It's now over four years since Tony Mowbray took over as Blackburn Rovers manager.

During that time, Mowbray has taken the club from relegation from to the Championship to League One, to a club once again targeting promotion back to the Premier League.

However, Rovers have yet to show that they are capable of making that step into the the top six of the Championship table since their return to the second-tier of English football almost three seasons ago.

As a result, while there can be no doubt that Mowbray has indeed done well during his time at Ewood Park, there are other managers who have admittedly, made a bigger and more significant impact with Rovers.

Here we've taken a look at the ten best Blackburn Rovers managers of recent times, based on their points per game record at in the Ewood Park dugout according to Transfermarkt, with only permanent managerial appointments included.

We start this list with one of the many managers to take charge of Blackburn in their first season following relegation from the Premier League in 2012/13, in the form of Appleton.

The former midfielder had been in charge of Blackpool for little more than two months when he left the club to take over at Ewood Park in January 2013.

Although he did manage to oversee a memorable FA Cup win over Arsenal at The Emirates during his time with Rovers, Appleton won just four of his 15 games in charge of Rovers in total, earning him a the equivalent of 1.13 points per game, and tenth on this list.

Next up on this list is Ray Harford, who took over from Kenny Dalgish after the Scot was made the club's Director of Football in the aftermath of Rovers' Premier League title win in 1994/95, with Harford having previously worked as Dalgish's assistant at Ewood Park.

However, Blackburn's defence of their title was a disappointing one, with the club finishing seventh in the Premier League while being knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage, winning just one of their six games on the continent.

A poor start to the 1996/97 season then saw Harford resign after the club failed to win any of their opening ten league games, with an average of 1.23 points per game from his 56 matches in charge of Rovers.

Lambert was appointed as Blackburn manager with the club 16th in the Championship table in November 2015 following the sacking of Gary Bowyer, in what was the Scot's first job since his sacking by Aston Villa nine months earlier.

Under Lambert, Rovers never quite got going as they would have hoped, and it was announced shortly before the end of the 2015/16 season that Lambert would leave the club at the end of the campaign.

In the end, Lambert left with the club having finished 15th in the second-tier that season, with the former Borussia Dortmund man having recorded an average of 1.33 points per game from his 33 matches as Blackburn boss.

After taking charge of Blackburn in March 2000, Souness would guide the club to promotion back to the Premier League during the 2000/01 campaign.

Rovers' first season back in English football's top-flight saw them lift the League Cup title - memorably beating Tottenham 2-1 at the Milennium Stadium in the final - and finish tenth in the league under Souness.

Indeed, Rovers would then qualify for Europe again, this time via the league, in 2003, before an underwhelming 15th place in Souness' final full season in charge 2003/04, with the Scot leaving to take charge of Newcastle in September 2004, having averaged 1.35 points per game during his four-and-a-half-year spell in charge at Ewood Park.

Allardyce took charge of Blackburn in December 2008 with the club 19th in the Premier League table, following Paul Ince's disappointing spell in charge at Ewood Park that saw them claim three wins in 17 league games.

Under Allardyce though, Rovers would rally to reach safety that season, before recording a tenth place finish in the Premier League in 2009/10, a season in which they also reached the League Cup semi-final.

That would prove to be Allardyce's only full season in charge of Blackburn, with the survival specialist sacked in December 2010 with the club 13th in the top-flight table, having averaged 1.36 points per game under Allardyce.

A former academy coach with the club, Bowyer had already taken charge of Blackburn on a caretaker basis when he was appointed as the Lancashire club's manager on a permanent basis towards the end of the 2012/13.

With Blackburn's Championship status under some form of threat, Bowyer guided the club to safety by the end of the campaign, and then missed out on the play-offs by just two places and two points during his first full season in charge in 2013/14.

The subsequent 2014/15 saw Rovers finish ninth, albeit some way adrift of the top six in terms of points, and Bowyer was then sacked in November 2015 with the club 16th in the Championship, having record a point per game average of 1.39 during Bowyer's time as Blackburn's permanent manager.

Next up on this list is Blackburn's current manager, and their longest-serving since the departure of the aforementioned Souness, in the shape of Tony Mowbray.

Having taken charge of Rovers with 15 games of the 2016/17 season remaining and the club second from bottom of the Championship, Mowbray was unable to prevent relegation, with the club going down on goal difference, although they did win immediate promotion from League One during the 2017/18 campaign.

Two solid campaigns in the Championship have followed, although this season has seen Rovers fail to push on towards the play-off places in the way they would have hoped - not least with the squad they have assembled - with Mowbray's points per game record at Ewood Park currently sitting at 1.49 per game.

With legendary caretaker Tony Parkes having guided Blackburn to Premier League safety in the 1996/97 season following Harford's resignation, Hodgson was then appointed as Rovers' manager in the summer of 1997.

A strong start to Hodgson's first season in charge saw Blackburn once again challenge for the title, although a poor second half of that campaign left Rovers to settle for a place in the UEFA Cup.

Hodgson was then sacked by Blackburn with the club bottom of the Premier League table in November 1998, with the now-Crystal Palace boss later revealing he had originally been given the chance to resign by Jack Walker, with his decision not to walk away forcing Walker's hand, as Hodgson left with a points per game average of 1.51.

Following Souness' departure from the club, Mark Hughes left his role as Wales manager to take charge of Blackburn Rovers, with the legendary striker having previously ended his playing career at Ewood Park.

Under Hughes, Blackburn would establish themselves as a dangerous side for any team in the Premier League to play, with the club reaching two FA Cup and one League Cup semi finals during the Welshman's time in charge, also qualifying for the UEFA Cup twice during Hughes' spell in the Ewood Park dugout.

Eventually, Hughes would leave Blackburn to take charge of Manchester City at the end of 2007/08 season, recording an average of 1.53 points per game during his time in the Ewood Park dugout.

It is unlikely to be a surprise to many of a Blackburn persuasion that this list is topped by Sir Kenny Dalglish.

Having been appointed as manager at Ewood Park in October 1991 by the ambitious Jack Walker following his takeover of the club, Dalglish guided the club to promotion during that 1991/92 season via the play-off, earning the club a place in the first ever edition of the Premier League.

Rovers would consistently challenge at the upper echelons of the top-flight of English football under Dalglish, eventually claiming the title in the 1994/95 despite a final day defeat at another ground where the Scot is held in such a legendary standing, Anfield. That would be Dalglish's final game in charge of Rovers, as he moved into a Director of Football role at Ewood Park, having averaged 1.89 points per game as Blackburn manager.