Valérien Ismaël: Blackburn Rovers Head Coach

[Giant]

Ismael et al are blind to the fact that the players are full of mistakes, and the majority aren’t good enough to play at this level, so the default position is to blame others such as the referee, the EFL and the Telegragh etc.

[Kjell]

Fighters, not victims. Heard that phrase, Valerien?

[arbitro]

If there was anything about Ismael he would be using the decisions that have gone against us this season into a siege mentality making us horrible to play against by taking a leaf out of Nathan Jones' book. Push the boundaries with the match officials and the laws.

However I don't think he nous or football intelligence to do this.

[lraC]

2 hours ago, Giant said:

Ismael et al are blind to the fact that the players are full of mistakes, and the majority aren’t good enough to play at this level, so the default position is to blame others such as the referee, the EFL and the Telegragh etc.

He is not blind to it, he has simply accepted that the signings were big risks and highly likely to fail. 

I cannot feel sorry for someone, who has just sat back and accepted that, as he is as much to blame as the other two stooges and the owners.

[davulsukur]

21 minutes ago, lraC said:

He is not blind to it, he has simply accepted that the signings were big risks and highly likely to fail. 

I cannot feel sorry for someone, who has just sat back and accepted that, as he is as much to blame as the other two stooges and the owners.

Correct. He could have walked 10mins after Hyam was sold and no one would have blamed him. 

Reality is, he is a poor manager and it's unlikely his next job will be anywhere decent, he's a busted flush at this level. So he'll be happy to collect his wages for 3 more years.

[lraC]

3 hours ago, arbitro said:

Ismael being sacked is a fanciful notion but it isn't going to happen.

He is one of the Holy Trinity and just about wedded to the other two as you can be.

There is little doubt about that and I think his excuses and games of passing the buck, are simply to try to keep some fans onside and ensure, he at least has some people feeling sorry for him, even though the numbers seem to be dwindling.

[RoversClitheroe]

As I said when he first signed.

Barnsley fans didn't rate him.

People were excited - I absolutely dreaded this appointment.

Yet to be proven wrong on that unfounded initial euphoria from a lot of people who were so excited with his 1 season wonder in the COVID season.

[Hasta]

2 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

People were excited - I absolutely dreaded this appointment.

Yet to be proven wrong on that unfounded initial euphoria from a lot of people who were so excited with his 1 season wonder in the COVID season.

I dont recall many people being excited by his appointment other than the usual 2 or 3 suspects.

 

[DeeCee]

5 minutes ago, Hasta said:

I dont recall many people being excited by his appointment other than the usual 2 or 3 suspects.

 

On here, anyway.

[roversfan99]

11 hours ago, RoversClitheroe said:

As I said when he first signed.

Barnsley fans didn't rate him.

People were excited - I absolutely dreaded this appointment.

Yet to be proven wrong on that unfounded initial euphoria from a lot of people who were so excited with his 1 season wonder in the COVID season.

By Barnsley fans, do you mean that one mate who "played at a high level?"

He finished 5th which was a very, very impressive achievement considering the size of the club. Its very difficult not to rate that particular season, maybe theres some resentment that he left.

His career since has been a shit show, I dont think hes a good manager and that Barnsley season was a while a go and quite probably a one off. But I dont get this angle that he wasnt rated by the fans of a club where for once in his career, he actually did really well.

[jim mk2]

8 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

By Barnsley fans, do you mean that one mate who "played at a high level?"

He finished 5th which was a very, very impressive achievement considering the size of the club. Its very difficult not to rate that particular season, maybe theres some resentment that he left.

His career since has been a shit show, I dont think hes a good manager and that Barnsley season was a while a go and quite probably a one off. But I dont get this angle that he wasnt rated by the fans of a club where for once in his career, he actually did really well.

 

General consensus among Barnsley fans appears to be that Ismael benefited from the good work and foundations laid by the previous manager. That season was obviously an aberration - his managerial career is a litany of failure that somehow made him worthy of a 3.5 year contract at Ewood

[lraC]

4 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

 

General consensus among Barnsley fans appears to be that Ismael benefited from the good work and foundations laid by the previous manager. That season was obviously an aberration - his managerial career is a litany of failure that somehow made him worthy of a 3.5 year contract at Ewood

We have seen it before, pay rises and extended contracts and even a bonus paid if relegation happened built in, so ability and success don’t not matter.

Its jobs for the boys and this has not changed in 15 years, as this regime know, some will stay loyal to the club, no matter what they do.

[lraC]

This article describes the fans as being the last line of defence. Perhaps some should take note of that instead of blindly accepting their lot.

https://therealefl.co.uk/2025/07/16/blackburn-rovers-deserve-better-than-this-ownership-farce/

[Lancaster Rover]

I remember the first game at home against Norwich, passive press, possession without any real intent too much space between players, too much space through the middle when opposition attack. I sat through that first half where we made Duffy look like Beckenbaur and to be honest not a lot has changed since. VI is crap, his record is crap. 

[RoversClitheroe]

7 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

By Barnsley fans, do you mean that one mate who "played at a high level?"

He finished 5th which was a very, very impressive achievement considering the size of the club. Its very difficult not to rate that particular season, maybe theres some resentment that he left.

