Valerien Ismael exit fear raised at Blackburn Rovers - it's "more than likely" after going against the Venky's | OneFootball

FLW's Rovers Fan Pundit reveals his thoughts on the Frenchman's 'transfer sacrifice' comments

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…

There is belief that Blackburn Rovers boss Valerien Ismael could be the third manager to leave the club in recent years because of "lack of investment" from the Venky's.

This claim follows on from the Frenchman's willingness to sacrifice his transfer budget to fix Rovers' problematic Ewood Park pitch, which once again led to the abandonment of a Championship fixture.

After the Sheffield Wednesday clash last weekend ended up being Blackburn's second match of the season after September's match with Ipswich Town that was controversially called off and replayed, Ismael seemingly spoke out against the club's owners and suggested the pitch needed addressing.

When speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire, the Blackburn manager stated: "If I can influence something, if we need to save money in the transfer market to add money to get a new pitch, I will be the first person to [do] it because I want to see fans coming into the stadium to make sure they can see the game."

There has never been much money to spend on Rovers' squad in recent years, and this past summer saw senior players such as Callum Brittain, Lewis Travis and Dominic Hyam cashed in on and replaced by cheaper alternatives.

But this isn't really something new, with ex-head coaches Jon Dahl Tomasson and John Eustace both leaving the Lancashire club for similar reasons relating to those who own Rovers and their ambitions - could Ismael be next?

Obviously, Ismael's comments are, without question, a positive thing to hear from a manager. However, as FLW's Rovers Fan Pundit, Simon Middlehurst observes, this should never have been necessary in the first place.

"I think it’s a really, really good comment to make. It shows he’s willing to help the club out and you know, back the fans, and back the squad as such," Middlehurst told FLW.

"But at the same time, he shouldn’t have to make them comments. The club should be doing that, the club should be supporting the players as best as possible and sorting the pitch out as best as possible.

"Valerien Ismael shouldn't have to come out with a rant towards the club, saying it's not right for him, the fans and the players - it's not on at all, and it kind of shows there might be cracks there where Valerien Ismael may walk as well, and it clearly shows he's not getting support on the whole from the owners as he thought he was going to get.

"So yeah, really weird sort of situation again. Does it look like we could potentially end up losing another manager because of the lack of investment? Who knows. But more than likely, that’s possibly what’s going to happen."

Valerien Ismael wouldn't be the first Blackburn Rovers head coach to leave over the Venky's

Obviously, the pitch at Ewood Park is not a luxury - so the fact that it has required two match abandonments this season alone speaks volumes about how neglected the stadium infrastructure has become.

And the Venky's - whilst they continue to fund the club and its annual losses - remain absent as a whole, with their representative Suhail Pasha and Rudy Gestede controlling things in Lancashire amid the ever-growing criticism of what they're doing with the money that's going into the club.

Ismael is eveidently frustrated, and he would follow a recent trend of past Rovers head coaches who would feel the same. Jon Dahl Tomasson left Rovers in February 2024 after expressing dissatisfaction with the club's transfer policy and lack of support, which came not long after the bizarre Duncan McGuire transfer situation which saw the club pull out of the move, then renew it on deadline day, only for a registration issue caused by Rovers seeing the whole deal scuppered.

Similarly to Tomasson, John Eustace departed for Derby County in February this year, reportedly because he felt a lack of support from Blackburn's ownership despite steering the team into promotion contention.

So, Middlehurst's concern about another potential future departure is therefore not paranoid speculation - moreso an expectation on past history.

When a manager at a Championship club is forced to publicly offer to reduce his transfer budget just to obtain basic assurances about his team being able to play, it raises serious questions about the ambition at the club.

The fact that we are discussing whether another manager might walk away, just as Tomasson and Eustace did, suggests that things might get worse still at Blackburn when it comes to Ismael.