Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Michael O'Neill will manage Northern Ireland's friendly against Wales on Tuesday before taking charge of Blackburn's crunch games against Birmingham and West Bromwich Albion
ByLauren McCannBBC Sport NI Journalist- Published42 minutes ago
Wales away on Tuesday, Birmingham City away on Friday and West Bromwich Albion at home on Monday.
Three very different fixtures in quick succession in a big week for Michael O'Neill in his dual role as Northern Ireland and Blackburn Rovers manager.
While NI's hopes of reaching a first World Cup since 1986 were ended by a 2-0 loss against Italy on Thursday, O'Neill will be tasked with picking his players up for a meaningless friendly against Wales in Cardiff on Tuesday.
As soon as the final whistle is blown on that dead rubber game, O'Neill will have to don his Blackburn cap.
The 56-year-old has seven games left to prevent Blackburn, who sit 19th in the Championship table and four points above the relegation zone, from dropping into League One for the first time since 2018.
That starts with a game against Birmingham at St Andrews on Friday, which comes roughly two days and 17 hours after the final whistle in Cardiff.
After that, attentions will turn quickly turn to a vital six-pointer 72 hours later at home against West Brom on Monday.
That game is arguably the most vital and most intriguing of the three given O'Neill will come up against NI forward Isaac Price, who is also trying to help his side beat the drop alongside a host of other internationals at various Championship clubs.
So, the big question is, how does O'Neill navigate this set of overlapping country and club games for the first and perhaps only time in his unique predicament?
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'We're not going to be reckless with the players'
Image source, BBC SportImage caption, Blackburn are currently four points above the drop zone along with Price's West Brom while Devlin's Portsmouth are a point clear with Brown, Donley, McDonnell and Spencer's Oxford in the relegation zone
O'Neill has always spoken of wanting his players to play at the highest level, but as mentioned, a significant number of players will be going up against his Rovers to avoid the drop and it's tight at the bottom.
They include Price at West Brom, who are also four points above the relegation zone, Ciaron Brown, Jamie McDonnell, Jamie Donley and Brodie Spencer at Oxford United, who are one point from safety and Terry Devlin at Portsmouth, who are one point above the drop, while he manages Tom Atcheson at Rovers.
Is it a cause for concern for Northern Ireland that the international boss could potentially relegate some of his regulars in the international squad?
O'Neill certainly didn't think so.
When asked in February he said he isn't "having that blood on my hands" and the fate of those clubs lay with their respective managers.
"At the end of the day, my job is to do the best I can for Blackburn Rovers," he said.
"The lads who manage those respective clubs, their job is to do the best for their clubs as well. I don't think that's an issue at all."
Cynics may question whether O'Neill, who will have reduced preparation time with Rovers for two big games by virtue of preparing NI to face Wales, will deliberately disadvantage Championship rivals while in charge of NI in terms of how he manages the aforementioned players' loads against Wales with a busy spell of domestic action to follow.
Coincidentally, three of the four players released from the NI squad in Norwich's Ruairi McConville (knee), Preston's Ali McCann (knock) and Hull City's Paddy McNair (thigh) will face three of O'Neill relegation rivals in Portsmouth, Leicester and Oxford on Friday.
O'Neill would refute any suggestion of meddling no doubt and when asked about the cramped schedule said he was "aware of the situation" but stressed he would still focus on helping Northern Ireland win the game in Cardiff.
"We're not in charge of the schedule of the games for either the international window or the EFL. I think 80% of my squad play in the EFL. We're mindful of the situation for the clubs, of course, but when the clubs signed these players, they knew they were international players and, we're not going to be reckless with the players or anything like that there, but, we have to obviously look after ourselves as a group of players," he explained.
"The most important thing is that the players just go out and play the game. They'll be fine. The lads who play in the EFL, they play a lot of football and they're used to playing regular football. So they've got resilience and I'm sure they'll get through the game fine."
O'Neill 'fed up' with talk of future
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, O'Neill has won three, drawn two and lost three of his eight games in charge of Blackburn
Since he announced that he would take up this dual role until the end of the season, O'Neill has faced a barrage of questions about where his future lies beyond June.
After the Italy defeat, he said he will "revert back to the status quo" of attempting to help Northern Ireland qualify for Euro 2028, but will that depend on how the season finishes at Rovers?
If he keeps Blackburn up will he move on and manage them permanently in the Championship? If they are relegated, will he stay with NI where he has a contract until 2028, albeit one with room for negotiation?
On Monday, he repeated that no matter the outcome to Blackburn's season, he intends to return to Northern Ireland.
"When Blackburn season's finished, as I've constantly said, repeatedly said, my contract with the IFA will continue on a two-year contract," he said.
"That's repeatedly what I've said. I'm not really sure why you continue to ask me this every time you see me, but that is the status quo, as I said in the press conference.
"We'll deal with the game tomorrow night and I'll go back and manage the last seven games of the season for Blackburn Rovers and I'll manage Northern Ireland in the June games and I'll go on holiday after that.
"You're asking me questions that are of a hypothetical nature, to be honest and yeah, I'm probably a bit fed up with it."
