John Eustace - our head coach

[Mattyblue]

Insisting on being allowed to bring in experienced heads has been the single best decision he’s made. Finally an end to the jam tomorrow  ‘model’ ‘increasing value’ ‘parhways’ approach we’ve had for far too long that only ever sees you spinning your wheels (at best).

This league is all about the here and now with a spine of streetwise pros.

[K-Hod]

The best compliment I can pay Eustace, is when we were two goals up yesterday, I felt there was absolutely no danger of us ballsing it up.

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt that comfortable! This season couldn’t really be going any better and I’m delighted for him. Fair play John, I didn’t expect this from you at all!

[DE.]

In regards to JDT, as a rookie manager I felt he did an outstanding job in the first 6-7 months. First season finish was still excellent for a manager with his experience and working in this environment, but there were many signs that things behind the scenes were going wrong. Bad ownership combined with bad recruitment hobbled the end of JDT's first season, to the point where he wanted out by the summer. He offered his resignation, and at that point it should have been the end of Tomasson's time here. Anything after that is solely on Venky's for not allowing him to leave when he had made it clear he didn't want to be here anymore.

We started his second season bizarrely well all things considered, but when it again started going badly wrong around November time, JDT was unable to arrest the decline. His departure at that point was inevitable. He refused to change his style and evidently lost key parts of the dressing room. Man management is something I think JDT still needs to work on. In the modern game you simply have to keep the players onside and he wasn't able to do that. In regards to how rigid he was with our playing style, I'm not sure whether this was because he couldn't change or because he felt betrayed by the owners and thus was continuing the originally promised 'project' out of spite, even when we clearly no longer had the squad to achieve that initial ambition. Only JDT would be able to answer that, but it was clear we needed to change how we were playing, but between November 2023 to the end of Jan 2024 we never really did, and we saw the same thing happen time and time again as we racked up an embarrassing goals against column with diminishing returns up front.

I hold no ill-will towards JDT and under different circumstances I think he could have been a great manager for us. Under the current structure, however, it was never meant to be. I think Eustace is more pragmatic, a better man manager and a bit more shrewd in his relationship with the club compared to JDT. He seems to be a better all around fit.

However, time will tell whether this is yet another false dawn. We had good starts under JDT in both seasons as well, only to catastrophically fall away once things started going against us. It'll be interesting to see whether Eustace will be able to evade the regular slumps we've experienced going all the way back to Mowbray's tenure, or whether ultimately the rot at the top of the club means such declines are just part of the fabric of Venky's version of our club.

[arbitro]

I liked Tomasson but used to get really irked with the 'project' that him and Broughton referred to regularly. The only 'project' I'm interested in is winning games by any means. Eustace is on the same page.

[simongarnerisgod]

venkys did jdt over,2/3 quality additions in his 2nd season and we`de be in the premier league,i have no doubt about that,sadly,they will do the same to eustace

[martonrover]

58 minutes ago, DE. said:

In regards to JDT, as a rookie manager I felt he did an outstanding job in the first 6-7 months. First season finish was still excellent for a manager with his experience and working in this environment, but there were many signs that things behind the scenes were going wrong. Bad ownership combined with bad recruitment hobbled the end of JDT's first season, to the point where he wanted out by the summer. He offered his resignation, and at that point it should have been the end of Tomasson's time here. Anything after that is solely on Venky's for not allowing him to leave when he had made it clear he didn't want to be here anymore.

We started his second season bizarrely well all things considered, but when it again started going badly wrong around November time, JDT was unable to arrest the decline. His departure at that point was inevitable. He refused to change his style and evidently lost key parts of the dressing room. Man management is something I think JDT still needs to work on. In the modern game you simply have to keep the players onside and he wasn't able to do that. In regards to how rigid he was with our playing style, I'm not sure whether this was because he couldn't change or because he felt betrayed by the owners and thus was continuing the originally promised 'project' out of spite, even when we clearly no longer had the squad to achieve that initial ambition. Only JDT would be able to answer that, but it was clear we needed to change how we were playing, but between November 2023 to the end of Jan 2024 we never really did, and we saw the same thing happen time and time again as we racked up an embarrassing goals against column with diminishing returns up front.

I hold no ill-will towards JDT and under different circumstances I think he could have been a great manager for us. Under the current structure, however, it was never meant to be. I think Eustace is more pragmatic, a better man manager and a bit more shrewd in his relationship with the club compared to JDT. He seems to be a better all around fit.

However, time will tell whether this is yet another false dawn. We had good starts under JDT in both seasons as well, only to catastrophically fall away once things started going against us. It'll be interesting to see whether Eustace will be able to evade the regular slumps we've experienced going all the way back to Mowbray's tenure, or whether ultimately the rot at the top of the club means such declines are just part of the fabric of Venky's version of our club.

I still don’t think we have the squad depth to maintain current form, unless we are extremely fortunate with players staying fit.

That’s a really good point about the slumps, though, and it would be great if Eustace could break the cycle.

