Fellow strugglers Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion also had players in the Northern Ireland squad with Championship fixtures taking place on Friday and Monday.
"That's football, people have opinions and a lot of them are ill-informed if I'm honest," O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"The players I pick for my international squad, from a limited pool of players are consistently in my international squad.
"The clubs think it was a conflict of interest I may play the players and risk them against Wales - none of the players played 90 minutes and some didn't pay in the first game [a World Cup play-off loss to Italy]."
Blackburn are four points clear of the relegation zone with seven games remaining and visit Birmingham City on Friday (15:00 BST) with O'Neill now keen to focus on keeping Rovers in the Championship.
"I thought it was a nonsense and to be honest the best thing for me is to ignore stuff like that because it's not important, my focus is here now," he added.
"I won't have another international game until the end of May or start of June so my focus is here now and I tend not to give too much air time to that type of opinion."
Championship clubs spend more than £69m on agents feespublished at 17:15 BST 1 April
17:15 BST 1 April
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Ipswich signed Sindre Walle Egeli for a club record £17.5m in January
Championship clubs spent just over £69.5m on agents fees over the past 12 months according to figures released by the Football Association,, external an increase of £6m on the previous year.
The figures cover the period from February 2025 with Ipswich Town the top spenders, paying £11.7m having spent the first three months of the accounting period in the Premier League.
Southampton (£8.3m) and Leicester (£5.8m), who were relegated alongside Ipswich are the second and third-highest payers on the list.
Troubled Sheffield Wednesday were the most frugal when dealing with agents, spending £534,559.
Wrexham come in sixth on the list with an outlay of £3.6m while current Championship leaders Coventry spent just short of £1.5m.
Atcheson makes Northern Ireland debut as Donley scorespublished at 10:47 BST 1 April
10:47 BST 1 April
Image source, Getty Images
Blackburn Rovers defender Tom Atcheson made his debut for Northern Ireland on Tuesday after Oxford United forward Jamie Donley opened the scoring during their 1-1 draw with Wales.
The 19-year-old came on in the 80th minute to earn his maiden appearance for the international side after receiving his first senior call-up from boss Michael O'Neill, who manages both Northern Ireland and Rovers.
Atcheson was the only Rovers player to have been named in the squad amid concerns regarding O'Neill's dual role.
Oxford are understood to have raised a complaint of conflict of interest after four of their players were called up for the international side, including goalscorer Donley.
Pick of the stats: Birmingham City v Blackburn Roverspublished at 09:16 BST 1 April
09:16 BST 1 April
Blackburn Rovers will aim to gain further ground on the bottom three when they make the trip to St Andrew's on Friday (15:00 BST).
Rovers are currently four points clear of 22nd placed Leicester City but have had limited time with boss Michael O'Neill during the international break, who was fulfilling his duties as Northern Ireland boss.
Meanwhile Blues are hoping to keep their faint hopes of the play-offs going by remaining imperious on home soil.
Birmingham have won three of their last four league games against Blackburn (L1), as many as they had in their previous 20. They're looking to complete their first league double over Rovers since 1950-51.
Blackburn have lost 1-0 in their last two away league games against Birmingham, last going three visits without a goal between 1987 and 2000.
Birmingham have lost four of their last six league games (W1 D1), having been unbeaten in their previous eight before this (W5 D3).
Blackburn have won 56% of their points away from home this season (24/43). Ignoring point deductions, only Sheffield Wednesday (58%) have earned a higher share on the road in the Championship this term.
Blackburn Rovers have underperformed their expected goals more than any other side in the Championship this season (-12.1), netting just 36 goals from an xG of 48.1
'Absolutely massive' games loom in relegation scrappublished at 10:50 GMT 26 March
10:50 GMT 26 March
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The BBC's 72+ EFL podcast team have taken a look at the Championship relegation picture, with some huge games in store at the end of the international break.
