Blackburn consider appointing ‘outstanding’ 4-3-3 manager

Blackburn Rovers were once a proud top flight club with a Premier League title in their trophy cabinet.

But now it’s been 13 seasons since the Riversiders last dined at a table in the exclusive top flight, with pressing concerns that the Championship giants could slip back into League One at the end of the current grueling season.

Valerian Ismael was rightfully given the role at Ewood Park, with a nine-game winless run pushing Blackburn into the dreaded relegation zone.

The next appointment is one that Blackburn’s powers-that-be will have to carefully assess to avoid a disastrous slide into the third class, with various names already being floated to take over the post-Ismael reins.

Possible successor to Ismael

Caretaker manager Damian Johnson, who oversaw a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday last time out, may well feel he has made a convincing argument to replace the former West Bromwich Albion manager. He will have another chance to impress when the Riversiders take on Norwich City later today.

However, Blackburn are reportedly considering more inward-looking appointments, with the likes of Reading manager Reem Richardson on the table as a potential replacement for the unpopular Ismael, while there is also talk that former Ewood Park midfielder Robbie Savage, who impressed in non-league circles at Forest Green, could take over the vacant role.

Alongside the left-field discussions, Blackburn have also been linked with experienced former EFL managers such as Dean Smith, with Sportboom reporting that both Watford and the unemployed Riversiders are considering moves to appoint the former Aston Villa manager.

The report goes on to say that the Birmingham-born head coach, who currently manages Charlotte FC in MLS, could potentially take up Blackburn’s next role in the EFL and would welcome Smith back to the English game.

Bringing in Smith as Ismael’s immediate successor would be a huge upgrade over bringing in an unproven EFL boss like Savage. Smith is expected to bring Blackburn back to their glory days, having previously been a revitalizing force from the Championship dugout.

Why Smith is a big upgrade over Savage

This is not to say Savage won’t develop into a top-class EFL manager in the future, with Forest Green owner Dale Vince praising the 51-year-old’s “brilliant energy and positivity” since leaving Macclesfield for the Green Army.

He also boasts an incredible winning record as a non-league expert, with 16 wins in the National League having managed just 30 games in the competitive division. Still, it would be an all-around bet for Blackburn to hope for Championship success in the midst of a relegation battle that could swallow up the second-tier giants whole.

Smith, on the other hand, played in the Championship with several different clubs, with an impressive 79 career wins to his name in 190 games managed at a relentless level.

Remarkably, the man who has managed the likes of Brentford, Villa and Norwich City in the EFL’s elite division has never finished lower than 10th, a position Blackburn are currently dreaming of occupying.

Somehow picking up the pieces after the unpopular departure of Steve Bruce, Thomas Frank even praised him as an “excellent” opposition manager, and he ensured the Villans’ promotion to the Premier League as he further cemented the West Midlands side as a consistent top side.

Of course, it would be unrealistic to expect Smith to make such a drastic change at Ewood Park, but he certainly has the power in his locker to pull Blackburn out of their current relegation mess and allow them to dream of brighter days again. Savage, on the other hand, doesn’t quite have the same insight aside from vaguely knowing the lay of the land as a former player.

Following a very impressive 19-of-34 win against Charlotte last year, which was better than Savage’s own winning percentage in the National League, the offensive-minded 4-3-3 manager could be just the player Blackburn needs to break through the Ismael-induced malaise.