Valérien Ismaël: Blackburn Rovers Head Coach

[KentExile]

32 minutes ago, Forever Blue said:

Cos they’d have to pay him 3 years salary. They’ll pot him for nowt after 3 months (if the clause break is true)

Depends on if the break clause (if true) is within 3 months, or after 3 months.  

If it is after 3 months, then they will obviously wait.  If it is within 3 months, he should be binned immediately, if not before 😉 

Edited April 6 by KentExile

[Tomphil2]

These idiots won't exercise it if he wins a game or two.

We'll end up struggling like feck by next October after another chaotic summer but they'll be unable to pot him because of the pay off.

I wouldn't be surprised if they thought after the last two we'll hire this fella, give him a long contract then at some point a foreign club will step in and pay us for him.

They've got the taste for head coach trading and compensation now, longer contract = more compen, they are that stupid.

Edited April 6 by Tomphil2

[Forever Blue]

1 hour ago, KentExile said:

Depends on if the break clause (if true) is within 3 months, or after 3 months.  

If it is after 3 months, then they will obviously wait.  If it is within 3 months, he should be binned immediately, if not before 😉 

It’s a strange clause if it’s ‘within’ 3 months, that’s basically a zero hours contract!. ‘After’ 3 months makes more sense as that gives him to the end of the season (he was appointed on 25th Feb)

Regardless, It’s been a disastrous appointment. All he had to do was win a few games and we were in the play offs. Useless. 

Edited April 6 by Forever Blue

[KentExile]

3 hours ago, Forever Blue said:

It’s a strange clause if it’s ‘within’ 3 months, that’s basically a zero hours contract!. ‘After’ 3 months makes more sense as that gives him to the end of the season (he was appointed on 25th Feb)

Regardless, It’s been a disastrous appointment. All he had to do was win a few games and we were in the play offs. Useless. 

I agree, My comment was based on the below post

On 05/04/2025 at 09:21, glen9mullan said:

Within the 3 month, he can be removed and no compensation paid. 

Confirmed by club to me 

Personally  wouldn't put anything past those in charge. 

If it is "within" then I imagine Waggott creamed his pants whilst rubbing his hands together & congratulating himself on his own genius at shafting a new employee as soon as he was through the door

Edited April 6 by KentExile

[neophox]

He can we'll take us down before the 3 months ends.

[miqaayil]

maybe he'll achieve a club record of straight loss ...

 

definitely he won club record for straight winless for new manager 

 

maybe that's what he meant "LOOK AT MY RECORDS"

[neophox]

This 3 month seems legit. Ismael has the chance to get a three year contract if he does well but he's fooked it up...if Gestede put this 3 month clause then they will save some money...

[neophox]

They could well pot him on Tuesday.

[Upside Down]

13 hours ago, norwichblue said:

Hear a lot of people using the words “deliberate” when referring to our seasonal sabotage. I can’t see a reason they would deliberately ruin our chances, doesn’t make any sense. I just think it’s the purest form of incompetence and negligence, rather than doing it on purpose.

Plod along does indeed go on forever.

We absolutely must change things up in Summer. VI at the very least. 

This is a bit like the can't send, won't send debate. The answer is both.

Are they completely brain-dead cretins? Yes.

Are they deliberately taking actions to ensure that things happen to their advantage? Yes.

There's so many things that have happened, and repeatedly keep happening here over the years, that just do not happen anywhere else.

The repeated botched transfers, which mysteriously only happened to incoming transfers, paying out players 80% of their contracts to leave, instructing managers to not play certain players to avoid triggering contract extensions, having the club run by agents, running misinformation campaigns and using divide and rule tactics against supporters.... I could go on. All of the above and much much more cannot be simply attributed to simple incompetence alone.

 

As for their phobia of promotion to the Premier League, just look at how they've reacted to having the media attention turned in their direction over the last two weeks. They've gone into complete meltdown, do you really think they'd be able to handle the scrutiny that would be coming their way from the club being in the top flight? They couldn't handle it 15 years ago and it's exploded in the time since.