Easter Monday (6 April) sees Blackburn and West Brom face-off, level on points just above the drop zone, just hours after second-bottom Oxford United head to Portsmouth.
Third-bottom Leicester will also head to Portsmouth and Blackburn during the run-in.
Former Watford and Reading winger Jobi McAnuff said: "We know Easter weekend is absolutely pivotal and that Portsmouth v Oxford game is looming large, though they both have another game first (on Good Friday).
"It could genuinely could come down to those matches against the teams in and around you. They are absolutely massive.
"Portsmouth are, at the moment, the team I'd be a little bit concerned about in terms of their current form.
"You take it game by game, of course, but that is 100% one everyone in the squad is looking at going 'we need to win that game - if we are going to stay up that is a must win.'
"This two weeks now for Portsmouth is going to be the longest because it's doom and gloom - (losing) 6-1 against a team on their holidays in QPR (in their final game before the break)."
McAnuff also hailed the impact of interim West Brom boss James Morrison, who has taken eight points from his five games at the helm after replacing Eric Ramsey, winning the past two and only being denied three straight wins by a last-gasp leveller against Southampton.
"The big thing about those games - clean sheets," McAnuff said. "When you are in a battle, being hard to beat is the fundamental thing.
"They were really close against Southampton and got pegged back right in the last couple of minutes. It could have been a killer blow.
"To come back from that and now find those couple of wins, they'll have gone into this break absolutely bouncing. The confidence, that feeling back in the dressing room, is absolutely massive at this stage.
"Massive credit to James Morrison because there were a few eyebrows raised. He knows the club inside out and sometimes that's what it takes.
"At the moment he's had a really positive upturn."
Rovers cannot afford more injuries in survival scrappublished at 14:10 GMT 23 March
14:10 GMT 23 March
Andy Bayes BBC Radio Lancashire sports editor
Image source, Shutterstock
How many times have you heard the phrase, "if this had been a boxing match, it would have been stopped"?
Blackburn's goalless draw with Middlesbrough was one of those games where one side dominated for very long periods, with the other trying desperately to remain where they started.
I'm convinced this was a game Rovers would have lost earlier this season. But credit to them, they were solid. They were miles away from being spectacular, but who knows how important the point could prove to be on 2 May?
The first half of Saturday was reminiscent of an FA Cup tie where it was teams from two different divisions going head to head.
That isn't intended to be disrespectful to Blackburn, who were again hit by injuries to key players. It's just the way it was.
Boro were strong, athletic, full of running and had midfielders making intelligent third man runs - and almost getting there on a number of occasions.
Balazs Toth was forced into making a couple of high-class saves in the process.
The second half wasn't quite a repeat of the same in terms of clear-cut chances, but Boro still called the tune for the vast majority of it.
Rovers had fleeting forays into the opposition box, but when half-chances arrived, it didn't really look like the belief was there to take them.
Todd Cantwell and Yuki Ohashi were certainly positive changes that livened up the front line.
On Saturday my co-commentator Kevin Gallacher made the point that Rovers boss Michael O'Neill is well used to matches like this from his two spells in charge of Northern Ireland.
That view was shared by O'Neill, who feels the way to get out of trouble with the tools at his disposal is to focus on the structure of the team, do lots of work out of possession and basically be solid more than spectacular.
When the final whistle was blown on Saturday, I think his approach was appreciated by the supporters. The reality of the situation Rovers are in is that if they were to go toe-to-toe with the best in the league, they would be undone.
They have to find victories to stay in the Championship, but they also can't let games run away from them like others around them in the table are doing at the moment.
The Easter double header against West Midlands opposition - Birmingham away and West Bromwich Albion at home - will be the next two "cup finals" in this scrap to finish above the dotted line.
And they will have to do it without yet another senior player in Hayden Carter who has succumbed to injury and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
I mentioned when O'Neill was appointed that if he could call on the services of seven key players until the end of the season, they'd have a good chance of staying up.
