"I fully believe" - Blackburn Rovers claim made on Valerien Ismael's future | OneFootball

FLW's Blackburn fan pundit has given his verdict on whether Valerien Ismael is the man to bring the club forward

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Valerien Ismael’s future at Blackburn Rovers appears to be secure after a solid end to their 2024-25 Championship campaign.

It was reported by talkSPORT in April that Wayne Rooney was on the club’s radar amid uncertainty over the Croatian’s position at Ewood Park.

But a six-game unbeaten run to end the Championship season saw Blackburn earn a seventh place finish in English football's second tier, two points behind the play-off places as they frustratingly missed out on the final day.

With planning now turning towards the summer transfer window, Ismael will be hoping to bring in new signings that can help close that gap going into 2025-26, but not everyone has been fully convinced about his managerial abilities on the Ewood Park terraces.

Valerien Ismael verdict issued after turning around Blackburn Rovers form

When asked about whether Ismael is the man to bring the club forward, FLW’s Blackburn fan pundit Simon Middlehurst claimed he’s unsure.

He is caught between two minds because of the manager’s poor start to life at Rovers in February and March, and believes the start of the next season will be crucial to determining his future.

“I’m undecided at the minute about Valerien Ismael,” Middlehurst told Football League World.

“Obviously, we did go on that good run towards the end of the season, just missing out on the play-offs by two points.

“Obviously, we had that five game stretch of not winning a game.

“Ultimately, if we got a couple of draws there, the situation might be different, we might have just scraped into the play-offs.

“Part of me thinks that Ismael is starting to get through to the players, part of me thinks that some of the players were just putting themselves in the shop window, Tyrhys Dolan being one of them.

“I fully believe that he was out the door, and I think his performances have shown he was looking to put himself in the shop window.

“Also, part of me thinks the players also took some of the responsibility for it as well.

“So, at the minute, I’m very much undecided about Ismael.

“For me, it will all depend on how pre-season goes, what players he brings in and how we start next season.”

End of season turn-around may have saved Valerien Ismael's Blackburn Rovers job

Ismael had a terrible start to his time at Blackburn, with their poor form ultimately costing them a play-off place when it was all said and done.

But the Rovers squad showed a lot of promise in the final six games, winning four and drawing twice - where was that though when Ismael initially arrived as John Eustace's replacement?

If they can have a strong summer and start the next campaign with that kind of form, then Ismael will have earned a lot of credit.