Blackburn Rovers have serious February issue that the Venky's just can't shake | OneFootball

Valerien Ismael left Blackburn Rovers on Monday, bringing his 11-month stay at Ewood Park to an end and an alarming trend is starting to show.

Blackburn Rovers are searching for a new manager once again, after Valerien Ismael mutually agreed to part ways with the club on Monday following a 1-0 defeat to Hull City at Ewood Park.

It's been a really tough season for the Lancashire outfit, with off-field problems leading to significant on-field issues, and those in the stands are finding it difficult to connect with a club that won the Premier League just over 30 years ago.

Since suffering relegation to the Championship in 2012, Rovers have not finished higher than seventh in the table, with the team even suffering relegation to League One in 2017. However, there is a strong possibility that they return to the third tier this year.

Now, with Ismael out of the picture, Blackburn must find a new manager quickly as they look to avoid that relegation, but for those at the very top of the club, there is a pattern emerging that must have alarm bells ringing. This isn't the first time that it has happened.

Four of Blackburn Rovers' last five managers have left the club in February

It's coming up to a year since John Eustace departed Rovers to move to Derby County, and there is no denying the success that he has had at Pride Park, first surviving relegation and then building on in the summer with the Rams now pushing for the play-offs.

On the other hand, Blackburn have gone the opposite way, going from top six challengers to having relegation fears. Ismael must of course take some blame, but it must be said that he has not been backed in either the summer or January transfer windows.

It's an issue that has plagued the club for a number of years, and the Frenchman is not the only head coach at Ewood Park to have moved on in February. Four of the last five managers in BB2 have moved on following the winter window, and this problem is starting to become noticeable.

While it may be correlation and not causation, it seems as though those in the dugout at Blackburn have not felt entirely supported in the transfer market, with Ismael failing to get the striker that he so desperately wanted and needed. Owen Coyle, Jon Dahl Tomasson and Eustace have all had this problem, and the Venky's must change the direction the club is travelling in.

Blackburn Rovers' decline has been clear to see for a while

Eustace had worked wonders with his squad during the 2024/25 campaign, and arguably had them punching above their weight as Rovers challenged for a top six spot before he moved to Derby in February 2025.

However, a poor January transfer window saw the Rams move in and take the 46-year-old from the grips of Blackburn, despite the two sides sitting at differing ends of the Championship table.

Owner David Clowes has backed Eustace since he arrived at Pride Park, with multi-million pound deals for Patrick Agyemang, Max Johnston and Lewis Travis in the summer, proof of where he sees the club going, and it is not a surprise to see Derby in their current league position.

For Blackburn, Oladapo Afolayan and Mathias Jørgensen were the only two permanent arrivals in the January transfer window and it is not surprising to see Ismael down tools and move on after a meeting with those at the top.

Now, the task for Rovers is to find a manager who they can build a level of trust with, but this can only happen by giving them the funds to build a squad capable of fighting at the positive end of the table.