roverblue

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 said it the last few meetings but someone needs to record these forum sessions and we can all cut through the bullshit.

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.

Great result, only caught the second half and looked a scrappy affair. Never expected 3 on the bounce a few games back! Fair play to the players and staff keep it up.

Maybe it's just me but we always seem to play these midweek away and lose. But confidence will be high after a great away performance where we have generally looked better than we do at home. Bristol 2-2 Rovers

Gradually becoming one of our star players with Cantwell and Abeiosu. Does anyone know when his contract is up as be a shame to lose him next summer if going into his last 12 months?

Big win should have more. Credit to all players and manager well deserved and played like a team that should be up the other end of the table.

Cantwell seems to miss a lot of games with vague ‘injuries’, probably more to it that they don’t want to reveal for personal reasons.

Been a while since I felt this reluctant to head to ewood today. Got no hope of getting a result at all

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cx27v8g472yo Sounds rattled and talking total rubbish regarding the squad. Time to go Val

Presumably it isn't all paid at once, just a monthly wage for the life of his contract unless he takes up another job?

Without a change that's the position I expect us to be in for the rest of the season. That will only be due to Sheff Wed likely getting a massive points deduction at some point for all their breaches of financial commitments. Otherwise could see us rock bottom for a period til that happens.

Surprised he hasn't broken the company lines yet given the results. We have just conceded 3 goals at home to the lowest scoring team in the division, yet at five to midnight on deadline day they sold our best centre half without replacement. As a manager you must be furious about it and if you aren't then you can only have been given cast iron guarantees that results don't matter.

Agree with your post but on the bit above I'm not sure if it's Venky led or just Pasha/Gestede trying to look good in their eyes by convincing them they can do it on the cheap? The Venkys clearly had money issues that have now gone away with the court case concluding, so in theory if Pasha started asking for the £20m a season they could/would pay it based on previous years. In the past Waggot likely stopped them from doing anything as bat shit as this summer but with him gone we have gone down the full Pasha pound stretcher model.

I can honestly see him losing the next 6 matches in a row and he still won’t be under any pressure by Rudy and Pasha. What on earth he was thinking with those subs tonight the whole approach is clueless.

I walked off the ground and for the first time didn’t really care that we had lost. I just expected it and it happened. Sad times.

Feel a bit hopeless going into the games at the moment, heart says 1-0 win but head says 0-2 loss. Cantwell is a massive loss but maybe one of the foreign legion can prove me wrong and put in a performance finally.

This day could be a complete disaster for the club if we lose all this next run of games which is highly likely.

Even Ismael himself has said time for these sort of excuses is over. What you are seeing on the pitch is players that at this moment are not good enough to play at Championship level. They may overtime develop into something that is but I would argue we will likely be down in League 1 before that happens.

Gestede is a shocking appointment, literally no experience or idea what he is doing just feeling it out day by day. He has brought a video game approach to the squad that currently is and will fail miserably. Almost all of these foreign signings look appalling, even the ones lauded as future stars like Morishita and Gudjohnsen look complete duds. Surprise surprise the only ones who look at the level are Abeiosu, McGloughlin, TGH and Miller all who have experience of British football already. Who would have thought (just most of us on here saying it all summer)! I don't rate Ismael but he has a very tough job, his record is terrible to date. The main concern is we don't score anywhere near enough goals to get points on the board. We need a manager who can squeeze every last drop out of these players and make us hard to beat with the ability to nick a goal or two from set pieces/counters. We have a giant striker who could be better used to this affect and Millers long throws which have been ineffective to date. Also Abeiosu likes to throw crosses in. Just play to the 'strengths' we have at the moment and then hope its enough to stay up.

Feels a nailed on relegation this season unless there is a change in manager. Even then it’s a nightmare task for even a world class manager with our squad. Gestede and Ismael should be fired tomorrow if the owners took any interest in the club.

Meant down by Xmas sorry, can see him losing every game till then.

At what point does his job become under threat? Feels like we could be bottom at Xmas the way things are going.

Not surprised he hasn't lasted and don't expect him back in English football. Nice guy but has no idea how to setup a team defensively.

There is an article on the LET today where Ismael basically says he hasn't been good enough so far and was dropped from the match day squad... https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/25517874.blackburn-rovers-boss-reveals-reason-tavares-absence/ You could add pretty much put all the signings in that bucket other than the defensive ones in my opinion.