v Portsmouth (a) - 29/3/2025

[RevidgeBlue]

What I found surprising if true is that VI apparently actually admitted in interview that he was waiting for the international break to implement his own tactics.

If that's true, he's effectively admitting to basically writing the season off and sabotaging any play off chances when he arrived.

Well it's worked. And how.

[Mercer]

13 minutes ago, Tom said:

This is the pits 

No it's not!

If you have read Dante's Inferno (a tough read) you would realise the lowest and most severe level of Hell is the 9th circle, Cocytus!

Dumbfounded when I saw the line-up.  IMO, echoes of our infamous performance at Spurs under Kean.

Our club is on its knees and dying.

Think Friday's game, live on Sky, needs to be toxic.

[West Yorks Rover]

Our last shot of any kind was on 67 mins, that's utterly shocking, considering we needed the points and

the quality our the opponents.

[rigger]

1 minute ago, RevidgeBlue said:

What I found surprising if true is that VI apparently actually admitted in interview that he was waiting for the international break to implement his own tactics.

If that's true, he's effectively admitting to basically writing the season off and sabotaging any play off chances when he arrived.

Well it's worked. And how.

Did he mention, which international break ?

[had.e.nuff]

4 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

If thats the result of Ismael having 2 weeks to work with the team then that says it all. The French Owen Coyle picking a weird team again and never did we look like scoring. Even if we had got a below par points tally from 4 struggling sides then we would still have an outside chance of the play offs. To get absolutely nothing is extraordinarily bad. Ive seen enough to see why all of the fans of his previous 2 clubs who sacked him hated him so much.

The talk this week has been about deflecting the anger away from the team. Not sure they even deserve it. Passionless wasters.

 

more like the french henning berg he has 5 games left to beat his record of 6 from 30 half way there with 1 from 15

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

13 minutes ago, roverstdt said:

I don't blame Big Val he was offered a job and took the opportunity. The problem is way way way above. 

He came to a Club in the top six...his record to date is an utter fookin shambles!

A Club rotten from top to bottom.

Edited Saturday at 17:12 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Tomphil2]

Today was always going to be a tough one but this guy really hasn't got the first clue.

For context a lot said the same about Eustace but he didn't walk into a team in 5th place.

[sharpysharps86]

Maybe I'm giving them too much credit here, but part of me wouldn't be surprised if they came to an agreement for Ismael to leave the club as a way to try and deflect what is inevitably going to be quite a toxic atmosphere at Ewood in the coming weeks.

That being said, there's just no way they are ever sacking him and paying off a 3 year contract.

If there's a positive to be had, its that they've appointed such a bad head coach that it is surely going to unite more fans in turning on the owners.

If Ismael is at the club next season then he's going to be up there with Coyle and Kean in levels of hatred.

[barry_]

just awful. 

i feel sick to my stomach 

the negative emotions are just not worth it 

😭

[Athlete]

18 minutes ago, Penwortham Blue said:

After 43 years with a ST, I am actively considering not renewing in order to support NAPM until these fuckers finally leave our club.

I am after 40 years considering the same

[Exiled_Rover]

1 minute ago, Tomphil2 said:

Today was always going to be a tough one but this guy really hasn't got the first clue.

For context a lot said the same about Eustace but he didn't walk into a team in 5th place.

Eustace had an immediate impact - you could see he was trying to stem the flow of goals and make us hard to beat.

This French lad though - fuck knows what he's trying to do. 

[wilsdenrover]

Speechless 

[G Somerset Rover]

You’ve gotta hand it to Ismael - he has this extremely consistent ability for his teams to be behind at half time and show 0 ( and I mean, zero) ambition or urgency to get back into matches.

This season is now done. Time to turn up the heat in front of the sky cameras on Friday.

Edited Saturday at 17:17 by G Somerset Rover

[Gamst]

Surely even this lot won’t leave the summer rebuild to Valerian root? He has to go. Let the groundsman take the team until the end of the season. That’s if we haven’t sacked the groundsman to pay for Waggott’s sports car. 

[Lancaster Rover]

I’d be annoyed if it wasn’t so predictable, we’ll end the season below PNE

[1874]

I miss the international break already

[wilsdenrover]

18 points from 6 games followed by 18 points from 20 games. 

[Bbrovers2288]

So predictable, 

this is getting to boiling point, something has to give 

[sharpysharps86]

The performances have really just made it crystal clear just how little the players want to play for Ismael. Under Eustace this lot would keep going and going, even in poor performances and defeats, you could very rarely question their effort and commitment.

This group of players have also shown that they need an expert man manager to be able to achieve anything at this level. Ismael is definitely not giving 'good man manager', so it's no surprise that these players have dropped off a cliff.

 

[OnionBalaji]

Disappointing result, but not unexpected especially with that starting 11 

Ismael has to be the worst manager we’ve had in at least a decade. The fact he does nothing to motivate, encourage, inspire, drive the team - just stands there hands in pockets, expressionless. Hard to motivate a team if you aren’t motivated too…

There is a lack of anything encouraging about him, I can’t name one positive and seeing the abject nothingness from him makes me more angry … you are being paid very well to instil pride and ambition into the team. Act like it at least 

[Ghost7]

Had the board and owners shown some ambition with this appointment it could have been an entirely different story. In my opinion the cheap route has been taken every time whether it be new players... a striker, a goalkeeper or managers and we will find ourselves dropping down a league in no time. You can't run a club this way.

[Tomphil2]

11 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Eustace had an immediate impact - you could see he was trying to stem the flow of goals and make us hard to beat.

This French lad though - fuck knows what he's trying to do. 

Yep he stamped his style straight away as did JDT albeit after a few weeks of pre season.

Now though it just looks like chuck and chance but to get the best out of this squad we can only really play one way.....and it isn't his way obviously.

[Exiled_Rover]

6 minutes ago, sharpysharps86 said:

The performances have really just made it crystal clear just how little the players want to play for Ismael. Under Eustace this lot would keep going and going, even in poor performances and defeats, you could very rarely question their effort and commitment.

This group of players have also shown that they need an expert man manager to be able to achieve anything at this level. Ismael is definitely not giving 'good man manager', so it's no surprise that these players have dropped off a cliff.

 

It's pretty clear most of the players aren't arsed any more.

Sure they'll take the win if you gift it to them, but the way Eustace left has taken the fight from them. Travis is a shadow of the player he was earlier in the season. 

[Silas]

The players have lost the will for it imo.

The Eustace shambles, and the rest of the circus, has knocked the stuffing out of them.

And VI was never the person to lift them back up. An Allardyce/Dyche type might have. 

That moment's been and gone, and after the last few seasons of setting up camp regularly in the Top 6, I genuinely fear we may never be there again for a long time. 

Top 6 League 1 maybe the next target.

I'm a heavy mix of anger and apathy. Feels justified and warranted, rather than the usual emotional and reactionary. 

[West Yorks Rover]

1 minute ago, OnionBalaji said:

Disappointing result, but not unexpected especially with that starting 11 

Ismael has to be the worst manager we’ve had in at least a decade. The fact he does nothing to motivate, encourage, inspire, drive the team - just stands there hands in pockets, expressionless. Hard to motivate a team if you aren’t motivated too…

There is a lack of anything encouraging about him, I can’t name one positive and seeing the abject nothingness from him makes me more angry … you are being paid very well to instil pride and ambition into the team. Act like it at least 

Maybe things will change once it is mathematically impossible for us to finish in the top 6.

He will have done his job for this season, he will relax, the players will relax and we'll finish on a 

winning run.

Now that would not be too surprising, would it ?