If this guy loses every game until the end of the season does anybody think they would sack him? I don’t understand the need to give him such a massive contact especially when they wouldn’t do the same for Eustace. The board have just painted themselves into a corner now as he looks clueless and we have no money to change it.

That was bad, defensively gone to complete pot under Ismael. We look like we will concede from every attack and it’s gone back to the JDT defensive masterclass.

Don't hold much hope for tomorrow but praying things click under Ismael quickly. We look lost in defence and attack currently.

I’m just hoping it’s teething issues otherwise this guy looks a total disaster, look clueless in defence and attack.

Relegation squad and a relegation manager. Next year will be down by Xmas

I don’t know what these tactics are but it seems to create absolutely nothing in an attacking sense.

It’s a miracle we haven’t gone down this season. Complete shite squad and now a manager who doesn’t seem to be able to get anything out of it

Rovers need a win tonight but this guy especially does. We have looked really poor since he has come in, the intensity of play has become very passive and our basic defending gone to pot. He fluffed it on Saturday against bottom of the league and Stoke aren't much further up.

I renewed last season based on the pressure of the early bird offer and the fact we were going to build a squad with the Wharton/Raya/Szmodic cash. Instead we got shafted, I wrote to the club before the season started for a refund but they were having none of it. I was 100% on relegation this season with the squad we have, it's a miracle we aren't down there and that's thanks to Eustace. I won't be going next year and imagine plenty others in the same boat, until some serious investment is made in the team or we get new owners. The way I see it now as every penny I give the club is just giving the Venkys more of a reason to stick around and/or not invest anything. The squad will be grim next season after more contracts end and we accept bids for anyone still worth anything (Travis, Brittain etc.)

I think we will drop down the league, we have been poor for a couple of months other than the odd game. We seem to have lost our defensive solidity and robustness in that time under Eustace and now Ismael. Also not been impressed by the start under Ismael, seem to have dropped off the intensity for some reason when I thought it would go the other way.

Shambolic and we looked complete shite with the ball. Majorly unimpressed with Ismael we have regressed massively in matter of weeks

We look worse under Ismael than under Lowe

Fuck off rovers

Poor from Pears

We should be smashing these but you just know rovers don't turn up in these sort of circumstances. Same with Swansea last week. Ismael will have had a week on the grass with them so hopefully see some more intense play than we saw vs Norwich last week where we just sat off them all game. Really liked the looks of Kargbo something different to what we have on the books and looks our best chance of creating a goal.

I don’t mind him making a stray pass or losing the ball in the final third if he’s putting a shift in. I think earlier in the season he just moped when he lost it but at least now he’s running back and nicking the ball. Definitely not hit the heights I was expecting for assists or goals though, his set piece delivery’s are poor as well.

Some shocking spells of passive play where we stood off Norwich and let them pass it wherever they wanted. Hoping that’s not come from Ismael as I was expecting pressing football. A draw was fair as we had good spells in both half’s after the first 15 mins or so. Poor game from both sides with little quality. Kargbo my man of the match did everything he could to make something happen and tracked back well with his pace.

Has he appointed any coaches or assistants?

Feels like we will get an underwhelming appointment this week. Unless it is someone really left field as all the linked ones are rubbish.

Just turned in to see us go 2 down, sounds like it’s been poor. Turning off for the day!

If I am honest I don't really fancy any of the managers on the list, other than Cooper none of them have achieved anything and he is way too expensive for us. Whoever it is needs to know the Championship, at least Karanka has that over Boaten and Boa-Morte.

My biggest criticism with Dolan is that he continually makes the same mistakes each week and it's so frustrating he hasn't learned after 4-5 full seasons playing with us. He does all the hard work getting into great positions and beating his man but then ruins it by not releasing the ball. It's such a simple thing to fix and he just can't seem to learn to do it. Other than that I love his attitude and work rate and really want to see him do well - seems a great club ambassador as well.

Surely this talk of Boateng is just hot air wtf has the guy done in football to be even considered for a playoff push at a club like Rovers? It would be as bad as the Gestede appointment and another nail in the coffin of the club.

Starting to get a feeling we are heading for a left field appointment from overseas. A lot of the decent uk based managers being linked are all out of work but on good compensation packages from previous clubs like Leicester, Wolves, Luton etc. That's money I can't see us paying unless they agree to forfeit.

Reading between the lines it seems that Eustace had developed a toxic relationship with the board/owners enough for him to bail out at the earliest opportunity. No mean feat given the position the team is in and with only 15 or so games left to do. Presumably this is due to continual broken promises on investment in the squad and longer term thinking on players contracts/futures. This may have led to some fairly heated discussions and things get said that can't be then forgotten. It also looks like Eustace was pretty non-committed to Rovers in general based on comments about him showing interest in other jobs since the summer (Preston was even mentioned by LET) and living in a hotel all this time. So its a fair assumption to suggest he never saw much of a future here anyway regardless of the outcome of the above. Finally it seems from the socials of players/coaches that his relationship with the team and players/coaches was first class so he has done a good job of hiding his concerns from them and being professional in pushing the team forward. As you say the squad is in a better place now than it has been all season with the additions (ignoring the short term approach to them all) so for him to leave at this point you have to question him as much as the club.