Blackburn Rovers have release eight players from the team, according to the updated retained list of players on the club’s official website.

Upon the relegation to the League One, this was expected. The skipper of the side Jason Lowe is the obvious missing name on the retained list.

The 25-year old joined the club academy far back in 2003. The versatile player who plays at the right back and central midfield leaves Ewood Park with his 200 senior appearances.

Other first team regular that were cut off from the Lancashire based side are Hope Akpan, Wes Brown, Gordon Greer and Danny Guthrie. Others whose contracts expired but would not be renewed are Joshua Askew, Adam Henley, and Ramirez Howarth. The club preferred to keep youngster Connor Mahoney and defender Lewis Travis with the hope that they would help them in the League One.

The club is still planning on how to manage in the third tier – a division they have not played in since the 1980s. The director of football Paul Senior resigned from the role barely 24 hours after the relegation was confirmed.

Senior spent just 123 days before he resigned from the role. The club confirmed the news on the website before wishing him well in his future endeavours. Coach Tony Mowbray said it was Senior who reached out to him to be Owen Coyle’s successor. There were reports that the manager would move to India but he dismissed them as mere rumours. Mowbray tried to manage the situation – earning 22 points from 15 games – but it was not enough to keep them afloat.