Blackburn Rovers fired Slaven Bilic warning after Valerien Ismael leaves Ewood Park | OneFootball

FLW's Blackburn Rovers Fan Pundit has weighed in on the news that Slaven Bilic could replace Valerien Ismael.

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…

It's been a difficult season for Blackburn Rovers and Valerien Ismael, and just under a year after moving to Ewood Park, the Frenchman is on his way back out.

It has been reported that ex-West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic could be in line to take over in Lancashire if the 50-year-old is removed from his post.

That's according to Alex Crook, with Ismael losing his job at Blackburn following their 1-0 defeat to promotion-chasing Hull City on Saturday afternoon. It was a result that has left the club three points adrift of safety, although they do have a game in hand over West Brom.

However, questions have been asked about his potential replacement.

Blackburn Rovers urged to avoid Slaven Bilic appointment after Valerien Ismael exit

Just after midday on Monday, the Lancashire Telegraph reported that Blackburn had taken the decision to part ways with Ismael, and the club will be looking for a successor as soon as possible.

However, with Bilic a candidate, Football League World has asked their Rovers Fan Pundit, Simon Middlehurst, if the Croatian is the right man to take charge at Ewood Park. He said: "To be honest, if you look at Slaven Bilic's record, it's very, very similar to Valerian Ismael’s. He's only ever been at a club for a year or two years max.

"I think at the minute, with the way that Blackburn are, and the squad is etc., we'd need to bring someone in who has got a bit more consistency and a bit more structure to his career. So, replacing Ismael with Bilic, I just think it would be a sideways step or even a backwards step."

Simon concluded: "That's not what we need at the minute. We need a manager who is going to come in, who has got the sort of consistency and structure behind their career to build on something. Bilic would just be the complete opposite and I just don't think that would be the best move for us."

Valerien Ismael's time at Blackburn Rovers was fraught with difficulty

Since the departure of John Eustace to Derby County last February, Blackburn have ultimately been on the back foot and supporters were not entirely happy with the decision to hire Ismael originally due to his lack of success at West Brom.

He started poorly, and while a strong end to 2024/25 saw Rovers narrowly miss out on the play-offs, this season has been a disaster both on and off the pitch, with Ismael having to deal with the consequences.

Bilic is a strong personality, and has already dealt with difficult owners in his career, having managed Watford. However, he may see the situation at Blackburn as one that he may choose to avoid, with this January proving just how tough the job is.