Valérien Ismaël: Blackburn Rovers Head Coach

[den]

You can usually tell a dud manager just by listening to his media interviews. If the fans think he’s talking shit then the players will undoubtedly think the same.

I don’t remember the likes of Clough, Ferguson, Dalglish, Shankley etc, etc coming over as being useless.

[Mercer]

21 minutes ago, den said:

You can usually tell a dud manager just by listening to his media interviews. If the fans think he’s talking shit then the players will undoubtedly think the same.

I don’t remember the likes of Clough, Ferguson, Dalglish, Shankley etc, etc coming over as being useless.

So true.

If we start with Ismael next season then I think we will be in the bottom 3 for the entire season unless sense prevails with our exec. management which is most unlikely.

You can foresee the soundbites already - 'let's see here we are after August window', 'let's see where we are after 10 games', 'let's see where we are at Christmas', 'let's see where we are after the Jan. window' - it's all predictable nonsense with the happy clappers grasping at every available straw.

Think Ismael is the modern day Jim Iley and, scarily, they both managed Barnsley!!! 

[Browjd]

He also doesn't seem to do anything on the touchline, hardly motivational and in post match interviews is smiling away!! At the very least show like you give a shit - players should be getting hammered for being habitually soft at this end of the season. 

[islander200]

53 minutes ago, Mercer said:

So true.

If we start with Ismael next season then I think we will be in the bottom 3 for the entire season unless sense prevails with our exec. management which is most unlikely.

You can foresee the soundbites already - 'let's see here we are after August window', 'let's see where we are after 10 games', 'let's see where we are at Christmas', 'let's see where we are after the Jan. window' - it's all predictable nonsense with the happy clappers grasping at every available straw.

Think Ismael is the modern day Jim Iley and, scarily, they both managed Barnsley!!! 

Like Eustace ?

Hardly inspiring in front of the cameras, and he turned out fine

[islander200]

1 hour ago, martonrover said:

Struber didn’t take over until November in the season when they finished just above relegation zone, and his brief was clearly to keep them up, which he did.

Ismael got Barnsley in the Play Offs, whoopidoo.

At least Coyle won them.

It was an achievement getting Barnsley to the playoffs. 

Just above relegation the season before it and relegated the season after 

West brom sacked when fifth, 8 points from 2nd.They finished the season 10th.

He wouldn't have been my choice And its been rubbish so far but trying to take away what he did with Barnsley and downplay it Is ridiculous.Getting them into the playoffs was exceptional. 

[RevidgeBlue]

40 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Like Eustace ?

Hardly inspiring in front of the cameras, and he turned out fine

Eustace had an extremely positive recent record when he joined us. He looked to be a young manager on the up. And eventually carried that on with us.

Ismael is exactly the opposite. He looks to be a manager very much on the downgrade. And unlike Eustace he inherited a team in decent shape but has still managed to start in similar fashion 

Nothing to do with the degree of comfort in front of the cameras.

[jim mk2]

Looking back, Tomasson was a huge loss.

Results and performances were mixed at times with but he was an intelligent, thoughtful, progressive coach who at its best had Rovers playing a modern brand of football that was the equal of the top PL clubs. Players such as JRC thrived under him.  The addition of just one player - an experienced, effective striker - in that January would have got us into the playoffs at least that season. Losing out on goal difference was heartbreaking and, with the excellent cup run, showed the difference he made 

Ismael seems to combine the worst of Eustace and Mowbray - an inability to get the team to score goals, defensive frailty and a total absence of inspiration from the touchline. 

 

[islander200]

21 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Eustace had an extremely positive recent record when he joined us. He looked to be a young manager on the up. And eventually carried that on with us.

Ismael is exactly the opposite. He looks to be a manager very much on the downgrade. And unlike Eustace he inherited a team in decent shape but has still managed to start in similar fashion 

Nothing to do with the degree of comfort in front of the cameras.

Last season plenty on here where saying the exact same things about Eustace as they are about Ismael now.

Last season Mercer and others where  critical over how Eustace was in front of media "dour" "how can players be inspired Eustace has no personality "  

Multiple posters calling him Eusless....posters calling him a yes man....posters predicting relegation the following seasons under him.

