Potential reason why Rudy Gestede won't sack Valerien Ismael at Blackburn Rovers raised | OneFootball

FLW's Rovers expert weighs in on the Frenchman's future

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…

Blackburn Rovers’ alarming slide down the Championship table continued on Tuesday night as they fell to a 3-1 home defeat against Sheffield United.

The result plunged them into the relegation zone, and extended their winless run to five games.

Yuki Ohashi’s first-half strike had briefly lifted spirits at Ewood Park, but another second-half collapse - featuring an own goal from Axel Henriksson and finishes from Harrison Burrows and Tyrese Campbell - condemned Valerien Ismael’s side to a seventh defeat in ten matches.

The result felt particularly bruising. It came against a Sheffield United team who themselves had only just climbed out of the bottom three with victory over Watford last weekend.

It was another night of frustration and audible unrest from the Ewood Park stands.

Once again, Ismael defended his players’ display, calling it “another great performance” and insisting the issue lies with missed chances rather than effort or application.

Yet patience among supporters is wearing thin. Many are struggling to reconcile the head coach’s optimistic tone with a run of form that has yielded just two wins all season and seen Rovers sink to 23rd - above only crisis-hit Sheffield Wednesday.

There are signs of a team trying to play on the front foot, but the execution is faltering. Blackburn had more shots than their opponents - but created fewer clear-cut chances, with an expected goals tally of just 0.79 to the Blades’ 1.13.

Confidence, as Ismaël himself admitted, is “very, very difficult” to rebuild when every setback seems to knock belief further.

Pressure builds on Valerien Ismael as Blackburn Rovers form slumps

The pressure is mounting on the Frenchman from both the terraces and the table.

With fixtures against Southampton, Leicester and Bristol City on the horizon - all sides operating well above Rovers in both confidence and cohesion - the next few weeks could prove decisive in determining Ismaël’s future.

Following Tuesday’s defeat, Football League World asked in-house Blackburn fan pundit Simon Middlehurst whether Ismael deserves more time - or whether the Ewood Park hierarchy, led by Rudy Gestede, might already be considering a change.

“It's a difficult one, really, because it's a completely new squad,” Middlehurst told FLW.

“That's not the same group of players that Valerien Ismael had at the back end of last season.

“So potentially performances are starting to get a little bit better. Obviously, the lack of goals is obviously a bit concerning.

“I can't see Rudy Gestede and the hierarchy sacking him. He signed a three-year contract - so for that, it would cost the club far too much money and obviously in the past, we've spent a lot of money on agent fees and managers when we've sacked them.

“So it'd be interesting to see - I think these next few weeks are going to be telling. Just going to see how it goes - but, yeah, a bit of a weird one, that one.”

Blackburn Rovers face crucial weeks in fight for Championship survival

Whether or not that financial reality shields Ismael for now, results like Tuesday’s will only intensify the scrutiny.

The atmosphere at Ewood Park has soured, with attendances dipping below 13,000 and large pockets of empty seats reflecting a fanbase growing numb to another cycle of stagnation and struggle.

The summer rebuild was meant to mark a fresh start: Ismael’s squad, his system, his signings.

But ten games in, Rovers look further from stability than they were before. Each promising passage of play seems undone by lapses in concentration, each lead surrendered with familiar fragility and dropped confidence.

Saturday’s clash with fellow strugglers Southampton already feels pivotal. A win might restore some faith before a daunting run of fixtures; another defeat could plunge the club deeper into crisis.

Ismael insists performances will soon translate into points - but football rarely waits for theory to catch up with reality.

Unless Blackburn start finding the net and the results to match, even a three-year contract might not be enough to protect him from the mounting pressure on all sides of Ewood Park.