Ismael in place at Ewood with clear short-term goal

It's a fifth spell in English football for Valerien Ismael - his fourth as a head coach following his time as a Crystal Palace player more than 25 years ago.

He's been out of management for just under a year after a 40-match tenure at Watford came to end in March 2024 and inherits a Blackburn Rovers team that sits sixth with a dozen games to go.

The contract might be long-term (three years), but the short-term objective is clear - secure a play-off spot.

If Ismael achieves that, he will be first of the 10 appointments made under Venky's ownership to do so.

This is an appointment that at the start of February just wasn't on the radar. John Eustace was navigating a sticky spell in terms of results but all appeared calm. But as soon as Derby came calling, Rovers were powerless to keep him. The last couple of weeks have been all about finding the right man.

After more than 100 expressions of interest and the bookmakers favourite changing on a regular basis, a shortlist was drawn up.

CEO Steve Waggott working alongside chief operating officer Suhail Shaikh and head of football operations Rudy Gestede all tasked with whittling down the candidates in to a far more manageable number.

Initial phone conversations were followed by meetings held remotely before the face-to-face discussions took place to find the right man.

Ismael's experience of the second tier has undoubtedly helped his application. His role at Barnsley, albeit four years ago, could have swung the vote - 25 wins from 44 games and a very strong second half to the season secured a play-off spot where in the end they succumbed to Swansea.

The Frenchman would often make substitutions relatively early. He wasn't afraid to make a raft of them at half-time or certainly before the hour mark.

It's certainly something that Eustace introduced to his team this year, citing how it had gained the Tykes the edge over others in the play-off race in 2021.

His leading scorer in that play-off campaign was Cauley Woodrow, now with Blackburn. Another Rovers player, Callum Brittain was also part of that team, missing only six games all year.

Both will know what to expect going forward as will Emmanuel Dennis who played under Ismael at Watford last season.

The club where it didn't work out in England for him was West Bromwich Albion. A run of one win in eight was enough to see him leave in February 2022 with the Baggies unable to readjust to his methods and style of play. The feeling was that the football on show just didn't cut it.

A quick look at Ismael's CV shows that longevity is missing. A 50-match spell in charge of Austrian side LASK is his longest to date. Undoubtedly, he'd have gone well past that mark at Barnsley had he not left to join the Baggies, but nonetheless it is worthy of note.

The club statement mentions his core principles of respect, discipline, commitment and hard work. If he has the much talked about new manager bounce, it could be enough.

A dozen games to play, six at home and six away - whether the season extends beyond the final day visit to Sheffield United remains to be seen.