Valérien Ismaël: Blackburn Rovers Head Coach

[K-Hod]

He might well speak honestly, but he doesn’t win enough football matches, so I don’t care about the former until the latter changes.

 

[Goozburger]

2 hours ago, gazzaa2 said:

Eustace had us punching above our weight last season.

For a few months at the start, certainly, but that was followed by a good month or two of really poor performances and results. It seems to be selectively forgotten due to the chaos above his head. He won't have that luxury at Derby.

[DE.]

Can't say I have any strong feelings towards Ismael one way or the other. The problems at Rovers run so deep that focusing on the manager seems pointless. He's come in with the remit to turn chicken shit into chicken salad, if he can't do it then all ire should be on those who decided to downgrade a team that was previously comfortably finishing top half in all but one of the past four seasons. 

I just feel nothing about the guy at all. Absolutely nothing. He's just a name to me. 

[Trinidad Rover]

Talks the talk, so far very much not delivering in results.

I like him and have enjoyed his approach. Seems to be professional and ruthless, which is needed. Clearly commands respect. The Travis comments were too far though. 

He needs to start delivering very, very soon though. Nothing else matters. His record suggests that might be a pipe dream…….

[Goozburger]

16 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

He might well speak honestly, but he doesn’t win enough football matches, so I don’t care about the former until the latter changes.

A bit of patience required given this is the first transfer window under him and we are still bringing players in. We've brought 9 players in who are, for all intents and purposes, first-team starters. It's an unusual amount to have to bring in but clearly the Brittain and Travis elements have played a big part in causing some chaos in the squad. Let them settle for a month or two and then see how.

[K-Hod]

2 minutes ago, Goozburger said:

A bit of patience required given this is the first transfer window under him and we are still bringing players in. We've brought 9 players in who are, for all intents and purposes, first-team starters. It's an unusual amount to have to bring in but clearly the Brittain and Travis elements have played a big part in causing some chaos in the squad. Let them settle for a month or two and then see how.

To be fair, the only people that should be telling people the rules are the mods.

It’s fine to have an opinion at this point, just as it’s fine to want to wait to judge- if we have to wait some arbitrary timeframe to judge managers, we might as well shut the message board for months until the judgment window opens….

Ismaël has had a lot to contend with in terms of player sales, but even with that considered, I can’t say I’ve been that impressed so far, I’ll be honest.

[lraC]

7 hours ago, Waggy76 said:

Sunderland away 

Watford home 

 

How were they dead rubbers? We won both and had we gone on to win the last game, it was good enough for a play off spot. 

[Goozburger]

1 minute ago, K-Hod said:

To be fair, the only people that should be telling people the rules are the mods.

It’s fine to have an opinion at this point, if we have to wait some arbitrary timeframe to judge managers, we might as well shut the message board for months until the judgment window opens….

Unbelievably childish response.

Edited 4 hours ago by Goozburger

[K-Hod]

Just now, Goozburger said:

Unbelievably childish response.

Again, it’s your right to have that view, but I’m just getting tired of people saying let’s just wait an eternity to judge, when this message board thrives on discussion.

No discussion, no message board.

[Goozburger]

Just now, K-Hod said:

Again, it’s your right to have that view, but I’m just getting tired of people saying let’s just wait an eternity to judge, when this message board thrives on discussion.

No discussion, no message board.

Then perhaps a message board isn't for you if you can't handle other people that are of the opinion that we should be patient. How about letting the discussion unfold instead of dictating how it should.

[Hasta]

17 minutes ago, Goozburger said:

For a few months at the start, certainly, but that was followed by a good month or two of really poor performances and results. It seems to be selectively forgotten due to the chaos above his head. He won't have that luxury at Derby.

Which also perfectly coincided with losing Travis and having no replacement as the squad was wafer thin. We then lost Baker and replaced those two with a guy who couldn’t get in bottom placed Plymouth’s team.

Ismael will hit the same problems during the season, let’s hope he has points in the bank by then.

[RevidgeBlue]

17 minutes ago, Goozburger said:

Then perhaps a message board isn't for you if you can't handle other people that are of the opinion that we should be patient. How about letting the discussion unfold instead of dictating how it should.

There's no problem with people having completely differing views on a message board, thats what it's all about,  but your problem appears to be you can't be civil to those who dont have the same point of view as you.

[RevidgeBlue]

On Ismael - he gives me Jim Iley vibes. Always has.

The guy absolutely no-one wanted before he was appointed, and performing accordingly.

[K-Hod]

29 minutes ago, Goozburger said:

Then perhaps a message board isn't for you if you can't handle other people that are of the opinion that we should be patient. How about letting the discussion unfold instead of dictating how it should.

That’s what you’re doing to be fair. ‘Judge him after x amount of games’.

So, no discussion in the meantime? 
T-Minus 90 days until we can discuss how we think Ismaël is doing, Goozburger said so.

Just as you’ve the right to think we should be patient, other people have the same right to think we can give a view on him now.
He’s been here what, 7 months now?

[JHRover]

58 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

A model he’d have been aware of when he joined.

I'm not sure he would, certainly the installation of Gestede (no track record or experience) by persons unknown happened 2-3 months after Eustace arrived. When Eustace got the job officially Broughton was still Director of Football yet appears to have been a lame duck from January 2024 onwards and by most accounts Waggott was the one who gave Eustace the job. 

