Valérien Ismaël: Blackburn Rovers Head Coach

[johnradfordsubbuteo2]

47 minutes ago, Tomphil2 said:

Following on from that interview with the 3 stooges i'm still struggling to get my head around why appoint this guy.

They went through their tick box exercise and said he hit the standard on all of them and that is extremely worrying and i suspect a bit of a lie.

Could understand Eustace he was ideal for where we were, had a cv of saving a struggling club from relegation then having them in the top 6.  Could understand JDT even if he was another left field appointment, good brand of continental style football and had just won back to back Swedish top league titles.

This guy though is nothing more than a mercenary looking at his record yet they waxed on about him bringing everything we need to the table.

Can only assume that a WLD dull style football record and aiming for 12th is what they aspire to as long as they can tell him who to play and keep selling players from under him.

This was nearly as bad as Waggots 'best bus in football' snakeoil job.

[chaddyrovers]

22 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Youve still not realised that this club doesnt have a functional operation of recruitment. Why would you happily and blindly accept it if you had anything about you considering your reputation is on the line?

If you willingly accept what is foisted on you, its generally cheap and randomly assembled shite, not specifically suited to any style you might want to play. 

Theres a reason we all call for the same  things every window. A new number 1. Pacy wingers. A goalscorer. They never get sorted.

Eustace was right not to trust the recruitment. Ismael probably doesnt but he might just keep his opinions to his self knowing he has a nice long contract and he wont get a good job if he was to leave.

Well Eustace isn't going to trust the recruitment staff then the structure isn't going to work. 

The head coach has to been invested in the structure, happy to work in it, understand what his role and others are, trust the recruitment staff and DoF..

Your post above shows you dont accept what the head coach actual role should be. 

[chaddyrovers]

On 01/04/2025 at 00:35, martonrover said:

Give it a rest.

When we appointed Ismael it was obvious to some of us that he was a poor appointment.

Im not interested in your petty bickering contests and point scoring.

Why, cos I won't agree what you wanted which was short term appointment. A 76 years old or 70 years old to be appoint. 

Give it up. 

 

On 01/04/2025 at 00:35, martonrover said:

Wake up and smell the mustard.

We don’t just need a new head coach , we need new owners for anything to change from this constant cycle of doom.

Hope you enjoy all us naughty people making our feelings clear on Friday evening during the dead rubber of a game, (for us).

 

Do what you want pal, no problem to me cos I will be backing the players. 

[roversfan99]

5 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Well Eustace isn't going to trust the recruitment staff then the structure isn't going to work. 

The head coach has to been invested in the structure, happy to work in it, understand what his role and others are, trust the recruitment staff and DoF..

Your post above shows you dont accept what the head coach actual role should be. 

Its not that I dont accept what it SHOULD be. Its that I am aware that at our dysfunctional club, this lovely perfect structure doesnt exist.

Why would a head coach trust the people above him at our club? At modern day, Venkys run Rovers?

Eustace and Tomasson totally understandably got pissed off. At the time, you were angry at the club and sided with them. After leaving, you then think the next head coach should trust them despite having seen talented head coaches let down having not got what they needed. Its bizarre.

[chaddyrovers]

3 hours ago, Tomphil2 said:

Following on from that interview with the 3 stooges i'm still struggling to get my head around why appoint this guy.

They went through their tick box exercise and said he hit the standard on all of them and that is extremely worrying and i suspect a bit of a lie.

I've only listened 25 mins of The Gestede interview with Elliott Jackson..

Gestede cos he was championship experience, he will play the style of football they want, will bring through young players.

[roversfan99]

Championship experience - seemingly doesnt matter if its positive or negative. Failed in his last 2 jobs. Why not get Coyle back as he has loads of Champipnship experience.

Will play the style of football they want-  why is Gestede picking the style of play for the manager? Why not make himself manager? And why pick someone whose only Championship success came playing long ball?

Bring through young players - name the young players he has brought through at other clubs.

It is somewhat symptomatic of modern day football. But why are managers being picked but are being told how to play and who to play. What ever happened to selecting a manager/head coach, allowing him to pick whatever team, tactics and style he wants, and judging him on results.

If you listen to that sort of shit and think, ah that makes sense why we picked Ismael. Then you clearly are absent of any critical faculty, you are naive and you are gullible.

[davulsukur]

Following that interview with the 3 amigos yesterday, it's clear we're stuck with Ismael for the rest of this season, regardless of whether he wins any games or not. 

No idea how long they'll stick with next season if it's still tanking spectacularly.

The focus is shifting towards another "developing youth project", results are secondary.

