John Eustace - our head coach

[JamieUK]

I've never felt so disconnected with the club and with this guy as the mouthpiece and focus, every piece of shite that comes out of his mouth makes me feel even more done with it all.

Even with Keen, whilst players were being pushed out the door and the rats were creeping in, there were still a few heroes and players that you could have an affinity to - I think when we went down MGP was still there, Robbo and Dunn. The first years in the Championship were a shit show but we at least had a prime Jordan Rhodes and other exciting players.

The Coyle appointment felt like an absolute piss take - it was the first time I'd not renewed my season ticket since 1991.  I still went on now and then though and got a season ticket early in the league 1 campaign. Obviously the winning games helped but with Dack, Graham, Mulgrew, Bennett, etc in the side and youth players establishing themselves it felt like we had the club back and there was hope that we could push on.

The last couple of seasons prior to this we were winning games - had goalscorers in Armstrong then BBD and we were winning games. The football under JDT whilst unpredictable towards the end was the best I've seen us play. We should have kicked on and at least achieved playoffs.

Today I'm really 50/50 whether I want us to stay up or go down. Part of me feels the further we slip, the more likely we are to get rid of the owners but is the reduced wage bill and costs going to make it easier for them to stay? I really can't be arsed with another season like the last 6 months next year in the Championship. Just what is the point? More arseholes lining their pockets just delaying the inevitable.

It seems the only way to get rid is administration but I fear it would likely see the one remaining piece of Jack's legacy - the academy - sold and the training ground bought up by Bolton or similar. But then you think to Coventry - 6 years ago they were in league 2, more recently they had no ground, but 2 promotions and 2 seasons being around the playoffs along with an FA Cup semi-final makes you realise, whilst it can and will likely get even worse, there will be enjoyable times afterwards.

We will come back, I just wish there was a glimmer of an end point. Maybe September when there are no players of value left to be sold and the Indian courts do us a favour?

Anyway, back to the manager. He's not for me, then again aside from Szmodics, the entire board, first team, management and owners can f off and let us start again.

[chaddyrovers]

5 hours ago, RTM08 said:

 

Article 2057 on how standards at the club have been reduced.

 

nothing to celebrate staying up cos it is very poor season and very underwhelming looking at what I thought we could achieve this season. It has not been good enough. The squad need rebuilding and we need players that's suit how Eustace both formation and tactical aswell. A keeper, centre back, back up right back, pacy winger and goal scoring striker  

4 hours ago, frosty said:

Embarrassing. 7 points clear when he took charge after the Stoke game.

And, assuming that should read "we'd had a lot of defeats in a row" when he came in, we were actually on a run of......one defeat in a row in the league.

probably looking at the run of defeats in January and in the previous 8 league games before his appointment we got 2 points from 8 games including 6 defeats and 2 draws against the bottom 2. Simple not enough 

[Upside Down]

5 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Have they booked an open top bus? 

Or maybe just use the coach.

No, it's already booked out by a bunch of city fans for a cup final trip.

[roversfan99]

Everything seems immaterial as opposed to new owners. But imagine what a squad fit around what Eustace wants would look like. We need to accept that Eustace has not shown anything to suggest success will come with him at the helm and make a change.

Wont happen as the owners dont care and also wont pay him off. 

[simongarnerisgod]

7 minutes ago, JamieUK said:

Anyway, back to the manager. He's not for me, then again aside from Szmodics, the entire board, first team, management and owners can f off and let us start again.

bit harsh on tronstadt,scott wharton and dolan,only three other than sammie id`e be bothered about losing,id`e put the rest of them on the open to offers list

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

SURVIVAL is the name of the game now at Rovers folks..take it or leave it,that's your lot

Hold dear your memories of what once we were at Ewood.

Edited May 2 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Upside Down]

He's below Coyle now.

Quickly plummeting towards being the new Kean.

[chaddyrovers]

24 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Everything seems immaterial as opposed to new owners. But imagine what a squad fit around what Eustace wants would look like. We need to accept that Eustace has not shown anything to suggest success will come with him at the helm and make a change.

Wont happen as the owners dont care and also wont pay him off. 

