Valérien Ismaël: Blackburn Rovers Head Coach

[philipl]

9 hours ago, bobbybrfc said:

Doesn't have the same playing career but I do think VI has shades of Souness in terms of character and how he comes across in his interviews

Not a legendary player in the Souness mold but looking at his Wiki entry, not too shabby either- 

 A centre-back, Ismaël played for Strasbourg, Crystal Palace, Lens, Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich and Hannover 96. As a player, he won the Coupe de France, the Coupe de la Ligue twice, the Bundesliga twice, as well as the DFB-Pokal on two occasions. 

[Ossydave]

There's been some very disjointed performances this season, heads have been down and I'll openly admit I've questioned if the players liked VI or indeed understood what he's trying to do. Otherwise happy looking players have looked miserable as sin.

In hindsight maybe they just care and don't like losing though?

He doesn't really come across as a likeable person, but you don't always have to be to be a successful manager. Yesterday they looked like they were playing for him for sure, hopefully a couple of wins breeds more confidence. I have to say though, our last 2 opponents have looked like teams with managers on their way out, so it's no surprise Still has been binned off tonight. Like us, Bristol appear to have played struggling teams at the right time recently but came a right cropper at weekend so it'll be interesting to see how it pans out on Tuesday. 

 

[RevidgeBlue]

Feast or famine with this fella.

Seven points from ten games then nine points from three.

Im still far from convinced but odd how he's now managed to pull out a consecutive run of victories twice when the situation looked absolutely untenable on both occasions.

[DE.]

Might be a streaky manager rather than a particularly good or bad one, but considering he's been given a team of mostly cheap replacements this season it's difficult to fault him too much at present. Can't help but think we'd be up there in the top six at the moment if we'd kept Eustace and renewed the contracts he'd wanted renewed, though. With the parachute clubs struggling to get to grips with the league, it's wide open this season. 

Ah who am I kidding, with Venky's at the helm they'd have found a way to torpedo our chances regardless. Maybe with the usual January special. 

[StHelensRover]

I'm still unconvinced by him.

As pleased as I am with 3 wins in a row, they still haven't passed the eye test for the long term. We were very lucky against Southampton and we snuck in front at Leicester and it then got very toxic which really helped us. Tonight was a shite game of football and I'm glad we managed to just about shithouse it. To a neutral who hasn't watched any of our games, it will sound like we're flying, I think we can see we're not. Let's just get to 50 points however we do it.

[47er]

I was as critical as most at Ismael early on but we can't deny that the lads are playing for him.

Whether he has the resources for a whole season is a different matter. The games come thick and fast in this League.

[Ossydave]

7 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Feast or famine with this fella.

Seven points from ten games then nine points from three.

Im still far from convinced but odd how he's now managed to pull out a consecutive run of victories twice when the situation looked absolutely untenable on both occasions.

The formation is helping and we look more potent going forward for sure.

However, as more games pass the opposition become more and more wise to things like this. Second half last night a classic example, Alebiosu totally nullified. In a few more games time every team will do the same, VI needs to have plan B and C lined up or we will struggle again. 

[BankEnd Rover]

We are now 4th in the table re XG...I'm, like many, not keen on this manager but fair play to him, we are creating chances and, according to stats, deserve to be winning games. 

Edited 8 hours ago by BankEnd Rover

[roverblue]

Agree with others in that since a move to 3 at the back we look much more comfortable and he seems to have stumbled into his best formation rather than it being by design.

However 3 wins on the bounce has given me hope we will at least put up a fight to stay in the league as it looked like we were going out with a whimper 2 weeks ago.

Outside of this managerial ability the squad at his disposal is as poor as it's been in years so when the injuries bite it could quickly go downhill again.

[Mattyblue]

Seven games between the 21st November and the 13th December will be the tester of the resilience of the squad... and that's before the standard new year meltdown.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Jury still out for me.Cant quite get my Head around these series of losses and then we go on a winning streak..strange to say the least!

[davulsukur]

He's a streaky manager. We'll go 4/5 unbeaten, followed by 4/5 losses.

I don't think he'll ever be classed as a good manager for us, we'll just plod around mid-lower table.

[47er]

11 minutes ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Jury still out for me.Cant quite get my Head around these series of losses and then we go on a winning streak..strange to say the least!

Well its hardly a new thing for us is it?

[Waggy76]

1 hour ago, roverblue said:

Agree with others in that since a move to 3 at the back we look much more comfortable and he seems to have stumbled into his best formation rather than it being by design.

However 3 wins on the bounce has given me hope we will at least put up a fight to stay in the league as it looked like we were going out with a whimper 2 weeks ago.

Outside of this managerial ability the squad at his disposal is as poor as it's been in years so when the injuries bite it could quickly go downhill again.

The squad is very poor and injuries will really hamper us but from what I have seen this season , the league is piss poor probably as bad as I have ever seen it !

