Valérien Ismaël: Blackburn Rovers Head Coach

[StHelensRover]

  On 02/04/2025 at 11:04, chaddyrovers said:

Not bothered by any of that. 

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

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Not bothered by any of that? Remarkable, maybe you could get a place on the board at Rovers too then

[DE.]

  On 02/04/2025 at 11:13, chaddyrovers said:

And I said I don't agree. 

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It's fine for you to have that stance, but it also means logically you'd have to accept a player being written off in the same time frame. You can't say it's ok to make a positive judgement in such a short time, but not a negative one. 

[Mattyblue]

Chadster hoisted by his own petard, again. 😅

[MarkBRFC]

  On 02/04/2025 at 11:13, chaddyrovers said:

And I said I don't agree. 

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So you can see that Kargbo is a great signing after a handful of starts where yes he has looked promising, but you refuse to believe that Ismail is a dud of a manager despite us taking 1 point from 15 since he came in, with 4 of the worst performances seen in years.

Makes perfect sense that.

EDIT - Beaten to it!

Edited Wednesday at 11:27 by MarkBRFC

[martonrover]

  On 01/04/2025 at 23:41, chaddyrovers said:

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. 

 

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

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No, because there is a clear line between having a reasoned debate about a topic and having a hissy fit against the other person.

Do me a favour and have your petty, childish arguments with someone else.

Have a great time at Ewood Mausoleum next season.

[Wheelton Blue]

  On 02/04/2025 at 11:13, chaddyrovers said:

And I said I don't agree. 

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He's been on the pitch for roughly one and a half games.

To say that he's a 'good signing' on the back of that, well, I'd say you should be employed in professional football for having such astute judgement.

Edited Wednesday at 12:05 by Wheelton Blue

[roversfan99]

  On 02/04/2025 at 10:14, 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 

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If the funding, the recruitment and the general way the club has been run has satisfied you enough to suggest that a head coach has no reason not to fully trust the club to the point of not raising objections, then your standards must be in the gutter.

And I understand thats how some football clubs want to work. But I am not just assuming that it makes it right. Having a director of football telling the head coach how to play is backwards. You dont seem capable of critical thinking.

[arbitro]

  On 02/04/2025 at 10:58, chaddyrovers said:

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

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Why try and change something that suited the players we had? Eustace understood the players and usually played to the strengths of them in terms of intensity including a pressing game.

Ismael has shown none of that in in recent interviews where he (and Gestede) have repeatedly spoken about the summer and implementing his ideas. I believe that he pretty much wrote this season off not long after being appointed.

The hard work of Eustace, his staff and the players all seems to no avail.

With regard to not pushing players Brittain, Kargbo and Dennis have all got injured under Ismael.

[Mattyblue]

Football is such much better for the present ‘structure’ clubs have in place, isn’t it…

[chaddyrovers]

  On 02/04/2025 at 11:14, StHelensRover said:

Not bothered by any of that? Remarkable, maybe you could get a place on the board at Rovers too then

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No. Cos we don't what jobs he apply for or didn't get. All speculation 

  On 02/04/2025 at 11:24, DE. said:

It's fine for you to have that stance, but it also means logically you'd have to accept a player being written off in the same time frame. You can't say it's ok to make a positive judgement in such a short time, but not a negative one. 

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True you can. 

I basically wrote Gueye after few months and he has proven me wrong here

  On 02/04/2025 at 11:26, MarkBRFC said:

So you can see that Kargbo is a great signing after a handful of starts where yes he has looked promising, but you refuse to believe that Ismail is a dud of a manager despite us taking 1 point from 15 since he came in, with 4 of the worst performances seen in years.

Makes perfect sense that.

EDIT - Beaten to it!

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Never said great signing did I? 

Never said Ismael wasn't dud or isn't did I?.

 

[roversfan99]

  On 02/04/2025 at 22:22, chaddyrovers said:

No. Cos we don't what jobs he apply for or didn't get. All speculation 

True you can. 

I basically wrote Gueye after few months and he has proven me wrong here

Never said great signing did I? 

Never said Ismael wasn't dud or isn't did I?.

 

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Do you think Ismael is a dud of a manager?

[chaddyrovers]

  On 02/04/2025 at 12:04, Wheelton Blue said:

He's been on the pitch for roughly one and a half games.

To say that he's a 'good signing' on the back of that, well, I'd say you should be employed in professional football for having such astute judgement.

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Do you think I know how much Kargbo have played? 

I have hold my hands up and admitted I was wrong on Gueye's judgement 

  On 02/04/2025 at 12:31, arbitro said:

Why try and change something that suited the players we had? Eustace understood the players and usually played to the strengths of them in terms of intensity including a pressing game.

Ismael has shown none of that in in recent interviews where he (and Gestede) have repeatedly spoken about the summer and implementing his ideas. I believe that he pretty much wrote this season off not long after being appointed.

The hard work of Eustace, his staff and the players all seems to no avail.

With regard to not pushing players Brittain, Kargbo and Dennis have all got injured under Ismael.

