Blackburn Rovers’ managerial search has taken another twist after the latest favourite, Bradford City boss Graham Alexander ruled himself out of the running.
Alexander had been installed as the bookies’ leading contender for the vacancy at Ewood Park, with Rovers looking for a replacement after Valerien Ismael’s exit earlier in the week. But with former Oxford United head coach Gary Rowett now being priced as the standout front runner by some bookmakers, Alexander has insisted there has been no contact and that his attention remains firmly on Bradford’s League One campaign.
Speaking after Bradford’s 2-1 defeat at Luton, Alexander said he had been made aware of the speculation second-hand and had seen nothing to suggest it carried any substance.
“My son texted me about it,” he said. “I’m not a betting man, so I don’t see anything like that.
“But my only focus has been on what we’ve been doing today, my only focus going on the bus back is watching the game back.
“My only focus tomorrow is going to be how do we prepare the players on Monday, Tuesday to win next week?
“I spoke to (chief executive) Ryan (Sparks) yesterday. He asked me about it and I asked him about it and none of us have heard anything.
“So, we don’t know where it’s come from.”
Alexander also pointed to Bradford’s recent progress as a likely driver behind the rumours, rather than any genuine development behind the scenes. He stressed that individual recognition, whether for a player or a manager, is usually a by-product of collective results rather than a trigger for distraction.
“I think it’s just the accumulation of a load of people winning games and having success. That’s all it is.
“Anything like that, if a player wins player of the month, if they get international recognition, stuff like this, it’s all because of the collective doing well over a consistent amount of time, not a short period.
“That’s what this group of players and the staff have done and last season. That’s all it is.
“I don’t get distracted with stuff like this. If anything came to the club, they’d speak to me. If anything came to me, I’d speak to the club.
“There’s been nothing of the sort. So, my focus has been 100 per cent and it always will be.”
Alexander, though, was clear that if anything meaningful did develop, it would be handled directly and properly, rather than via betting odds and online noise. Until then, he insists Bradford’s next week of work is the only thing on his agenda.
Alexander at Blackburn
The worrying truth is Blackburn seem to be going through candidates like a child goes through candy floss, and all they’re doing is making a mess. Alexander has been linked, Dave Challinor at Stockport, Mark Hughes at Carlisle, Robbie Savage at Forest Green. A couple of those are good coaches, sure, but they’re lower league as well.
Is that what Blackburn want? They’re a club that have existed on a precipice for years now, an uneasy, tense relationship between owners and fans always likely to break out into war. Relegation would compound that, and what manager would want to be present at the scene of that crime?
Certainly not one with promotions on their CV, or maybe even one being added in May. Managers will street clear, and in the meantime, Blackburn are rudderless.