[jim mk2]

4 hours ago, Ossydave said:

The formation is helping and we look more potent going forward for sure.

However, as more games pass the opposition become more and more wise to things like this. Second half last night a classic example, Alebiosu totally nullified. In a few more games time every team will do the same, VI needs to have plan B and C lined up or we will struggle again. 

 

Good post. Nothing is secret the digital era - teams are studied for threats and weaknesses and managers will have been looking at how we've managed to win 3 in a row and act accordingly. Watch what Eustace does on Saturday

Important that Cantwell comes back

[philipl]

4 hours ago, Ossydave said:

The formation is helping and we look more potent going forward for sure.

However, as more games pass the opposition become more and more wise to things like this. Second half last night a classic example, Alebiosu totally nullified. In a few more games time every team will do the same, VI needs to have plan B and C lined up or we will struggle again. 

From 13 minutes- they see plans B, C and D from VI which completely bemused Cifuentes.

[norwichblue]

4 hours ago, BankEnd Rover said:

We are now 4th in the table re XG...I'm, like many, not keen on this manager but fair play to him, we are creating chances and, according to stats, deserve to be winning games. 

This is it. We have lost all these games, but Charlton and 2nd half of Sheff Utd aside, I think we’ve looked pretty good really.

We’d be towards the top of the table with better refs (a few clear cut pens denied), less rain, and a better chance conversion.

I backed us for top 6 when the odds mooned up, purely based on statistics and the eye test. Probably money in the bin but felt like positive expected value there.

[M_B]

4 hours ago, roverblue said:

Agree with others in that since a move to 3 at the back we look much more comfortable and he seems to have stumbled into his best formation rather than it being by design.

However 3 wins on the bounce has given me hope we will at least put up a fight to stay in the league as it looked like we were going out with a whimper 2 weeks ago.

Outside of this managerial ability the squad at his disposal is as poor as it's been in years so when the injuries bite it could quickly go downhill again.

Not keen on the "stumbled" opinion to be honest.

Kevin Gallagher said the same about Mowbray when we went on a good run, rather  than hold his hand up  give credit where it was due.

It's like putting a win down to luck. 

[arbitro]

We have taken more points in the last three games than we had in the previous ten games.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, M_B said:

Not keen on the "stumbled" opinion to be honest.

Kevin Gallagher said the same about Mowbray when we went on a good run, rather  than hold his hand up  give credit where it was due.

It's like putting a win down to luck. 

But would Ismael have changed the system if the Cantwell injury hadn’t have forced his hand ?

[Exiled_Rover]

15 hours ago, StHelensRover said:

I'm still unconvinced by him.

As pleased as I am with 3 wins in a row, they still haven't passed the eye test for the long term. We were very lucky against Southampton and we snuck in front at Leicester and it then got very toxic which really helped us. Tonight was a shite game of football and I'm glad we managed to just about shithouse it. To a neutral who hasn't watched any of our games, it will sound like we're flying, I think we can see we're not. Let's just get to 50 points however we do it.

0 shots on target by the opposition last night. 1 goal conceded in the last 3 (5 scored).

It's clearly a team growing together - and one that was desperately unlucky earlier in the season. 

[Mashed Potatoes]

20 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

But would Ismael have changed the system if the Cantwell injury hadn’t have forced his hand ?

Would Alf Ramsey have selected Hurst if Greaves injury had not forced his hand ?

[joey_big_nose]

17 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

0 shots on target by the opposition last night. 1 goal conceded in the last 3 (5 scored).

It's clearly a team growing together - and one that was desperately unlucky earlier in the season. 

Footballs all about having a good plan to generate chances that is hard to counter, and a good plan to limit the opposition.

We seem to have landed on both at once which is rare. Even when we were doing well with JDT it was built on pushing a lot of players forward and leaving ourselves exposed. Its very pleasing to see us able to create without weakening ourselves defensively.

Putting myself in Eustaces shoes its hard to figure out what to do to hurt us with the starting XI yesterday. Theres not an obvious way to find opportunities. But with Toth and Wharton out it opens up playing it long down our left and seeing how Pickering or Riberio who dont have the aeriel ability of centre backs cope. Also Tronstad being out could opens up the space in front of our cbs.

[M_B]

44 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

But would Ismael have changed the system if the Cantwell injury hadn’t have forced his hand ?

No idea, does it matter? 

Was he going to change it anyway? I'm not bothered either way to be honest, it's turned out well up to now.  

[roverblue]

2 hours ago, M_B said:

Not keen on the "stumbled" opinion to be honest.

Kevin Gallagher said the same about Mowbray when we went on a good run, rather  than hold his hand up  give credit where it was due.

It's like putting a win down to luck. 

You think he always planned to play a back 3 and 2 up front but was just waiting all this time for Cantwell to get injured to deploy it?