John Eustace - our head coach

[aletheia]

On hoofball and tippy-tappy, winning and losing.
That’s several variables. And definitions need to be made.

Several things can be true at the same time and are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

There’s differing types of going ‘long’, how often and when. Top sides do it strategically, ie not just lumped forward. Big Sam has his method (N’Zonzi on the centre spot –LOL) which could be highly effective and unsettle sides. But too much for some of course.

Differing types of tippy-tappy –lots of prem sides (and it was a given under JDT) that the ball would generally be recycled if you got to the byeline. We are capable of doing it when needed, keeping the ball well when ahead but we tend to cross more quickly now and if needs be play safety first. Full on tippy tappy does work at top levels but you need top players. And can become boring to many. Trav is back to his best because he is doing what he does best. But the point has been rightly made, that all sides are now playing the same way generally so that they can feed higher clubs.

At present, I don’t think we play hoofball under JE. Cautious, safety first counter attacking with great team spirit and doggedness to defend. Given the personnel, it’s seems pragmatic and has gone well. And think we DO play out from the back (cf. the goalkicks) and have benefitted from JDT’s legacy of passing –but have (by and large!) cut out the suicide stuff and will go longer if needs be. Problems may occur should we lose say 5 in a row -

Ideally, for me at least, winning with combination of good short stuff and great crossing plus good targeted long ball is great –with pace too. But then that’ in an ideal world 
Who would you like to watch (other than us obviously) in footballing terms –disregard prejudices of other natures 😉

 

[philipl]

Rohl has Southampton connections and apparently if Sheffield Wednesday don't reduce their compensation demands, Saints will look abroad.

Eustace has been binned off once for a glamour appointment so doesn't have the Premier League cachet. I might be wrong but there are now no British managers outside Ipswich who came through the leagues at any Premier League club left now. Graham Potter is a distant memory. The others are either relegated last season or sacked yesterday.

Eustace didn't work an instant miracle at either Brum or Rovers (we were never in a relegation position last season so it was a preservation rather than a salvation job) so given the player rabbles at both Wolves and Southampton, it would be a more than 50% chance he would get potted before April with a destroyed reputation if he went to either club.

And absolutely no tears for Russel Martin from me. Gary O'Neill lost it at Wolves but was badly treated by Bournemouth.

 

[RevidgeBlue]

6 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

I’m not talking with hindsight, you are.

Bit in bold, they’ve not done that since day 1 yet you backed them to the hilt  until the scales finally came out your eyes just *months* ago.

Well if you know someone else who (up until *months* ago at least) can put in £20m p.a. without so much as batting an eyelid get them in as you're so much smarter than the rest of us! ROFL.

"Backed them to the hilt" - Yep always been a huge fan of Waggott/Broughton etc

Better leave it there. Not too sure why you-re having a go at me completely unprovoked -I'm sure we're boring everyone else to death.

[Mike E]

1 hour ago, RevidgeBlue said:

It's all relative though. Easy to scoff now with the benefit of hindsight but the (not unreasonable) hope at the time was that they'd bring someone better in. They certainly had the wherewithal to bring an elite manager in.

I didn't enjoy the Allardyce era at all.  Walking down to the ground felt like a trip to the dentists. Prioritising certain games and more or less throwing others isn't for me and again imo you EITHER have to be entertaining OR winning matches regularly otherwise there's no real point. If you're winning as many matches as Kendall did, or Eustace is currently doing and are in with a shout of winning promotion or the occasional trophy that's great. If you're boring and going WDL all the time  and are just about doing enough to stay up that's not really much in the way of entertainment imo.

Again it's all relative and I'm sure we'd all take an Allardyce type now if we thought he could get us promoted. As we hopefully have with Eustace.

Prioritising games was never a bad plan in its own right, but it really was a kick in the balls when we’d just spent 4 years under Sparky kicking the big boys at every turn.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, Bob Belcher said:

Eustace is a phenomenal manager for this group of players. He clearly knows how to get the best out of them and that has been reflected with our current run of form. Are we in the top 5 in this league as far as talent? Not by a long shot, jmo.  However, we are gritty, cohesive, and have a guy at the helm who know how to get results.

That is all that matters.

That’s what we had with Big Sam.

[RevidgeBlue]

7 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Prioritising games was never a bad plan in its own right, but it really was a kick in the balls when we’d just spent 4 years under Sparky kicking the big boys at every turn.

Absolutely Mike.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, RevidgeBlue said:

It's all relative though. Easy to scoff now with the benefit of hindsight but the (not unreasonable) hope at the time was that they'd bring someone better in. They certainly had the wherewithal to bring an elite manager in.

I didn't enjoy the Allardyce era at all.  Walking down to the ground felt like a trip to the dentists. Prioritising certain games and more or less throwing others isn't for me and again imo you EITHER have to be entertaining OR winning matches regularly otherwise there's no real point. If you're winning as many matches as Kendall did, or Eustace is currently doing and are in with a shout of winning promotion or the occasional trophy that's great. If you're boring and going WDL all the time  and are just about doing enough to stay up that's not really much in the way of entertainment imo.

Again it's all relative and I'm sure we'd all take an Allardyce type now if we thought he could get us promoted. As we hopefully have with Eustace.

What made you think that people who had never actually seen a game of Premier League football before they bought Rovers would have enough grey matter to appoint a better manager than Sam Allardyce ? I really struggling with that. They’ve been in charge for 15 years and they still wouldn’t have a clue who to appoint tomorrow.

