"Gamble" - Richie Wellens issue identified as Blackburn Rovers seek John Eustace replacement | OneFootball

The Leyton Orient boss is one of a number of names linked to the vacancy at Ewood Park

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Blackburn Rovers are on the search for a new manager right now, with former boss John Eustace departing from fellow Championship side Derby County earlier this week.

The 45-year-old is said to have reached breaking point with the Venky’s’ ownership at Ewood Park over the last few months, and has since left for the relegation-threatened Rams after just 12 months in Lancashire.

A number of names have since been linked with the vacancy in the northwest, with Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens among those said to be being considered by the Championship play-off contenders.

With that in mind, we spoke to Football League World’s resident Rovers fan Simon Middlehurst about his thoughts on the potential appointment, with a top six place in the second tier still up for grabs.

Blackburn Rovers’ past managerial appointments could point towards Richie Wellens hiring

The Venky’s have made a name for themselves for their tight-fisted ownership of Rovers over the past decade, and it hasn’t won them many fans at Ewood Park as a result.

That lack of funding has led to the departures of Tomasson and Eustace over recent seasons, and leaves Middlehurst believing an approach for Wellens could be preferred, with minimal outlay needed to lure him from the O’s.

The Rovers fan said: “Richie Wellens had a really good season with Leyton Orient, and he is someone that Blackburn could be linked with due to the fact that compensation and wage demands wouldn’t be that much, from what I have seen anyway.

“The Blackburn way is to just get someone on the cheap, previously when we have brought managers in… Tony Mowbray, Jon Dahl Tomasson and John Eustace, we have not had to pay any compensation, because they have not had a job at the time.

“So I can’t see Blackburn wanting to pay much compensation, but I can’t see it being that much for Richie Wellens.”

Richie Wellens issue raised after Blackburn Rovers links

Wellens has got his Orient team firing on all cylinders after a slow start to the season, with his charges just two points off of the League One play-off spots heading into this weekend’s fixtures.

A run of just one defeat in their last 14 league outings has seen fortunes turn around at Brisbane Road, with individual errors costing them dearly in the opening stages of the campaign.

Having had experience at Oldham Athletic, Salford City and Doncaster Rovers in his career before setting up sticks in the Capital in March 2022, the 44-year-old has earned his stripes in the bottom two divisions of the EFL, with promotion from League Two earned with Orient back in the 22/23 campaign.

Since then, he has taken the O’s on to becoming a top-half third tier side, with his ball-playing philosophy good on the eye, as well as being reliable to pick up points on a regular basis.

That isn’t enough for Middlehurst to be convinced though, with a lack of experience in the second tier being the blot on Wellens’ CV right now, as Rovers look to maintain their position in the top six of the Championship between now and May.

He continued: “I think it would be a gamble at this time in the season, we need someone who has got Championship experience. He has got really good Football League experience, but Championship experience is a must.

“We need someone who has got the strong knowledge of the league, and is able to push Blackburn on for the remainder of the season and keep us where we are at.”