[CambridgeRover]

2 hours ago, arbitro said:

I liked Tomasson but used to get really irked with the 'project' that him and Broughton referred to regularly. The only 'project' I'm interested in is winning games by any means. Eustace is on the same page.

Why on earth you got irked by the project I have no idea. The project was to get us to the premier league.

[arbitro]

3 hours ago, CambridgeRover said:

Why on earth you got irked by the project I have no idea. The project was to get us to the premier league.

Why on earth you reply to something that irks me (clearly you must have liked it) I have no idea. 

Actually the project was to develop young players to sell on it you listened to Broughton. He talked about becoming self sufficient as part of the project.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

It looked to me as though the “ project “ was to bump around this division for ever meanwhile developing players to sell to Premier League clubs or to send back their players at the end of their loan period.

Promotion wasn’t on the cards but maybe it is now, we’ll soon see in January.

Edited September 15 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[roversfan99]

I felt like a lot of the times Tomasson mentioned a project, he was doing so almost sarcastically especially when he was not backed. I certainly never got the impression that he was happy just existing to be a development club.

Regarding Eustace, I know the arguments about coming in to do a job and not having his own squad/a squad deep enough to trust etc, but that didnt excuse repeatedly failing to win even one of a group of very winnable home games.

Until that was rectified, you are never going to achieve anything, and it was a fundamental reason why we ended up closer to the relegation zone at the end of the season in a last day scrap compared to when Eustace came in. This seasons fixture list presented him with 3 very winnable home games. They have to be your bread and butter, and 2 promoted sides and a (to be generous) very average Bristol City gave him the perfect opportunity to change that narrative. To win all 3 very much does that and fair play to him for doing so.

[aletheia]

I liked JDT a lot but he simply wasn't backed and by the end the situation was no good for him or for us. Has any other manager requested to leave but been refused and finally had to pay to leave?

JE came into a difficult situation and has done well. He and his recruitment team (that is up for discussion-who exactly is responsible for the incomings/outgoings) have had a little more money and certainly more imagination (which i am sure JDT would have liked). This has led to our optimism, feel good factor and a good start.

It remains to be seen how we go from here -injuries, the Rao's, Waggot, court cases -who knows? But no doubt things are looking up.

Edited September 15 by aletheia

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

It looked to me as though the “ project “ was to bump around this division for ever meanwhile developing players to sell to Premier League clubs or to send back their players at the end of their loan period.

That was never an exceptable situation to any fan of this Club.NEVER!

[Forever Blue]

JDT was brought in to achieve promotion. That was the project. Part of that project was to win enough games to gain promotion. 
 

All this nonsense about the club not wanting promotion is just that, nonsense. Unfortunately we have shit owners who haven’t got a clue how to go about it, and shit administrators who can’t even finalise transfers. 
 

We were probably the O’Brien transfer away from getting in the play offs in JDTs first season. It all went to shit in his 2nd when Venkys shit ownership reared its ugly head again in the form of the  funding issue. 
 

At least we now have a manager who appears to know what he’s doing, and a recruitment team who seem adept at picking up quality players on the cheap. 
 

I’m hopeful for this season. The top 6 is always up for grabs in a competitive league. If we are there or thereabouts in January it’s hoped Eustace is properly supported and the fuckwits above him don’t sabotage his plans. 

[tomphil]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

It looked to me as though the “ project “ was to bump around this division for ever meanwhile developing players to sell to Premier League clubs or to send back their players at the end of their loan period.

Promotion wasn’t on the cards but maybe it is now, we’ll soon see in January.

The warning sign will depend on the court case imo.

If that doesn't get sorted or they all keep kicking the can down the road then it'll be no surprise if there's a budget cut yet again and the need to bring in money in Jan/summer.

Eustace has got some of what he wanted but so did JDT right at the beginning and Mowbray and Bowyer but keeping it up has always been the problem with Venkys.

Whenever something good has got going it's had to be pulled to bits again soon after due to their shocking running of the club. Except the middle Mowbray years where they found someone happy water tread on a like for like yearly budget with no real fees but no press to sell either.

[Upside Down]

2 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

It looked to me as though the “ project “ was to bump around this division for ever meanwhile developing players to sell to Premier League clubs or to send back their players at the end of their loan period.

Promotion wasn’t on the cards but maybe it is now, we’ll soon see in January.

That's venkys and their agency chums plan.

The Egg and JDT were the first people under their tenure to talk about Blackburn Rovers being a premier league team.

No surprise both of them were gone within 18 months of arrival.

[CambridgeRover]

17 hours ago, arbitro said:

Why on earth you reply to something that irks me (clearly you must have liked it) I have no idea. 

Actually the project was to develop young players to sell on it you listened to Broughton. He talked about becoming self sufficient as part of the project.

It is just very simplistic to say I only want to win games not hear about any projects or plans.

Of course we should have a long term plan 

[arbitro]

5 minutes ago, CambridgeRover said:

It is just very simplistic to say I only want to win games not hear about any projects or plans.

Of course we should have a long term plan 

Winning games gives you the ultimate goal of promotion.

