Sunderland and Blackburn fans will absolutely love Tony Mowbray’s no-nonsense stance as player reflects on interaction

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What Tony Mowbray once said to his Blackburn squad will be something that both Rovers and Sunderland fans will love.

When discussing the managers who have truly shaped the EFL and Championship into what it is today, one of the names that comes to mind has to be Tony Mowbray.

Having managed just two games shy of 500 in the Championship, on top of 115 in League One, very few embody the second-tier like Mowbray does.

Mowbray’s managerial career in the EFL has seen him at the helm of Ipswich Town, West Brom, Middlesbrough, Coventry City, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland, Birmingham City, and, of course, his return to the Baggies.

In these 23 years, Mowbray has grown a reputation for being a brilliant, yet no-nonsense gaffer, and the story told by one player certainly resonates with that fact.

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Elliott Bennett tells no-nonsense story about Tony Mowbray’s time at Blackburn Rovers

In an interview with Lancashire Post, Elliott Bennett spoke about his controversial Blackburn Rovers departure, but also touched on having Tony Mowbray as gaffer at Ewood Park.

Reflecting on the positive impact that the boss had on him as a player, he spoke about one occasion where, in typical Mowbray fashion, he simply refused for players to move because of the potential of promotion.

“A lot of players wanted to leave,” said Bennett. “I could’ve gone to QPR, but the club said no one’s going. Tony Mowbray pulled us in: ‘We’ve got a job to do. We’re getting promoted. I want everyone here.’ Then came Richie Smallwood, Adam Armstrong, and Bradley Dack.”

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Blackburn’s 2017/18 transfer window was astonishing

There was plenty of expectation lying on Tony Mowbray’s shoulders to get Blackburn Rovers up to the Championship, and that is why he had to adopt such a strict approach regarding players moving on.

Often, such a policy would be incredibly difficult to implement at the club, but Mowbray and the board were able to appease the players who maybe had offers from elsewhere that the squad was set to be backed, and that certainly was the case with the recruits that were brought in.

Bradley Dack was an instant hit at Ewood Park, whilst Adam Armstrong and Richie Smallwood also contributed heavily. With such a team, Blackburn were unstoppable under Mowbray, and it is no surprise that they eventually secured their goal of a return to the Championship.