Blackburn Rovers boss Valerien Ismael says his team’s next step is to record their first home win of the season when the Blues, who he views as one of the top sides in the Championship, visit Ewood Park on Saturday.

Rovers, who finished seventh last season, are currently 16th having picked up six points from their first five matches, the same haul as Town, who are two places ahead of them in 14th.

However, the Lancastrians have lost both their home games, 2-1 to Birmingham and 2-0 to Norwich City, while they were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup by League One Bradford City on their own turf following a 2-1 defeat. Blackburn last lost four in a row at Ewood Park as long ago as 1986.

But, while their home form has been poor, they have won their last two away games, 3-0 at Hull City and last week 1-0 at Watford, having started the season with a 1-0 defeat at West Brom.

“I think now the next step for us, the next challenge, is to get the first win home in front of our fans. We know that. We try to give our best at home,” Ismael told the Lancashire Telegraph. “The next game is the next chance to get it right. Hopefully, it can be the one.

“I think you can create a great environment, a great atmosphere at the stadium if you start to win games. You can rely on your strength at home and pick up some very good results away. It helps to build the momentum.

“If you're not winning home, it puts you under pressure away. It makes the next game easier. That’s why now, hopefully, we can do the next step and improve in terms of results in our stadium.

“It’s clear that this is always what you want. But, as I say, it’s always a process when you’re in a transition. You build things step by step and then you can solve the problem and improve as a team.

“Now we are working on a lot of situations. Now the next step is, as I say, can we have the first win at home? We want the same performance that our fans can enjoy.”

As was the case at Town, it was a summer of change at Blackburn with a number of last season’s first-team regulars moving on, among them former Blues loanee Lewis Travis, who joined Derby, John Buckley, who left for Saudi club Al-Kholood, Joe Rankin-Costello, now at Charlton, Tyrhys Dolan, who moved to Espanyol, Andreas Weimann and Danny Baath, also both now with Derby, Callum Brittain, who departed for Middlesbrough, and Dom Hyam, who joined Wrexham.

In have come Belgian winger Dion de Neve from KV Kortrijk, Portuguese midfielder Sidnei Tavares from Moreirense, Icelandic international striker Andri Gudjohnsen from KAA Gent in Belgium, Japanese international midfielder Ryoya Morishita from Legia Warsaw in Poland, Swedish midfielder Axel Henriksson from GAIS, right-back Lewis Miller from Hibs, Ryan Alebiosu, another right-back, from another Belgian side, KV Kortrijk, defender Sean McLoughlin from Hull City and loanee midfielders Taylor Gardner-Hickman from Birmingham City and Frenchman Moussa Baradji from Yverdon Sport in Switzerland.

Despite losing both home games, Ismael has been happy enough the overall displays.

“I think so far the performance was all right,” he reflected. “Even the first two games we lost against Birmingham and Norwich, even down to 10 [after Sean McLoughlin was red-carded just before half-time]. That’s why the fans rewarded the players and gave them full support.

“I think this is always what we have in our mind. That our performance will always dictate everything. As long as you perform well at some point, you will get the reward.

“You will get your points with consistency. So focus first on what you have to do on the pitch and have the same desire to get the result.”
Regarding Town, he added: “Ipswich is a top side in the Championship. They’re one of the favourites for the automatic promotion.

“They’re very well managed. I played them two years ago [when manager of Watford], they improved massively the last two years.
“They were really active in the transfer market to get some really good quality, but at the same time, they have experienced players. So they’ve got the right balance in the squad. They're it's a top side.

“So we have to be strong. We have to be focused on ourselves. We need a perfect game out of possession and in possession.
“It’s a good challenge for us to test ourselves against one of the top sides in the Championship.”

McLouglin is back following his suspension for his red card against the Canaries, while Henriksson returns from a hand injury. Adam Forshaw, Moussa Baradji and Jake Garrett remain unavailable.
“I prefer to have those headaches where you have the maximum players available,” Ismael added.

“Sean and Axel are back in contention, but we have had a couple of issues in the week. We’ll assess the situations and take our decisions. It doesn’t change anything with my headache.”

Photo: IMAGO/News Images via Reuters Connect

cartman1972 added 16:40 - Sep 19 6-0 Ipswich
0

Ipswich Town Polls