John Eustace - our head coach

[Upside Down]

2 hours ago, Andy said:

Just be honest/genuine or say nothing.

It's insulting to the fans to be anything but the above.

JDT managed it just fine.

100% agree.

Don't tell us we played well when we were absolutely dog shit.

[lraC]

Obviously the manager hears a certain amount from the inside that the fans don’t, but at the player of the year award, Waggott was spouting off about how wonderful the owners are, in front of the fans, the players and the manager.

I did get the chance to speak to the manager for about 5 minutes, towards the end of the night. He certainly wasn’t full of the same, false enthusiasm that Waggott was and will no doubt be fully aware of Waggott’s bullshit and self preservation. Whether he just accepts his lot and carries on regardless, remains to be seen, but I do think we are already seeing, that he could well rebel. 

[Herbie6590]

8 hours ago, Mike E said:

I heard that in Cloughie’s voice. He’d have said, meant it, and turned it into motivation.

I wish Clough-type managers were still around. Think closest we’ve had in recent years (not even that recent) was the pound shop Clough: Ian Holloway.

Jose Mourinho is probably the closest.

[Gav]

1 hour ago, lraC said:

Obviously the manager hears a certain amount from the inside that the fans don’t, but at the player of the year award, Waggott was spouting off about how wonderful the owners are, in front of the fans, the players and the manager.

I did get the chance to speak to the manager for about 5 minutes, towards the end of the night. He certainly wasn’t full of the same, false enthusiasm that Waggott was and will no doubt be fully aware of Waggott’s bullshit and self preservation. Whether he just accepts his lot and carries on regardless, remains to be seen, but I do think we are already seeing, that he could well rebel. 

One of the most bizarre episodes I've seen in recent years and lets be honest we've had many, was the hastily arranged Waggott/Players/Fans meeting last season. Here we had JDT still officially the manager, although we all knew he was leaving, the CEO decides to parade the senior players in front of a small section of fans, where the players complained about booing and the fans had to explain it was more aimed at owners.....

What the hell was that about? What club does that? Utter shit show and the results only got worse!!

[lraC]

6 minutes ago, Gav said:

One of the most bizarre episodes I've seen in recent years and lets be honest we've had many, was the hastily arranged Waggott/Players/Fans meeting last season. Here we had JDT still officially the manager, although we all knew he was leaving, the CEO decides to parade the senior players in front of a small section of fans, where the players complained about booing and the fans had to explain it was more aimed at owners.....

What the hell was that about? What club does that? Utter shit show and the results only got worse!!

Surely the players aren’t that detached, that they don’t know about the owners and the fans feelings about them.

 

[Mattyblue]

I wouldn’t be surprised, most footballers seem to operate in a bubble.

[KentExile]

15 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

I wouldn’t be surprised, most footballers seem to operate in a bubble.

There is also the "stereotype" of players possibly not being the brightest  sparks, so it may just completely pass them by

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

10 hours ago, JHRover said:

Eustace will have taken the job because despite what these horrible people have done the name of Blackburn Rovers still carries a lot of weight in the game. 

Someone in his position after a little over 1 year at Birmingham City to be offered a 2.5 year deal to come here, established Championship club. On the surface a complete no-brainer. 

Potential new staff members and players will of course assume that even with a very limited budget there remains a determination to get somewhere and some degree of ambition and a plan to make it work. It won't become clear to them until their feet are under the table and the games start that there is zero ambition, zero plan, owners who are beyond belief when it comes to a lack of interest and a board of directors dominated by shadowy characters none of whom have ever spoken publicly (some I'm not sure have even been to Ewood before).

Then there's the other slippery character labelled as CEO but is more of an administrator measured purely on his cost saving schemes who I wouldn't trust to go and buy me a Lancashire Telegraph if I gave him a couple of quid.

I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that in the chaos (self inflicted) of late January and early February, after they forced the last manager out yet still dragged his exit into a multiple week long process, and with Broughton half way out the exit door, there will have been a degree of panic and with that a 'tell him what he needs to hear' approach.

Obviously telling the truth as to the real situation isn't what is done here. We've seen that with the lies and deceit towards paying supporters and probably players over the last 12-18 months since this crisis escaped the bag. First they pretended that it was all due to changes in Indian tax laws, then it became clear that it was actually due to the owners being under investigation. They've claimed also that the court hearings are a minor issue, not really anything to be concerned about, a formality, yet it is obvious that isn't the case.

