Tony Mowbray sends strong message ahead of Blackburn’s season opener

Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has stressed that the team should not fear anyone heading into the opening game of the Championship. The Rovers secured automatic promotion from League One at the first time of asking with a tally of 90 points and Mowbray is now hoping that the feel good factor from the previous campaign with make the side more competitive.

Speaking in a pre-match press conference, he said: “I feel the league this year is a bit more open than some of the juggernauts of last year with the money they were spending. We’ve got a real opportunity to be really competitive and the spirit within our team, and hopefully the bits of quality we can show on the day, that will be enough to make it tough for every team. There are tough and competitive fixtures but I don’t think we should fear anyone.

The Rovers have not made any big-name signings during the transfer window but they have brought in the likes of Kasey Palmer (on loan) and Jacob Davenport from Chelsea and Manchester City respectively to enhance their prospects of Championship survival. Meanwhile, the team have fared decently during pre-season where they witnessed a morale-boosting 3-0 win over Everton and Mowbray will be hoping that the team show up with a similar vein of form for the upcoming season.

Blackburn begin their Championship campaign with a tricky fixture at Ipswich Town on Saturday. Thereafter, they are scheduled to host Millwall in the first home game of the season and they could be up for another tough challenge, should the visitors replicate the showing from last term. Millwall started the 2017/18 season in a relatively slow fashion but they were one of the most in-form sides during the backend of the campaign where they nearly managed to qualify for the play-offs.