BLACKBURN R 0
MIDDLESBROUGH 2
Conway 2, Iling-Junior 8
Valerien Ismael said he’s still the man to turn Blackburn Rovers’ fortunes around despite a fifth defeat in a row as his beleaguered side lost at home to Middlesbrough.
On a night of sustained fan protests against the club’s ownership and his own management, they were undone by two early goals via Tommy Conway and Samuel Iling-Junior as Boro moved into the play-off places with a fifth win in seven.
Fans began chanting against the Venky’s Group, that have owned Rovers since 2010, before kick-off and their anger only grew as Rovers fell behind early on.
Conceding early has been a theme under Ismael, who then also received the fans’ wrath as his side showed little sign of getting back into the match.
Ugly side
“I understand,” he said of the fans’ frustrations.
“It’s not like we are happy with the situation.
“We expected more results.
“I don’t take it personally.
“I know how it works in football.
“The coin has two sides.
“At the minute, it is the ugly side, but I know the other side of the coin is nice.”
Stick together
Ismael retains the backing of the club’s board and said he had no doubt he could get results but said it would take time to implement his ideas and re-shape the squad.
“I still believe,” he said.
“I work with the possibilities we have at the minute.
“It’s not like we have a transfer window in front of us and can just compensate for all the injuries.
“The focus is on the next game.
“It’s a tough period for everyone, for myself, my family, but we stick together.”
Match action
Boro took the lead before Blackburn had barely registered a touch.
Conway took his 12th goal of the season superbly, receiving Kelechi Iheanacho’s pass with his back to goal outside the area and deftly flicking it around Joe Rankin-Costello before firing beyond the helpless Aynsley Pears.
Six minutes later, it was 2-0.
Iheanacho again got the assist, laying the ball off for Iling-Junior on the edge of the box.
Danny Batth tried to head it to safety, but instead only deflected it beyond Pears.
Boro looked sharper and faster against a Blackburn side who failed to test Mark Travers in the first half, and it could and should have been three on the quarter-hour mark, with Iheanacho somehow shooting wide after being slipped in by Delano Burgzorg.
Second half
Blackburn started the second half brightly, with Todd Cantwell just missing the target in the 54th minute.
Rovers were better, but the chances kept coming Boro’s way.
A poor pass from Pears was cut out by Iheanacho before Morris’ powerful shot was blocked, and only a poor cross from Burgzorg denied Conway a tap in after they broke in numbers.
Bad decision-making and poor finishing from Boro in the final third was keeping Blackburn alive.
Sub Yuki Ohashi had late chances for Rovers, testing Travers at his near post with a powerful shot before bringing another save out of the Boro keeper with a strike in the dying minutes.
But it ended in a defeat that left yet more questions for those in charge at Ewood Park.
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