Eustace was sacked by brum(harshly so) but jobs became available and passed him by.He wasn't some young hot shot who clubs were fighting over .Even this season he was pimping himself to any job going they all looked elsewhere apart from Derby who were stuck in relegation. 

Don't get me wrong I rate Eustace ,doesn't change the fact posters were being mega critical of him when he first came in and are saying the same things about Ismael now as they where about Eustace 

[LeftWinger]

1 hour ago, islander200 said:

Like Eustace ?

Hardly inspiring in front of the cameras, and he turned out fine

I was going to say exactly this.

Eustace's early interviews in particular were painful to watch. They were almost a carbon copy of each other every week when we failed to win again. "Togetherness". 

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

15 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Last season plenty on here where saying the exact same things about Eustace as they are about Ismael now.

Last season Mercer and others where  critical over how Eustace was in front of media "dour" "how can players be inspired Eustace has no personality "  

Multiple posters calling him Eusless....posters calling him a yes man....posters predicting relegation the following seasons under him.

Eustace was sacked by brum(harshly so) but jobs became available and passed him by.He wasn't some young hot shot who clubs were fighting over .Even this season he was pimping himself to any job going they all looked elsewhere apart from Derby who were stuck in relegation. 

Don't get me wrong I rate Eustace ,doesn't change the fact posters were being mega critical of him when he first came in and are saying the same things about Ismael now as they where about Eustace 

I could see what Eustace was trying to do even in the early days. Stop the leaking of goals. In the end he was successful. I’m prepared to give Ismael more time but at the moment I can’t see what his plan is. We are back to leaking goals again without being more expansive in attack and in front of goal. When he gets some important bodies back after the international break will be the time to judge.

On another point I’m extremely concerned about the amount of soft tissue injuries we are seeing. In my experience it’s unprecedented in these numbers. What is going on behind the scenes ?

Edited Wednesday at 13:40 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[booth]

3 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Eustace had an extremely positive recent record when he joined us. He looked to be a young manager on the up. And eventually carried that on with us.

Ismael is exactly the opposite. He looks to be a manager very much on the downgrade. And unlike Eustace he inherited a team in decent shape but has still managed to start in similar fashion 

Nothing to do with the degree of comfort in front of the cameras.

He inherited a team in terrible shape. Lots of injuries, Suhail being a whiny bitch and an awful January window. First game comes after a hopeless 3-0 loss to a poor team. It certainly wasn't the team that got us into the play off spots.

[martonrover]

4 hours ago, islander200 said:

Don't get me wrong I rate Eustace ,doesn't change the fact posters were being mega critical of him when he first came in and are saying the same things about Ismael now as they where about Eustace

I think that was far more a backlash because Waggott was seen as the one who brought him in.

Some of us could rise above that and take into consideration Eustace’s record of keeping QPR up, and then getting Birmingham into the top 6 before being ridiculously sacked.

Eustace kept us up when we looked like relegation on a stick, and he also left us in the top 6.

I know a Derby fan at work and he had written them off as relegated.

I think Eustace has other ideas.

He still looks like a manager whose star is rising.

Sorry, but I just don’t see Ismael in that bracket.

That long contract must’ve had him rubbing his hands in glee.

If it continues to go badly, the worst case scenario for him is a big pay off, and then he can blame the clowns for our decline, (which in the bigger picture is true).

[simongarnerisgod]

the only criticism of eustace last season from me was the plymouth home game and  bristol city away,which imo is the worst rovers performance iv`e ever seen,overall he did well considering he inherited a shell shocked squad

[chaddyrovers]

3 hours ago, martonrover said:

Eustace’s record of keeping QPR up,

When was this?

He wasn't head coach but number 2 there to McClaren and Warburton. 

3 hours ago, martonrover said:

He still looks like a manager whose star is rising.

Rising star? He has been head coach at 4 clubs for 4 and half years. 

2 years at Kidderminster, 16 months at Birmingham, 12months here and a month at Derby. 

