Blackburn Rovers

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Blackburn Rovers head coach Valerien Ismael spoke to BBC Radio Lancashire after their 2-1 win against Watford.

"The performance was right in the second half. We have now put ourselves in a good position, we have every chance now [of making the play-offs]," he said.

"One month ago it looked completely different with a lot of problems, injured players, we were losing games. And now we have turned it around with another brilliant performance in the second half.

"We stayed really calm after we conceded the goal and we finished well with two great goals.

"We will enjoy the moment now. It was our goal to win the game after we saw Coventry's result at Luton before kick-off [a Luton win] and now it will be very interesting."

Blackburn Rovers forwards Augustus Kargbo and Emmanuel Dennis have returned to training and could be available for the home game against Watford on Saturday (15:00 BST).

January transfer Kargbo has missed the past eight games with a hamstring issue, while Nottingham Forest loanee Dennis has been ruled out of the previous six.

"They are available for the game but we will see, especially with AK [Kargbo]. If it makes sense to pick him straight away now or to wait for the next game, but at least they're back in training so it looks better now," Rovers boss Valerien Ismael told BBC Radio Lancashire.

Both players will be a boost to Blackburn's attacking profile come the weekend but it is not just the immediate future that Ismael has put his thoughts to.

The Frenchman is already considering how to improve his front line during the summer transfer window, and is seeking a player who will provide both pace and quality in transition to fill gaps in his current squad.

"You have to be creative. I know exactly the right profile with my data. It takes time to find the player, but when we get the player it will be easy to deal with," Ismael added.

"The right player is not necessarily the expensive one with my way to play.

"We are already ahead. We've judged on the players so I think we're in a good timing at the minute."

Blackburn are back in the Championship play-off race after three successive victories but have only won one of their past five home games.

Watford are on a three-match losing streak which has cost them a possible top-six finish.

• Blackburn lost this fixture 2-1 last season but have never lost consecutive home league games against Watford.

• Watford are looking to complete their fourth league double over Blackburn, previously doing so in 1970-71, 1981-82 and 2020-21.

• Blackburn have won their past three league games, as many as they had in their previous 15 (D2 L10).

• Watford have lost their past three league games. It is the third time this season they have lost three in a row, while they last lost four consecutively in the Championship in November 2014.

• No Championship side has been shown more red cards than Watford this season, with three of the Hornets' six sending-offs coming in their past two games.

Kevin Gallacher
Former Blackburn Rovers striker on BBC Radio Lancashire

Image source, PA Media

When the teams around you all lose, it gives you an opportunity.

Some of them are going to either play each other or play clubs battling relegation over the next two matches, so there are a lot of points to be won and lost between now and the end of the season.

Blackburn are back in the (play-off) mix if we can get a victory against Watford (on Saturday) and give you that little glimmer of hope because Sheffield United will be thinking about the play-offs.

They have two games left. They have an outside chance, but they've got to go out and enjoy it and try and get two victories, and hopefully teams above them do slip up.

Blackburn are four points behind sixth-placed Coventry City in the Championship with two games remaining.

Image source, Rex Features

Blackburn manager Valerien Ismael said his side showed two sides to their game in the 1-0 win at Sunderland.

Tyrhys Dolan scored the only goal of the game to secure a third win in a row and keep Rovers' faint play-off hopes alive.

Rovers are now ninth, four points adrift of Coventry in sixth, and Ismael praised the "strength" of the display.

"It was two games in one game," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"The first half we competed well and scored and played some good football. In the second half, with the tiredness, we were more solid.

"We defended well. We needed more transition in the second half to get more relief, but we controlled everything.

"It was a forceful performance from the boys; great attitude, great mentality."

Blackburn welcome Ismael's former club Watford to Ewood Park on Saturday knowing only a win will do.

"We need to focus again for Saturday in the last home game," he added. "We want to finish strong."

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Millwall head coach Alex Neil spoke to BBC Radio London after his side's 4-1 defeat at Blackburn Rovers.

"The change in the game was taking the chances. They had two really good opportunities in the start and between that [and the goal] we had four or five really good opportunities to get the goal.

"They then get the first goal, we then respond and get another really good goal.

"Our management then has to be [to] get to half-time, make sure we can regroup, start the second half well and see where the game goes next.

"Unfortunately we conceded. What it meant was we had to continue to push and go for the next goal.

"We did have the next chance in the second half with Josh Coburn. I think if that goes in the complexion in the game completely shifts.

