THE first step on Rovers’ long road to recovery was the confirmation that Tony Mowbray is to stay on as head coach.

Mowbray has agreed to continue in his role at Ewood Park having received the necessary assurances he wanted from Venky’s after meetings with the Rao family in India.

He hadn’t spoken with the owners face-to-face prior to this week with two telephone calls the sum total of his discussions. Mowbray was appointed to the role by Rovers’ former Director of Football Operations Paul Senior who resigned from his role less than 24 hours after relegation from League One was confirmed.

In travelling to Pune, Mowbray became the first Rovers boss to do so since Gary Bowyer in 2013.

Venky’s had pledged their ‘full support’ to Mowbray in their post-relegation statement, while he also had the backing of the club’s fans, and players. He headed to India in a strong position. The cards were on his side of the table.

But pledging support is one thing, following it up with actions is another.

Mowbray was always going to need assurances from the owners that this wasn’t another false dawn.

Rovers can ill-afford a post-relegation hangover and it was important that some clarity over Mowbray’s future arrived sooner rather than later to avoid repeating the mistakes of last summer when Rovers were left playing catch up following the departure of Paul Lambert.

And we have a positive outcome. Rovers can now at least start to put in place the necessary foundations ahead of their first season in the third tier for 37 years.

From speaking to, and listening, to Mowbray during his time in charge you could tell the job excited him.  He can see the potential at Rovers. 

He has huge ambition, and sees this as a massive opportunity to lead the club back to its former glories. 

He wanted to know that was shared by the owners.

“Politics, throughout my career, has not been a big strong point,” Mowbray said in the wake of relegation.

He’s been stung by controversial owners before, and was right to sound caution before meeting the owners and subsequently pledging his future to Rovers.

In Mowbray’s 15 games however, he united the fanbase with what was happening on the pitch. 

The owners’ post-relegation statement made reference to ‘going forward’, while Mowbray’s included the phrase ‘move forward’. 

And that is the direction Rovers must now take.

A huge summer of transition awaits. The retained list has been submitted, leaving 15 players who have represented the club on the books for next season.

How many of those will still be at the club on the opening day remains to be seen, but Mowbray can at least start to put plans in place for how he wants his team to look.  And crucially, decisions over who goes, and who stays, will be his.

It is 73 days until the League One campaign kicks off – the same number of days Mowbray had been in charge for when Rovers were relegated at Brentford.

The hope is that the penny, or indeed several millions of pounds, has dropped with Venky’s in the wake of relegation. Their investment to Rovers next season will need to be substantial, with revenues set to plummet, as they count the cost of dropping out of the Championship.

Mowbray has received the assurances he needs, now it’s time for some to be given to the club’s long-suffering fan base that things will improve going forward.