Valérien Ismaël: Blackburn Rovers Head Coach

[Upside Down]

23 minutes ago, LeftWinger said:

JDT and Eustace not in the same league as Hughes or Souness in the hard man stakes.

Certainly not but both still fit as a fiddle.

Just looking at Souness the wrong way would give you a black eye.

[Blue Greyhound]

1 hour ago, ... said:

Like Lowey? 

I quite like Lowe to be fair, he got thrown into the head coach position and has a more genuine and loyal personality from what I've seen.

[islander200]

8 minutes ago, ... said:

 

 

 

Nice that he is talking about not making too many changes and shifting to his preferred style in the short term 

It's a fresh pair of eyes on the players and presumably no favouritism so if the new guys Kargbo etc are doing the biz in training then should see them favoured more than Hedges. Still feel Hedges has played his part and always gives 100%  but he is non existent as an attacking threat I don't want us going into games seeing both him and Weimann start together. 

 

Ismael likes his forward players pressing I think Ohashi will be back in soon enough 

[...]

4 minutes ago, Blue Greyhound said:

I quite like Lowe to be fair, he got thrown into the head coach position and has a more genuine and loyal personality from what I've seen.

Yea for sure. You can see how he is with the players someone they respect. I like him. No nonsense says it how it is

[47er]

6 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Nice that he is talking about not making too many changes and shifting to his preferred style in the short term 

It's a fresh pair of eyes on the players and presumably no favouritism so if the new guys Kargbo etc are doing the biz in training then should see them favoured more than Hedges. Still feel Hedges has played his part and always gives 100%  but he is non existent as an attacking threat I don't want us going into games seeing both him and Weimann start together. 

 

Ismael likes his forward players pressing I think Ohashi will be back in soon enough 

If he sees that we need a new keeper and that we shouldn't bugger about with the ball on the edge of our own goal-line that'll be a good start for me.

[M_B]

Certainly not a boring appointment, I was dreading Ryan Lowe from the outset.

To be honest, any potential appointment at our level would have skeletons in his cupboard. He's got less than most I'd imagine, and ticks more than a few boxes.

Looking forward to Saturday, coyb.

[johnradfordsubbuteo2]

You do know that he'll pick Hedges because his only memory of him is scoring that worldie at Vicarage Rd in August 2023 when he was the losing Watford manager!

[Gordon Ottershaw]

I work with a Watford fan and his memories of Ismael are some stunning wins and performances as well as some dismal runs of form. Sounds very familiar but these are different circumstances, different players and a fresh club so I'm hoping for more the Barnsley version and less the West Brom.

[B16Rover]

Having skim listened to the interview, vaguely remembered his Barnsley team and see the comment from the Baggies fans about him - he's clearly got the labore down. 

If at 60 minutes we use all our subs on after running them selves into the ground I can see Kargbo getting a few counter attacks.  

He has done well with tall strong strikers I believe (Dike) and so Gueye must be fancying it too.  Presumably Gueye speaks French from his time in Belgium too?

 

As far as the bargain bucket goes, I can see the football rationale.  

 

Regards the intentions however, do we think he spoke more about football in his job interview or his announcement video interview 

[chaddyrovers]

Happy with this appointment overall, He knows this league very well, been n the playoffs place before, adaptable tactically depending on the players he has, Disciplinarian' off the pitch and form a leadership group of senior players. (The last 2 points I've posted is mentioned in Elliot Jackson article on him). This appointment seems for the short term, but also the medium and long term given he has been a 3 and half season. Lets hope he can get us a playoff place. People will mentioned his times at WBA and Watford and being sacked there, but lets look at when they sacked him, they weren't in poor league position or facing relegation battle. they were in 5th and 9th FFS. 

I wish him all the best

@MarkBRFC, you mentioned in the other thread why Gestede and Owen were involved in the head coach selection and what experience they have. I would say that given their role at Rovers, they will have massive say on this appointment along with Pasha and Waggott, but also making sure they can work together as a team. Owen has alot of football experience with football, Gestede whilst in his first football role, This is his first big decision in his role. 

@lraCyou mention this in the other thread, so why not have someone lined up with time too, especially with the prize on offer. Whilst I get the understanding of what you mean, Given that Eustace was still technically here when we won at WBA game and Plymouth game under Lowe, it bought Rovers should time to interview candidates and from Alan Nixon has said in his reporting of the situation, it appears that the loss on Saturday speeded up the process of bring in the new head coach. Why didn't we have a mini shortlist of replacement to go, maybe we did or we didn't, I can't really answered that one, maybe we had 2 or 3 potential targets but none wanted to come form different reasons or Rovers wanted to go down interview process like a few Championship clubs have done this season. The honest answer is I don't know

[B16Rover]

How very unfortunate for Blackburn supporters. 

