NEW Ewood Park assistant manager Mark Venus is relishing the challenge at Rovers having re-united with boss Tony Mowbray.

The 50-year-old was named as Rovers' No.2 on Friday night and is keen to play his part in helping the club bounce back following relegation to League One last season.

Venus has worked with Ewood chief Mowbray at a host of clubs, most recently Coventry City, and believes the ingredients are there for a successful season in 2017-18.

He said: "It's a great challenge, it's a great football club, the training ground facilities are in place, we just have to try and put a team on the pitch which plays the way we want to play, but still wins lots and lots of games along the way.

"I think it's a massive club with a lot of footballing history and it's going to be a great challenge to try and bring it back to where it should be.

"It's something that I'm really looking forward to, I have to say. Everything about the club since I've come to have a look around it has been really good, really professional and I just hope that we can give back what it deserves."

Venus has worked with Mowbray at Hibs, West Brom, Celtic and Middlesbrough as well as at Coventry City in League One at the start of last season.

And Rovers' new No.2 said he was looking forward to working with Mowbray again.

"He loves football, we have the same philosophy about the way we think football should be played and I think it's just down to the sheer love of the game that we have together that I really enjoy working with him," added Venus.

"I think he's a really respectful and honourable man.

"He's really loved the time he's had at Rovers so far.

"We've been at some other clubs that have had some difficult times, with some difficult PR around them, but he spoke with nothing but positivity about the football club. He eulogised about it really."

Rovers are yet to confirm the roles of David Lowe and David Dunn, who stepped up to the first team coaching staff when Mowbray was appointed.

One or both could still be retained on the senior staff or alternatively return to the Academy and Under-23 set-up.