So absolutely 100% believable that they will have painted a rosy picture to Eustace, allowed him to believe there would be jam tomorrow if he kept us up, money will come, this lot never refuse a cheque. All sounds fantastic. I bet JDT got similar, as did Broughton, Lambert, all the rest. 

Then we get the moving goalposts, silence.

Some types of manager are fine with that, they've a contract and will sit tight and collect their money and hope it one day changes for the better or they get a better offer at some point - Kean, Bowyer, Mowbray

Others simply won't put up with it and will actively seek a move away - Lambert, JDT - because they know they can get work at a professional football club so why allow this mob to make a fool out of you

It remains to be seen which group Eustace will fall into, but I certainly bet thoughts have or will soon be going through his head.

I'm certain it is one of Waggott's favourite schemes. Tell potential players/agents, managers that we can offer x,y,z or will be able to offer something later, get them in the building, under contract, committed to some degree, then change it and shift the next move onto the employee - take it or leave it and call their bluff. Hope they just shut up, take the money and put up with it.

With the way they have run the club and treated paying supporters I cannot imagine how bad it must be to actually work for them. Awful, awful people. 

That’s why I can’t understand why anybody works for Rovers these days. One day you’ll be out of a job. Make the move in a time of your choosing, not theirs.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

9 hours ago, Mike E said:

I heard that in Cloughie’s voice. He’d have said, meant it, and turned it into motivation.

I wish Clough-type managers were still around. Think closest we’ve had in recent years (not even that recent) was the pound shop Clough: Ian Holloway.

The power dynamic has changed in pro football. It’s swung from the directors and managers to the players and their agents. You can’t give players the hard word like Cloughie did back in the day any more.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

9 hours ago, Andy said:

Just be honest/genuine or say nothing.

It's insulting to the fans to be anything but the above.

JDT managed it just fine.

It’s not just about the fans though, you can’t afford to alienate the players in the position we found ourselves in last Spring. He may have been thinking “ I’ll sweet talk this lot until Summer and then I’ll be able to bring in some players who fit my idea of what we need “.

If he did he obviously underestimated the Chicken Chokers.

Of course he just say “ No Comment “ to every question at the press conferences. That’d be a great look.

Edited July 22 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

2 hours ago, Gav said:

One of the most bizarre episodes I've seen in recent years and lets be honest we've had many, was the hastily arranged Waggott/Players/Fans meeting last season. Here we had JDT still officially the manager, although we all knew he was leaving, the CEO decides to parade the senior players in front of a small section of fans, where the players complained about booing and the fans had to explain it was more aimed at owners.....

What the hell was that about? What club does that? Utter shit show and the results only got worse

 Right lads,I need a favour..I'm starting to feel the heat.

The Players looked so uncomfortable you could tell something was wrong,all staged.

Edited July 22 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[JHRover]

I saw the fans / players meeting as a typical Waggott manoeuvre in response to feeling the heat.

A relatively easy, cheap and small gesture but one he thought would head off trouble.

Turn the focus away from the owners and their financial activities and on to the players and their thoughts about things, localise the issues to a meeting table in Lancashire, get together prominent fans who would hopefully be won over by the tea and biscuits and then head off online and to their groups and spread the word about it, filtering down to the wider fanbase, all whilst he barely had to lift a finger.

Of course an open question event with hundreds of season ticket holders invited and free to put forward their questions to him and other directors would be a good idea, but he's never had any intentions of such exposure.

[SuperBrfc]

4 hours ago, Gav said:

One of the most bizarre episodes I've seen in recent years and lets be honest we've had many, was the hastily arranged Waggott/Players/Fans meeting last season. Here we had JDT still officially the manager, although we all knew he was leaving, the CEO decides to parade the senior players in front of a small section of fans, where the players complained about booing and the fans had to explain it was more aimed at owners.....

What the hell was that about? What club does that? Utter shit show and the results only got worse!!

It was a desperate ploy from a desperate man. The chants from the Ewood crowd had him shook and he had to do something to stem the tide.

They are that deluded upstairs that, it would not surprise me at all if Swag was hoping that the select group of fans would be 'star struck' upon meeting the players and that they would agree to soften their stance seeing as the players asked them to.

The fans had no idea what they were being called in for, so it's likely that the idea was to spring a surprise on those fans and catch them cold, so to speak.

