Former West Brom boss returns to work at Championship rivals

Former Albion boss Tony Mowbray is back in management after joining Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers for a second time.

The 62-year-old is back in work for the first time since being sacked by the Baggies in April 2025, just three months into his second spell at The Hawthorns.

Mowbray, who had received treatment for bowel cancer before returning to Albion, underwent another operation to remove cancerous cells from his groin late last year.

The job back at Rovers is his first since that procedure. He previously spent five years at Ewood Park between 2017 and 2022.

Mowbray remains revered by Albion supporters after leading the club to promotion in 2009 during his first tenure with the club.

He has also managed Celtic and Sunderland but first stepped away from the game in January 2024, while in charge at Blues, to undergo an operation and chemotherapy after a scan revealed cancer deposits in his bowel.

After recovery, Mowbray replaced Carlos Corberan as Albion boss to begin his second spell in charge in January last year.

But he managed just five wins in 18 matches and was axed after the Baggies fell out of play-off contention.

Speaking in an interview with the East Anglian Daily Times last month, Mowbray had expressed hope of getting back into management this summer.

He said: “I still feel I've got the energy and the drive to do it and feel I'm at that point now, ready to go back to work. Let's wait and see if the opportunity comes."

Blackburn finished 20th last season, one place above Albion. They had been searching for a new boss after interim appointment Michael O’Neill opted not to take the job full-time.