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Oliver Walton

Tue 31 March 2026 15:29, UK

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Keith Hackett has insisted that Championship clubs and their fans should not create problems and question Michael O’Neill’s integrity amid concerns about his Northern Ireland selections.

The 56-year-old was appointed as Blackburn Rovers’ boss last month on a deal until the end of the season, and has remained in charge of Northern Ireland for the time being too.

Rovers are involved in the second-tier relegation battle as it stands, and O’Neill picked numerous players from other clubs in and around the bottom three to play for the Green and White Army during this international break.

According to a new report from BBC Sport, Oxford United have “raised concerns” about a potential conflict of interest involving O’Neill and some of their players who could be picked to play for Northern Ireland on Tuesday.

Portsmouth and West Brom both also have players in the squad who could play, with fans of all three of those clubs also taking to social media to complain about the situation.

Keith Hackett backs Michael O’Neill to remain moral when it comes to Northern Ireland and Blackburn

Blackburn’s relegation rivals, Oxford, have four different players who could face Wales for Northern Ireland on Tuesday, while Portsmouth’s Terry Devlin and West Brom’s Isaac Price are also in their squad.

Those clubs and their fans are concerned that O’Neill could give those players more game time to tire them out before they return to Championship action for their respective teams on Good Friday.

O’Neill has insisted that he is “mindful of the situation” and won’t be “reckless” with any of his international players, with Blackburn’s Tom Atcheson also in line to potentially feature.

Former PGMOL chief and FIFA referee Hackett has insisted that O’Neill will not bring the game and his position into disrepute, even if he starts those who currently play for Blackburn’s relegation rivals against Wales.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, he said: “I would not question the integrity of this manager. He will be in liaison with club managers on a regular basis to keep them up to date with the progress of the players under his care.

“He has, in fairness, a much smaller pool of players to call on, hence I suggest in his will to win in both roles he will always want to pick his best players.

“That will inevitably lead to some players getting more games than others. Fans should not create problems when there is nothing to see here.”

Which teams do the supercomputer think will be relegated from the Championship?

Opta‘s supercomputer is backing Rovers to stay in the Championship this season after some improved form since O’Neill’s arrival last month.

Football Insider recently revealed that Blackburn want to sign goalkeeper Jon McCracken from Dundee this summer, but they will likely only be in with a chance of a deal if they stay in the second tier.

They have been given a 25.22 per cent chance of relegation this season, with West Brom backed to finish one place above them after being given a 15.9 per cent chance of going down.

Ahead of two huge rounds of games over the Easter weekend, Portsmouth and Oxford are being predicted to go down over Leicester and those two sides.

Pompey currently have a 51.9 per cent chance of playing in League One next term, with Oxford given a 62.78 per cent chance of going down too, compared to the Foxes’ 43.78.