His career since has been a shit show, I dont think hes a good manager and that Barnsley season was a while a go and quite probably a one off. But I dont get this angle that he wasnt rated by the fans of a club where for once in his career, he actually did really well.

As I have said. It was a COVID season.

Pure luck

[TheKitGuy]

I reckon they'll get him gone around mid January, won't have a manager for deadline day so no deals will be done etc, and then we will bring Derek Adams in or someone of that ilk. 

[Tomphil2]

I wouldn't be complaining if he was replaced by something a bit more inspiring but at the same time if he was actually sacked and walked away with a two year pay off i'd be saying something really stinks again here.

[roversfan99]

9 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

 

General consensus among Barnsley fans appears to be that Ismael benefited from the good work and foundations laid by the previous manager. That season was obviously an aberration - his managerial career is a litany of failure that somehow made him worthy of a 3.5 year contract at Ewood

But he still then still finish 5th, they finished 21st the season before. So even if some foundations were in place, he did very well in his season there.

I totally agree that it is very much the exception to the rule in terms of his career and hes a crap manager but he had a good season.

1 hour ago, RoversClitheroe said:

As I have said. It was a COVID season.

Pure luck

Did they flip a coin for every result that year?

He did really well at Barnsley. Dont have to pretend he didnt to justify the opinion that hes a poor manager. Coyle did a good job at Burnley and hes even worse.

[TimmyJimmy]

Stick Max Verstappen behind the wheel of a Trabant GT Turbo and what will happen?

The vehicle can be hyped up and badged up but get it on the track and it doesn't matter who's driving it, you're going to have a bad day.

Rovers is business not a football club. A badly run business with a crazy strategy. That's the problem.

Money comes in, various people touch it, money goes out. The balance sheet shows ever escalating debt, the P&L shows eye watering annual loses. How or why we are in business is a mystery to me.

Buy cheap 'prospects', pay them peanuts, sell for a profit. If successful you defray the losses and the circus continues.

This has zero to do with sucess on the field and you know, actually winning something,  which is the main reason fans actually pay their hard earned money to support a club. Wining something isn't a conversation that's been heard in the Rovers boardroom for decades.

VI is what VI is, neither the world's best nor worst manager. In my opinion he's OK. The club and players on the other hand are not.  He will fail because there's no opportunity for him to succeed. The club is a joke and has been since the day the Venkys took over.

Money flows through this club like water. Where it comes from, who touches it,  where it goes to and why no one knows. What we do know is that the football we play is not benefitted in any way at all.

Goid luck VI you're going to need it and right now even that's deserting you.

[lraC]

There are a lot of other factors to take into consideration, when appointing new manager, but for whatever reason, Rovers seem to have ignored the recent record of both Coyle and now Ismael.

Both, had a very poor record at all other clubs bar one, but the craziest thing with Ismael, is the length of the contract.

Who made that decision and what was the rationale? 

[47er]

1 minute ago, lraC said:

There are a lot of other factors to take into consideration, when appointing new manager, but for whatever reason, Rovers seem to have ignored the recent record of both Coyle and now Ismael.

Both, had a very poor record at all other clubs bar one, but the craziest thing with Ismael, is the length of the contract.

Who made that decision and what was the rationale? 

Cheap?

[G Somerset Rover]

10 minutes ago, lraC said:

There are a lot of other factors to take into consideration, when appointing new manager, but for whatever reason, Rovers seem to have ignored the recent record of both Coyle and now Ismael.

Both, had a very poor record at all other clubs bar one, but the craziest thing with Ismael, is the length of the contract.

Who made that decision and what was the rationale? 

Shame Gestede wasn’t pressed on this more by Radio Lancs etc, particularly when he slipped up in one interview saying the average championship manager tenure is much less (from memory he cited 12-18 months). As you say, what on earth warranted a 3.5 year deal.

IMO a combination of agents and jobs for the boys.

Edited 3 hours ago by G Somerset Rover

[KentExile]

11 minutes ago, lraC said:

There are a lot of other factors to take into consideration, when appointing new manager, but for whatever reason, Rovers seem to have ignored the recent record of both Coyle and now Ismael.

Both, had a very poor record at all other clubs bar one, but the craziest thing with Ismael, is the length of the contract.

Who made that decision and what was the rationale? 

 

9 minutes ago, 47er said:

Cheap?

I imagine the Rovers job selection criteria is much like a phone in auction, but in reverse, where out of work managers keep undercutting each other until all of the competition has dropped out of the race and we are left with a winner

No other consideration unless we just happen to have 2 or more guys who will work for the same low price

Edited 3 hours ago by KentExile

[Tomphil2]

10 minutes ago, 47er said:

Cheap?

And maybe heavily weighted to an expected pay off at some point.

Who drew it up and signed it off i'd like to know, are we back in Shaw/Berg territory here ?

Did it go over Waggots head and straight to the desk of the other fella and Gestede....

[RevidgeBlue]

58 minutes ago, KentExile said:

 

I imagine the Rovers job selection criteria is much like a phone in auction, but in reverse, where out of work managers keep undercutting each other until all of the competition has dropped out of the race and we are left with a winner

No other consideration unless we just happen to have 2 or more guys who will work for the same low price

Like when we ended up with Coyle instead of Warnock.