"I thought the third goal going in completely took the wind out of us and I think you could see that with the players, they looked as if [they thought] this is a long way back.

"I said to them my biggest problem probably at the end of the game was we looked as though we lacked a little belief at that stage and that's a frustration for me because that's not a nice sight to have as a coach."

Image source, Rex Features

Blackburn head coach Valerien Ismael spoke to BBC Radio Lancashire following his side's 4-1 win over Millwall.

"It was a great afternoon, especially the way we wanted to play. We kept going after the second half against Sheffield Wednesday, the fighting spirit [we showed] against Luton, last week and I think we combined them both today - from minute one we were on the front foot.

"We see clearly the way the players want to reinforce the message, the game plan, the way we want to play.

"When you get the result the players start to believe and put some confidence in the things and it looks like today was the best performance I think from the players since I'm in."

On Callum Brittain: "On the other hand, you see clearly when you are missing key players it makes a huge difference.

"Callum Brittain in the first game back in and you see straightaway he lifted the quality in the team.

"This team needs the best players on the pitch to perform and now we see the statistics as well - much more shots on target, much more penetration and more goals."

With three wins in a row, Millwall are on a charge to grab a top-six place and this week has seen a lot of chatter among Lions fans over their chances of doing so (see entries below).

A fourth victory on the spin on Good Friday (15:00 BST) could take them right into the mix with the likes of Coventry City, West Bromwich Albion (who play each other) and Middlesbrough.

Rovers are not mathematically out of it but a seven-point gap looks a big one to close.

• Blackburn Rovers have lost none of their past eight league games against Millwall at Ewood Park (W5 D3) since a 2-0 defeat back in November 2012 under Henning Berg.

• Millwall are looking for their first league double over Blackburn since the 1970-71 campaign.

• No team in Football League history has lost more games on Good Friday than Blackburn (32, level with Notts County).

• Millwall haven't lost any of their last 10 league games played on Good Friday (W5 D5) since a 2-0 defeat to Yeovil Town back in April 2009.

• Among each side's past 10 Championship games, no side has picked up fewer points than Blackburn (eight – W2 D2 L6), while Millwall have picked up the joint-second most with 19 (W6 D1 L3

Image source, Rex Features

Blackburn Rovers boss Valerien Ismael said his side's desire and tactical nous proved crucial as they held on for more than 40 minutes with 10 men to see out a vital away win over Luton Town.

"Congrats for the boys," Ismael told BBC Radio Lancashire. "Until the red card it was the gameplan we expected.

"In the first half we wanted to be really strong as we knew we had to face the challenge with a team who are fighting to survive.

"They put a lot of balls in the box so you have to defend and show togetherness and we made it perfectly.

"In the transition we didn't play well. We wanted to get more in behind but the main focus was to stay strong. That was the first step and the second one was to get behind them and we made it perfectly with the goal we scored.

"After the red card it was another plan to survive and the boys made it perfectly. The boys showed a lot of desire and we were lucky for sure - but you need some luck and it doesn't change the performance."

Image source, Rex Features

Blackburn Rovers' players and staff are all "aligned" in the way they want to progress says head coach Valerien Ismael.

Rovers have taken just two points from a possible 21 since the Frenchman was appointed as John Eustace's replacement in February.

"We are all aligned," Ismael told BBC Radio Lancashire

"We have the infrastructure with the training ground and after that it's about implementing the philosophy to play and to create a demanding environment to be able to generate that intensity on the pitch."

Blackburn have slipped out of the play-off places and down to 12th position in the Championship table but Ismael believes he can impose his style of play and bring success to Ewood Park.

"The pre-season will be massive - we will implement a change in the way we train and the way we play," he added.

"There will be a proper pre-season with all the players for six or seven weeks where we can really work on that."

Blackburn visit struggling Luton on Saturday (15:00 BST) looking for their first win under Ismael at the eighth attempt.

Luton Town will be looking to boost their Championship survival hopes when they host Blackburn Rovers on Saturday afternoon (15:00 BST).

The Hatters are two points from safety in 23rd and are unbeaten in their past five games (W2 D3).

Rovers are on an eight-game winless run (D2 L6) which has seen them drift nine points behind the play-off spots, while Valerien Ismael is still awaiting his first win as boss.

• Luton Town have won just one of their past seven league games against Blackburn Rovers (D4 L2), though it did come in their most recent home match against the Lancashire side (2-0 in September 2022).

• Blackburn Rovers have failed to win any of their 22 away league games against Luton Town (D9 L13); it's the most times they've faced a side on their travels in the EFL without ever winning.