They're currently under investigation for financial misconduct by their own government, do you think they'd want the world media digging through their affairs to build a story? Do you think they can handle the pressure of having attention drawn to things like this: https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2024-04-05/indian-poultry-giant-selling-antibiotics-for-growth-promotion-on-farms

They have a lot to hide.

I've never once bought the idea of them being totally disinterested either, they've got their men on the ground reporting back to them and I suspect that nothing goes on here without their consent. Whatever it is they've been up to has been rumbled by the ED investigation and they're in full protection mode. The last thing they want is a global media circus unearthing all their dirty secrets.

There's a lot that goes on here that can be chalked up to just brainless stupidity for sure, but be under no illusion there's more going on than meets the eye.

 

[onlyonejackwalker]

We were in the play offs and had just recruited a striker, two wingers, a midfielder, left back and centre half.  

For this guy to take what we had, plus the new signings, gain 1 point from 18 (and that was due to a 96th minute goal), take us from 5th to 12th, rarely look like scoring, always look like conceeding, never look like winning, is desperately bad.

An appalling appointment. More so, as all of us knew exactly what was needed. A short term motivator, who would instill renewed belief in our jilted, snowflake players.

Lowe was in the top ten short term options after Eustace left. Maybe even top five. Get shut and let him see the season out.

[RevidgeBlue]

23 hours ago, Herbie6590 said:

 

Is there not a counter argument to that which runs along the lines of "No-one could possibly be that stupid"?

[RevidgeBlue]

5 minutes ago, onlyonejackwalker said:

We were in the play offs and had just recruited a striker, two wingers, a midfielder, left back and centre half.  

For this guy to take what we had, plus the new signings, gain 1 point from 18 (and that was due to a 96th minute goal), take us from 5th to 12th, rarely look like scoring, always look like conceeding, never look like winning, is desperately bad.

An appalling appointment. More so, as all of us knew exactly what was needed. A short term motivator, who would instill renewed belief in our jilted, snowflake players.

Lowe was in the top ten short term options after Eustace left. Maybe even top five. Get shut and let him see the season out.

We agreed on the need for a short term. motivator but your disdain and disregard for Eustace leaving looks more and more misjudged with every passing week.

Not really in favour of Lowe being re-appointed for any length of time tbh.

[JHRover]

If what has been claimed about Lowe is true, that he is unmovable due to being the owners inside man, and I believe it is true, then I'd rather be was nowhere near running the first team.

I think JDT and Eustace felt the same which is why he was shifted out of the way and possibly one reason why neither of them lasted too long.

[onlyonejackwalker]

7 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

We agreed on the need for a short term. motivator but your disdain and disregard for Eustace leaving looks more and more misjudged with every passing week.

Not really in favour of Lowe being re-appointed for any length of time tbh.

I explained Eustace left for money. Rumoured to be 12k a week more. That was it. I'm not sure why that is confusing you. If he keeps Derby up and a Premier League team comes in for him he will be off like a shot.

But that is completely irrelevant to us recruiting Ismael. We still had a brilliant opportunity to attack the rest of the season. 

[RevidgeBlue]

The situation with VI gets more and more bizarre.

If he can only be sacked  compo free WITHIN the first few months, that would look as if they  knew full well he was likely to bomb and that he was only brought in short term  to deliberately sabotage any play off attempt.

It would be more normal I'd presume for there to be a window AFTER 3 months in which either party can walk away if they choose. If that's the case it's still bizarre as you'd imagine VI would be busting a gut to impress during his probationary period. It will do his long term prospects no good at all if he bombs and gets sacked after 3 months. Instead he looks completely disinterested and as though he doesn't want to be here any more than any of the supporters want him here. His demeanour is that of someone who couldn't care less because he knows he can't be shifted without a full pay out for the entire length of his contract.

I suppose either way we have to pray there is some sort of break clause in existence. Without it I dread to think where we'd end up. Non League after 3 successive relegations hypothetically.