Three of those, including Carter, Sondre Tronstad and Andri Gudjohnsen, won't kick another ball this campaign, while the battling qualities of Lewis Miller remain on the sidelines.
It's imperative the injury list doesn't gain any more new names. Saturday's bench included promising academy youngsters Frank Vare and Valentin Joseph, with neither having played a senior career game.
The starting line-up included another academy graduate in Tom Atcheson. He was terrific as the right-sided centre back of three. So much so that his club manager has called him up to the Northern Ireland senior squad for the very first time this week.
It's all remaining hands to the pump for seven more outings in the space of 23 days starting on Good Friday. Who could possibly predict the outcome?
Blackburn's Carter likely to miss rest of seasonpublished at 13:28 GMT 23 March
13:28 GMT 23 March
Image source, Shutterstock
Blackburn defender Hayden Carter is not expected to be available for the Championship run-in due to injury.
The 26-year-old hobbled off at the end of the first half during Rovers' 2-1 win at Millwall on 14 March and was replaced by teenager Tom Atcheson.
Carter has missed most of this season with hamstring and calf problems before returning in time for interim boss Michael O'Neill's appointment last month.
He was not in the squad for Saturday's 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough, and following the match, O'Neill confirmed Carter's latest injury set-back.
"It's not good news. He played a lot of minutes in the seven games since I've came in and if we see him before the end of the season we'll be lucky," O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"It's a four to six-week injury and obviously it's a big blow for us."
Blackburn's final game of the season is against Leicester on 2 May unless they can climb from 19th into the play-off spots.
On Sunday, Carter wrote on Instagram: "Gutted. Probably one game too many.
"I'll do everything to get back as soon as possible but in the meantime I'll be supporting the team to get the results we need."
O'Neill keen to build up Rovers' positivity published at 15:52 GMT 21 March
15:52 GMT 21 March
Media caption,
O'Neill: 'I can't ask any more of the players'
Head coach Michael O'Neill says he wants to build up Blackburn Rovers' positivity after taking points off another Championship promotion contender.
Seven days after winning at Millwall, Blackburn dug deep to share a goalless draw with Middlesbrough.
It moved them another point towards safety with Rovers having collected 11 points from O'Neill's eight games in charge.
There is work to do but the Northern Ireland boss is happy with how his club team's resilience is developing.
"It's hugely important for us not to concentrate on the league table," O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"Where we are at the minute is how do we continue to build on that positivity and get momentum.
"That gives us four points from two very difficult games with teams in the top four and once we come back from the international break, hopefully the players will be refreshed and a little bit stronger in terms of our options, and we've got Birmingham away and West Brom at home, two huge games.
"All we can do is ask the players to fight and give what they gave and I thought they were magnificent and the fans saw that today in the performance."
O'Neill 'hopeful' on Carter for Millwall gamepublished at 09:23 GMT 20 March
09:23 GMT 20 March
Media caption,
'There's a lot of positivity within the group' - O'Neill
Blackburn Rovers defender Hayden Carter has not yet been ruled out of their game against Middlesbrough on Saturday (12:30 GMT), boss Michael O'Neill has said.
Carter has endured an injury-hit season, playing only one game before his comeback in February after struggling with hamstring and calf problems.
"We are going to give Hayden every chance to play," O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"It's hard to say really on that one but we will try and hopefully see how things go over the next 24 hours."
However, midfielder Todd Cantwell's return from a foot injury that kept him out for five league matches appears to be going smoothly.
The Rovers skipper made his comeback from the bench against Oxford on 11 March before joining the starting XI for last Saturday's game against the Lions.
"You need all your big players in these types of situation," O'Neill added.
"It was a real positive that he put himself out there. To get to where he got to, 60 minutes in the Millwall game, was a big plus given that he trained very little having been out for the best part of four or five weeks."
Pick of the stats: Blackburn Rovers v Middlesbroughpublished at 10:21 GMT 19 March
10:21 GMT 19 March
Blackburn Rovers will hope to upset the hunt for automatic promotion places once again when they welcome second placed Middlesbrough on Saturday (12:30 GMT).
