The 2016–17 season is Blackburn Rovers' 129th season as a professional football club and its fifth playing in the Championship. Along with competing in the Championship, the club will also participate in the FA Cup and League Cup. The season covers the period from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017. Rovers were relegated to League One on 7 May 2017, in spite of their 3–1 away win against

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

, with results elsewhere going against them.

Summer Activity

May

On 12 May Rovers announced a five-year deal with kit supplier Umbro. On 20 May Rovers announced their retained list,

Tommy Spurr Thomas Spurr (born 30 September 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender for Sheffield Wednesday, Doncaster Rovers, Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End and a loan spell with Fleetwood Town. Career Sheffiel ...

Matthew Kilgallon Matthew Shaun Kilgallon (born 8 January 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Kilgallon began his career at Leeds United, where he came through the youth set up before becoming a fixture in their first ...

, Chris Taylor,

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

Lee Williamson Lee Trevor Williamson (born 7 June 1982) is a retired professional footballer. Born in Derby he started his career at Mansfield Town before spending time at Northampton Town, Rotherham United, Watford, Preston North End, Sheffield United and Po ...

Nathan Delfouneso Nathan Abayomi Delfouneso (born 2 February 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for League One club Accrington Stanley. Having graduated from Aston Villa's academy Delfouneso broke into their first team in 2008, m ...

, Simon Eastwood and

Simeon Jackson Simeon Alexander Jackson (born March 28, 1987) is a Canadian professional soccer player who currently plays as a forward for Chelmsford City. He has spent the majority of his career playing in England, relocating from Mississauga, Ontario, to ...

would all be free to talk to and sign for other clubs upon the expiry of their contracts on 30 June. However, several players have been informed that final decisions over their futures will be made once a new manager has been appointed. Those under 24, Jack Doyle and Connor Thomson have agreed 1 year deals, scholars Josh Askew, Ramirez Howarth and Lewis Travis have also agreed to sign professional terms. Stuart Callaway, David Carson, Modou Cham, Ryan Crump,

Anton Forrester Anton George Forrester (born 11 February 1994) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. A former Everton youth team player, he was signed to Blackburn Rovers in January 2013. He spent the 2013–14 season on loa ...

Devarn Green Devarn Rohan Green (born 26 August 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Oldham Athletic. A former trainee at Burton Albion and Blackburn Rovers, he played non-league football for Hednesford Town, Stourbrid ...

, Sam Joel, Sam Lavelle, Jan Pirretas, Jordan Preston, Hyuga Tanner and

Luke Wall Luke Sky Wall (born 11 November 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Runcorn Linnets. Career Wall was born in Liverpool and started his career with Blackburn Rovers as a youth player joining at under-14 ...

have been released.

June

On 1 June Rovers announced that Owen Coyle has been appointed as new manager on a 2-year deal. On 17 June Rovers announced the signing of

Anthony Stokes Anthony Christopher Stokes (born 25 July 1988) is an Irish professional footballer, who plays as a striker. He was also an Irish international, having played at the under-21, team B and Republic of Ireland national football team. He began hi ...

on a 3-year deal, following his release from

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

. On 18 June it was confirmed that Goalkeeping Coach

Laurence Batty Laurence William Batty (born 15 February 1964), sometimes known as George Batty, is an English retired Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper, best remembered for his nine years in the hig ...

had left the club and that new Rovers manager Owen Coyle was in the process of firming up a new coach who would be in place before the players started training. On 21 June Rovers announced the signing of

Stephen Hendrie Stephen Hendrie (born 8 January 1995) is a Scottish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football)#Full back, left back for Queen of the South F.C., Queen of the South. He began his career with Ham ...

on a season-long loan from West Ham United. On 23 June Rovers announced the signing of

Danny Graham Daniel Graham (born 1978) is an American football player. Daniel Graham may also refer to: *Bob Graham (born 1936), Daniel Robert Graham, American politician *Daniel O. Graham (1926–1995), American general and political activist *Danny Graham ( ...

on a 2-year deal, following his release from

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

. On 23 June

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...

announced the signing of Simon Eastwood following his contract expiry. On 25 June Rovers announced the signing of

Liam Feeney Liam Michael Feeney-Howard (born 21 January 1987) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for National League North team Scunthorpe United. He became a free agent on 30 June 2023. Career Early career Feeney joined League One side So ...