[onlyonejackwalker]

1 minute ago, JHRover said:

If what has been claimed about Lowe is true, that he is unmovable due to being the owners inside man, and I believe it is true, then I'd rather be was nowhere near running the first team.

I think JDT and Eustace felt the same which is why he was shifted out of the way and possibly one reason why neither of them lasted too long.

I've not seen those comments regarding Lowe. But internal politics, empire building, self protection and straight forward bitchiness are rife in football. More than any other industry I have worked in.

[RevidgeBlue]

3 minutes ago, onlyonejackwalker said:

I explained Eustace left for money. Rumoured to be 12k a week more. That was it. I'm not sure why that is confusing you. If he keeps Derby up and a Premier League team comes in for him he will be off like a shot.

So you think the 3 stooges and the way they run the Club are/we're completely irrelevant?

I'm astounded if so.

[chaddyrovers]

11 hours ago, neophox said:

They could well pot him on Tuesday.

I don't see Rovers sacking him if we lose tomorrow or even at the end of the season. I expected they will give him next season and back him with a number of signings to fit his style of play and formation

30 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Not really in favour of Lowe being re-appointed for any length of time tbh.

so who would you go for? 

[roversfan99]

They wont sack him sadly. They wont back him either, not reasonably, another summer of scraping the barrel scrambling around for loans and cheap deals. And it isnt "his style," he has to play the style that Gestede has decided is "the right way."

So all in all, crap manager, insuffucient quality and depth on the playing side. Not something to look forward to.

The social media keeps saying be part of the story. That story is a horror.

[chaddyrovers]

55 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

They wont sack him sadly. They wont back him either, not reasonably, another summer of scraping the barrel scrambling around for loans and cheap deals. And it isnt "his style," he has to play the style that Gestede has decided is "the right way."

So all in all, crap manager, insuffucient quality and depth on the playing side. Not something to look forward to.

The social media keeps saying be part of the story. That story is a horror.

what is reasonably amount of backing? how many millions? 

Do you not think that Ismael has agreed before he appointed head coach role to play this style he and Gestede has said they want to play? 

I take you aren't renewing/buying ST next season, is this correct? 

[onlyonejackwalker]

2 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

So you think the 3 stooges and the way they run the Club are/we're completely irrelevant?

I'm astounded if so.

The three stooges didn't stop him getting us in the top six all season. They just couldn't give him an extra 10k a week. He's currently doing well at Derby, but that can change. He's gone, you've just got to deal with it.

The three stooges did however recruit this total plank and what is astounding is that no one seems to give a toss about how our season has totally disintegrated. Apart from us lot.

 

[onlyonejackwalker]

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

what is reasonably amount of backing? how many millions? 

Do you not think that Ismael has agreed before he appointed head coach role to play this style he and Gestede has said they want to play? 

I take you aren't renewing/buying ST next season, is this correct? 

I'm seriously thinking about not renewing. My mate and my son also. I enjoyed our organisation and fight under Eustace, but it was turgid stuff at times. Forget Duff and Tugay, it wasn't a patch on watching Scotty Sellars, Garner and Gayle.

[Mattyblue]

Amazing you are still banging the drum that he purely went for a pay rise.

[RevidgeBlue]

2 minutes ago, onlyonejackwalker said:

The three stooges did however recruit this total plank and what is astounding is that no one seems to give a toss about how our season has totally disintegrated. Apart from us lot.

On the contrary, the way they keep talking about changing the style of play, and describing the prospect of losing at least 10-12 players in summer as being "exciting",  and insinuating we'll be OK when we bring players in who can actually play to VI'S methods.

All that  suggests they actually deliberately sabotaged the play off attempt in favour of going backwards to embark from scratch on yet another  Uncle Tone type never ending "journeys" with no end goal or destination in mind.

[RevidgeBlue]

8 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Amazing you are still banging the drum that he purely went for a pay rise.

Wonder why JDT also  left.

Was he just "greedy" as well?

Or did they both just want to try and achieve some measure of success.