Valérien Ismaël: Blackburn Rovers Head Coach

[Lancaster Rover]

I said it after a couple of games that this season stinks of Owen Coyle season and I think I was wrong, this will get worse. Lots of positives, played well, etc. bollocks. Good teams win more matches than they lose, we lose considerably more than we win so draw your own conclusions 

[M_B]

1 hour ago, StHelensRover said:

Just heard his guff on radio lancs and I think I've heard enough from him now.

Banged on about how good we were in first half, said there was lots of positives to take from the game and a good mentality. No pushback against that really from BBC and then Kev Gallacher didn't really disagree too much either in his response to the interview. This fanbase is up against it this season. 

Don't know why anyone would argue that we played well first half to be honest. 

[JHRover]

After his failings at West Brom and Watford and with his CV he wouldn't have got such a job (or close to it) at any other club in the same division.

So we can add him to the list together with Kean, Berg, Singh, Agnew, Bowyer, Coyle, Mowbray, Waggott, Suhail and Gestede - none of whom would have got jobs elsewhere in the Championship and haven't since us (save for Mowbray having a few very short stints elsewhere after being here).

The trio at the top can reflect on having that in common - do they call this 'alignment'?

[JHRover]

1 hour ago, LDRover said:

 

There are imaginative leftfield appointments that can work in this league, not that any of the no-marks we have making the decisions would ever find them.

Indeed there are, and we got one of those in JDT (but only after Broughton delivered the curveball, before then we were looking at Duncan Ferguson).

But finding one of the leftfield appointments and it working well is only half the story - you've then got to harness it and build on it to try and let it blossom into something successful.

At the good ship Rovers the agenda was never to be successful or for it to get anywhere, so all efforts were geared towards undermining it and ensuring it fell to pieces.

Again, results a minor trivial issue in the equation. What was important was a willingness to tolerate the Venky shenanigans and not complain.

Now they've got their ideal man 'aligned' to their project:

• Won't complain or call them out in public
• Won't attract interest or offers from elsewhere
• Won't object to them offloading whichever players they fancy cashing in on
• Will agree to work with whatever randomers Gestede unearths

Such a man is worth his weight in gold to this regime, hence the 3 year contract. 

Again, results inconsequential to all this, so as long as he carries on doing as he's told and behaving himself he'll get to collect his wage and continue. 

[BRFC.]

29 minutes ago, StHelensRover said:

We went from someone who put man-management front and centre of his approach to someone who doesn't seem to give a toss about the players and will throw them under the bus at the first opportunity. His approach to last season was so awful that all our senior and experienced players left the club as quickly as they could, I'm convinced he is one of the reasons they were so keen to leave.

Including Callum Brittain who previously loved him at Barnsley but couldn’t wait to leave in the summer. Awful manager 

[Tomphil2]

42 minutes ago, Lancaster Rover said:

I said it after a couple of games that this season stinks of Owen Coyle season and I think I was wrong, this will get worse. Lots of positives, played well, etc. bollocks. Good teams win more matches than they lose, we lose considerably more than we win so draw your own conclusions 

I'd argue a Danny Graham and Charlie Mulgrew plus a Craig Conway and this squad would look a lot sounder.

Too many changes, no leaders and too many Championship mins gone, over night. I don't care who's in the dugout this kind of approach is a road to disaster for any one.

Having said that Ismael has shown very little if any nous beyond standard coaching manual predictable stuff. I think the players are playing for him but half of them aren't good enough.

[davulsukur]

The bloke has a worse win % (27.27), than K**n (28.38) and Paul Ince (28.57)

[StHelensRover]

26 minutes ago, Tomphil2 said:

Having said that Ismael has shown very little if any nous beyond standard coaching manual predictable stuff. I think the players are playing for him but half of them aren't good enough.

I agree, I think all the senior pros or lads with further ambition sussed him out last season, didn't like the look of how it was going to pan out, and found a way out of the club in the summer.