For a club that's had Megson, Pulis, Steve Bruce and Corberan (love the man but boring football) on the books, it's quite unbelievable that Ismail managed to top the lot for the most dross football I've ever witnessed at the hawthorns.

Every game was a carbon copy of the last with zero tactical tweaks. Same system. Same shape. Same players. Same substitutions on the *EXACT SAME MINUTE* (60th, 65th and 75th minute subs every single match). If you're losing he doesn't change. If you're winning he doesn't change. Every match is Groundhog Day, and it was a putrid experience.

Ig Blackburn are lucky, maybe he's changed and loosened up, but man alive am I glad he's not back at our place.

 

Review from a baggies fan.  Reads like the come dine with me meme.  What a sad little life.

[simongarnerisgod]

i don`t care tbh,we could have employed anybody,we all know the same scenario is going to ensue

[Torgeir]

Time to renew some contracts and make sure they are committed to the cause and not just to their own futures.

Ismael is a 6.5/10 appointment for me. I like that he says he won't come in and change much, just support what we already have. I hope he doesn't listen to Lowe when selecting his first starting eleven but watches a bit of video and makes his own mind up. He demands hard work from his players and that's what he'll get, so good luck to im and us.

 

The best scenario before January was some solid investment eary doors into the squad and Eustace staying. 

 

[TimmyJimmy]

A loud pitiful gutteral groan.  A wailing cry of awfulness. I have no real words just sounds. What have we become and where are we going.  Is this club journeying up or down? Not the worst appointment we could make but the best? Really?! Toss a coin, there's two choices. It will work somehow or it won't. Doesn't exactly smack of a firm hand on the tiller guiding the club forward to ever higher achievements. Oh, here's one, he'll do.

Hail Mary ...

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, Upside Down said:

Certainly not but both still fit as a fiddle.

Just looking at Souness the wrong way would give you a black eye.

Well considering he tried to break Yorke's leg in a five a side I can believe that. 

[CD_93]

1 minute ago, TimmyJimmy said:

A loud pitiful gutteral groan.  A wailing cry of awfulness. I have no real words just sounds. What have we become and where are we going.  Is this club journeying up or down? Not the worst appointment we could make but the best? Really?! Toss a coin, there's two choices. It will work somehow or it won't. Doesn't exactly smack of a firm hand on the tiller guiding the club forward to ever higher achievements. Oh, here's one, he'll do.

Hail Mary ...

Time for bed, Timmy 😂

[Leonard Venkhater]

3 minutes ago, TimmyJimmy said:

A loud pitiful gutteral groan.  A wailing cry of awfulness. I have no real words just sounds. What have we become and where are we going.  Is this club journeying up or down? Not the worst appointment we could make but the best? Really?! Toss a coin, there's two choices. It will work somehow or it won't. Doesn't exactly smack of a firm hand on the tiller guiding the club forward to ever higher achievements. Oh, here's one, he'll do.

Hail Mary ...

Why, this is Hell. Nor am I out of it...

BURN!

[Paul Mellelieu]

It's not true, if the three-year contract is accurate, to say this is a cheap option.  

[Forever Blue]

I think this could either be a genius appointment that leads us back to the PL this season, or an unmitigated disaster that leads us back to L1 at the end of next season. 

[Forever Blue]

Is he a back 3 merchant? Does he play with wingers or just wing backs? 

[CambridgeRover]

7 minutes ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

It's not true, if the three-year contract is accurate, to say this is a cheap option.  

Cheap wage for three years is still a cheap option, unless waggot is going to take on management as well

[Neal]

4 minutes ago, Forever Blue said:

I think this could either be a genius appointment that leads us back to the PL this season, or an unmitigated disaster that leads us back to L1 at the end of next season. 

Ask yourself... Which is most likely? 

[chaddyrovers]

4 minutes ago, Forever Blue said:

Is he a back 3 merchant? Does he play with wingers or just wing backs? 

He played 3 at the back at Barnsley and WBA but at Watford he played 4-2-3-1 formation and mixed style of play. He is tactical adaptable depending the players he has. 

[Exiled_Rover]

15 minutes ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

It's not true, if the three-year contract is accurate, to say this is a cheap option.  

Depends who much he's being paid a year.

[Forever Blue]

3 minutes ago, Neal said:

Ask yourself... Which is most likely? 

See you on Wembley Way in May, after we’ve dicked the Dingles 3-0 in the play-off final, singing…

🎵 Big Bad Val’s Barmy Army🎵

It’ll be fucking beautiful man