Blackburn Rovers

This week, our Rovers' Jury gave their reaction to the team retaining their Championship status.

The overwhelming feeling is one of relief. It's been tough season, and once again, lots of miles on the road with my sons home and away. It has certainly played with the emotions - good and bad!

To secure safety at a ground where I've only ever experienced pain was certainly something. When booking my tickets, it was blind hope and faith for a performance. Before Tuesday's results, I would have taken a point. It was beyond our wildest dreams to be three up at half-time. I'm proud of the players for rising to the challenge and taking the opportunity in front of them.

I can't escape that at times it's felt like everything has transpired against us this season with match abandonments, fixture pile-ups and a new (job-sharing) head coach. With that in mind, a couple of times I've thought we were heading down. After 10 games, and after the Oxford away performance.

The latter was a sobering night where the combined quality on the pitch and the level of performance was a huge reality check. I was genuinely upset about what the future could hold and didn't recognise my club at that point.

But the players and manager deserve huge credit for how they've recovered and ultimately got the job done - especially with a threadbare squad. Securing Championship status for another season and staying in this division remains our critical aim. The points tally since that night at Oxford has been impressive, and once again we've got the big results where it matters.

The feeling of relief also comes from the place of this being a narrow escape. This season has to be a warning to the leadership and ownership of the club - to drop from seventh to securing safety in game 45 asks serious questions.

For now, I will enjoy the feeling of relief and pride at securing our status. But ultimately, it's a season I will quickly forget and one I've not enjoyed that much.

More:Michael O'Neill reveals biggest reason he feared Blackburn Rovers relegation

Relief. That’s the overriding feeling. Safety secured, and what a way to do it.

But there are a few home truths that can’t be ignored. We only had ourselves to blame for being in that position in the first place. Poor recruitment, selling off experience and durability, combined with a manager who simply wasn’t good enough, left us where we were.

That’s what makes the timing of O’Neill’s arrival so important. It was the right call, just in the nick of time. If anything, it all felt a little un-Rovers-like. No final day chaos, no last-minute drama, even going away and being 3-0 up after 45 minutes in a game of that magnitude. It almost felt uncomfortable being that in control.

Now comes the important part. The learning.

Those at the top deserve credit for swallowing their pride and bringing O’Neill in. They now need to do exactly the same to keep him. More than that, they need to back him properly. He should have a major say in recruitment because he has shown he knows what he’s doing and can get more out of players than their individual quality suggests.

Rudy Gestede and Suhail Pasha at Bramall Lane. (Image: PA)

I have been worried about relegation since the end of the summer transfer window, so when the third goal went in at Bramall Lane, I finally allowed myself a moment of excitement.

Experience has taught me to be more cautious, even after the first two goals. More than anything, I feel relief, and if I am honest, I am glad the season is drawing to a close.

The job O’Neill has done has been outstanding. His impact on the pitch is clear, but just as importantly, he has helped rebuild trust between the players, the management and the supporters.

There is a sense of cautious optimism now. Not driven by expectation, but by the opportunity that the summer brings. It offers another chance to reset, and significant changes are needed. This cycle has to end.

For the club to move forward, the Raos must learn from past mistakes. The pattern we have seen is not accidental. A model built on inexperience and shortcuts has not worked, and this season has underlined that once again.

Blackburn Rovers fans deserve better than this season, on and off the pitch, but for now we can enjoy the final game of the season and hopefully some debutants.

More:Alan Shearer on 'nervy' Blackburn Rovers season and Tony Parkes tributes

So hang on, we can actually like football again now?

I must admit, since Wednesday night, I've felt a lot calmer and content when my work colleagues chat about football in the office or my son asks me the scores.

The feeling of relief after our win at Bramall Lane is really hard to put into words. Eight months of stress and frustration left my body in a huge, sudden rush and enormous credit must go to O'Neill for his work in keeping us up - a huge achievement given what he has had to work with.

But, and there's always a but, the camaraderie and excellent turnaround in form should not mask what has been one of the worst seasons to endure that I can ever remember.

Four home wins? Abysmal. A raft of unsuitable, substandard signings? Abysmal. Distant owners, arrogant executives and two abandoned games due to poor investment? What's the word?.... oh yeah, abysmal.

Lessons must be learned otherwise, this is just a stay of execution.

Wednesday night was awesome, and survival deserved. But it was a great moment in a sea of gut punches.

You can listen to Ryan on The Lancashire Telegraph's Arte et Labore and find Mark on The Blackburn End. Available on all podcast platforms.