blackburn rangers They are searching for a permanent successor to Valerian Ismael ahead of the weekend’s clash with Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.

Interim Damian Johnson beat Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 in his first game in charge before losing 2-0 to Philippe Clement’s Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday.

Rangers are currently ranked 22nd in the league and are in the relegation zone due to goal difference. They need to improve their form immediately to escape the relegation battle in the second half of the season.

It is reported that the club is Prepare for talks with experienced championship Manager Gary Rowett this week discussed the possibility of a move to Ewood Park.

The 51-year-old manager has been unemployed since being sacked by second division side Oxford United in December after just one win in ten games.

Why Blackburn should avoid Gary Rowett

It’s easy to understand why the club would want to negotiate with Rowett, as he has managed 418 Championship games at Birmingham, Oxford, Derby, Stoke and Millwall.

The 4-2-3-1 manager knows what the league is about and will bring a lot of experience to the role, but his performance at Oxford shows that experience is not always the only important factor.

Reuter left Birmingham in 22nd place in the 2023/24 season and Oxford in 21st this season, suggesting he has left the last two teams in or near the relegation zone.

Aside from his recent managerial woes, which suggest he won’t be the panacea for Blackburn’s relegation struggle, Royce isn’t the kind of coach who can push the team forward in the future.

The England manager has never reached a level higher than the Championship and has only managed one play-off finish in 12 seasons in the Second Division so far, suggesting that Rangers should look elsewhere if they want a permanent appointment.

Manager Blackburn should pursue Reuter instead

After losing to them at the weekend, Blackburn should take inspiration from Norwich and be as ambitious with their managerial appointment as the Canaries were with Clement.

Despite being in the relegation zone, Norwich attracted a manager who had won four Belgian Professional League titles and a League Cup trophy with Scottish giants Rangers.

Looking at the list of available free agent managers, former Southampton and RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhüttl could be an equally ambitious appointment to help Blackburn out of trouble, while also potentially pushing them higher in the future.

The Austrian has been out of work since being sacked by Bundesliga side Wolfsburg last May, meaning he has been out for some time and may be keen to get a new chance.

Unlike Reuter, Hasenhuttl has extensive senior management experience in the Championship at many clubs in England and Germany.

He played nearly 300 games for Southampton, Wolfsburg and Ingolstadt in the Bundesliga and Premier League, but he also coached in Germany’s second and third tiers.

Hasenhuttl Known as “incredible” The team led by James Ward-Prowse even won the Bundesliga title, equivalent to the German league championship, with Ingolstadt in the 2014/15 season, and subsequently finished 11th in the Bundesliga with the newly promoted team.

Surprisingly, the Austrian tactician averages more points per game (1.49) in one of Europe’s major leagues, the Bundesliga, than Reuter does in the Championship (1.46), illustrating the quality gap between the two coaches.

Hasenhuttl is a manager who can lead Blackburn to safety as he kept Southampton in the Premier League for four seasons while finishing bottom of the table, but he also has the experience to suggest he can push for promotion in the future.

The 4-3-3 former Premier League player also finished 12th in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg before exiting in the summer of 2024, so he will not take over after a major defeat or relegation.

Therefore, Rangers should make an ambitious approach to Hasenhuttl to see if he is interested in taking over the vacant role in the second half of the season.

Norwich have enjoyed success under Clement, winning eight of 16 games under him and moving four points clear of the bottom three. Now, it’s time for Blackburn to make a statement appointment.

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