Blackburn Rovers used to be a proud top-flight institution, with a gleaming Premier League title even in their trophy cabinet.
But, now, it’s been 13 long seasons since the Riversiders last dined at the exclusive top-flight table, with a pressing worry that the Championship giants could fall back down to League One at the end of their current bleak season.
Valerien Ismael has rightly now been given the boot at Ewood Park, with a run of nine games without a win in all competitions pushing Blackburn deep into those dreaded relegation positions.
The next appointment is one that the powers that be at Blackburn must get spot on, to avoid a disastrous slip down to the third tier, with a whole host of different names already being tipped to take on the reins, post-Ismael.
Managers who could succeed Ismael
Caretaker manager Damien Johnson could well feel he’s put a compelling argument forward to replace the ex-West Bromwich Albion manager, having overseen a determined 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday last time out. He will be handed another chance to impress later today, too, when the Riversiders battle with Norwich City.
But, away from looking at a more inward appointment, Blackburn also reportedly has the likes of Reading manager Leam Richardson on their agenda as a possible replacement for the unpopular Ismael, alongside talk that former Ewood Park midfielder Robbie Savage could take over the vacancy, having impressed in non-league circles with Forest Green.
Alongside discussions of the left-field, Blackburn have further been linked with more experienced former EFL managers such as Dean Smith, with a report from SportsBoom indicating that both Watford and the managerless Riversiders are considering moves to appoint the ex-Aston Villa boss.
The report goes on to state that Smith would welcome a return to the English game, with the Birmingham-born head coach currently in charge of MLS outfit Charlotte FC, as Blackburn perhaps opens up as his next job role in the EFL.
Landing Smith as Ismael’s immediate successor would be a huge upgrade on acquiring an unproven EFL boss such as Savage, with Smith hopefully bringing the glory days back to Blackburn in time, having been a revitalising force previously from the dug-out in the Championship.
Why Smith would be a big upgrade on Savage
This isn’t to say Savage won’t develop into becoming a top-drawer boss in the EFL in the future, with Forest Green owner Dale Vince lauding the 51-year-old’s “brilliant energy and positivity” since leaving Macclesfield behind for the Green Army.
He also boasts an incredible winning record as a non-league expert, with 16 National League victories falling into his back pocket, from only 30 games managed in the intense division. Still, it would be an almighty gamble on Blackburn’s end to expect him to succeed in the Championship, during a relegation battle that could swallow the second-tier giants whole.
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Smith’s career win record by competition |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
Competition |
Games |
Wins |
Win percentage |
|
League One |
228 |
72 |
31% |
|
Championship |
190 |
79 |
41% |
|
Premier League |
122 |
34 |
27% |
|
MLS |
68 |
33 |
48% |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
|||
Whereas, Smith has been there and done that in the Championship with several different clubs, with a bumper 79 career wins next to his name, from 190 games managed at the unforgiving level.
Amazingly, when managing the likes of Brentford, Villa, and Norwich City in the EFL’s elite division, he has never finished below tenth place, which is a position Blackburn would currently dream of occupying.
He even secured a promotion up to the Premier League for the Villans, when picking up the pieces in some style after the exit of the unpopular Steve Bruce, leading to Thomas Frank even going on to hail him as a “brilliant” opposition manager, when further going on to solidify the West Midlands outfit as a consistent top-flight side.
Of course, it’s unrealistic to expect Smith to deliver such drastic change at Ewood Park, but he certainly has it in his locker to drag Blackburn out of their current relegation mess and allow them to dream of brighter days again. Whereas Savage has zero of the same acumen, other than knowing the lay of the land vaguely as a former player.
With a mightily impressive 19 wins from 34 Charlotte clashes also under his belt last year, which is a better winning average than Savage’s own in the National League, the attack-minded 4-3-3 coach could be just what Blackburn need to break out of their Ismael-inflicted malaise.
Blackburn could hire a “remarkable” manager who’d be their next Mowbray
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