Valérien Ismaël: Blackburn Rovers Head Coach

[RevidgeBlue]

1 hour ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

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

Terrible comparison. Alf knew the system he wanted to play in advance and chose his players to suit the system. He merely swapped Hurst for Greaves.

Vi started with a system which didn't work and was forced into a change of system due to injury.

Doesn't really matter if we keep winning using the new system however though.

[M_B]

3 hours ago, roverblue said:

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?

I've no idea what he was thinking. Any manager needs to adapt to losing any player, would City play the same without Haaland? Would any win without Haaland mean that Pep would have stumbled upon a way of playing ?

The signing of De Neve and Alebiosu would suggest that wing backs were always on the cards. The return of Wharton will also have made it more of a possibility. 

To win the last 3 under the circumstances to me says more about Ismael's footballing acumen than luck. 

[StHelensRover]

1 hour ago, M_B said:

I've no idea what he was thinking. Any manager needs to adapt to losing any player, would City play the same without Haaland? Would any win without Haaland mean that Pep would have stumbled upon a way of playing ?

The signing of De Neve and Alebiosu would suggest that wing backs were always on the cards. The return of Wharton will also have made it more of a possibility. 

To win the last 3 under the circumstances to me says more about Ismael's footballing acumen than luck. 

I prefer to look at his 13-14 year managerial record when deciding on his footballing acumen. He got in to playoffs during the covid season with Barnsley and got into the playoffs in German regional football about 13 years ago. That's all he has achieved. During that time he's had more clubs than Tiger Woods.

 

Edit - sorry. sounds like I'm being an arse with you there when I read it back. Basically, I made my mind up about him before we ever appointed him, I never wanted him, have struggled to warm to him, see him as a journeyman and average at best. I haven't booed or jeered him at Ewood like some parts of the fan base, but I don't think he'll ever get us anywhere. Would love to end up with egg on my face but I won't.

Edited Wednesday at 21:40 by StHelensRover

[M_B]

16 minutes ago, StHelensRover said:

I prefer to look at his 13-14 year managerial record when deciding on his footballing acumen. He got in to playoffs during the covid season with Barnsley and got into the playoffs in German regional football about 13 years ago. That's all he has achieved. During that time he's had more clubs than Tiger Woods.

 

Edit - sorry. sounds like I'm being an arse with you there when I read it back. Basically, I made my mind up about him before we ever appointed him, I never wanted him, have struggled to warm to him, see him as a journeyman and average at best. I haven't booed or jeered him at Ewood like some parts of the fan base, but I don't think he'll ever get us anywhere. Would love to end up with egg on my face but I won't.

To me it's pointless getting rid of him cos whoever Gestede appoints won't be wanted.

I'm prepared to see how we go. For now at least there's no doubt the players are with him. 

[Mattyblue]

Why would whoever he appoints not be wanted? I dont recall VI being a universally disliked appointment, just the results up to a week and a half ago…

[Cuppliance]

Sorry if this has already been discussed, but I heard from a friend that Ishmael refused to shake the hand of the Bristol City manager?

[arbitro]

27 minutes ago, Cuppliance said:

Sorry if this has already been discussed, but I heard from a friend that Ishmael refused to shake the hand of the Bristol City manager?

I think this is why.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/disgrace-valerien-ismael-fumes-bristol-143000704.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACqKvZdSiVEs67D2E2VXxkt_2FkZzCIBKHO4BPw2qHzNWZlpwM1CDo6ZEFhLD3zFmauj6LSgpQGSPmb0KBENsxBHSdx-yF0sv8npLFJiMHv15IicnAbFC9Oa1W4Vb0LwTeLXaj6-CljvrJmfWvmylRer4huvBL9Db2ICWY7tN8QQ

There did seem to be a minor altercation in the technical area but it looked to me like it was Dean Whitehead getting involved with Struber.

[Polky]

 

[chaddyrovers]

@roversfan99 as I said I would post my opinion on Ismael and whether we should sack him or back him? 

I would back him, players are clearly playing for him, he has shown adaptability in formation and we just won 3 games in the last 4 games

Edited 13 hours ago by chaddyrovers

[Mattyblue]

Waits till we win some games, really put your neck on the like there.

[John]

Getting tired of the pre / post match mention on “young players” and “in transition” - we don’t need to keep hearing about it every time we lose. 

[Mattyblue]

Been hearing it for years, never quite sure what we are transitioning to apart from cutting costs and the lower leagues.