I wouldn't change head coach and allow him the summer to shape and change this squad to what he wants, how he wants whether its counter attacking team or defensive direct team or possession based team but every signing need to fit the tactics and formations we wanted to play here next season. 

 

[roversfan99]

Hes done nothing to suggest that he is the man to take us forward. Will it be 2 wins in 18 if he fails to win at the weekend?

[Upside Down]

11 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

I wouldn't change head coach and allow him the summer to shape and change this squad to what he wants, how he wants whether its counter attacking team or defensive direct team or possession based team but every signing need to fit the tactics and formations we wanted to play here next season. 

 

I wouldn't. He completely shit.

It's not even the poor win record, we can't expect too much as the squad is shit.

He hasn't even tried to win a game yet. For me that is totally unacceptable.

His bullshit and denying reality is pushing him into the kean zone.

Get fucking rid.

Edited May 2 by Upside Down

[Atko's Engine]

I'm really torn on this.

He was brought in to keep us up; whatever the reasons, we were undoubtedly dropping like a stone under JDT & conceding goals left, right & centre. Eustace stopped that but in doing so we lost forward momentum, hence the many draws under his tenure. Were it not for stupid schoolboy errors against Bristol C & Sheff Weds (and that's being v unfair on schoolboys), we'd be safe now; there's nothing Eustace could do about those as the threadbare squad (more so minus A Wharton, Travis, failing with McGuire then losing Fleck to injury) just did not allow for players to be dropped or rotated, & that's no fault of Eustace because he only came in in February.

And let's face it, no-one on here is that complimentary about our attacking options besides Szmodics; and even he's been criticised at times for being too selfish & not creating enough assists. Eustace has had to wee with the willy he has, so the saying goes.

I never take too much notice of press releases & publicity interviews. He can hardly say, going into Saturday, the squad is crap & needs an overhaul, even if everyone knows it's true.

I remember reading that at Brum, on arrival he did similar to what he's done here i.e. shored up a v leaky defence with uninspiring football; but for 2 standout games he's done that here with players that most folk on here don't rate. Then the following season (albeit short in tenure) he apparently made them much more offensive & attractive to watch, and brought in players that better suited his wishes.

Hopefully he can do that here, but of course we all know that he'll be swimming against the tide due the inevitable sale of all players of any value allied to the major incompetence of the owners, their cronies & many backroom staff members.

If he keeps us up it's mission accomplished, at a very base level.  It's not been what we hoped for on his appointment & certainly not something to "celebrate" (he's made a faux pas there) but I think, just, he ought to be given the benefit of the doubt to start next season unless an outstanding candidate comes available (and I don't mean Coyle!)

Edited May 2 by Atko's Engine

[chaddyrovers]

12 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Hes done nothing to suggest that he is the man to take us forward. Will it be 2 wins in 18 if he fails to win at the weekend?

Or will it 4 wins from 18 after Saturday. 

He clearly doesn't rate some of these players in the squad and why we don't see much rotation in the starting 11. This squad isn't suited to what he wants. 

So as I said I would allow him this squad to bring in what he wants this summer and reshape this squad 

[Mattyblue]

Who’s criticised Sammie for being selfish? He works his arse off the team, whoever said that must have confused him with Adam Armstrong.

[Wheelton Blue]

2, 3, or 4 wins out of 18.

Whatever the number, it's absolutely shite.

[RTM08]

1 minute ago, chaddyrovers said:

Or will it 4 wins from 18 after Saturday. 

He clearly doesn't rate some of these players in the squad and why we don't see much rotation in the starting 11. This squad isn't suited to what he wants. 

So as I said I would allow him this squad to bring in what he wants this summer and reshape this squad 

4? Am I forgetting one other than Sunderland and Leeds? Even if it was 4, which it isn't, that would still be abysmal. 

Ultimately we need a head coach who can adapt, because none of our coaches will ever get the squad they want. JDT had the problem that he refused to adapt and Eustace is following, but unlike JDT plays some of the most turgid football ever to grace Ewood and his interviews don't give him the benefit of the doubt like JDT got. 

He has done absolutely nothing to show he deserves his "own squad", and the one he built at Brum has done even worse than we have, albeit it with managerial turmoil of their own.

