There were no bold promises when Tony Mowbray took charge of Rovers in February 2017, but he has stamped his beliefs and principles on the club.

While this new deal has been a while in the making, it has been signed and sealed in a week where the boss admitted he is facing one of his toughest tasks since taking over.

It comes after suffering back-to-back defeats for just a third time in his reign, which although far from a crisis, is stark contrast to what we’ve witnessed from Mowbray’s Rovers.

That arguably shows how far they have come.

A passionate football man who loves the game he’s been involved in since he was 16, Mowbray isn’t one to reflect on past glories.

“Let’s put the points in the bag and move on” was a stock phrase even during that outstanding run of form which fired them to promotion last season.

But reverting back to his first press conference on a stormy winter afternoon 21 months ago, he has delivered on so many of his outlined intentions. To pick out but a few:

  • “Football is in my blood and the Championship is a league I think I can work well in. I know I can build football teams and win games and I’m looking forward to that challenge.”
  • “I truly believe I can help this club win games and, looking forward, build a style that the supporters will enjoy and want to watch.”
  • “I try and create an environment at the football club where players want to come to work.”
  • “I’m looking forward to seeing if we can create some positive vibes at the football club.
  • “The team on the pitch can galvanise the football club and as a coach I want to try and galvanise this football club.
  • “All the other stuff on the outside is there until we hopefully put the club back to where it belongs, and even then it might not (go away), I understand that some things run deep, but for me as a football guy I want to create a team that the fans are proud of and this is a team that people want to come and watch.”

Players and fans alike would surely agree he’s backed up those claims, which can’t be said of some managers to pass through the managerial doors at Ewood Park.

In a privileged position of listening to Mowbray speak first hand about the game, you can often find yourself nodding your way through a press conference like the Churchill Dog given the common sense approach he takes.

There is an acknowlegement that questions will be asked when things don’t go to plan, but there’s always a method, a reason, which whether you agree with or not, the in-depth explanations shows they are never made without forethought.

It is no coincidence that under Mowbray’s tutelage countless players, who may previously have jumped ship as soon as another club showed interest, have signed new deals, having confidence and belief in the project.

The boss too has backed up his belief in them by signing a similar long-term contract, his second since taking charge.

While universal approval is hard, if not impossible, to achieve for managers in a world where at the tap of the fingers and the press of a button, fans can make their opinions known, Mowbray hasn’t done a bad job of uniting a fanbase who upon his rival were as withdrawn from their club as they had been for some time.

A firm believer in hardwork, owing to his upbringing in a steel-making town where he makes his return next weekend, he is regularly among the first in at Brockhall, staying well after many have left the building.

Describing Rovers as a huge vessel that needed steering in the right direction, he has put the brakes on a club that was heading quickly in revese, steadied the ship, and brought belief things can be viewed with a more positive outlook.

There will be more bumps along the way, possible teething problems, but this is a Rovers fans have long craved for. No circus, no dramas, a focus on the football, and a man at the helm deserving of respect.