Kjell

I agree. I'd say our most significant issue is the owner, followed closely by the bastard symbiosis called Pasha Gestede. However, as Eustace demonstrated, fostering a sense of unity and involving good people in daily training sessions (with some sent on scouting missions🫢) can enable a fairly average team to overperform. When I did due diligence on Ismael on his arrival, the most worrying parts for me were his player management, reports about arrogance and poor/inflexible game management, etc. For me, playing style is irrelevant (though I understand it matters to others), what matters is Rovers winning. I guess it would - unfortunately - only be speculation as to whether Ismael will be a success if Gestede and Pasha are removed. Bring in a proper CEO and 5-6 proven championship-experienced players in January, and we might have a chance. For me: pay up and bring Big Sam back. First, survival, and then two years of backing, with below-average championship spending, and we would be back in the PL. And yes, I know it's never going to happen.

"I'm concerned about the results, not about the performance. It was another great performance." Ok. If Ismael starts distorting reality like that traitor Steve Kean this could get ugly. Tonight was an abysmal performance and we are by far the worst team to play at Ewood this season. Sheffield United was total crap, and still miles better.

Yup, and TGH assaulted a couple of their players and didn't get sent off.

I believe it is more down to the individuals making up the staff. I have zero confidence in this guy being assigned the task of uplifting the spirits at the camp for the Southampton match (or any other match...).

Alternatively, it tells us what Gueye thinks of the manager!

Eustace wanted to sign Thomas-Assante. Rudy wanted to sign Kargbo, Forshaw and Dennis. As we all know the snakes are still in control of our club.

As we have been told, we have recruited exceptionally well, and we are extremely flexible - or, in the words of Ismael, it's "just as we expected." We are not dependent on anyone, and when both Alebiosu and Miller are out, we'll play TGH in both right wing back and right center back, and Tavares will be both a number six and a number eight. "All the stats are there, and when you look at the numbers, it's actually very good. Just as we expected". The league table will also be much more "aligned".

Ismael 4th Sept 2025: "I know there were a lot of questions about our centre-back and why we lost one. But we knew, or I knew, that with Hayden, Scott, Lewis and Sean, we were really, really strong in that position." Do you still think the same, 19th Oct 2025, Valerien? Managed decline, combined with outright stupidity, has never really been a formula for success.

I do not disagree regarding the real problem, but Ismael seems more 'aligned' with that problem than his two predecessors.

Yes, and our hope for survival is steadily diminishing as we have lost more games than we have won and drawn combined.

What's his loss percentage?

Our current situation is a direct result of the disgraceful actions of Rudy Gestede. He is just as detrimental to this club as Jerome Anderson was. It’s time for him to go. We also need to have a competent Championship CEO in place well before the January transfer window. To achieve our short-term goal of survival, we need to bring in at least 4 to 5 experienced players..

We need a new manager and 5-6 new players with Championship experience in January.

Nope. Managed decline.

I read it as: 'never chase a lost ball' - but I guess that is only football reimagined as Karg-ball.

Since he now has both a flat and a car and knows the language, Ismael has chosen to drop him since he is also obviously crap.

I have struggled a bit to see how Ismael wants us to play, maybe especially what I thought was supposed to be a high press – or at least high intensity – has shown itself to a very small degree. Then we’re kind of somewhat organized at the back – until we aren’t. We’re not particularly direct, we’re not particularly physical, and the new players (apart from Alebiosu) don’t seem to have very clear basic skills or standout strengths. I really haven’t found a better description than the one a Watford fan gave to LT back when Ismael was appointed (not entirely sure on the possesion bit): "We were quite dour, not negative but we would tend to spend a lot of the first half shadow boxing to see what the other team had. They weren't playing by the same rules so often we'd be a goal down before we knew what happened. He was very safety first, massively into possession." https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/24964221.blackburn-rovers-lowdown-valerien-ismael-watford-spell/ If Stoke comes out with high intensity in the first 10-15 minutes, I could easily see us going down 0-2. At that point, Ismael will need to decide whether to bring in De Neve, Kargbo, or Henrikson to turn our fortunes around.

Much higher up? As sky-high as Rudy and Suhail? F**k sake. They even set up an unofficial Twitter account from inside the club to control the narrative during the summer. Wake up!

Is Ismael aligned with the club line, or not?

Yes, since Ismael is now showing such a heartfelt commitment to social issues, perhaps it’s about time he champions the importance of a free press.

For the last 15 years, the club has been held hostage by some very bad people. Supporting the club means trying to free it from those forces. That's support and that's loyalty.

Fighters, not victims. Heard that phrase, Valerien?

Tonight's Rovers TV post-match interview with Ismael is horrible. He'll now start to put pressure on the new players. After the Charlton game, it was, according to the same Ismael, the wrong thing to do. Had he had a squad of senior players with championship credentials, they would turn against him now. "Thankfully", those players never received new contract offers/got sold.

Because he's 'aligned'.

Most of what needs to be said about this terrible match has already been said. Yesterday we saw just how misguided this theoretical (Football Manager) approach is – the idea that players can cover lots of different positions. Almost everyone has one position they are good at – and at best they can fill in elsewhere if there’s a crisis. But it shouldn’t be a crisis 7 or 8 games into the season. TGH has, among other things, said that he’s best as a central midfielder, and he was a pleasant surprise against Ipswich. Yesterday – a dreadful performance once he was shifted to right-back. Lewis Miller? He was extremely poor at centre-back, so why wasn’t he prioritized at right-back? Beyond just losing football matches, one might wonder if this is also affecting the confidence of new players who are trying to find their footing in a new league, at a higher level, etc. You have to give it another two or three games before passing judgment on Ismael. So far it’s been a bit mixed. But the squad is a real concern. And let me just add: Rudy out. Pasha out. Venkys out! To ban LT is an utter, utter disgrace.