[G Somerset Rover]

16 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

Following that interview with the 3 amigos yesterday, it's clear we're stuck with Ismael for the rest of this season, regardless of whether he wins any games or not. 

No idea how long they'll stick with next season if it's still tanking spectacularly.

The focus is shifting towards another "developing youth project", results are secondary.

Indeed. You can imagine they’ll also make some (further) incredibly stupid decisions over the coming weeks in light of the latest project, such as to not give Danny Batth a new contract.

[roverblue]

1 hour ago, davulsukur said:

Following that interview with the 3 amigos yesterday, it's clear we're stuck with Ismael for the rest of this season, regardless of whether he wins any games or not. 

No idea how long they'll stick with next season if it's still tanking spectacularly.

The focus is shifting towards another "developing youth project", results are secondary.

You could see them squirm when asked about Ismael and his performance so far, quickly went from we are 5pts off the playoffs to the season is a write off.  He needs time to implement his style, squad don't match his philosophy, injuries been bad, forms been terrible for 20 games...

Yet there faces had the looks of people who knew they have appointed a dud.

[Tomphil2]

8 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

I've only listened 25 mins of The Gestede interview with Elliott Jackson..

Gestede cos he was championship experience, he will play the style of football they want, will bring through young players.

Yes he has Championship experience and knows what this league is about which makes the games hes taken here and the tactics we've seen all the more worrying.

In terms of the rest of it he can only be referring to the time at Barnsley because there is little to back it up from Watford or WBA and iv'e yet to see a WBA or Watford fan say anything positive about him.

[chaddyrovers]

10 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Its not that I dont accept what it SHOULD be. Its that I am aware that at our dysfunctional club, this lovely perfect structure doesnt exist.

Why would a head coach trust the people above him at our club? At modern day, Venkys run Rovers?

So the recruitment department didn't recommend some good signings last summer then? Or Kargbo in January then? 

Why wouldn't a head coach not trust the recruitment/scouting people who have scouted these players and recommend for us to sign then? 

10 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Will play the style of football they want-  why is Gestede picking the style of play for the manager? Why not make himself manager? 

Your lack of understanding and knowledge to understand why the club will a pick head coach that will play that style they want. We have all this previously me and others with yourself. Yet you still don't understand or dont want to accept that's how football works nowadays 

[arbitro]

Gestede clearly said yesterday that Ismael wants to play a high pressing game. One of the biggest changes in the way we are playing from Eustace is that in the five games so far we simply haven't pressed at all.

 

[JHRover]

9 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

Your lack of understanding and knowledge to understand why the club will a pick head coach that will play that style they want. We have all this previously me and others with yourself. Yet you still don't understand or dont want to accept that's how football works nowadays 

The ONLY concern of those appointing a new manager in February should have been finding a bloke who could extract 100% from this squad over 12 games. No more, no less. The summer should not have even been considered. 

Our last realistic shot at promotion to the Premier League thrown away due to fancy modern speak about recruitment, styles, etc.

[StHelensRover]

10 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

So the recruitment department didn't recommend some good signings last summer then? Or Kargbo in January then? 

Why wouldn't a head coach not trust the recruitment/scouting people who have scouted these players and recommend for us to sign then? 

Your lack of understanding and knowledge to understand why the club will a pick head coach that will play that style they want. We have all this previously me and others with yourself. Yet you still don't understand or dont want to accept that's how football works nowadays 

Why do you think Ismael did not get another club before getting the Rovers job? Do you think he applied for other Championship jobs? There have been plenty about. He still obviously wanted to be back managing at this level, so let's assume he did. If he did, I wonder why he didn't get them.

Even if he didn't actively apply for any Championship jobs, I wonder whether he was actively approached by any clubs when there was a vacancy. 

I wonder what actually attracted him to the role at Rovers? Do you think he did any research on the last 15 years at the club (especially the last two seasons)? If he did, why was he still attracted to the role? If he didn't, is he that bothered about the club and the job?

It seems to me like we were the only club who would take him on and we look like an easy ride / free lunch for him.

[Wheelton Blue]

25 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

So the recruitment department didn't recommend some good signings last summer then? Or Kargbo in January then? 

Why wouldn't a head coach not trust the recruitment/scouting people who have scouted these players and recommend for us to sign then? 

Your lack of understanding and knowledge to understand why the club will a pick head coach that will play that style they want. We have all this previously me and others with yourself. Yet you still don't understand or dont want to accept that's how football works nowadays 

To be lauding Kargbo as a 'good signing', after bareful a handful of minutes played thus far, is rather premature I would suggest.

