O’Neill Turns Down Blackburn Job To Remain With Northern Ireland

Michael O’Neill will not be taking the Blackburn Rovers job on a permanent basis and will remain in his role as Northern Ireland manager.

O’Neill was appointed interim Rovers boss in February, remaining in the role until the end of the 2025-26 campaign, while also serving as NI manager.

The 56-year-old won five, drew five and lost five of his 15 games in interim charge as Blackburn finished 20th in the second tier and avoided relegation.

During his job share, O’Neill repeatedly said that he would be unable to do both roles permanently and would have to choose one or the other.

“Following discussions with the club, Michael has decided to continue his long-term commitment to his role as Northern Ireland head coach, with a focus on leading the national team towards qualification for the UEFA European Championships in 2028,” Blackburn said in a statement.

“Blackburn Rovers is a historic football club with a proud tradition and passionate supporters. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working with the players, staff and everyone around the club,” O’Neill added.

“After careful consideration, I have decided that my long-term focus must remain with Northern Ireland and the journey towards the European Championship campaign ahead. I would like to thank the owners, board, staff, players and supporters for the welcome and support shown to me during my time at the club.”

Blackburn Rovers said they will now begin the process of identifying and appointing a new permanent head coach, with further updates “to be communicated in due course”.

Across his two spells in charge of his country, O’Neill has picked up 38 wins, had 23 draws and suffered 43 defeats from his 104 games in charge.

He will now aim to lead Northern Ireland to their first appearance at the Euros since he guided his country to the finals in 2016.

Northern Ireland will have two friendlies in June against Guinea in Cadiz and France in Lyon, before they begin their Nations League campaign in September.

O’Neill’s side have been drawn against Hungary, Georgia and Ukraine in Group B2.

“We are delighted Michael has decided to stay on as Northern Ireland manager. He has built another exciting squad of players, and we now look forward to building on this momentum as we plan for both the UEFA Nations League campaign this autumn and the subsequent qualifiers for Euro 2028 with Michael at the helm,” said an Irish FA statement.

Northern Ireland fans will be delighted that O’Neill has agreed to continue as manager, especially given the foundation he has laid for future success.