Blackburn Rovers: Weimann’s dramatic last minute equaliser gives Ismael steady start
Valerian Ismael was in good spirits after Andreas Weimann’s last minute equaliser ensured that his reign as Blackburn Rover’s manager didn’t start with a defeat.
Everything that could’ve gone wrong for Rovers, did. Emmanuel Denis was given his marching orders in the 85th minute for s second yellow card offence, then substitute Ante Crnac sent the Norwich contingent into bedlam, seemingly having scored the winner.
The lightning of bad luck struck twice for Rovers, as Yuki Ohashi was adjudged to have been brought down outside the box but many inside the ground thought that Rovers had been denied a clear penalty.
However, Ismael was keen afterwards to point to a ‘never-say-die’ mentality for his players and that proved on the pitch, as a cross from Yuri Ribiero found Andreas Weimann, who’s bullet header sent the home crowd into ecstasy.
After the game, Ismael was quick to praise his players, whilst also rueing some decisions against his side.
“To me it’s a new game and it’s tough for the players to concede a goal, but they show great mentality,” said Ismael.
“They are a good honest, hardworking group who believe in themselves and (we must) make sure we give everything, with a ‘no regret’ attitude.”
Ismael was less than enamoured with Denis’ red card, feeling the referee got it wrong.
“From my view, he didn’t touch him. The opposition player made it look worse,” he said.
“But it is what it is, you just need to deal with the situation. At the end we deserved the point, it feels more like a win. The boost and the mentality shows me that they are ready to compete for the play-offs. We have 11 games to do the same and show that ‘no regrets’ attitude.”
Ismael’s laments didn’t stop there, as he also thought his team should have been awarded a penalty for the challenge on Ohashi.
He said:: “Yes, for sure, whether you fall on the lines, he was in the box. It was a difficult decision, it’s difficult to take, but it’s important to stay calm and focus on the next situation and the players made the most of it with scoring with the final attack of the game.”
Ismael inherits a team that is contending for the play- offs – with a horde of hungry and expectant fans baying for success – but this is a challenge he relishes, saying he won’t change a winning formula.
“No major changes are needed,” said the new Rovers boss.
“I just need to adjust players on structure and to access the players, I knew the team was very strong in the transition, we saw that.
“Small details we need to work on are like penetrating that final third and to organise the press. Trying to combine the both, with what I can add, plus the effort on the pitch will be easy, because of the positiveness among the players, this is the right step in the right direction.
“You come into a group of players working really hard over the season, you have two days to work with them. The main focus was structure and organization.
“We want to press, we had good situations where we penetrate well, but the final pass wasn’t there, so we will continue to work on it. The basics, the focus, the mentality and the effort to stick together were all there.
“I was encouraged after the first training session and the game confirmed many feelings I had with the club.
“It’s easier to come into a team that is working well, rather than a team battling for relegation, because of the negativity.”
Blackburn’s next game sees them travel to Derby, which sets up a intriguing showdown with their ex-manager John Eustace, whose controversial exit last month paved the way for Ismael’s arrival.
