Ismael reflects on 'dangerous' social media abuse

Valerien Ismael says social media abuse in football is "dangerous" and there needs to be more education about it.

The Blackburn boss spoke out to BBC Radio Lancashire after Augustus Kargbo came in for online abuse following his mistake which led to Swansea's second goal in their 2-1 Championship win at Ewood Park on Tuesday. It was Rovers' fourth straight home defeat in all competitions this season.

"The reaction on social media is a big problem generally. Players and managers get abused," the Frenchman said.

"Social media should have been a tool to keep human beings stay connected, but it's being used as a weapon against each other.

"It's football, you lose, you win. Good or bad, everything will pass at some point. It's dangerous behaviour from people, it's about education."

Ismael stressed he was speaking generally about online abuse, not specifically about Kargbo's situation, and added: "We are not listening to anything outside, we're completely out of social media, it's generally a massive problem in football.

"It's unacceptable. To have extreme reactions when things are not going in your direction is not something I can cope with."

Ahead of the visit of third-placed Stoke to third-bottom Rovers on Saturday (15:00 BST), Ismael insisted: "Everyone needs to step up, take more responsibility, to avoid mistakes and make sure we give ourselves the chance to win games.

"We have to stay calm, we have a long way to go. We show great moments in games, now we need that consistency.

"It would be good to finally have a home win, it will help mentally, it's been a tough week. It will help get confidence back and have a breather (during the international break) before the next game."

Ismael also revealed he has spoken with Makhtar Gueye after he was left out of the squad to face Swansea, adding: "We try to mix it up to keep everyone involved."

Adam Forshaw is continuing to step up his recovery from injury and might be able to return after the international break, while Moussa Baradji might be back after the one in November.