[Mattyblue]

‘Wants to play a high pressing game’ is just standard cliche.

We won’t be playing a high pressing game if the players have switched off from this plonker that’s been foisted on them.

[chaddyrovers]

2 hours ago, Tomphil2 said:

Yes he has Championship experience and knows what this league is about which makes the games hes taken here and the tactics we've seen all the more worrying.

In terms of the rest of it he can only be referring to the time at Barnsley because there is little to back it up from Watford or WBA and iv'e yet to see a WBA or Watford fan say anything positive about him.

I don't think we actually see what tactics he wants to use next season. He hasn't changed too much. He and Gestede have both about creating more chances, pressing higher, attacking football. 

I watched enough of him at those clubs to know enough him, the style he played there, etc. 

[chaddyrovers]

37 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Gestede clearly said yesterday that Ismael wants to play a high pressing game. One of the biggest changes in the way we are playing from Eustace is that in the five games so far we simply haven't pressed at all.

 

I was thinking the same and I wonder if that's was down to players injuries and not pushing them too much

[chaddyrovers]

33 minutes ago, JHRover said:

The ONLY concern of those appointing a new manager in February should have been finding a bloke who could extract 100% from this squad over 12 games. No more, no less. The summer should not have even been considered. 

Our last realistic shot at promotion to the Premier League thrown away due to fancy modern speak about recruitment, styles, etc.

That's where we have different opinions JH. 

 

[chaddyrovers]

33 minutes ago, StHelensRover said:

Why do you think Ismael did not get another club before getting the Rovers job? Do you think he applied for other Championship jobs? There have been plenty about. He still obviously wanted to be back managing at this level, so let's assume he did. If he did, I wonder why he didn't get them.

Even if he didn't actively apply for any Championship jobs, I wonder whether he was actively approached by any clubs when there was a vacancy. 

I wonder what actually attracted him to the role at Rovers? Do you think he did any research on the last 15 years at the club (especially the last two seasons)? If he did, why was he still attracted to the role? If he didn't, is he that bothered about the club and the job?

It seems to me like we were the only club who would take him on and we look like an easy ride / free lunch for him.

 

20 minutes ago, Wheelton Blue said:

To be lauding Kargbo as a 'good signing', after bareful a handful of minutes played thus far, is rather premature I would suggest.

That's where we dont agree. 

Look at Kargbo's pass for Dolan goal at Plymouth, total quality play, he played well against Norwich and Wolves. I'm looking forward to seeing more of him 

[Mattyblue]

A play off place could have led to something transformative for this football club. Why shouldn’t we have pushed the boat out for a short term manager?

It may well have failed, but as what they did do instead for the remainder of the season has failed, badly, regardless. What did we have to lose?

Edited 23 hours ago by Mattyblue

[chaddyrovers]

35 minutes ago, StHelensRover said:

Why do you think Ismael did not get another club before getting the Rovers job? Do you think he applied for other Championship jobs? There have been plenty about. He still obviously wanted to be back managing at this level, so let's assume he did. If he did, I wonder why he didn't get them.

Even if he didn't actively apply for any Championship jobs, I wonder whether he was actively approached by any clubs when there was a vacancy. 

I wonder what actually attracted him to the role at Rovers? Do you think he did any research on the last 15 years at the club (especially the last two seasons)? If he did, why was he still attracted to the role? If he didn't, is he that bothered about the club and the job?

It seems to me like we were the only club who would take him on and we look like an easy ride / free lunch for him.

Not bothered by any of that. 

He has already said he did research on the club when asked last week

[Wheelton Blue]

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

 

That's where we dont agree. 

Look at Kargbo's pass for Dolan goal at Plymouth, total quality play, he played well against Norwich and Wolves. I'm looking forward to seeing more of him 

Please re-read my response more carefully.

I didn't say whether Kargbo was a good signing or not.

Rather, it's far too early to say either way.

[OllieNO]

41 minutes ago, JHRover said:

The ONLY concern of those appointing a new manager in February should have been finding a bloke who could extract 100% from this squad over 12 games. No more, no less. The summer should not have even been considered. 

Our last realistic shot at promotion to the Premier League thrown away due to fancy modern speak about recruitment, styles, etc.

An experienced, charismatic motivator, like N Warnock. At this stage I’m thinking the duo of father/son Graham and Alan Carr would have done better that VI🤔

[chaddyrovers]

7 minutes ago, Wheelton Blue said:

Please re-read my response more carefully.

I didn't say whether Kargbo was a good signing or not.

Rather, it's far too early to say either way.

And I said I don't agree.