• Luton have won just one of their past eight home league games (D4 L3), with those matches seeing a total of just eight goals (3 for, 5 against).

• Blackburn have lost seven of their past eight away league games, including their last four in a row since beating West Brom 2-0 in February.

• Blackburn's Valerien Ismael has won both of his two previous Championship games against Luton, each with a different club (Barnsley in April 2021, West Brom in August 2021). The only sides he has beaten while in charge of three different teams in the competition are Birmingham, Blackburn, and QPR.

"I thought there was a lot of sense in terms of the initial appointment of [Valerien] Ismael but clearly it has not gone anywhere near how the football club would have hoped.

"You have to ask questions of where the football club is as a whole."

In this week's episode of the 72+ podcast, Aaron Paul, Jobi McAnuff and Colchester United striker Lyle Foster discuss the current plight of Blackburn Rovers and predict the Championship club's future.

Listen to the full episode and more on the Football Daily podcast.

Image source, Rex Features

Blackburn Rovers manager Valerien Ismael says their draw against Sheffield Wednesday, which ended a run of five straight defeats, "stopped the bleeding".

Rovers have fallen from play-off contenders to mid-table after a disastrous run of of form since Ismael took over from John Eustace but showed spirit to come back from 2-0 down and earn a point against the Owls.

"We showed a great mentality and we learned from the previous weeks. From two nil down to come back from behind we stopped the bleeding and we take more positives from negatives from that game," Ismael told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We said we have to stay calm, but that we had to stay on the front foot and be active and we have to be the first to score the next goal. We got the second.

"It is a little step but at the moment we take what we can get. We stop the bleeding first and it was a great second half.

"I was not unpleased with what I saw in the first half. We were still in the game and if I tell them to stay calm I have to be the guy who first leads by example. This is what I said to the players to fight our way back.

"It gives you the confidence that this will be our way in the future. We need to get positivity back on the pitch. We took a first step and the next step is to win a game."

"We just want to be on the front foot and when the players believe in themselves, let go and stick to the game-plan then you are able to play like that – wave after wave after wave."

Both Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday have left themselves with plenty of work to do to get to a play-off spot.

Rovers have yet to win under new boss Valerien Ismael and have lost their past five league games to see themselves eight points adrift of the top six, a spot they once held under former boss John Eustace.

Though Wednesday are in a similar predicament.

A difficult week ended with a third successive winless game on the weekend, putting them level on points with the Lancashire side but a place below on goal difference.

Both sides will have the opportunity to get closer to a chance at promotion when they meet on Tuesday (19:45 BST) - and maybe knock the other out of contention.

• After their 1-0 win in the reverse fixture, Blackburn are looking to complete their seventh ever league double over Sheffield Wednesday, and just their third post-war, after 1994-95 and 2019-20.

• Sheffield Wednesday won this exact fixture last season 3-1 but haven't won back-to-back league trips to Blackburn since October 1982.

• Blackburn boss Valerien Ismael has only lost one of his four previous managerial games against Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship (W2 D1), going gown 1-2 with Barnsley in March 2021.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won nine away league games this season, last winning more in a single Championship campaign on the road in 2006-07 (10).

• Josh Windass has been directly involved in four goals in his last four league appearances against Blackburn for Sheffield Wednesday, scoring three and assisting one more.

Blackburn Rovers left-back Owen Beck has been ruled out for the remainder of the season and could possibly return to his parent club Liverpool.

The 22-year-old missed seven games before returning to play just 13 minutes of Rovers' loss to Portsmouth at the weekend.

"The way I like to play, I need the energy and intensity and I like those profiles. When you've got those profiles in your squad, then you can't wait to see the players," head coach Valerien Ismael told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"When you lose the player after 10 minutes when he comes back, it's difficult.

"I was really excited to work with him but unfortunately, he's going the other way."

Defender Hayden Carter has a calf injury that will keep him out for five to six weeks and may also see his season come to a premature end.

However, Harry Pickering will make his return for the game against Middlesbrough on Friday having been sidelined since Christmas with a hamstring injury.

The club is currently in the midst of turmoil with their supporters, with senior figures expected not to heed fan requests to stay clear of the Lancashire club's seven remaining games.

But Ismael believes that it will be the "energy" from his players that will influence the atmosphere, not the dispute between the fans and its ownership.

"That energy we give on the pitch can help us to get the fans on board so the game will dictate the environment," the Frenchman said.

"It's not nothing new with this fracture, the only thing we can do is be focused on ourselves."