Exclusive: Blackburn Rovers Eye Slaven Bilic or Gary Rowett After Valérien Ismaël Axe

Blackburn Rovers are moving at pace to appoint a new manager after axing Valérien Ismaël, with Slaven Bilic and Gary Rowett emerging as the two leading contenders to take over at crisis-hit Ewood Park, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.

Club chiefs are desperate to stop the rot after a disastrous campaign that has left the former Premier League champions staring down the barrel of relegation to League One. 

Blackburn have won just two of their last 15 league games, scoring a meagre nine goals in that run, and sit deep in trouble after slipping into the bottom three.

Ismaël paid the price today, given his marching orders after failing to arrest the slide, with his side collecting fewer than one point per game during his spell and struggling badly at both ends of the pitch. 

The decision to part ways was taken swiftly this afternoon, with Blackburn now keen to install a replacement as quickly as possible to give themselves any chance of survival.

STRUGGLING

The struggling Lancashire club issued a statement confirming Ismael would leave by "mutual consent" with immediate effect, with assistant coach Dean Whitehead also departing.

"Blackburn Rovers would like to thank Valérien and Dean for their efforts during their time at the club and wish them both the very best for the future," said the statement.

"The club will now begin the process of appointing a new head coach and will make no further comment until an appointment is confirmed."

And a club insider has told our sources that Bilic’s name has shot to the top of the shortlist. 

The Croatian, 57, has previous experience managing West Ham United, where he led the Hammers to a memorable top-seven Premier League finish, as well as spells with West Bromwich Albion, Watford and in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. 

PASSION

Currently out of work, Bilic is seen as a bold, high-profile option who would bring passion, charisma and instant authority to a fractured dressing room.

Rowett, by contrast, represents the pragmatic choice. Recently in charge of Oxford United, Rowett has built a reputation as a Championship specialist after spells with Birmingham City, Derby County, Stoke City and Millwall. He has also been linked with the vacant Watford job, although former Southampton manager Will Still is the favourite. 

Known for his organised, hard-to-beat teams, the 51-year-old is viewed as the kind of manager capable of grinding out results in a relegation dogfight.

Former Rovers boss Tony Mowbray has been linked with a shock return, but the focus remains firmly on Bilic and Rowett as Blackburn weigh up flair versus function.