
"At the moment he's had a really positive upturn."
Rovers cannot afford more injuries in survival scrappublished at 14:10 GMT 23 March
14:10 GMT 23 March
Andy Bayes BBC Radio Lancashire sports editor
Image source, Shutterstock
How many times have you heard the phrase, "if this had been a boxing match, it would have been stopped"?
Blackburn's goalless draw with Middlesbrough was one of those games where one side dominated for very long periods, with the other trying desperately to remain where they started.
I'm convinced this was a game Rovers would have lost earlier this season. But credit to them, they were solid. They were miles away from being spectacular, but who knows how important the point could prove to be on 2 May?
The first half of Saturday was reminiscent of an FA Cup tie where it was teams from two different divisions going head to head.
That isn't intended to be disrespectful to Blackburn, who were again hit by injuries to key players. It's just the way it was.
Boro were strong, athletic, full of running and had midfielders making intelligent third man runs - and almost getting there on a number of occasions.
Balazs Toth was forced into making a couple of high-class saves in the process.
The second half wasn't quite a repeat of the same in terms of clear-cut chances, but Boro still called the tune for the vast majority of it.
Rovers had fleeting forays into the opposition box, but when half-chances arrived, it didn't really look like the belief was there to take them.
Todd Cantwell and Yuki Ohashi were certainly positive changes that livened up the front line.
On Saturday my co-commentator Kevin Gallacher made the point that Rovers boss Michael O'Neill is well used to matches like this from his two spells in charge of Northern Ireland.
That view was shared by O'Neill, who feels the way to get out of trouble with the tools at his disposal is to focus on the structure of the team, do lots of work out of possession and basically be solid more than spectacular.
When the final whistle was blown on Saturday, I think his approach was appreciated by the supporters. The reality of the situation Rovers are in is that if they were to go toe-to-toe with the best in the league, they would be undone.
They have to find victories to stay in the Championship, but they also can't let games run away from them like others around them in the table are doing at the moment.
The Easter double header against West Midlands opposition - Birmingham away and West Bromwich Albion at home - will be the next two "cup finals" in this scrap to finish above the dotted line.
And they will have to do it without yet another senior player in Hayden Carter who has succumbed to injury and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
I mentioned when O'Neill was appointed that if he could call on the services of seven key players until the end of the season, they'd have a good chance of staying up.
Three of those, including Carter, Sondre Tronstad and Andri Gudjohnsen, won't kick another ball this campaign, while the battling qualities of Lewis Miller remain on the sidelines.
It's imperative the injury list doesn't gain any more new names. Saturday's bench included promising academy youngsters Frank Vare and Valentin Joseph, with neither having played a senior career game.
The starting line-up included another academy graduate in Tom Atcheson. He was terrific as the right-sided centre back of three. So much so that his club manager has called him up to the Northern Ireland senior squad for the very first time this week.
It's all remaining hands to the pump for seven more outings in the space of 23 days starting on Good Friday. Who could possibly predict the outcome?
Blackburn's Carter likely to miss rest of seasonpublished at 13:28 GMT 23 March
13:28 GMT 23 March
Image source, Shutterstock
Blackburn defender Hayden Carter is not expected to be available for the Championship run-in due to injury.
The 26-year-old hobbled off at the end of the first half during Rovers' 2-1 win at Millwall on 14 March and was replaced by teenager Tom Atcheson.
Carter has missed most of this season with hamstring and calf problems before returning in time for interim boss Michael O'Neill's appointment last month.
He was not in the squad for Saturday's 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough, and following the match, O'Neill confirmed Carter's latest injury set-back.
"It's not good news. He played a lot of minutes in the seven games since I've came in and if we see him before the end of the season we'll be lucky," O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"It's a four to six-week injury and obviously it's a big blow for us."
Blackburn's final game of the season is against Leicester on 2 May unless they can climb from 19th into the play-off spots.
On Sunday, Carter wrote on Instagram: "Gutted. Probably one game too many.
"I'll do everything to get back as soon as possible but in the meantime I'll be supporting the team to get the results we need."
Image source, Opta
