Valérien Ismaël: Blackburn Rovers Head Coach

[danger19_80]

5 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

They call Football Manager (the video game) Moral Manager for a reason.

Your season can quickly go to pot if you upset the players - and likewise if you keep the same players happy they can overperform their stats.

I think we're seeing that here in real life - a group of limited players who were playing out of their skins suddenly downing tools because the manager they really liked walked. Why would they continue to bust a gut when their contracts are up in the air and you've foisted a disciplinarian on them?

When you factor in that we didn't bring anyone in to help them in January too. Yeah this car crash was on the cards. 

Not really news is it that Eustace leaving has completely derailed our season

[RevidgeBlue]

21 minutes ago, danger19_80 said:

Not really news is it that Eustace leaving has completely derailed our season

It's a good point though.

Neither Eustace nor the players could get any clarity or encouragement regarding new deals for themselves.

Then this guy (who has a poor recent record) swans in out of nowhere on a 3.5 year deal. It's little wonder the players have downed tools.

[Torgeir]

11 hours ago, all you need is duff said:

I agree. He probably isn’t the right man for the job but the players have been poor for a while barring those “galvanised” first two games under Lowe. Have the performances this week been any worse than QPR away (Eustace’s last game) and Swansea away (Lowe’s last game)? 

We've had some shit performance throughout the season but we got some results even if we didn't play well for a while under Eustace as we were so well organised defensively and endured a bit of luck to snatch a few games. Then we went on our bad patch of form, where we were the better side but unlucky (or poor in the final third) versus the likes of Watford, Stoke and Coventry...eventually those 'unfair' results will turn the group sour. A lot of injured key players throughout this campaign, but we started with a rubber thin squad so at least that was something many of us fully expected.

[Paul Mellelieu]

24 minutes ago, Torgeir said:

We've had some shit performance throughout the season but we got some results even if we didn't play well for a while under Eustace as we were so well organised defensively and endured a bit of luck to snatch a few games. Then we went on our bad patch of form, where we were the better side but unlucky (or poor in the final third) versus the likes of Watford, Stoke and Coventry...eventually those 'unfair' results will turn the group sour. A lot of injured key players throughout this campaign, but we started with a rubber thin squad so at least that was something many of us fully expected.

I think I agree with much of this.  Frankly I have no idea the extent to which VI is at fault, because under JE both last season and much of this, we have been very poor. That JE could win as many as we did is remarkable, but ten games without a win last season, arguably with a better team shouldn't be forgetton.

[RevidgeBlue]

7 minutes ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

 but ten games without a win last season, arguably with a better team shouldn't be forgetton.

It's completely irrelevant.

As others have pointed out Eustace inherited a team in free fall which had been conceding 2-3 goals per match.

Ismael inherited a spirited outfit which had been in or around the play off positions all season thanks to the ethos Eustace created.

[Paul Mellelieu]

That, with JE still at the helm I think we'd still be in the top six.

[islander200]

Just now, RevidgeBlue said:

It's completely irrelevant.

As others have pointed out Eustace inherited a team in free fall which had been conceding 2-3 goals per match.

Ismael inherited a spirited outfit which had been in or around the play off positions all season thanks to the ethos Eustace created.

Iv been dissapointed with Ismael so far 

But be fair a little bit here results had gone down well before he came, after the 6 match winning run results took a downturn, zero points in the last 3 games is clearly not good enough but there has been a lot of individual errors Pears and Hyam being the main culprits.Ismael wasn't coming into a squad brimming with confidence despite our position in the table.

The 6 match winning run is what put ys in playoff contention and the closest teams around us at the time showed poor form which led to us staying in the top 6 for so long. Batth,Beck ,Brittain all part of that defence all missing Saturday. Batth is proving a huge miss 

Ridiculous to give him the length of contract we did and we should have been way more ambitious, il give him the next couple of weeks to work on things and hopefully key men Batth and Beck will be back .

[Hasta]

1 minute ago, islander200 said:

But be fair a little bit here results had gone down well before he came, after the 6 match winning run results took a downturn

For the nth time today, 3 wins in 5 before he took over.

Lets not pretend he’s just continued the status quo.