on a 2-year deal, following his release from

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

. On 27 June

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

announced the signing of

, who was offered a new contract by Rovers, on a 3-year deal following his contract expiry. On 29 June Rovers announced that Alan Irvine has mutually agreed to leave the club with immediate effect. On 29 June Rovers announced the signing of Jack Byrne on a season-long loan from

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

July

On 1 July

announced the signing of Chris Taylor following his contract expiry. On 4 July Rovers announced Sandy Stewart as assistant manager. On 12 July

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

announced signing of

on a 2-year deal, following his release. On 18 July Walsall announced signing of

on a 2-year deal, following his release. On 21 July Rovers announced the sale of

Grant Hanley Grant Campbell Hanley (born 20 November 1991) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Norwich City and the Scotland national team. He has previously played for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. Early years ...

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

for an undisclosed fee. On 25 July Burton Albion announced signing of

on a 1-year deal, following his release.

August

On 1 August

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

announced signing of

on a 1-year deal, following his release. On 2 August Rovers announced the signing of Gordon Greer on a 1-year deal, following his release from Brighton & Hove Albion. On 3 August Rovers announced that Rob Kelly has mutually agreed to leave the club with immediate effect. On 5 August Rovers announced the appointment of John Henry as first team coach. On 5 August

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

announced signing of

on a 1-year deal, following his release. On 8 August Rovers announced

John O'Sullivan John O'Sullivan may refer to: Sports *John O'Sullivan (cricketer) (1918–1991), New Zealand cricketer *John O'Sullivan (cyclist) (born 1933), Australian cyclist *John O'Sullivan (footballer) (born 1993), Irish footballer for Accrington Stanley *J ...

has joined Accrington Stanley on loan until 7 January. On 11 August Rovers announced the signing of Sam Gallagher on a season long loan from Southampton. On 25 August Rovers announced the signing of

Martin Samuelsen Martin Samuelsen (born 17 April 1997) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays for FK Haugesund. After long spells at the academies of Vard Haugesund and Manchester City and short trials at big clubs across Europe, Samuelsen signed for ...

on a season long loan from West Ham United. On 26 August Rovers announced Shane Duffy has joined Brighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee. On 26 August Rovers announced the double signing of Tommie Hoban on a season long loan from Watford and Derrick William on a 3-year deal from

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

. On 29 August Rovers announced squad numbers for the development squad for the

EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...

. On 31 August Rovers announced the signing of

Charlie Mulgrew Charles Patrick Mulgrew (born 6 March 1986) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Scottish Premiership side Dundee United. Mulgrew began his career at Celtic, during which time he spent time on loan at Dundee U ...

on a 3-year deal following his release

. On 31 August Rovers announced the signing of Marvin Emnes on loan from

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...

until 17 January 2017.

September

On 21 September Rovers announced the signing of Wes Brown on a free transfer following his release from

in the summer, he will also help coach the u23s team.

November

On 22 November Rovers announced

has returned to West Ham United with immediate effect.

December

On 5 December Rovers were drawn away against QPR in the third-round of the FA Cup.

Winter Activity

January

On 5 January Rovers announced the appointment of Paul Senior as Football Director. On 6 January Rovers announced Jack Byrne has returned to

with immediate effect. On 9 January Blackburn were drawn at home against either Barnsley/Blackpool in the 4th round of the FA Cup . On 9 January Rovers announced promising youngsters Jack Doyle & Connor Thomson have signed new deals till 2019. On 17 January Rovers announced

has left the club by mutual consent. On 20 January Rovers announced

Scott Wharton Scott Bradley Wharton (born 3 October 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Blackburn Rovers. Career In October 2015, Wharton signed his first professional contract for two years and six months at Blackburn ...

has joined Cambridge United on loan until the end of the season. On 24 January Rovers announced Josh Askew has joined Warrington Town on loan. On 27 January Rovers announced promising young midfielder Joe Rankin-Costello has signed his first professional deal till 2019. On 30 January Rovers announced

Lucas João Lucas Eduardo dos Santos João (born 4 September 1993), known as Lucas João, is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Reading and the Angola national team. After starting out at Nacional, he went on to spen ...

has joined on loan from Sheffield Wednesday until the end of the season. On 31 January Rovers announced Marvin Emnes has rejoined on loan from

until the end of the season. On 31 January Rovers announced Ben Marshall has left the club to join Wolverhampton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee.

