'Rovers can turn round poor start but need killer instinct'

Are 10 matches the first benchmark to judge a football team, and what might unfold for the remaining 36?

In modern times, 10 games is perhaps a little late to be making that first forecast.

Blackburn Rovers' seventh defeat in those 10 matches represents great cause for concern. No matter how you dress it up, the results speak for themselves. A situation head coach Valerien Ismael says he's never experienced during his 32 years in football.

One point from a possible 15 at Ewood Park on the face of it couldn't be much more disappointing. The manner of those defeats has made matters worse.

On three occasions they have taken the lead and been left with nothing. A first-half sending-off was a huge factor in the fourth. A well-earned point against Stoke has been the only respite from the homesickness.

"If you're not able to win games at home, it becomes complicated," was the verdict of Rovers boss Ismael after his side slipped to 23rd position in the Championship.

The home form in 2025 over two seasons hasn't been close to a success: 18 points from a possible 48 since January cost them a play-off spot at the end of last term, and it's held them back ever since.

The most prominent supporters on social media will tell you that they saw this coming, with a mass exodus of players boasting hundreds of Championship appearances between them to be replaced largely by players (who through no fault of their own) hadn't tasted English football's second tier before.

A comparison of the team sheets on matchday 10 in 2024 and 2025 shows that only Sondre Tronstad started both games. 11 of the 20-man squad from a year ago are no longer at the club.

This is an unforgiving league that takes no prisoners. Any weaknesses will be exploited, and Rovers have fallen victim to that. Needing time is something that's barely afforded to head coaches or managers.

Goals have been a problem. Three of the eight goals this season all came in one visit to Hull in August.

They are finding themselves in promising situations on a semi-regular basis but just haven't found the killer instinct or the final ball anywhere near enough. You don't come away from matches thinking the opponents' goalkeeper has kept them at bay.

Ismael told me: "The only thing that would concern me is, again, we gave away too many chances. I don't know how many chances we need to score more goals."

He knows the buck stops with him in terms of results. That's the price of the ticket for any boss.

"You cannot always push the responsibility somewhere else," he said. "It's on us; it's on me. You have to win games; it's as simple as that."

So how do Rovers put this right? They host Southampton this weekend, another team going through a turbulent time. It's highly likely that Ewood Park will have a toxic atmosphere from one set of supporters come 5 o'clock on Saturday.

Undoubtedly getting skipper Todd Cantwell and defender Hayden Carter back fit will be a huge boost. That can't come soon enough.

Summer signing Moussa Baradji is another who the club believes will be a big hit when he is fit to start his Rovers career next month. But heaping pressure on him to succeed from day one is asking an awful lot.

A look at the bottom three after 10 matches over recent seasons shows that turning around a poor start is still achievable.

Last season QPR were on seven points (the same as Rovers) and comfortably stayed up. In 2023-24, Sheffield Wednesday had two points after 10 and survived.