On a side note, unrelated to Rovers, but just to show the games some clubs are playing out there. There are two prominent fan channels online that, up until a year ago, were vehemently "owners out" and/or "manager out". They both have wide reach across social media, so their respective clubs are aware of the potential threat they pose.

What's happened in the last year? Well, both of their clubs have given each channel media access, haven't they. Something which they never had before. One has been allowed in to press conferences and has had an interview with their DOF on the channel. They are now hoping they can have a player or two on at some point. The other has been allowed to interview a couple of players and is hoping to have an interview with the manager at some stage.

My point? Both channels seem to have done a complete u-turn. The fervent "owners out" and "manager out" has all but disappeared and has been replaced by all too familiar rhetoric:

"Trust the process"

"It takes time, be patient"

"We've got a young squad"

"I trust the manager"

"If the manager wants him (a player), I'm fine with that"

"Who else can we bring in?"

Any fan who does a fancam on those channels criticising their ownership or managers is now being challenged and made to look overly 'negative' by people who were saying those very same things not so long ago. Media access. That's all that has happened there, but the talk of protests, anti hierarchy sentiment etc has been diluted.

[lraC]

3 minutes ago, SuperBrfc said:

It was a desperate ploy from a desperate man. The chants from the Ewood crowd had him shook and he had to do something to stem the tide.

They are that deluded upstairs that, it would not surprise me at all if Swag was hoping that the select group of fans would be 'star struck' upon meeting the players and that they would agree to soften their stance seeing as the players asked them to.

The fans had no idea what they were being called in for, so it's likely that the idea was to spring a surprise on those fans and catch them cold, so to speak.

On a side note, unrelated to Rovers, but just to show the games some clubs are playing out there. There are two prominent fan channels online that, up until a year ago, were vehemently "owners out" and/or "manager out". They both have wide reach across social media, so their respective clubs are aware of the potential threat they pose.

What's happened in the last year? Well, both of their clubs have given each channel media access, haven't they. Something which they never had before. One has been allowed in to press conferences and has had an interview with their DOF on the channel. They are now hoping they can have a player or two on at some point. The other has been allowed to interview a couple of players and is hoping to have an interview with the manager at some stage.

My point? Both channels seem to have done a complete u-turn. The fervent "owners out" and "manager out" has all but disappeared and has been replaced by all too familiar rhetoric:

"Trust the process"

"It takes time, be patient"

"We've got a young squad"

"I trust the manager"

"If the manager wants him (a player), I'm fine with that"

"Who else can we bring in?"

Any fan who does a fancam on those channels criticising their ownership or managers is now being challenged and made to look overly 'negative' by people who were saying those very same things not so long ago. Media access. That's all that has happened there, but the talk of protests, anti hierarchy sentiment etc has been diluted.

Which clubs?

[roverandout]

7 minutes ago, SuperBrfc said:

It was a desperate ploy from a desperate man. The chants from the Ewood crowd had him shook and he had to do something to stem the tide.

They are that deluded upstairs that, it would not surprise me at all if Swag was hoping that the select group of fans would be 'star struck' upon meeting the players and that they would agree to soften their stance seeing as the players asked them to.

The fans had no idea what they were being called in for, so it's likely that the idea was to spring a surprise on those fans and catch them cold, so to speak.

On a side note, unrelated to Rovers, but just to show the games some clubs are playing out there. There are two prominent fan channels online that, up until a year ago, were vehemently "owners out" and/or "manager out". They both have wide reach across social media, so their respective clubs are aware of the potential threat they pose.

What's happened in the last year? Well, both of their clubs have given each channel media access, haven't they. Something which they never had before. One has been allowed in to press conferences and has had an interview with their DOF on the channel. They are now hoping they can have a player or two on at some point. The other has been allowed to interview a couple of players and is hoping to have an interview with the manager at some stage.

My point? Both channels seem to have done a complete u-turn. The fervent "owners out" and "manager out" has all but disappeared and has been replaced by all too familiar rhetoric:

"Trust the process"

"It takes time, be patient"

"We've got a young squad"

"I trust the manager"

"If the manager wants him (a player), I'm fine with that"

"Who else can we bring in?"

Any fan who does a fancam on those channels criticising their ownership or managers is now being challenged and made to look overly 'negative' by people who were saying those very same things not so long ago. Media access. That's all that has happened there, but the talk of protests, anti hierarchy sentiment etc has been diluted.

