Tony Mowbray feels a ‘development coach’ who will be able to provide guidance to Rovers’ young players would be his ideal replacement.

Mowbray’s five years in charge will end after this weekend’s final game at Birmingham City, giving rise to a new era at Ewood Park.

With several homegrown players having made their mark on the team, with more bubbling below the first-team scene, and the likes of January signing Dilan Markanday to integrate, there is no shortage of young talent on Rovers’ hand.

That comes as several of the club’s most experienced players also looking likely to move on, with first-team regulars Joe Rothwell and Ryan Nyambe, club captain Darragh Lenihan and the squad’s most experienced player, Bradley Johnson, all out of contract.

Mowbray therefore believes that the right man to replace him will be someone able to nurture those players.

He said: “Hopefully the next coach is a development coach who works with young players and can find a way to make the young talent that’s coming through at this club better.”

Mowbray had hinted at his departure prior to the weekend’s defeat to Bournemouth, which made mathematically certain that Rovers can’t now make the play-offs with one game to go.

He held an extended debrief with his team after the game, informing them of the news that he will be moving on in the summer, though he is expected to take charge of this weekend’s final fixture at Birmingham.

Ryan Nyambe and Darragh Lenihan are the only players in the squad to have not been either signed, or handed their debuts, by Mowbray who arrived at the club in February 2017.

Should Rovers look to go a different direction in their manager search, Mowbray feels it will require a greater investment in the team, with the recruitment this season focusing on loan deals and three six-figure signings.

Around £2m has been spent in the last four windows, a far cry from the £8m in 2018 and £5m 12 months later that was spent on new incomings.

On speaking to his squad, Mowbray said: “I look in their eyes and they’re sad, excited, they can feel there’s some bubbling in the team and the club need to make sure they get the next appointment right.

“I can only see good things, as long as a coach is developing the team, but I also understand for the support base wanting to get someone who wins.

“The correlation of that isn’t quite right, because if you want to get someone in just to win, then you have to spend money to bring players in to help them do that, because at the moment this is a young team that’s got plenty of talent but needs plenty of guidance.

“They have to get the right appointment that can create an identity, that can have empathy with young players.

“He has to connect with them.”

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