February

On 11 February Rovers announced Ramirez Howarth has joined

Skelmersdale United Skelmersdale United Football Club is a football club from Skelmersdale, Lancashire. They are currently members of the and play at The Community Ground, Burscough. The club is a member of both the Liverpool F.A. and the Lancashire County Footb ...

on loan. On 15 February Rovers announced Matthew Platt and Connor Thompson have joined

Barrow Barrow may refer to: Places England * Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria ** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area ** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency) * Barrow, Cheshire * Barrow, Gloucestershire * Barro ...

on loan. On 21 February Rovers announced that manager Owen Coyle has left the club by mutual consent, assistant manager Sandy Stewart, first team coach John Henry and goalkeeping coach

Phil Hughes Philip Joseph Hughes (born June 24, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and San Diego Padres from 2007 through 2018. He stands tal ...

have also left the club. On 22 February Rovers announced the appointment of Tony Mowbray as the club's new head coach, with Head of Academy coach David Lowe stepping up to become Assistant Manager and David Dunn stepping up to become 1st Team Coach.

March

On 2 March Rovers announced goalkeeper

David Raya David Raya Martín (; born 15 September 1995) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Arsenal, on loan from Brentford, and the Spain national team. Raya began his senior career in England with Blackburn Rove ...

has signed a new deal till 2019.

Squad information

Pre-Season Friendlies

On 23 May 2016, Blackburn Rovers announced five pre-season friendlies, with a sixth friendly expected to be confirmed at a later date. The games are during, and follow a six-day training camp in Austria from July 4–10 which included a friendly against

Austrian Bundesliga The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Austrian football league system. Th ...

side SV Ried. Upon returning to England following the training camp, Rovers had three hour long friendlies in the shape of a tournament against

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...

and

at Morecambe's Globe Arena. The following week Rovers will travel to Rochdale for a friendly at Spotland Stadium and

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

four days later at Bloomfield Road. Rovers only friendly at Ewood Park was finally announced on 22 June against second tier Spanish team Girona.

Championship Season

League table

Result by round

Matches

EFL Cup

The first round draw of

EFL Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

took place on Wednesday 22 June, Rovers were drawn away to League Two side

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...

FA Cup

The first round draw of FA Cup took place on 12 December, Rovers were drawn away to Championship side Queens Park Rangers F.C.

EFL Trophy

Blackburn Development Squad entered the competition at the first round group stage and were drawn against

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...

Fleetwood Town Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in ...

and Oldham Athletic in Northern Group D.

Backroom Staff

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

, - , colspan="14", ''Players out on loan:'' , - , colspan="14", ''Players that played for Blackburn Rovers this season that have left the club:''

Goalscorers

Disciplinary record

Transfers and loans

Summer

Transfers in

Total outgoing: ~ £250,000

Loans in

Transfers out

Total incoming: ~ £10,467,500- £10,917,500 *Subtracts estimated 10% sell on fee (£550,000-£600,000) due to

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...

's £5,500,000-£6,000,000 sale to

. *Includes estimated 15% sell on fee (£1,250,000) following Ruben Rochina's transfer from

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

to Rubin Kazan on 20 July 2016 for €10,000,000. *Includes estimated 25% sell on fee (~£67,500) following

Jack O'Connell Jack O'Connell may refer to: * Jack O'Connell (actor) (born 1990), English actor * Jack O'Connell (Australian politician) (1903–1972), member of the Victorian Legislative Council * Jack O'Connell (diplomat) (1921–2010), American diplomat and C ...

's transfer from

to Sheffield United on 10 July 2016 (assumed here to be £250,000, though the fee was undisclosed).

Loans out

Winter

Transfers in

Total outgoing: ~ £0 £0+/-

Loans in

Transfers out

Total incoming: ~ £1,650,000 *Includes estimated 15% profit sell on fee (£150,000) following Martin Olsson's transfer from Norwich City to

on 17 January 2017 for an undisclosed fee that is estimated to be £4,000,000, having originally been sold to Norwich City for £3,000,000.

Loans out

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2016-17 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers F.C. seasons