Former Blackburn Rovers boss, Tony Mowbray, hopes to return to football after revealing he is recovering from bowel cancer.

Mowbray spent five years at the helm at Ewood Park and is incredibly well respected in Lancashire and across the football world. It came as a shock when he had to take a period of absence last season due to a health issue whilst manager of Birmingham City.

It was initially stated Mowbray would only spend a short period away, however, he's now revealed the extent of his illness which result in him resigning from the job at Blues.

In an honest interview, the 60-year-old opened up on what had been 'the toughest year of his life'.

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"It's been the toughest year of my life. Out of the blue, my illness was diagnosed and my world came crashing down, really," he told BBC Radio Teesside.

"The way I would go to the toilet had changed and so they had a look and I got diagnosed with bowel cancer.

"When you get an illness like what I got, it's about the family, really. I remember sitting in a hospital bed, my kids had tears in their eyes not sure whether I was going to get through it or not, to be honest. 

"I was very, very ill. Some days, you were feeling great and other days, I would collapse and black out and find myself on the kitchen floor."

The news rocked Mowbray and his family after what was a routine check-up through the League Manager's Association. As Mowbray describes it "an annual, full-body MOT."

"We had just beaten Sunderland and Blackburn, my two previous clubs, and things were looking good, the place was bouncing, the stadium was full, and I was really looking forward to having a great time there," he said.

"Unfortunately, 10 days later I was in a hospital bed in Manchester having a 10-hour operation and my life changed.

"I did come home from that and the period was very up and down. Some days you were feeling great, and others I would collapse and black out and find myself on the kitchen floor.

"I phoned the chief executive at Birmingham and told him that health and family is what life's about and I needed to get myself right, so I left that job."

Mowbray still has ambitions of returning to the dugout but admits he is still recovering and not ready to resume work yet.

"I do want to go back to work because football is in my blood, it's what I do," he said.

"I still have issues, I'm still, at the moment not 100% ready for work. But somewhere down the line. My body's telling me that I'm not ready yet.
"Today I stand here, I'm not ready, I haven't got the energy that's required to be a football manager. But I will, I'm pretty sure.

"It's difficult to keep me away from football. I'm here because I love the game, I want to watch the Boro. How am I? I'm fine in myself, but it's very difficult with the condition I'm living with at the moment. The doctors tell me it will resolve itself in time and I look forward to that day.

"I'm going to take my amazing wife away on holiday in the next couple of weeks and in the new year, maybe, I'll see what's out there, what opportunities come and hopefully my body is telling me that I'm ready to go."