Valerien Ismael left ‘angry’ after Portsmouth come from behind to beat Blackburn

Valerien Ismael was left ‘angry’ after Portsmouth come from behind to beat Blackburn 2-1 in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.

Pompey ended a three-match losing streak, but it wasn’t the start they were hoping for as Yuki Ohashi’s first-half solo goal gave Rovers the lead on 36 minutes.

But Callum Lang levelled the scoreline on with around half an hour of the second heard to go, before defender Ibane Bowat headed home the winner from a Conor Chaplin corner.

The result lifted Portsmouth out of the relegation zone, while Blackburn now sitting just three points above the bottom three.

Ismael said, per Lancashire Telegraph: “Especially the way we lose it.

“I think that when you come here, it’s a tough away game. You have to be strong, the crowd is behind the players.

“So we knew that it’s a fight. I think we managed the first half well. We had some good counter situations.

“We made it 1-0 with Yuki. I’m very pleased for him that he got the reward. We actually started the second half.

“I think it was good in the first 10 minutes, we were really good into the game. Then we conceded the goal, the same mistake again.

“We are not sprinting back completely on the back post. Two weeks ago, when it happened, we showed the players, we spoke with the players.

“We showed the video and we made specific points. We said, ‘Look, we have to make sure that we are coming back in full sprint to make sure we defend’. And we made the mistake again.

“That goal affected us, you see it straight away in the performance, because the player was thinking about that.

“So it’s really annoying and it makes me really angry. Mistakes happen in football, but it’s the second time or the third time, the same mistake and the same player.

“Now we’ve become very angry about that. It’s discipline, concentration, the basics. I spoke about it 12 times. All details count in those games.

“So we have to defend all together. We have to attack all together. And we go for the second goal.

“But if we have to defend, we defend. In one moment, we didn’t do it and this is a big frustration.

“Yes, it’s a lot of things, details. We didn’t win well. We didn’t manage the game well.

“We didn’t defend well on the corner. It’s a free header. It’s another set-piece goal we conceded at the minute.

“I think that we should have the focus now more on the different set-pieces. We have a coach now to do the job. From the moment when we conceded the goal, I think we completely lost the path in that game.

“I think the goal affected the players mentally because they were straight away speaking about that situation when we came back in. So that is another mistake that was very painful for us.”

Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent:

“The football club needed the performance more than everything because we were drab coming out in the second half considering how much we had to play for, so the fact we got back into the game, and showed that level of intensity and desire to get the win was important.

“The result is brilliant, the goals were brilliant, but just seeing more of that performance we haven’t seen much in the last few weeks was important to me.

“We clearly have some really good characters in the dressing room and that’s a big thing for me tonight.

“After an OK first 45 when it was a kick in the teeth to go a goal down we were flat, but then we had a bit of bravery to play from a goal kick, and the whole game shifted after that.”

Here’s how fans reacted with Valerien Ismael left ‘angry’ after Portsmouth come from behind to beat Blackburn…

@SalfordRover: You are not the football club that I know and love, no more money, no more support and no more love until Venkys, Pasha and Rudy are gone.

@ReportRovers: This club is being ran into the ground, the passion & love is fizzling out. Every game feels like a chore to watch it’s so predictable, boring and lethargic. This season has been a complete shambles and the last 15 years have been torture. This only ends one way.. league one.

@followBRFC: No two ways about it. We’re in the shit and relegation is a very real threat. RG can shove his data up his arse. Most the players that came in are absolute shite. This is a consequence of Pasha and RGs actions. Venkys need to fuck off.

@MrABoyce: Am I allowed to say we are shit, or is it likely to inspire another statement?

@BRFCDEC: Lack of leadership, investment, quality or passion, the club is dying and clearly nobody in charge cares. Hopefully as fans we can make a stand next season, NOT A PENNY MORE given to the scum in charge. 15 years of hurt, hopefully one day this nightmare will be over 🥀🔵⚪️

@Tom9495B: This club is dead 7k at home, absent owners, cunts running the club, terrible transfers and shit players. Relegation to league one won’t be the worst it gets.

@DavidStrachan85: So if it’s the players making the same mistakes week in week out, why are we firstly, continuing to pick them, and secondly, not coaching the mistakes out of them?

@Leap_year_man: We have a manager who is an ex defender, he sees the same player make the same mistake again and again but still selects him. Then we concede yet another goal from a cross, what kind of defensive work is he actually doing on the training ground?

@TheBazGaz: Im a bit fed up of Ismael blaming the officials, the players, the fans, the pitch….. anyone bar the people who gave him an inept, unbalanced squad. Your own captain is laughing at the lack of ability of his team mates on sky sports.

@byalextodd: This is the worst Blackburn side since relegation in 2017. Nearly 10 years later and there’s been no real progression, no playoffs, no urgency, just stagnation. How many more years of “transition” are we accepting? 🤔 #Rovers 🔵⚪️

@RoverDave83: 6 wins in 20, just 1 home win all season, 3 points off the drop, hurtling towards League One. Needs sacking now, whilst there is still some chance of staying up. #IsmaelOut #VenkysOut

@MrABoyce: You only need to see the comments when the lineup was announced. If our fans can see that Tavares and De Neve are liabilities, then why can’t he?

@linzlewis15: We are bang in trouble. The only ones who didn’t see it coming and can’t see it now are the ones who can do something about it. How do we fight against this level of apathy and delusion? #rovers