The Teesside club are still under threat from Millwall though, as well as third placed Ipswich Town, and have failed to win either of their past two Championship games (D1 L1).
However, a win will mean just as much to Rovers, who are only three points above the relegation zone and seeking more breathing space at the bottom.
The last four Championship meetings between Blackburn (1) and Middlesbrough (2) have produced just three goals, with this season's reverse fixture finishing 0-0 at the Riverside.
Middlesbrough won in this exact fixture last season (2-0 in April 2025); they haven't won consecutive league matches at Ewood Park since the 1980s (won three between 1986 and 1989).
Blackburn have won three of their seven Championship games under Michael O'Neill (D1 L3), as many victories as they had in their 18 league games prior to O'Neill's arrival (W3 D7 L8).
Middlesbrough are winless in their last two Championship games (D1 L1); they only scored one goal across those two matches, despite attempting 53 shots, amassing 5.05 expected goals, and having 122 touches in the opposition box.
Morgan Whittaker has averaged a goal or assist every 139 minutes under Kim Hellberg; his best minutes per goal involvement ratio under any manager in the Championship (min. 5 games).
Do you want VAR in the Championship?published at 08:18 GMT 18 March
08:18 GMT 18 March
Image source, Getty Images
There have been plenty of contentious decisions in the 2025-26 Championship season so far.
Offside goals given, perfectly good goals ruled out, red card offences missed, penalties not given, dubious spot-kicks awarded. You name it.
With the video assistant referee (VAR) only used for the play-off final, the outcome of every second-tier game in the regular season can hinge on how on-field officials see incidents in real time.
Would you want VAR introduced for every league game in the Championship?
If so, why?
And if not, let us know your reasons.
You can share your thoughts on VAR here or comment below, and we will publish a follow-up article soon with a selection of your responses.
Rovers squad aired some 'truths' - McLoughlinpublished at 17:46 GMT 17 March
17:46 GMT 17 March
Media caption,
McLoughlin: 'The Millwall win is going to do us the world of good. We now know we are good enough'
Blackburn Rovers defender Sean McLoughlin says the team have shared "some truths" in a bonding session as they try to stay in the Championship.
Saturday's 2-1 win at promotion-chasers Millwall has taken Rovers up to 19th in the table, three points clear of the relegation places with eight matches to play.
The squad stayed away in a hotel following Wednesday's 1-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Oxford United.
"Being in the hotel four or five days is obviously long, being away from family, but we had a chance to have a good honest chat after Oxford," McLoughlin told BBC Lancashire.
"We had a meeting Thursday morning and just spoke amongst ourselves, and said some truths. That's the benefit of being down there together, to get the chance to do that."
Rovers have taken 10 points from seven games under Michael O'Neill, who replaced Valérien Ismaël in February, and McLoughlin says the trip was a good opportunity to bond further.
"The staff have come in and there's been so many games, so we haven't had a chance to get to know each other - its been relentless," he said. "Just to be able to chill and have a meal together and spend some time with each other has been a really good thing.
"We weren't the worse team in the world on Wednesday, and we're not the best team now. We just need to be consistent".
McLoughlin added: "We're going into a tough game against Middlesbrough on Saturday, but anybody can beat anybody in this league.
"Charlton showed it against them last week, so we just have to build the momentum, keep going.
"Confidence is massive in football. The Millwall win is going to do us the world of good. We now know we are good enough. Things have gone against us this season, but we have to bounce back and go again."
New January signing Mathias Jorgensen scored twice as a second-half substitute at the Den to make it five goals in 13 appearances since arriving from Bodo/Glimt.
"The two lads, Matty and Yuki (Ohashi) work their socks off for the team," McLoughlin added. "They're top professionals, whether they're playing or not, they're always prepared to come on and be in the mindset to help the team."