 

3 hours ago, martonrover said:

Sorry, but I just don’t see Ismael in that bracket.

That's cos he isnt rising star but a head coach with experience in the championship with 3 clubs, Beskitas in Turkey and LASK in Austria.

[Southside Rover]

21 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

The Derby job wasn't available when the transfer window were closing

From what was reported, Rovers had loads of applicants, they compiled a short list of a number to do zoom interviews, then they went to London to meet some candidates(before Swansea game). Then after Swansea we moved for Ismael as the next head coach and he was appointed 

Yes I know but do you not think in football conversations start sooner than a job becomes available or the transfer window opens?

[chaddyrovers]

52 minutes ago, Southside Rover said:

Yes I know but do you not think in football conversations start sooner than a job becomes available or the transfer window opens?

Yes I do. 

Do I think Eustace was approached before JDT left? Yes I do

Do I think Eustace was approached by Derby before Warne was sacked? Yes I do. 

Do I think Ismael was approached by us before Eustace left? No I dont

 

[islander200]

8 hours ago, Southside Rover said:

Yes I know but do you not think in football conversations start sooner than a job becomes available or the transfer window opens?

I don't think signing Woodrow had anything to do with Ismael.He has barely played him.

To have been in conversations with Ismael,Rovers would have to have known Derby would be sacking their manager and  know that Eustace would replace him.

If they knew Ismael was going to replace him and where already signing players on his behalf how do you explain the 2 Weeks or whatever it was from Eustace leaving before Ismael was appointed ?

We signed Woodrow because Eustace wanted an experienced striker and the club took the cheap and short term option

[Paul Mellelieu]

19 hours ago, islander200 said:

Like Eustace ?

Hardly inspiring in front of the cameras, and he turned out fine

Or Dalglish.

[islander200]

3 minutes ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

Or Dalglish.

Or Ferguson or Arsene Wenger

Both hardly inspiring in front of the cameras yet 2 of the most successful managers In the Premier league era.

[den]

2 hours ago, islander200 said:

Or Ferguson or Arsene Wenger

Both hardly inspiring in front of the cameras yet 2 of the most successful managers In the Premier league era.

Neither of them continually spouted garbage either. They didn’t blame individuals in public nor did they tell the fans that the team played well when they put in an awful performance.That’s the point. When they spoke you listened, you didn’t laugh.

maybe it’s obvious to some but not others.

 

Edited Thursday at 09:57 by den

[RTM08]

He's already talking about doing a full rebuild in the summer. Imagine instead of having to rebuild with a new manager we every season we actually back the ones we have when in a good position? Crazy I know.

Dour football, dour personality, zero motivation and has turned us into cannon fodder. Next season is going to be awful.

[booth]

9 minutes ago, den said:

Neither of them continually spouted garbage either. They didn’t blame individuals in public nor did they tell the fans that the team played well when they put in an awful performance.That’s the point. When they spoke you listened, you didn’t laugh.

maybe it’s obvious to some but not others.

 

Ferguson certainly spouted garbage after he'd played us.

[DE.]

3 minutes ago, RTM08 said:

He's already talking about doing a full rebuild in the summer. Imagine instead of having to rebuild with a new manager we every season we actually back the ones we have when in a good position? Crazy I know.

Dour football, dour personality, zero motivation and has turned us into cannon fodder. Next season is going to be awful.

He'll be in for a big disappointment when he gets the budget in the summer then. Unless he's planning to build a squad for League 1. 

[chaddyrovers]

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/25022883.blackburn-summer-transfer-clue-ismael-sets-clear-vision/

Sound like Hedges and Hyam could move on. 

Also going back to possession based team

[davulsukur]

8 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/25022883.blackburn-summer-transfer-clue-ismael-sets-clear-vision/

Sound like Hedges and Hyam could move on. 

Also going back to possession based team

It's all just meaningless words.

There won't be enough money spent to replace the high number of out going players with enough quality to do anything, let alone switch the style of play to a possession based approach. 

A big summer ahead but one that will likely leave us incredibly short on quality but asking players of lesser ability to play beyond their capability. 

It's going to be a scrap at the bottom next season.