How Todd Cantwell has reacted to Blackburn Rovers sacking Valerien Ismael | OneFootball

Valerien Ismael was handed his marching orders after a 1-0 loss to Hull City last weekend

Todd Cantwell has posted a message of support to Valerien Ismael following his dismissal by Blackburn Rovers.

For the second year in a row, the Lancashire outfit are searching for a new manager in February after the close of the winter market.

The 50-year-old was sacked following a 1-0 loss to Hull City last weekend, which has left the club sitting inside the bottom three of the Championship table.

Rovers are winless in their last eight fixtures, which has put them at a real risk of relegation to League One.

Ismael was appointed 12 months ago in place of John Eustace, who jumped ship to rivals Derby County, and he oversaw a seventh place finish in the standings last season, with Blackburn narrowly missing out on a play-off place by just two points.

Todd Cantwell’s farewell message to Valerien Ismael

Cantwell has thanked Ismael, along with the also departed Dean Whitehead, for the work they did with the club during the last 12 months.

He believes it is now up to the player to also take accountability for their poor form, and that they will work as hard as they can to ensure their form is turned around.

“Would like to thank the gaffa and Deano for their efforts, been a [sic] absolute pleasure to work with,” wrote Cantwell, via his personal Instagram account.

“The players will take accountability also and will give everything we can to turn our form around!”

Blackburn have struggled for form in 2026, and their last league victory came on 20 December in a home clash against Millwall.

Rovers have since drawn four and lost four, leaving them 22nd in the Championship with 17 games remaining.

The gap to 21st place West Brom is just three points, while Norwich City and Portsmouth are only one further ahead.

It is unclear who will take charge long-term, but former Blackburn player Damien Johnson is set to oversee tonight’s home fixture against 24th place Sheffield Wednesday, which kicks-off at 7.45pm.

Blackburn stars need to find form quickly

Blackburn are heading for League One unless they can find form from somewhere fast, as an eight-game winless run has seen them plummet down the table.

Their saving grace is that the likes of West Brom, Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth don’t look like pulling away from them anytime soon.

A new head coach may get some kind of lift from the squad, but they will be at a disadvantage for coming in right after the winter market has shut.

It means that they now have to manage the end of the campaign with the squad as it is, instead of having some time to make changes that could benefit the team for the second half of the campaign.