The lad is going to the very top. And that £18m fee looks more and more like our pants were pulled down. Palace really took advantage of our bad financial situation (fair play to them) and we're going to continue to regret pushing him out of the door more and more a his career rockets.

I don't really want him to change an awful lot with regards to the defence (keeper aside, Pears/Toth neither are great) but I really hope he tries something with the attack. The starting attack of Hedges, Weimann and Dolan was a borderline insult. Hopefully Cantwell & Ohashi are back so there are a couple of other options at least.

Agreed. Deffo a good player on his day but he must be so far behind in terms of match fitness/sharpness it was always going to take ages to back to his top level. Testament to how poor the guys at the top are that not only did they push through this deal when there must have been some red flags raised but they hailed it as a significant investment. He did get 30mins against Swansea (with 0 impact) but was left on the bench against both WBA and Plymouth. Like you say, running out of games now, he might be the difference towards the end of the season or, if we get there, in a playoff game. If we fall out of the playoff places and he plays a couple of dead rubbers at the end of the season, it's been a total waste of high wages and he'll back at Forest shortly after.

Something doesn't add up.... ....it'll be this 👆

He's looking like a significant waste of space, rather than a "significant investment" as the club tried to claim.

*Michael Appleton has entered The Octagon *

Eustace would have wanted a payrise. Ismael has taken a lower wage for longer.

Officially confirmed by the club

Sky now reporting

I think it would be crazy to switch to a back 3 with only 12 games to go. We've toyed with a back 3 under Mowbray and JDT at times and it rarely works out. Never really been a fan of a back 3, especially when you're looking at lesser teams. When you're a Man City (at their peak) or a Barca, you're good to go but not a Championship squad that survived on the last day last season.

We just need to get this announced now. As always with Rovers, we have to drag this shit out way longer than it needed to be. He wasn't a manager I wanted in charge but it looks like it will be him, so we just need to give him his chance and see where he takes us this season.

Way too sensible and with some actual forward thinking/contingency planning. Everything this lot have done for the last 12 months is incredibly short term.

Watford is always a special case, so I don't think that worries people too much. It's the 1 win in 10, which had 6 defeats, that cost him his job that is the concern. Wheels fell off and he obviously struggled to turn it around. After he was sacked they lost only 2 in 9, albeit with 5 draws and only 2 wins but that's nearly double the points with a game less.

So, Ismael it is then? Feels like a downgrade on Eustace, so Maggott and Co. have failed in that regard, the idea had to be to replace with a better manager. Could lightning strike twice for JE? ❌️ Sacked by Birmingham, Rooney takes them down ⬇️ 🍂 Leaves Rovers, Ismael takes us down ⬇️ (next season) Feels like this could very well happen.

What should I call him?

No, nothing official

Cheers Yeah, was thinking actually he might not get to choose. George Boateng or David Lowe probably

Who has Ismael had as his assistant? Same guy or varied job to job?

Final stages of appointing Ismael?

throw in that he hasn't made it beyond a full season at Barnsley (his only real success), WBA or Watford either and it just feels like an appointment that will only last a short time

So Nixon claimed it was between Ismael and Wagner but Jackson reckons Wagner isn't in the running.

Agreed, pretty sure everyone would give him a chance if he gets the job. We all want him (or whoever) to be a success.

Any reason why @kolmakovi21 is just firing out downvotes on any post that isn't thrilled by Ismael's potential appointment?

The club have really messed this up. For the first time in a decade the club is finally in a position to make a real attempt at getting promoted out of this division. Eustace leaving for Derby was a comical blow to the clubs hierarchy. January was the their first opportunity and they failed spectacularly signing cast offs from relegation threatened teams, unfit "marquee" signings and loans for players that don't get a look in at League One level. Despite this, somehow we still sit in a play off place. 2 wins on the bounce probably had these clowns drooling at the prospect of saving huge money by appointing Lowe but a spectacularly poor showing away at Swansea put an end to that. Instead of going all out and getting the best manager available (or unavailable, further lack of ambition highlighted that they won't move for a manager in work), they're bringing in a cheap, incredibly underwhelming appointment which could very well end our play off hopes but also, is highly unlikely to bring about a serious swing in season ticket sales in the summer. They had a chance to really go for it, get Cooper in on a short term deal and see where we go.

What a shockingly shit appointment that is.