It's little wonder we are the shambles we are when you look at the number of different people and jobs there have been making decisions. Even in the last 18 months we've had Waggott, Pasha, Gestede, Broughton, JDT, Eustace and Ismael all applying their own thoughts and plans, and probably others in the background we don't get to know about.

I don't think it is much of a stretch to imagine Eustace was told one thing when he joined in February 2024 and by the summer with Gestede in the driving seat something completely different was being pursued.

Agree he will have known before he took the job what a shambles the club was and the ferocious appetite it had for cost cutting.

[Goozburger]

7 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

That’s what you’re doing to be fair. ‘Judge him after x amount of games’.

So, no discussion in the meantime? 
T-Minus 90 days until we can discuss how we think Ismaël is doing, Goozburger said so.

Just as you’ve the right to think we should be patient, other people have the same right to think we can give a view on him now.
He’s been here what, 7 months now?

I posted my opinion. I'm not telling you what to do if that's how it came across. I think it's daft to take an opinion as an instruction. Take it lightly. They are just my thoughts.

[RevidgeBlue]

5 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

That’s what you’re doing to be fair. ‘Judge him after x amount of games’.

So, no discussion in the meantime? 
T-Minus 90 days until we can discuss how we think Ismaël is doing, Goozburger said so.

Just as you’ve the right to think we should be patient, other people have the same right to think we can give a view on him now.
He’s been here what, 7 months now?

Then if we get to November/December and we're struggling it'll be - "it's OK, let's see who we sign in January" then if we bring a few in it'll be "They need a bit of time to gel" as well.

[Tomphil2]

After an horrific start which could partly be put down to some players sulking he turned it round and did well, with Eustaces team.

He is now being judged on his own team which is perfectly normal and he does have the excuse of needing to gel however they gelled alright last week then the same side looked shite for 45 mins 7 days later.

So he's being judged accordingly imo and to be fair he hooked the worst of the lot at half time. It;'s where we go now that matters does he revert back to that starting line up again or shake it up.

And how does he integrate the new attackers ?

His biggest test is just beginning.

[Waggy76]

1 hour ago, lraC said:

How were they dead rubbers? We won both and had we gone on to win the last game, it was good enough for a play off spot. 

They were dead rubbers for our opponents couldn't ask for 2 better teams to play .

Out of nowhere we won a few games at the end of the season , a strange set off results gave us a chance on the last day.

 

 

 

 

[Goozburger]

51 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Then if we get to November/December and we're struggling it'll be - "it's OK, let's see who we sign in January" then if we bring a few in it'll be "They need a bit of time to gel" as well.

I'll give Ismael a month or so after the international break to steady things. I don't think it's unfair to say he's had a toxic situation to deal with this summer. However, as football goes, he won't be afforded too much longer than that.

[MarkBRFC]

Just now, Goozburger said:

However, as football goes, he won't be afforded too much longer than that.

He will be here as long as he wants to be unfortunately.

Results dont matter.

[RevidgeBlue]

16 minutes ago, Goozburger said:

I'll give Ismael a month or so after the international break to steady things. I don't think it's unfair to say he's had a toxic situation to deal with this summer. However, as football goes, he won't be afforded too much longer than that.

That's pretty fair.

Unfortunately though, as Mark says, I dont know how we'll be able to afford to sack him if he continues to bomb.

Edit: Even if we wanted to.

Edited 2 hours ago by RevidgeBlue

[Goozburger]

1 minute ago, RevidgeBlue said:

That's pretty fair.

Unfortunately though, as Mark says, I dont know how we'll be able to afford to sack him if he continues to bomb.

After Christmas he'll have 2.5 years left on his contract. The figures I read are that it's about £500k per year. It's not a colossal amount to pay up, and I think they are often less than that with mutual consents, aren't they?

Well, we're not at that stage just yet. I'm an optimist, and we'll get better.

[chaddyrovers]

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

I'm not sure he would, certainly the installation of Gestede (no track record or experience) by persons unknown happened 2-3 months after Eustace arrived. When Eustace got the job officially Broughton was still Director of Football yet appears to have been a lame duck from January 2024 onwards and by most accounts Waggott was the one who gave Eustace the job. 

It's little wonder we are the shambles we are when you look at the number of different people and jobs there have been making decisions. Even in the last 18 months we've had Waggott, Pasha, Gestede, Broughton, JDT, Eustace and Ismael all applying their own thoughts and plans, and probably others in the background we don't get to know about.

I don't think it is much of a stretch to imagine Eustace was told one thing when he joined in February 2024 and by the summer with Gestede in the driving seat something completely different was being pursued.

Agree he will have known before he took the job what a shambles the club was and the ferocious appetite it had for cost cutting.

Waggott did appointed Eustace 

[JHRover]

11 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Waggott did appointed Eustace 

Right. So that February 2024. At the time Gregg Broughton was Director of Football and it was another 3 months before he left.

Around that time Rudy Gestede, fresh off the back of a playing career, was 'shadowing' Waggott by following him to meetings etc. allegedly with a view to him pursuing a future role in football senior management. 

Broughton, a bloke employed to run the football operation and presumably the 'knowledge' at the club (to be fair he quickly got us JDT in his first act at the club which in my opinion is the best managerial decision made at this club since 2004) is ignored/sidelined by Waggott, and then within 3 months of appointing Eustace we have Gestede taking up the role of 'Head of'.

You think all this is normal, logical, conducive to anything other than total chaos at the club?