Edited 2 hours ago by Hasta

[RevidgeBlue]

1 minute ago, islander200 said:

Iv been dissapointed with Ismael so far 

But be fair a little bit here results had gone down well before he came, after the 6 match winning run results took a downturn, zero points in the last 3 games is clearly not good enough but there has been a lot of individual errors Pears and Hyam being the main culprits.Ismael wasn't coming into a squad brimming with confidence despite our position in the table.

The 6 match winning run is what put ys in playoff contention and the closest teams around us at the time showed poor form which led to us staying in the top 6 for so long. Batth,Beck ,Brittain all part of that defence all missing Saturday. Batth is proving a huge miss 

Ridiculous to give him the length of contract we did and we should have been way more ambitious, il give him the next couple of weeks to work on things and hopefully key men Batth and Beck will be back .

Agree, to disagree, if games only lasted 20 mins we'd still have lost 3 out of 4 under him!

[Andy]

6 minutes ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

That, with JE still at the helm I think we'd still be in the top six.

I'm not sure, to be honest - JE knew what was coming and couldn't get out quick enough.

I doubt we'd have lost all 3 of the last 3 matches, but I don't think we'd have maintained a top 6 position under him.

[M_B]

9 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

It's completely irrelevant.

As others have pointed out Eustace inherited a team in free fall which had been conceding 2-3 goals per match.

Ismael inherited a spirited outfit which had been in or around the play off positions all season thanks to the ethos Eustace created.

I think you're painting a rosier picture with that last paragraph than is true to be honest. The rot had well and truly set in, and the squad Ismael has to work with is down to its bare bones.

It isn't a fair comparison.

[Hasta]

3 wins from 5

[chaddyrovers]

21 minutes ago, islander200 said:

confidence

the players confidence is down and when we conceded our heads go down most of the time

21 minutes ago, islander200 said:

we should have been way more ambitious

Can you explained this point and who would have you like us to go for? 

 

17 minutes ago, M_B said:

I think you're painting a rosier picture with that last paragraph than is true to be honest. The rot had well and truly set in, and the squad Ismael has to work with is down to its bare bones.

It isn't a fair comparison.

 Eustace's last 10 games, conceding 14 goals and only 1 clean sheet. we won 2, drew 2 and lost 6

Edited 2 hours ago by chaddyrovers

[M_B]

12 minutes ago, Hasta said:

3 wins from 5

You keep saying that, where's our top scorer?

And that's just one example.

[roversfan99]

23 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Iv been dissapointed with Ismael so far 

But be fair a little bit here results had gone down well before he came, after the 6 match winning run results took a downturn, zero points in the last 3 games is clearly not good enough but there has been a lot of individual errors Pears and Hyam being the main culprits.Ismael wasn't coming into a squad brimming with confidence despite our position in the table.

The 6 match winning run is what put ys in playoff contention and the closest teams around us at the time showed poor form which led to us staying in the top 6 for so long. Batth,Beck ,Brittain all part of that defence all missing Saturday. Batth is proving a huge miss 

Ridiculous to give him the length of contract we did and we should have been way more ambitious, il give him the next couple of weeks to work on things and hopefully key men Batth and Beck will be back .

The majority of goals have individual errors in them. But there has been no semblance of a game plan that looks remotely like working in his 4 games. Hes had as easy a first 4 games as he could have wanted to pick, we had just won 2 from 3 so that should have picked up confidence but there in addition to the lack of direction in terms of tactics has been no new manager bounce whatsoever.

[M_B]

Where's Hedges when you need him.

[roversfan99]

Yep, the one thing we need is a wide man who offers no attacking threat whatsoever. He has scored his seasonal goal so hes a busted flush until next season when our low standards ensure that we activate his extra year.

[Hasta]

11 minutes ago, M_B said:

You keep saying that, where's our top scorer?

And that's just one example.

I keep saying it because it is undisputedly true. People keep quoting the stats from the last 14 or 16 games as though it shows the current form is to be expected, ignoring there had been an upturn in fortunes.

If I went back to the match threads against Preston, West Brom and Plymouth I guarantee people who are saying how bad our form has been were also saying how well we played in those games.

Yes he has injuries. Probably a bit worse than Lowe and Eustace had although he now has Tronstadt and Ohashi back.

But we’ve just lost to 3 poor relegation-threatened teams which I don’t believe Lowe or Eustace would have done. I put the blame for that squarely at the tactical switch in formation by VI.