Waggot's idea is to promise fans they can have a ride on their brand spanking new bus

Edited July 22 by roverandout

[roverblue]

Sounds well pissed off in his latest interview. Also starting to rollout "I'm just here to manage the team, speak to the club" type lines as well.

Be surprised if he is still here 20 games in.

[DE.]

Did he pay no attention to what was going on at the club before arriving? I can understand if he'd just come in after Mowbray, who got a fair amount of latitude and budget, but after all of the very public nonsense that went on under JDT and the very public court case the owners are involved in?

JDT tried to resign when he realised he'd been lied to. Lambert was smart enough to include a break clause so that they couldn't trap him, as they did JDT last season. 

One assumes Eustace had no such out clause, so will he go down with the ship or try to escape before it sinks? 

Edited August 7 by DE.

[Mattyblue]

He’s your standard EFL manager. Decent wedge for taking a Championship job is about as far as the due diligence goes 

[JHRover]

He was pretty clear after Stockport that he wants plenty more and despite the delusional efforts of the club media bloke interviewing him made it clear that the new signings, especially Weimann,.Batth and McFadzean, are not being signed nor are they to be considered first XI players. They are here to step in from time to time and provide experience behind the scenes.

Of course he'll be fed up, I doubt there's many that aren't down there. Doubt he'll walk away from 2 years of wages and an unsackability though

 

[NeilInBristol]

What a weak manager 

 

"It has been disruptive but it's out of my hands, I can't do much about it. We get on with it, we have a great squad of players that can come in and fill different positions if they're needed. There are no issues". 

"Yes (I'd like to draw a line in the sand) but again that's out of my hands. That is up to the club, they're talking and they're in charge of the money side. My job is to coach the team."

"Sam is a top, top player at this level. Would we like him in the starting XI? Of course, we would. Eventually, that might happen.

"At the moment, he hasn't trained or played for the last three or four weeks. We have to protect the lad as well.

"(Could he be involved?) Possibly, we'll have to wait and see."

Pathetic from everyone involved. 

No way should Sammie play if he isn't match fit or trained for 4 weeks. Player welfare is paramount. 

[rigger]

38 minutes ago, NeilInBristol said:

What a weak manager 

 

"It has been disruptive but it's out of my hands, I can't do much about it. We get on with it, we have a great squad of players that can come in and fill different positions if they're needed. There are no issues". 

"Yes (I'd like to draw a line in the sand) but again that's out of my hands. That is up to the club, they're talking and they're in charge of the money side. My job is to coach the team."

"Sam is a top, top player at this level. Would we like him in the starting XI? Of course, we would. Eventually, that might happen.

"At the moment, he hasn't trained or played for the last three or four weeks. We have to protect the lad as well.

"(Could he be involved?) Possibly, we'll have to wait and see."

Pathetic from everyone involved. 

No way should Sammie play if he isn't match fit or trained for 4 weeks. Player welfare is paramount. 

Player welfare has never been paramount,at any time or at any club, results are.

[RTM08]

I appreciate we're looking to sell him, but which moron decided it was a good idea for him to not even train for the last month?

[Forever Blue]

2 minutes ago, RTM08 said:

I appreciate we're looking to sell him, but which moron decided it was a good idea for him to not even train for the last month?

Maybe he’s thrown his toys out so he’s been told to stay away?

[Forever Blue]

56 minutes ago, NeilInBristol said:

What a weak manager 

 

"It has been disruptive but it's out of my hands, I can't do much about it. We get on with it, we have a great squad of players that can come in and fill different positions if they're needed. There are no issues". 

"Yes (I'd like to draw a line in the sand) but again that's out of my hands. That is up to the club, they're talking and they're in charge of the money side. My job is to coach the team."

"Sam is a top, top player at this level. Would we like him in the starting XI? Of course, we would. Eventually, that might happen.

"At the moment, he hasn't trained or played for the last three or four weeks. We have to protect the lad as well.

"(Could he be involved?) Possibly, we'll have to wait and see."

Pathetic from everyone involved. 

No way should Sammie play if he isn't match fit or trained for 4 weeks. Player welfare is paramount. 

Why is the manager weak?

[tomphil]

28 minutes ago, rigger said:

Player welfare has never been paramount,at any time or at any club, results are.

It was here when Mowbray was gaffer i often said he'd be better being a player welfare officer.