Blackburn Rovers Chief Executive Steve Curwood Addresses Frustrations
Steve Curwood did not try to sugar-coat it. “Everyone is frustrated,” the new Blackburn Rovers chief executive admitted, as he fronted up to a transfer window that left supporters angry and the squad looking light.
Rovers made just four signings before the deadline shut on Tuesday. Three more deals collapsed on the final day. For a fanbase that had expected a reset under returning boss Tony Mowbray, it felt like a familiar story.
Curwood insists it was not for lack of trying.
“Deals were on the table,” he told BBC Radio Lancashire. “Deals were agreed with players and clubs.” Then the sting. “We can talk about morals in football, maybe there aren't too many now and that's what's happened.”
According to BBC Radio Lancashire, two of those late failures involved Reo Hatate, who instead joined Burnley, and Brian De Keersmaecker, who went to Bristol City. Rovers believed they were in position. They were not.
“We were gazumped at the last minute on a couple of deals,” Curwood said. “And one was a foreign one which took a bit more time than you would anticipate.”
The frustration is not just on the terraces. It runs through the football department too.
“The investment has been there,” Curwood stressed. “There hasn't been a reluctance from the board. There has been collaboration throughout the process. I think at the final hurdle we haven't been able to get them over the line.
“Yes – it's frustrating, we're frustrated, and Tony wanted that extra little bit of something which we haven't managed to do.”
A chaotic window and a late start
The sense of chaos, Curwood concedes, was real.
He walked into a club that had only just navigated a fraught season. Michael O'Neill had kept Blackburn in the Championship while doubling up as Northern Ireland manager, then turned down the permanent job in mid-May. Rovers circled back to a familiar face, reappointing Mowbray on 5 June.
By then, the clock on the summer rebuild was already ticking loudly.
“Ideally your manager will be in by the start of May to work out where are we going for next year,” Curwood said. “So that timeline has been constrained somewhat, and then conflated by injuries.”
Rovers faced a classic dilemma. Move early and risk settling for lesser targets, or wait for first-choice options and accept the jeopardy.
“If you want to do your deals early, maybe you can't go after the best players sometimes,” Curwood explained. “You've got to either wait and go for target number one with this risk, or cement one in the building because we know we can get him, like Jayden Fevrier for example.”
That approach meant a narrower focus. Mowbray identified three or four key targets for each position, and the club pushed hard on those names.
“We might highlight three or four targets, but Tony wants to make sure the people here want to be here and play for him,” Curwood said. “Was it the wrong thing to do to push for the specific players Tony wanted? These things happen when you try to be specific, but none of us want to just bring in players to add bodies in the building.”
The risk was clear. This time, it did not break Blackburn’s way.
Outgoings, missed incomings and a thin squad
Seven players left Ewood Park over the summer. With several incoming deals falling away late, the squad now looks exposed in key areas. Curwood, though, stands by the decision to trim.
“You've got to allow the manager to make certain decisions,” he said. “The squad list was top-heavy. Certain players needed game-time, like George Pratt going to Bradford.”
Rovers also resisted bids for several first-team figures. BBC Radio Lancashire understands the club turned down offers for Ryoya Morishita, Sean McLoughlin, Balasz Toth, Yuki Ohashi and Ryan Alebiosu, a clear sign they were not prepared to cash in and start again.
Curwood, who arrived from League Two side Fleetwood Town just two months ago, has been thrown straight into the storm.
“It's been a whirlwind since I arrived – with a transfer window, an administrator going to another club, and a senior physiotherapist leaving,” the 54-year-old said.
He has asked supporters for patience as he tries to steady the operation behind the scenes.
“The first 90 days will give me time to reflect and bring some of the processes this club need to improve where we are,” he said. “We'll be in a very different position moving into the next window, and beyond that.”
The words are clear enough. The challenge now is whether Blackburn can survive the damage of this window long enough to reach the next one in one piece.