The fact is, we weren’t a team in free fall that couldn’t get a win anywhere. We had won 3 from 5. 

[M_B]

7 minutes ago, Hasta said:

I keep saying it because it is undisputedly true. People keep quoting the stats from the last 14 or 16 games as though it shows the current form is to be expected, ignoring there had been an upturn in fortunes.

If I went back to the match threads against Preston, West Brom and Plymouth I guarantee people who are saying how bad our form has been were also saying how well we played in those games.

Yes he has injuries. Probably a bit worse than Lowe and Eustace had although he now has Tronstadt and Ohashi back.

But we’ve just lost to 3 poor relegation-threatened teams which I don’t believe Lowe or Eustace would have done. I put the blame for that squarely at the tactical switch in formation by VI.

The fact is, we weren’t a team in free fall that couldn’t get a win anywhere. We had won 3 from 5. 

We had, but the fact also is that he hasn't got the same players at his disposal.

[RTM08]

The results aren't even the worst part, it's the performances. Even at our worst under Eustace, there wasn't the petulance we're seeing under Ismael. In addition, Ismael seems to have no interest in motivating the team whatsoever, sitting on his ass scribbling on his pad. 

Under him we play with no intensity, create nothing offensively and have regressed significantly at the back against some of the worst sides in the division. 

He's got 2 weeks now to show a significant improvement, but I just don't see it. This has a Gestede power play written all over it and he shouldn't be at the club either.

[Hasta]

48 minutes ago, M_B said:

We had, but the fact also is that he hasn't got the same players at his disposal.

Come on now.

Looking at the starting line up of the win against Plymouth, every one of them was available for the defeat at Derby, plus he had Tronstadt and Ohashi back.

Against Cardiff yesterday only Brittain was missing, again with Tronstadt and Ohashi available.

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Hasta

[roversfan99]

The squad has been limited all season. Eustace was doing brilliantly.

But even so, to get 1 point from 4 including nothing from 3 of the bottom 5 is not justifiable in any way, there is more than enough to get some points in those games.

As touched on too, the performances have been woeful. No sign of any patterns of play or game plan. The players dont seem to know what is expected of them, weve become more passive, backing off, much more side to side and slow like we are trying to have more of the ball for the sake of it.

[islander200]

1 hour ago, Hasta said:

For the nth time today, 3 wins in 5 before he took over.

Lets not pretend he’s just continued the status quo.

4 wins in 12 before ismael came in.Results had taken a downturn. Fact.

Add to that Defence looks a lot poorer without Batth.

[Southside Rover]

I've stayed relatively quiet on it all, and watched with hope but was disappointed with the appointment. So many applicants, I thought we would have settled on someone better even if just a proven winner to the end of the season to reset depending where we ended up.

We all know this squad has overachieved but having done so, it's making these last few weeks even before VI even harder to accept.

I don't believe the players have downed tools, they could get a play off opportunity if they stuck to it and got it right. Even those out of contract, they are still playing for their futures here or elsewhere. Every club in the league will be aware of Dolan's situation for example.

My big gripe is switching system mid season. Most coaches take a pre season to make such a move and it's usually October before it really clicks for a new coach and system. When in free fall I get it but he arrived on the back of 2 wins in 3. 

A disciplinarian was never going to go down well with a group we've seen fold ever winter year after year. As temperatures warm up, these fairies will start playing again and as usual we'll do too little too late and miss the opportunity.

Might sound dramatic but for me the whole lot needs an overhaul from top to bottom. It won't happen any time soon, the very top is untouchable and we face years of this mediocrity.

JE's decision on the face of it seemed so bizarre but it's so clear why he felt a relegation threatened club was a better proposition for his long term future and he trusted his ability to keep them up. As others have said, they will pass us next season and vindicate his decision.

Edited 1 hour ago by Southside Rover

[Hasta]

11 minutes ago, islander200 said:

4 wins in 12 before ismael came in.Results had taken a downturn. Fact.

Add to that Defence looks a lot poorer without Batth.

10 wins from 20

4 from 12

3 from 5

And then 0 from 4

Results had taken a downturn once Travis and Tronstadt weren’t available together. They improved a bit before Ismael came in. Now we’ve not won in four and have lost to 3 of the bottom 5. Also facts.

 

Edited 54 minutes ago by Hasta