[RevidgeBlue]

4 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

That’s what we had with Big Sam.

Not really. We were never in the Top 5 under Big Sam - he just sort of did the bare minimum to keep us afloat.

And before Matty kicks off again I did like big Sam and yes of course we'd take him in his pomp now; it's just that his style isn't for everyone but needs must in an emergency.

 

[RevidgeBlue]

2 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

What made you think that people who had never actually seen a game of Premier League football before they bought Rovers would have enough grey matter to appoint a better manager than Sam Allardyce ? I really struggling with that. They’ve been in charge for 15 years and they still wouldn’t have a clue who to appoint tomorrow.

They'd only been here a few months at that point though and  had people advising them. At the time after Allardyce was sacked I would have liked Guus Hiddink. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, RevidgeBlue said:

They'd only been here a few months at that point though and  had people advising them. At the time after Allardyce was sacked I would have liked Guus Hiddink. 

Unfortunately they liked Steve Kean more.

[RevidgeBlue]

3 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Unfortunately they liked Steve Kean more.

Yep.

Anyhow back to the topic in hand  - Eustace must stay whilst we're going well - we're not Blackburn Rovers 1973 without a pot to piss in - we have multi billionaire owners and it's time for them to back the manager.

[Upside Down]

1 minute ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Yep.

Anyhow back to the topic in hand  - Eustace must stay whilst we're going well - we're not Blackburn Rovers 1973 without a pot to piss in - we have multi billionaire owners and it's time for them to back the manager.

Seriously what brand of crack have you been smoking recently?

Every time I see you posting you just seem to get further and further away from reality.

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

There’s no way they’ll seriously  back Eustace in January. That ship sailed years ago. 

[Mattyblue]

11 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

Seriously what brand of crack have you been smoking recently?

Every time I see you posting you just seem to get further and further away from reality.

 

Recently? He’s been like this since day dot of brfcs.

Shouldn’t bite really as I honestly don’t think he ever does troll, he actually does believe some of the crackers stuff he comes out with.

[RevidgeBlue]

12 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

Seriously what brand of crack have you been smoking recently?

Every time I see you posting you just seem to get further and further away from reality.

 

Sorry,  what part of "It's time for them to back the manager" do you disagree with?

I didn't say I think it would happen.

Go on, I'm all ears.

[RevidgeBlue]

1 minute ago, Mattyblue said:

Recently? He’s been like this since day dot of brfcs.

Shouldn’t bite really as I honestly don’t think he ever does troll, he actually does believe some of the crackers stuff he comes out with.

Don't know why certain posters can't have a difference of opinion without being so objectionable either but it seems they can't.

[Mattyblue]

Because many of your Rovers based opinions are so outlandish they aren’t even something you can have a rational debate on.

 

[Upside Down]

19 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Sorry,  what part of "It's time for them to back the manager" do you disagree with?

I didn't say I think it would happen.

Go on, I'm all ears.

It was the assertion that we actually have a pot to piss in.

We don't, despite having owners that are supposedly billionaires.

Also your comments regarding Tronstad are on another level.

[RevidgeBlue]

9 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

It was the assertion that we actually have a pot to piss in.

We don't, despite having owners that are supposedly billionaires.

Also your comments regarding Tronstad are on another level.

According to the Club themselves - we do. Business unaffected etc etc.

I have absolutely no idea either why me not particularly rating one individual player boils everyone's piss so much. I don't mind in the slightest if people like him. We only stayed up on the last day of last season and no-one was particularly singing his praises at that point. A lot of people didn't even rate Raya but people don't call each other out about that.

[RevidgeBlue]

27 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Because many of your Rovers based opinions are so outlandish they aren’t even something you can have a rational debate on.

 

But you are certainly doing your best - 15 years later.

[RevidgeBlue]

55 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

There’s no way they’ll seriously  back Eustace in January. That ship sailed years ago. 

I don't think they will either but even an Armstrong type loan of a decent striker would make all the difference imo.

[barry_]

1 hour ago, Upside Down said:

Seriously what brand of crack have you been smoking recently?

Every time I see you posting you just seem to get further and further away from reality.

 

if he's getting further and further away from reality, it must be the good stuff 😉

[Blow-in]

1 hour ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Yep.

Anyhow back to the topic in hand  - Eustace must stay whilst we're going well - we're not Blackburn Rovers 1973 without a pot to piss in - we have multi billionaire owners and it's time for them to back the manager.

Agreed, I hear Utd have lost faith with Rashford and willing to let him go for 40m. I think he would be just what we need to cement 5th place and a playoff spot. When if we get up we can start looking at either Mbappe or Vinny Junior as it's clear they can't play together for Madrid so one of them is gonna be a bargin 70-80mil should secure whichever is let go.

[Waggy76]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

There’s no way they’ll seriously  back Eustace in January. That ship sailed years ago. 

That ship never left , the dry dock !

[RevidgeBlue]

2 hours ago, Blow-in said:

Agreed, I hear Utd have lost faith with Rashford and willing to let him go for 40m. I think he would be just what we need to cement 5th place and a playoff spot. When if we get up we can start looking at either Mbappe or Vinny Junior as it's clear they can't play together for Madrid so one of them is gonna be a bargin 70-80mil should secure whichever is let go.

Don't give up the day job.

What sort of investment in January WOULD you consider reasonable?

(Not that it will happen I don't suppose)

Edited December 16 by RevidgeBlue