“Very disconnected” – Clear message sent to Tyrhys Dolan over Blackburn Rovers future

Valerien Ismael praises ‘outstanding’ and ‘brave’ Blackburn Rovers after going toe-to-toe with Sheffield United

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Blackburn Rovers winger Tyrhys Dolan is facing an uncertain future ahead of the summer with his contract at Ewood Park set to expire.

Dolan made the move across Lancashire when he joined Blackburn from local rivals Preston North End in the summer of 2020, and he has been a regular starter for the club in recent years.

The 23-year-old has scored four goals and provided five assists in 37 appearances for Rovers this season, but he has come in for some criticism over the past few weeks for his vocal support of former manager John Eustace, who left the club to take over at relegation-threatened Derby County last month.

Speaking in December, Eustace revealed his desire to see Blackburn tie Dolan down to a new contract, and those comments were reiterated by caretaker manager David Lowe last month, but it remains to be seen what stance new head coach Valerien Ismael will take on the winger’s future.

Dolan was linked with a move to Luton Town in the summer, and as FLW exclusively revealed, he was on the radar of Swansea City in January, so he will likely have no shortage of suitors if he is not offered a new deal by Rovers.

Blackburn Rovers urged to make big Tyrhys Dolan call

When asked which player has outstayed his welcome at Ewood Park, FLW’s Blackburn Rovers fan pundit Simon Middlehurst said that it is the right time for Dolan to move on in the summer, expressing his frustration at the winger’s inconsistency.

“Tyrhys Dolan has 100% outstayed his welcome now,” Simon said.

“He started off really well, and it looked like he had a big future at the club, but he’s been so inconsistent in the last couple of years.

“You never know what player you’re going to get on the day, which is a shame because when he’s on it, he can be a real nuisance, but when he’s off it, he’s just non-existent.

“He has become very disconnected from the fans at times, one minute he can be all friendly with the fans, and then the next thing you know, he’s just not at all.

“If you look at the game against Derby on Saturday at the final whistle, he went straight over to John Eustace and gave him a hug right in front of the fans, which didn’t go down well at all.

“Ultimately, this is a manager who left us in the dark to go to a relegation side, and after the performance on Saturday, for him to do that was a bit of a kick in the teeth.”

Blackburn Rovers boss Valerien Ismael gave a positive verdict of his side following the clash with Sheffield United at the weekend.

The final day of the 2024/25 season saw the relegation scrap go down to the wire, whilst the race for the Championship play-offs also threw up some surprises.

Millwall initially threatened a surprise result against Burnley, while Preston North End went ahead against Bristol City, which blew the race wide open.

The top-six outsiders Blackburn Rovers were ready to capitalise on this, and found themselves ahead at Bramall Lane after a goal from Yuki Ohashi, which sent the Rovers end into pandemonium.

Unfortunately, only minutes later, the Blades pulled the game back level with a goal through Anel Ahmedhodzic. Rovers still battled for the remainder of the game, showing integrity and desire to push for a winner that would have moved them into the top six, one thing that Blackburn boss Valerien Ismael praised his side for.

• READ MORE: Championship rivals leading the chase for Blackburn Rovers ace Tyrhys Dolan, talks have been held already

Blackburn Rovers boss Valerien Ismael’s verdict on ‘outstanding’ showing against ‘strong’ Sheffield United

Blackburn Rovers’ resurgence this season came a little too late in hindsight, with their late flurry of four wins on the spin prior to the final day not being enough to claim a top-six place, despite notching a respectable point in the Steel City.

Nonetheless, Rovers boss Ismael was still full of praise for his side, who have undergone a significant improvement in recent weeks.

“It was an outstanding performance,” Ismael said.

We knew how strong the opponent was, even with the massive change they made. You have to face them first, to contain the attack, you have to defend well.

“At some point, to be brave on the ball and to keep you alive into the game. Actually, the game plan until the goal we conceded was perfect. It’s exactly what we expected.

“To stay in the game, nil-nil, and we knew we would have our chance. After that, I think we conceded the goal too quickly. To have the possibility to make some change, and then the shape to be stronger.

“One bad decision and you get punished. But that is football actually. I think overall the performance was good.

“We finished strong. At the end, we put everything we had in attacking play on the pitch. We played only with one midfield player.

“We tried to have that lucky punch, but it was a close call. If you see the result, we knew before the game that something would happen. I take more positivity today.

“For sure, we are disappointed to pass the play-off. At least we built some momentum and we can keep on going for the next season.”

• READ MORE: John Eustace made a mockery of Paul Warne’s December 2024 comments, fans were right to be furious

Rovers fans have every reason to buy into Valerien Ismael’s optimism

Whilst on the surface it has been a rather disappointing season due to the club being unable to notch a play-off place despite their hot form to end the 2024/25 Championship campaign, there still is every reason to be optimistic at Ewood Park ahead of next season, which comes down to the coach they have in the dugout.

Despite a difficult start to his Blackburn Rovers tenure, Ismael did brilliantly to turn around his side’s fortunes and get them winning crucial games in the swansong of the season.

As Ismael says, hopefully they will keep going next season after building momentum in the final stages of the season.

Much of Blackburn’s season will rely on recruitment and the players that are kept around at Ewood Park, but with Ismael at the helm, they already have the foundations to build on.