What Will Life Be Like For Blackburn Rovers Under Valerien Ismael?

After recent managerial drama, Blackburn Rovers have confirmed the appointment of Valerien Ismael as their new Head Coach on a deal that runs until June 2028. Ismael takes the reins at Ewood Park following the departure of previous manager John Eustace to relegation-threatened Derby County in a move that had left many stunned.

But what can Ismael bring to the table at a critical stage of the season for the Lancashire club with his new side sat high in 8th place in the Championship, outside the dream of the play-offs on goal difference?

With previous experience in the play-offs, Ismael could be the man to lead the former Premier League Champions back to the top flight for the first time since their relegation in 2012.

The Frenchman takes over at the club after a surprising season so far, especially after last season’s torrid campaign. Blackburn were in a completely different position last season, finishing 19th in the table. They only secured survival on the last day after shocking the Champions Leicester City 2-0 at the King Power Stadium to confirm their Championship status.

The man who scored a brace that day was the reason Rovers stayed up. Sammie Szmodics picked up the Championship golden boot after scoring 27 goals, 45% of Rovers’ league goals. After Szmodics left Rovers for Premier League Ipswich Town in the summer, it was difficult to see how the new season would go at Ewood Park.

But under the guidance of Eustace, Blackburn have proven the critics wrong. Before the former Birmingham City manager departed Rovers, he won 14 of his 32 league games in charge.

The biggest transformation has been their defensive record; as of now, they have conceded 35 goals so far which puts them in top half of defensive records in the second tier. Rovers conceded 74 goals last season in the Championship, with only relegated Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town conceding more.

Despite this, Eustace left for Derby, but is there reason for the Blackburn faithful to be confident over his replacement?

Well, Ismael has plenty of experience in management with a large part in the Championship. Before those days, he had stints all across Europe. He spent time in Germany with FC Nurnberg and Wolfsburg before just spending under a year at Austrian outfit LASK.

He won 31 of his 50 games in charge and led them to a 4th place finish in the Austrian Bundesliga and to the last 16 of the Europa League. After his 60% win percentage in Austria, he earned a move to Championship side Barnsley, where he made a name for himself in the English game.

After beating eventual play-off finalists Brentford on the last day of the season to confirm their Championship status, Barnsley had another season where they thought a relegation battle was on the cards.

Ismael took over eight games in following the departure of popular figure Gerhard Struber and the former Bayern Munich midfielder had an instant impact at Oakwell.

A 3-0 win at home to QPR got him off to the perfect start in Yorkshire, lifting the Tykes out of the relegation zone.

Ismael shocked the Championship by winning 23 of his 39 games in charge as he guided Barnsley to a 5th place finish which meant for the first time since 2000, they would get a play-off finish in the Championship (or first division).

They couldn’t go all the way though as they lost over two legs to Swansea City, losing 2-1 on aggregate, but it was a season to be proud of despite not going all the way to Wembley.

Ismael’s ability to get the best out of players was shown during that season with the likes of Mads Andersen, Michal Helik, Callum Styles, Alex Mowatt, Daryl Dike and Cauley Woodrow being the standouts in a solid Barnsley team.

There was hope that the Frenchman would stay on at Oakwell but he left the Reds as he joined fellow Championship side West Bromwich Albion following their relegation from the Premier League.

The expectation was an instant return to the top flight for the West Midlands side and with Ismael being able to pinch Mowatt from his former Barnsley side and eventually adding Daryl Dike to the side, there was confidence building at the Hawthorns.

Life in the West Midlands started well for Ismael after remaining unbeaten in the league until October with the club top of the league, even after a 1-0 loss to Stoke City.

This surprise defeat was the start an inconsistent run of form for Albion however. The Baggies won just six of their next 17 games and with fans growing frustrated with his footballing style, Ismael was sacked following a 2-0 defeat at Millwall with the club in 5th.

Many saw this as a shock with West Brom being in top six but they wanted to be fighting for an automatic promotion place at the time and they were way off it in terms of points and performance.

A trip overseas was next for Ismael as he joined Turkish side Besiktas in March 2022, just a month after his departure from West Brom. But his time in Turkey didn't last all too long.

In his 18 games in charge, he won eight, drew seven and lost three. In this time he used a total of 38 different players, so he struggled to set down on a set squad. He was sacked following a 2-1 loss at Hatayspor which was seen as a shock decision for the Besiktas faithful.

His final club before his recent move to Lancashire was to fellow Championship side Watford. Ismael took the risk at a club with a well known revolving door of managers at the Hornets, taking over from Chris Wilder as they went into the 2023/24 campaign.

The start to life at Vicarage Road wasn’t a happy one for Ismael after just two wins in his opening eleven games. Results did pick up though including a 5-0 win over Rotherham United and 5-1 win away to Preston North End. So scoring goals wasn’t a problem; keeping them out their own net was.

A run of just one win in ten, culminating in a 1-0 defeat at Millwall, marked the end of Ismael's time with the Hornets, the second time Millwall spelled the end for Ismael after they did it to him at West Brom, The Den proving to be a cruel place for the now 49-year-old.

Now at Rovers, Ismael will be looking to replicate his time at Barnsley rather than his other spells. His direct style with high pressing could be pivotal in Blackburn’s push for the play-offs. He will be looking to utilise January signings Emmanuel Dennis, Cauley Woodrow, Dion Sanderson, Yuri Ribeiro and Augustus Karbo.

He got off to a decent start in his first outing getting a late 1-1 draw with Norwich City courtesy of a 96th minute strike from Andreas Weimann while having ten men.

Next up is a trip to Derby County where he will be hoping to get what the fans want, a sweet taste of revenge over their old manager in John Eustace in a highly anticipated game.