Many of the players who are still left are either journeymen, very young, or so below the standard required for this division that they're just happy to be here and playing at this level. They're not going to down tools or throw their toys out of the pram, they're onto a winner, even if the team isn't. Get beat, walk round the pitch and clap the fans, do a post on social media saying they'll try hard next game, rinse and repeat.

Edited 3 hours ago by StHelensRover

[lraC]

25 minutes ago, Tomphil2 said:

I'd argue a Danny Graham and Charlie Mulgrew plus a Craig Conway and this squad would look a lot sounder.

Too many changes, no leaders and too many Championship mins gone, over night. I don't care who's in the dugout this kind of approach is a road to disaster for any one.

Having said that Ismael has shown very little if any nous beyond standard coaching manual predictable stuff. I think the players are playing for him but half of them aren't good enough.

I agree half the players aren’t good enough, but the manager accepted them without question, so deserves what he is getting.

It will be a far worse win percentage by the time, they decide to pot him.

[...]

Gave him a chance to redeem, we lose to Sheff United he needs to go

[BRFC.]

59 minutes ago, StHelensRover said:

I agree, I think all the senior pros or lads with further ambition sussed him out last season, didn't like the look of how it was going to pan out, and found a way out of the club in the summer.

Many of the players who are still left are either journeymen, very young, or so below the standard required for this division that they're just happy to be here and playing at this level. They're not going to down tools or throw their toys out of the pram, they're onto a winner, even if the team isn't. Get beat, walk round the pitch and clap the fans, do a post on social media saying they'll try hard next game, rinse and repeat.

I’m surprised cantwell stayed in the summer to be honest. Probably be off in January 

[Gamst]

I don’t mind Val generally. I quite like his honesty and feel he comes across pretty well. My biggest issue with him is how he drinks the club kool-aid and this makes him complicit. I don’t think many managers would be able to perform under these restrictions and Val is either extremely confident in his own ability or just happy to accept a very decent salary. Somehow the club actually did manage to find two managers who were able to perform minor miracles despite the situation, but of course they soon wanted out when they worked out how rotten the club is. Val doesn’t appear to have what it takes, but that’s not really a big criticism as few could. Our squad is also a lot worse than what JDT and JE had to work with. Sacking him would only be rearranging the deck chairs on the HMS Venky. 

[BRFC.]

1 minute ago, Gamst said:

I don’t mind Val generally. I quite like his honesty and feel he comes across pretty well. My biggest issue with him is how he drinks the club kool-aid and this makes him complicit. I don’t think many managers would be able to perform under these restrictions and Val is either extremely confident in his own ability or just happy to accept a very decent salary. Somehow the club actually did manage to find two managers who were able to perform minor miracles despite the situation, but of course they soon wanted out when they worked out how rotten the club is. Val doesn’t appear to have what it takes, but that’s not really a big criticism as few could. Our squad is also a lot worse than what JDT and JE had to work with. Sacking him would only be rearranging the deck chairs on the HMS Venky. 

I don’t get it, how is he honest? He seemingly blames anyone but himself and has publicly called out players too. I dislike him and a very poor manager 

[Tomphil2]

He came in and agreed to work with one hand behind his back whilst toeing the company narrative at all times, on the strength of a 3 year contract.

They then, as they've done to most of the previous ones, tied on of his legs as well.

He nodded along so it's hard to have any sympathy for the man himself even if you accept he's on a hiding to nothing.

[John]

You need a solid coach or manager in the Championship, and you’ve got to know how to win ugly. The problem we’ve got is that Ismael’s track record doesn’t inspire much confidence.

[Leonard Venkhater]

45 minutes ago, Gamst said:

I don’t mind Val generally. I quite like his honesty and feel he comes across pretty well. My biggest issue with him is how he drinks the club kool-aid and this makes him complicit. I don’t think many managers would be able to perform under these restrictions and Val is either extremely confident in his own ability or just happy to accept a very decent salary. Somehow the club actually did manage to find two managers who were able to perform minor miracles despite the situation, but of course they soon wanted out when they worked out how rotten the club is. Val doesn’t appear to have what it takes, but that’s not really a big criticism as few could. Our squad is also a lot worse than what JDT and JE had to work with. Sacking him would only be rearranging the deck chairs on the HMS Venky. 