[JHRover]

We can all throw figures around. 3 wins in 4 yes. 3 wins in 13 home games. 1 win in 7 home games. 5 defeats in 7 home games. 19th in the table. 

The 'players are playing for him' doesn't really interest me - it's a results business and if they aren't up to scratch then 'playing for him' doesn't really compensate or help.

But remember that the ownership and management won't be concerned about results one way or the other. So we can chat all day long on here the only way Ismael gets the boot is if he turns the spotlight on Pune and their mate in the shadows.

[roversfan99]

52 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

@roversfan99 as I said I would post my opinion on Ismael and whether we should sack him or back him? 

I would back him, players are clearly playing for him, he has shown adaptability in formation and we just won 3 games in the last 4 games

Again, as mentioned above, you have waited until we have won games until committing to an answer.

Is there any jeopardy in your answer and would 19th in the table be below where you think we should be? Do you have any concern with him as manager?

[KentExile]

49 minutes ago, John said:

Getting tired of the pre / post match mention on “young players” and “in transition” - we don’t need to keep hearing about it every time we lose. 

But we will... its part of the model 😉 

[Dreyski]

On 07/11/2025 at 08:32, Polky said:

 

How long till that gets 'inadvertently' used for target practice?

[Gamst]

51 minutes ago, JHRover said:

We can all throw figures around. 3 wins in 4 yes. 3 wins in 13 home games. 1 win in 7 home games. 5 defeats in 7 home games. 19th in the table. 

The 'players are playing for him' doesn't really interest me - it's a results business and if they aren't up to scratch then 'playing for him' doesn't really compensate or help.

But remember that the ownership and management won't be concerned about results one way or the other. So we can chat all day long on here the only way Ismael gets the boot is if he turns the spotlight on Pune and their mate in the shadows.

Depends what the objective is. I would suggest avoiding relegation by any means possible would be a reasonable target for the season given the fairly pitiful squad our management have contrived to assemble. Based on that level of expectation VI is just about hitting his target and doing okay. Considering we spent the lions share of last season in promotion contention, survival being the realistic objective a few short months later is a damning indictment on Rudy/Pasha/Venkys and ‘the project’. 

[chaddyrovers]

9 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Again, as mentioned above, you have waited until we have won games until committing to an answer.

As ever, you never happy with the answer. 

I said I posted my opinion post Derby and I did. I kept my word..TBH, its pointless cos you are never satisfied with the answer. 

[Kjell]

Unfortunately, Val gets away far too easily with his excuses. He’s probably an okay, fairly average manager in some respects, but he also has certain traits that are harder to accept.

In the first season, it was an endless lament about the injury situation — something he claimed he had never seen before. Fair enough, there were many injuries, and that’s frustrating.

What I find unbearable is that he then goes on with long speeches about how, once he’s had a proper pre-season with his training methods and, not least, signed players with the — according to him — right statistics, things will change.

Fast forward a few months, and here we are at the start of November with a weak, thin, and injury-ridden squad. And what does Ismael do? Well, he complains about the injury situation.

Not my manager!

[MarkBRFC]

Anyone who plays Ryan Hedges at centre half shouldn't be taken seriously ever again.

Rubbish this bloke.

[wilsdenrover]

35 minutes ago, MarkBRFC said:

Anyone who plays Ryan Hedges at centre half shouldn't be taken seriously ever again.

Rubbish this bloke.

Neither should anyone who didn’t quit after the shit show of the summer transfer window.

[MarkBRFC]

8 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

Neither should anyone who didn’t quit after the shit show of the summer transfer window.

Don't blame him for not quitting.

Easy money working for this lot when you accept anything they want you to do, and let's face it he isn't getting another gig at this level after this.

[RevidgeBlue]

15 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

Neither should anyone who didn’t quit after the shit show of the summer transfer window.

He's never quitting, he seems full square on behind the "transition".

[RevidgeBlue]

52 minutes ago, MarkBRFC said:

Anyone who plays Ryan Hedges at centre half shouldn't be taken seriously ever again.

Rubbish this bloke.

It's not quite in the category of putting Sam Gallagher on at RB then hooking him again 20 mins later but it's not good.

What must the young CB's at the Club think when they see stuff like this happening? 

Wonder if they're in line for a hefty pay increase if they make a senior appearance?

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Part of the project..he's their ideal man in situ.