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We did pressed at times but we also sat in at times and also operate Mid block. 

All muscle injuries aswell. Maybe we need look into why we have/are picking so many injuries

[chaddyrovers]

  On 02/04/2025 at 12:25, roversfan99 said:

If the funding, the recruitment and the general way the club has been run has satisfied you enough to suggest that a head coach has no reason not to fully trust the club to the point of not raising objections, then your standards must be in the gutter.

And I understand thats how some football clubs want to work. But I am not just assuming that it makes it right. Having a director of football telling the head coach how to play is backwards. You dont seem capable of critical thinking.

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None of that answered the questions I actually asked. 

Your standards comment is wrong but I do find laughable how you are question anyone on here when you couldn't even answer whether you had a ST this season or not..

[arbitro]

  On 02/04/2025 at 23:42, chaddyrovers said:

Do you think I know how much Kargbo have played? 

I have hold my hands up and admitted I was wrong on Gueye's judgement 

We did pressed at times but we also sat in at times and also operate Mid block. 

All muscle injuries aswell. Maybe we need look into why we have/are picking so many injuries

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Of course there has been the occasional press but it's futile unless there is intensity.

Have you noticed a drop in the intensity?

[RevidgeBlue]

  On 02/04/2025 at 11:05, 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.

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If Chaddy is allowed to make an early snap decision on his prowess, then so am I. I'm not impressed.

Bit of pace but clearly zero end product.

[RevidgeBlue]

  On 02/04/2025 at 10:45, Mattyblue said:

‘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.

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100%.

[RevidgeBlue]

  On 02/04/2025 at 10:19, 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.

 

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Please stop de-railing chaddy's arguments with facts.

[Tomphil2]

  On 03/04/2025 at 06:40, arbitro said:

Of course there has been the occasional press but it's futile unless there is intensity.

Have you noticed a drop in the intensity?

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The drop in intensity is obvious and reading comments from WBA and Watford fans it was missing in his time there where he seemed to prefer the slow ball approach.

The Barnsley time seems very much to be a one off and imo they've gone for him partly because he's a plodder, record is neither good nor bad but bang average.  

This club loves that.

[MarkBRFC]

  On 02/04/2025 at 22:22, chaddyrovers said:

 

Never said Ismael wasn't dud or isn't did I?.

 

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He's an absolute dud.

[sharpysharps86]

If Rovers lose tomorrow then Ismael will have had a worse start in 6 league games than Owen Coyle, who managed 2 points from his first 6.

I can't think of any examples where a new head coach / manager can come back from such a bad start and make a success of things, especially in the basket case circus environment that is Rovers.

[BlackburnEnd75]

  On 03/04/2025 at 09:03, sharpysharps86 said:

If Rovers lose tomorrow then Ismael will have had a worse start in 6 league games than Owen Coyle, who managed 2 points from his first 6.

I can't think of any examples where a new head coach / manager can come back from such a bad start and make a success of things, especially in the basket case circus environment that is Rovers.

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Took eustace about 11 games to win a game last season but most of those games were draws from memory and performances (maybe with the odd exception) weren't terrible. You could at least see some progress in terms of goals conceded anyway. 

[sharpysharps86]

  On 03/04/2025 at 09:35, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Took eustace about 11 games to win a game last season but most of those games were draws from memory and performances (maybe with the odd exception) weren't terrible. You could at least see some progress in terms of goals conceded anyway. 

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Yeah just checked, it was 9 games before we beat Sunderland 5-1. 6 draws and 3 defeats.

[BlackburnEnd75]

  On 03/04/2025 at 10:16, sharpysharps86 said:

Yeah just checked, it was 9 games before we beat Sunderland 5-1. 6 draws and 3 defeats.

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Thanks

[Mercer]

  On 03/04/2025 at 09:03, sharpysharps86 said:

If Rovers lose tomorrow then Ismael will have had a worse start in 6 league games than Owen Coyle, who managed 2 points from his first 6.

I can't think of any examples where a new head coach / manager can come back from such a bad start and make a success of things, especially in the basket case circus environment that is Rovers.

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So really we could have reemployed Coyley, the previous 'outstanding candidate', who still lives close to Brockhall and we would have been better off!?

[oneandycrawford]

  On 03/04/2025 at 09:35, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Took eustace about 11 games to win a game last season but most of those games were draws from memory and performances (maybe with the odd exception) weren't terrible. You could at least see some progress in terms of goals conceded anyway. 

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You could see that Eustace had a plan. We might not all have agreed with his approach - indeed some expressed that disagreement very strongly 😉 - but at least it was a plan. It had similarities with the early days of Kendall's reign.

With Ismael it just looks like he's randomly throwing darts at a board with one eye closed and little idea of where the numbers are!! He might get lucky at some point but that will probably be down to the players suddenly rediscovering their fight and pride. Or doing like they did in the infamous Johnson 'false 9' game - decide to play how they want to play and fuck the manager. Unfortunately don't think most of this group have that in them.