He is complicit. What does that say about his integrity?

 

[RevidgeBlue]

4 minutes ago, Leonard Venkhater said:

He is complicit. What does that say about his integrity?

 

100%.

Just as much to blame as the other two. Was also prepared to smear Travis in public as well to help ensure that that particular move went through

[Guy N. Cognito]

3 hours ago, JHRover said:

So we can add him to the list together with Kean, Berg, Singh, Agnew, Bowyer, Coyle, Mowbray, Waggott, Suhail and Gestede - none of whom would have got jobs elsewhere in the Championship and haven't since us (save for Mowbray having a few very short stints elsewhere after being here).

This is a key point. As much I want Suhail and Gestede kicked to the curb, it doesn't deal with the underlying issue.

First the remit was to get Kean & Anderson out, then Shaw, Agnew, Singh, Waggott etc... There comes a point where you have to accept that the more things change, the more they stay the same. There has been a conveyor belt of these clowns running through the club from the moment Venky's took over.

For as long as they own the club, they will keep employing impostors who can't believe their luck. Any professional with an ounce of integrity and self-respect doesn't last two seconds. Now and again we might accidentally stumble on a winning formula and put on a facade of normalcy... until the club realises we're doing too well and course-corrects into the iceberg. 

[Ghost7]

I'd have more sympathy had he been upset about the club pulling the rug from under him with the sale of Hyam.

The board downgraded our defence majorly at nearly every opportunity and the manager pretended he was pleased, without any pressure on those above him to do more for him. The summer should have started with a top centre back coming in. We were linked to a few ambitious ones (probably falsely) and they never happened as per usual.

We now have a Hull 3rd choice, playing alongside a RB at CB or Scott Wharton (who previously wasn't getting in the side) - this is the reality; they are either making mistakes or can't manage the workload and the result is a new pairing each week or month.

The fans knew Carter and Wharton couldn't play regularly once a week - and even if they could play 90 minutes twice a week, which they need to be able to, I still sensibly questioned in pre-season - were they good enough. Are they? Really? Compared to the rest of the league? I have my doubts. Decent backups...  but now nearly all our centre back pairings feel like backups.

Gestede, Ismael and Pasha all have to go. Ideally starting with Gestede and Pasha but none are fit for their respective jobs.

The minute we ignored spending solid money on a proven striker and a high quality centre back, combined with recklessly selling Hyam - we were doomed. Dolan was never replaced and we instead loaded up on attacking central midfielders - when our best player plays there (Cantwell)... bizarre strategy since we were clearly weak on the wings, needed to replace Dolan and upgrade Cozier-Dubbery and Hedges, adding to that being short of a proven goalscorer and needing more quality in central defence.....

Now piece in the Moussa Baradji transfer (for a fee!) and tell me where that fit into a strategy to start the season strongly? It didn't. There was none. Naivety and arrogance led by Gestede. Further to that they bragged about ignoring the loan market, something that has arguably kept us in the league many times in the past.

The fact we're now even more reliant on Ryan Hedges tells you all you need to know about our summer recruitment. It's that poor our manager has no idea what his best XI is (understandably difficult when the majority haven't played at this level)... and we can't see where the goals are coming from in any front 3 combination, that simply can't shoot with conviction at goal or beat a man - how was that not showing up in the pre-season data? Yet a need for an injured Moussa Baradji was - along with Henriksson both as competition for Cantwell?

Underfunded and not taking the league seriously enough is the theme in the departments that matter most behind the scenes at Rovers.

A low wage cap will never work in the Championship if you plan on winning games but yes it will get you relegated - you get what you pay for - other teams have goals and we aren't getting any. The irony is we're over reliant on the one man (Cantwell) that costs more per week than what Pasha is willing to spend.

The board, the owners, the agencies and the current manager have all got to go.

We are going down and deservedly so for how the club has chosen to operate and hire.