[roverblue]

JDT talked a good game and charmed the pants off most people. I found it one of the most boring periods of watching rovers at home in 30 odd years. Lots of backwards, sideways passing along with the most abysmal defensive organisation I have ever seen at Ewood. Never mind his approach to local derbys or the ability to change a game.

Its still early in the season but it appears that Eustace has brought the good times back, you can feel it on the ground and hear it in the stands. We don't look a soft touch anymore and showing lots of 'Arte et Labore' in games. There is plenty of time for the wheels to come off but at the moment I am glad I renewed my season ticket as was very close to not doing so.

[Hasta]

JDT wanted players to play a certain style of football. He was insistent on it to the point it was overly-stubborn. His footballing philosophy did work though. He had an immediate impact which saw us climb to the highest points we'd been in the Championship under Venkys.

The problem is he was doing it with players who were not fully suited to that style. Players who were out of their comfort zone playing that way and who felt it wasn't playing to their strengths. Once they are out of the team, of course they will become unhappy. 

Had JDT been at a club who could have brought in players better suited to that style and moved the other players on, it would have been a more harmonious camp and I feel he would have ultimately have been a success.

Unfortunately we were unable to bring in any players who would suit his style of football better, so he was stuck trying to force players to play a way they weren't happy about, and due to his lack of man management skill the whole thing turned on it's head.

Whilst that sounds like Im praising him, it's actually a major negative. The 'stubborn' word was banded around even before the Burnley game in his first season. He will fail at Sweden for the same reason. The pool of players is limited and he will try to force them to play a way that doesn't suit them, and they won't like it.

However there's a good manager there for a club that can afford to be as ruthless as he wants to be. Drop him into somewhere like Middlesboro for example, and let Gibson spend so that over a couple of transfer windows he can bring in players he wants, and I feel he would do a very good job.

But when you need to "wee with the willy you have" and grind out results more pragmatically, Eustace clearly is a better fit here. And that's not meaning  to do disservice to his coaching and tactical ability, which we are now starting to see more of. 

Edited September 16 by Hasta

[Admiral Nelsen]

1 hour ago, roverblue said:

JDT talked a good game and charmed the pants off most people. I found it one of the most boring periods of watching rovers at home in 30 odd years. Lots of backwards, sideways passing along with the most abysmal defensive organisation I have ever seen at Ewood. Never mind his approach to local derbys or the ability to change a game.

Its still early in the season but it appears that Eustace has brought the good times back, you can feel it on the ground and hear it in the stands. We don't look a soft touch anymore and showing lots of 'Arte et Labore' in games. There is plenty of time for the wheels to come off but at the moment I am glad I renewed my season ticket as was very close to not doing so.

 

I think you can cut JDT's tenure into three bits. There was the bit where he was getting the team used to his style. Then there was the period after a few months where we were looking a bit more co-ordinated, before the final months of his tenure when the wheels truly came off.

 

I think in the middle section we actually played some really exciting football. We played out from the back, but not at all like we saw Bristol City do at the weekend. It was a case of draw the opposition out and then suddenly be a bit more direct once we found space. We looked dangerous against almost every team we played and were unlucky not to finish in the top six in his first season. It never felt like we got to the point where it was an 'efficient' way of playing to pick up points though. Maybe there's an alternative reality where we kept Wharton, signed Ahmedhodzic like JDT wanted and spent just a bit more money and we would've taken some beating. But the risk/reward always seemed off, even though I think we looked very good in spells. Funnily enough our best results probably came in his first few months where the performances were often pretty ropey. A bit of luck there possibly.

 

All that said, it never felt like the football under JDT was very Rovers-like. Every successful Rovers team I've seen have had quality in the right areas, but you'd never accuse any of them of overplaying. Eustace's team definitely seems more in that mold, I've come away from a few games already this season feeling like I've just watched a budget version of the Mark Hughes team. Attack quickly, play where appropriate but with a healthy dose of pragmatism. Never get beaten for effort or physicality. Early days so far but very promising signs.

[Paul Mani]

I would be very worried about someone coming to take JE from us. 🙈

[Admiral Nelsen]

13 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

I would be very worried about someone coming to take JE from us. 🙈

 

Think we're a long long way from that personally. You don't get many 'sideways' moves in the Championship, and he's not the type that parachute payments clubs usually go for. 

If he performs miracles this season without getting us up, then it could be different. 

[tomphil]

Lazy journos pitching him for Stoke was rather inevitable.

[chaddyrovers]

1 hour ago, Paul Mani said:

I would be very worried about someone coming to take JE from us. 🙈

which clubs do you think would take Eustace from us? 

52 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Lazy journos pitching him for Stoke was rather inevitable.

Given they sacked their head coach this morning and they already moved for Norwich first team coach straight away would lead me to this move was planned. 

[Mattyblue]

Obviously it all went very sour for JDT, but not sure how anybody can say it wasn’t far better than most of the shite we’ve seen since those clowns bought the club.

Is that a low bar? Obviously, but we were a very decent side for this level in his first season.