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Valérien Ismael: Blackburn Rovers sack head coach after year

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Analysis by BBC Radio Lancashire’s Andy Bayes

To announce the departure of a head coach five hours before the transfer window closes is a little different, but the executives at Blackburn Rovers probably felt that they had no choice following an eighth home defeat of the season on Saturday.

When I spoke to Valerien Ismael after the defeat by Hull City, he couldn’t defend that record, and he didn’t particularly back himself to turn things around either, after a run of one win in 15 games in all competitions.

In a little under a year in charge, he won 11 of his 43 games. A win percentage like that is always going to be scrutinised, and rightly so.

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The playing roster has undergone enormous change under his tenure. Experienced Championship stalwarts have been replaced by those with little or no experience of the level. Some have settled, while others have found it tough. This was a decision made above Ismael and one that they admitted in September was a risk.

Only Adam Forshaw and Todd Cantwell started both Ismael’s first and final game in charge.

He inherited a team sixth in the Championship but ultimately failed to make the play-offs after five straight defeats in the run-in. Four wins and a draw from the final five saw them come close, but not close enough, and it never really felt that the fanbase was entirely won over.

This season, a run of four wins in five during October and November was a positive sign that things were moving in the right direction, but Ismael only tasted victory once more from that point on.

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He had horrendous luck with injuries. For weeks on end it was double figures in terms of absentees; for the recent visit to Swansea, that number rose to 14.

But he remained convinced that once those injuries cleared up, the results would come. Time was against him to make that happen.

He did admit to me before Christmas that managing Rovers was the most challenging experience of his career, completely different from what he had experienced before.

Whoever comes next is a huge call. Staying in the second tier is absolutely imperative.

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NFL fans react to Micah Parsons filming female cheerleaders at Pro Bowl

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Miach Parsons was named to the Pro Bowl in his first year with the Green Bay Packers. Although the superstar defensive end was in San Francisco to attend the Pro Bowl festivities on Tuesday, he was on an electric scooter while moving around Moscone Center due to his knee injury. In one of the videos from the festivities that went viral on social media, Parsons was spotted filming the female cheerleaders doing a routine for the crowd.

When fans caught wind of the video clip in which Parsons was filming the cheerleaders while on an electric scooter, they slammed the Packers star.

“Creep behavior,” one tweeted.

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“Nfl star or creep in training,” another added.

“He not slick,” a third commented.

Here are a few more reactions.

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“NAH THIS IS MESSED TF UP,” one wrote.

“Kinda hate that this streamer a*s dude is a packer now. Like bruh… get us to the nfc championship mr highest paid ever,” another added.

“Tell that lame a*s podcaster to show up in the playoffs. Don’t nobody care bout Micah,” a user tweeted.

Micah Parsons finished the 2025 season with 41 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 6.5 stuffs, two forced fumbles and one pass defended. However, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos.

Although Parsons helped the Packers qualify for the playoffs, his team was eliminated in the wildcard round with a 31-27 loss to the Chicago Bears.

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Micah Parsons explains how his relationship with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones soured last offseason

Green Bay Packers DE Micah Parsons - Source: GettyGreen Bay Packers DE Micah Parsons - Source: Getty
Green Bay Packers DE Micah Parsons – Source: Getty

Micah Parsons’ relationship with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones soured last offseason, which led to the team trading the DE to the Packers in August. On Tuesday, Parsons opened up his acrimonious split with the Cowboys.

“I just wish some of those things never happened. You know what I mean?,” Parsons told Clarence Hill of All City DLLS Cowboys. “I wish that he never brought me into the office and just let the agent speak. And I wish he hadn’t compromised our relationship. I thought me and Jerry had a good relationship up to that point until this offseason, and it’s sad that it went to sh*t like that.”

Parsons played four years with the Cowboys, earning a Pro Bowl selection in each season. He signed a 4-year, $188 million extension with the Packers after the Cowboys traded him last year.