The Blackburn Rovers coaching staff beside head coach John Eustace features a number of expert tacticians. So, who features amongst the manager’s backroom team at Ewood Park?
Blackburn Rovers manager: John Eustace
Club chiefs appointed Eustace as the latest Blackburn manager in February 2024 to replace Joh Dahl Tomasson. He took charge at Ewood Park on an initial contract to June 2026 for a return to a dugout. Eustace was out of work as Birmingham City fired him in October 2023.
The Blues parted with Eustace despite sitting sixth in the Championship table to hire Wayne Rooney. Yet Birmingham fell to 19th in the table by the time that Eustace took over Rovers, who sat in 18th place. Tomasson left Blackburn after failing to win in his final eight matches.
Blackburn only marked Eustace’s third position as a manager to date having previously also led Kidderminster Harriers. He oversaw their non-league efforts from July 2016 to May 2018 before joining Queens Park Rangers, and later the Republic of Ireland, as an assistant coach.
Blackburn Rovers coaching staff
Assistant manager: Matt Gardiner
Blackburn also added Matt Gardiner to their coaching staff as Eustace’s assistant manager in February 2024. He moved to Ewood Park having also worked beside the Englishman for Birmingham. Gardiner was even Eustace’s right-hand man while at Kidderminster Harriers.
Eustace sought to reunite with Gardiner at Rovers having also worked together whilst with QPR as assistant coaches to Steve McClaren and Mark Warburton. Gardiner has also been a coach since 2009 after spells with Bromsgrove Rovers, Redditch United and Worcester City.
Redditch even hired Gardiner as their manager from May 2010 to February 2011 to mark a return to the club. The UEFA Pro licence holder also played for the club near the end of his career. He also played for Torquay United, Shrewsbury Town, Hereford and Worcester City.
First-team coach: David Lowe
David Lowe has been a part of the coaching staff at Blackburn since February 2017 and first joined Rovers in July 2011. The Ewood Park natives initially hired the Liverpudlian to work as their head of academy coaching. He later gained a first-team coaching role under Mowbray.
The club promoted from within when bolstering Mowbray’s coaching staff as a reward for Lowe’s efforts with Blackburn Rovers’ academy. He also started his coaching career back in 2002 with Wigan Athletic’s U18s before spells with Derby County and Manchester United.
Lowe further gained first-team coaching experience at Tranmere Rovers under Les Parry in 2010/11. While his playing career saw Lowe represent Wigan, Ipswich Town, Leicester City, Port Vale and Wrexham AFC. The right-midfielder also played twice in England’s Under-21s.
Goalkeeping coach: Ben Benson
Blackburn have employed Ben Benson as their goalkeeping coach since Mowbray reshaped Rovers’ coaching staff in February 2017. Mowbray sought to award the Englishman a role in his backroom team having worked for the Lancashire club’s Under-18 squad since 2015.
Benson joined Blackburn at the junior level for just his second job in football having enjoyed eight years with Carlisle United. The Cumbrians took a chance on the coach in 2007 with the Brunton Park side’s Under-18s. He has since proven a valuable member of Blackburn’s staff.
First-team technical coach and head of player development: Damien Johnson
Blackburn promoted Damien Johnson to the role of first-team technical coach and head of player development in June 2019. He had been a part of Rovers’ coaching staff for the prior four years. They first hired him in June 2015 as their U23s development phase lead coach.
Johnson oversees a variety of roles within Rovers’ coaching staff, including now supporting Tomasson in developing Blackburn’s first-team squad. He also works closely with individual players and oversaw the introduction of the Ewood Park natives’ latest two analysis suites.
Rovers respect what Johnson offers having cut his teeth as an Under-14 and U18 assistant at Everton from 2013 to 2015. The Toffees gave the Northern Irishman a vocation following his retirement as a player. The 81-cap midfielder played professionally from 1997 to 2014.
While his move into the coaching staff at Blackburn marked a return to Ewood Park having emerged from Rovers’ academy. Johnson began his career in Lancashire and had 81 senior outings from 1997 to 2002. He went on to play 215 games with Birmingham City until 2010.
Performance director: Ben Rosen
Tomasson added Ben Rosen to the coaching staff at Blackburn in June 2022 as Rovers’ new performance director. They had briefly previously worked together for Malmo during 2020 before Rosen left for pastures new. He had been a conditioning coach at Malmo since 2014.
Southampton handed Rosen his first gig in football in 2011 as a sports scientist on the south coast. His time at St Mary’s saw Rosen rise the ranks to become the Saints’ first-team sports scientist plus strength and conditioning coach. He then left to oversee Malmo’s fitness staff.
Rosen’s role at Malmo also secured him a joint-position with the Danish national team’s staff in 2016. There, he met Tomasson who was working as Age Hareide’s assistant coach. While Rosen later worked for Copenhagen from 2020 to 2022 before joining Tomasson at Rovers.
Head of performance analysis: Adam Collins
Adam Collins had unfished business at Blackburn when he joined Rovers’ coaching staff as their head of performance analysis in November 2022. He had previously worked with the Ewood Park natives during the 2006/07 season as the club reached the FA Cup semi-finals.
Blackburn employed Collins as a consultant for one season as they also made the UEFA Cup Round of 32. It added another club to his CV after jaunts with Sheffield United, Scunthorpe United and Manchester United. He also had a brief spell at Northampton Town as a player.
His time in Lancashire secured Collins his first full-time position at a club in 2007 when he joined Manchester City. He worked as the Citizens’ academy head of performance analysis until 2014. The City Football Group would then name him as its football projects manager.
Collins worked in the research and development department to improve all aspects of the clubs in the City Football Group. But he left in 2021 to work for Skylab as their commercial director. But a return to football came through Blackburn to head up their analysis team.
Blackburn gave Collins the remit of establishing a new department tasked with delivering analysis support to Rovers’ coaching staffs. His team work beside the club’s first-team and academy squads. Collins works over Liam Holt and Ollie Slater in their analysis department.