I came away from Sincil Bank disappointed that Lincoln City had only taken a point from Blackburn Rovers and also wondering what on earth is going on at Ewood Park.
Before I start, let me shock you. I like Blackburn Rovers. I always have. I liked their badge in early Panini albums; for some reason, I knew their motto off by heart before I turned ten. I remember Simon Garner, and for some reason, I liked their kit. In the mid-nineties, I had their black and red McEwans 1993/94 away kit, and I was utterly delighted when they won the Premier League. It goes back before they signed Matt Dickins from us, but I’ve always had a soft spot for them, and I’m excited to go to Ewood Park.
I like Mowbray, too. I always have. He has had a good managerial career, and there is an honesty about him that I generally find refreshing, but his post-match interview was striking because he looked tired by the situation around him. There was talk of perhaps four players arriving, perhaps two; injuries continue to bite, and he did not sound like a manager who was completely sure what the final days of the transfer window would bring. I wonder how he felt when the window closed, and the only incoming was a 20-year-old full back from Serie B with 43 senior outings?
🟦⬜️🟥 Suits you, Gady!#Rovers 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/pi6WLzm2NE
— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) September 2, 2026
That uncertainty was reflected on the pitch. Blackburn had periods when they moved the ball reasonably well, but I never felt Lincoln were being stretched or pinned back. There were a couple of blocks and George Wickens had routine work to do, but this was not a backs-to-the-wall performance against a technically superior Championship opponent.
Ryoya Morishita showed some genuine quality on the ball and was probably the Blackburn player who interested me most. Todd Cantwell also had moments where his pedigree was obvious, because he still has the touch and awareness to find little pockets of space. Beyond those two, however, there was remarkably little that worried me.
That is probably the most damning thing I can say. We have only been back in the Championship for a matter of weeks, yet Blackburn caused fewer problems than some League One sides did last season. Bolton were significantly more threatening despite losing to us, while there were spells against Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town last season where you could clearly see a level Lincoln had to work extremely hard to contain.
I never really saw that from Blackburn.
Mowbray had spoken before the game about coming to Lincoln ready for a war, complete with swords and shields, but his team never really looked equipped to fight. Lincoln were able to impose their physical game, put balls into uncomfortable areas and dictate where much of the contest was played, while Blackburn seemed increasingly happy just to survive once Tom Atcheson was sent off.
The red card obviously changed their priorities, and once they were reduced to ten men there was nothing wrong with sitting deep and trying to protect the point. My concern for them would be what happened beforehand, because even with 11 men they had offered very little. The dismissal did not turn an attacking Blackburn side into a defensive one; it simply gave them a reason to retreat further. 11 v 11, the game still finishes 0-0, and that’s damning.
There were also revealing comments from Mowbray about how Blackburn had prepared for Lincoln. He pointed out that City were unlikely to play through them in a conventional manner, which allowed him to use a midfielder in central defence and approach the latter stages of the game in a certain way. Some Lincoln supporters might take offence at that, but I do not, because he was essentially describing what we are.
We know Lincoln are not currently going to pass teams to death around the edge of their own penalty area. We want to create pressure, win second balls, earn set-pieces and make games uncomfortable. Mowbray knew exactly what was coming, yet Blackburn still struggled to deal with it. That is where the wider concerns begin.
They looked like a side that has been picked apart gradually without enough being put back in. There are still some good footballers there, but there was no obvious collective identity that made me think they would comfortably pull away from trouble. They looked like a team relying on individual moments to compensate for wider shortcomings, and that can be a dangerous place to be in the Championship.
There is a phrase Ali Maxwell (or maybe George Elek) uses about teams “swirling the drain”, and Blackburn had that sort of feel to me. That might sound dramatic this early in the season, but sometimes the warning signs appear before the league table properly reflects them. The squad looks vulnerable, injuries are already causing problems, the manager does not appear overwhelmingly confident about what the transfer window delivered, and the football itself offered very little encouragement.
Perhaps I am completely wrong. They might make two or three excellent additions in the winter window, get injured players back and string together some results that make this assessment look ridiculous by Christmas. Championship football can turn quickly, and one good week can completely change the mood around a club. However, I would be surprised if this became a comfortable season for them on what I saw at Sincil Bank.
What made it slightly sadder was the travelling support, because I thought Blackburn’s fans were magnificent. They came in really good numbers, made plenty of noise throughout the evening and continued backing their side despite being given very little to get excited about. I thought they outsang Portsmouth, and given that Pompey won 3-1, rather than lumbering awkwardly to a toothless (from their perspective) 0-0 draw, speaks volumes about them.
My lasting impression, though, was Mowbray after the game. He did not sound like a manager building towards something exciting, and he did not particularly sound like one expecting major reinforcements to transform his team. He sounded like somebody trying to make the best of the hand he has been dealt.
I genuinely wonder whether he will still be in charge when Lincoln travel to Ewood Park later in the season. Not necessarily because he is doing a particularly bad job, but because Blackburn have the feel of a club where circumstances could eventually consume the manager regardless of whether he is fundamentally responsible for them.
It is only one game, and it would be ridiculous to define their entire season by a goalless draw at Lincoln City. However, both the performance and the mood around the club left me with the same conclusion.
Blackburn Rovers look like a side facing a very long season.
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