Valerien Ismael tastes ‘cruel irony’ after incident in West Brom v Blackburn Rovers
Valerien Ismael’s return to West Brom did not start the way that he would have wanted.
The Frenchman has returned to The Hawthorns with his Blackburn Rovers side (9 August).
It is the first time that he has been back to the Black Country since leaving West Brom by mutual consent in February 2022.
Ryan Mason is hoping to secure a victory in his first competitive match as Baggies manager against Ismael, and West Brom took a 1-0 lead into the break.
Ismael’s West Brom trick comes back to haunt him
Albion took the lead in the 15th minute through Isaac Price, and the goal would have been familiar to Rovers boss Ismael.
In the early days of his tenure in the West Midlands, one of the favourite weapons at his disposal was Darnell Furlong’s long throws.
Express and Star journalist Jonny Drury did not miss the cruel irony, as it was a throw from the veteran right-back that led to the goal.
West Brom need to hold on for win
It would be a huge result if the Baggies can go on to win their season opener; it would be exactly what Mason needs to start his reign.
The ambition is to secure promotion to the Premier League, and if they are to achieve that, they need to start with momentum, rather than a negative result.
Shilen Patel and Co. still need to sanction more business after signing Nat Phillips, Aune Heggebo and George Campbell, but it has been a brilliant display for the Throstles so far.
The Black Country club have been out of the top-flight for five years, but whether they can get back there this season or miss out again and remain in the second-tier, remains to be seen.
Mason will hope that his experience of coaching at Tottenham and the new additions can get them into a playoff spot at the very least.
Victory against Ismael’s side would be a huge boost to those chances and put the rest of the division on notice to watch out for Albion.
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