[Mattyblue]

People are getting too focused on both wins and defeats tallies, as I suppose it’s easy to frame the debate that way-  ‘only x wins, he’s shit’ or ‘only x defeats, he’s steadied the ship’.

It’s points that matter and his return is relegation form - less than a point a game (13 points from 14 matches).

[JHRover]

13 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

This squad isn't suited to what he wants. 

So as I said I would allow him this squad to bring in what he wants this summer and reshape this squad 

Which is precisely the attitude Waggott and the rest of them down there will be crossing their fingers for.

Forget about the past, it's gone, nothing we can do about it, forget JDT, forget January, forget the £25 million raked in.

Just get behind the lads FFS! Hand over your £400 quickly before you discover there's no money in the transfer window and we will keep playing the same old never ending rebuild (created by our own negligence and decision making).

Well some might forgive and forget but I and others won't be. 

Reshaping starts at ownership and board level. Anything less isn't enough.

[Atko's Engine]

3 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

People are getting too focused on both wins and defeats tallies, as I suppose it’s easy to frame the debate that way-  ‘only x wins, he’s shit’ or ‘only x defeats, he’s steadied the ship’.

It’s points that matter and his return is relegation form - less than a point a game (13 points from 14 matches).

I don't disagree Matty, but that has to be seen within the context of shit owners, a shit CEO, shit recruitment processes, a threadbare, weak & morale-sapped squad, and 2 games a week preventing meaningful tactical work on the training ground throughout nearly all his tenure. 

Hopefully, if (big if, given our financial strife & incompetence re transfers) he's given the opportunity, he can mould the squad more to his liking for next season. 

[Atko's Engine]

20 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Who’s criticised Sammie for being selfish? He works his arse off the team, whoever said that must have confused him with Adam Armstrong.

There are folk in the Riverside near me who, believe me, have often referred to him as selfish & sulky if things aren't going his way.

Crazy I know, but that's us Riversiders for you!

[Bbrovers2288]

Doubt there isn’t a fan here that’s questioned their support or how much support they are willing to give next season is things remain the same. It’s been a hard hard season, that January window was the lowest iv ever felt supporting the team and that Wednesday match only rivalled with the Wigan relegation game for worst game.

for just now I’d take waggot getting potted and squad rebuilt. I’m on the fence with eustace but I don’t see him being sacked just now 

[Mattyblue]

Loads of games at the start, fair enough, but he’s had plenty of time on the training ground and largely one game a week since mid-March.

But yes, it’s a tough gig , no question, but I’m afraid context doesn’t matter a jot when you get relegated.

Personally I’d be very uneasy if we do manage to scramble to safety to have this fella in situ in August sitting on 0 points. But he will be here for as long as he fancies - so not a lot we can do but hope he does vastly improve with a summer behind him.

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

Or will it 4 wins from 18 after Saturday. 

He clearly doesn't rate some of these players in the squad and why we don't see much rotation in the starting 11. This squad isn't suited to what he wants. 

So as I said I would allow him this squad to bring in what he wants this summer and reshape this squad 

No, it wont be 4 wins even if we beat Leicester. Unless we beat them twice.

Still not seen any theory behind what has been seen to suggest he has done enough to see something to work with. Repeating give him a summer and give him some players doesnt tell me what he has done so far to give us any confidence that hes the right man.

Adding a win that he wasnt officially in charge of suggests that you know his record his shit, it is shit, less than a point per game is relegation form. So you are trying to make it seem less shit.

[Upside Down]

If Bolton come up next year that's 6 derby games we'll get smashed in.

[JHRover]

5 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

If Bolton come up next year that's 6 derby games we'll get smashed in.

It's also Bolton going bust, dropping to the 4th division, administration, new owners, and coming back up 2 divisions to the same level as Venky Rovers and being in better financial and fanbase health. Similar with Derby. 

I feel jealous.

[simongarnerisgod]

1 hour ago, Atko's Engine said:

There are folk in the Riverside near me who, believe me, have often referred to him as selfish & sulky if things aren't going his way.

Crazy I know, but that's us Riversiders for you!

it`s not a crowd in the riverside,it`s a jury😊