Gary O'Neil, former Boro player. He was there from 2007-11. Him and Boateng were teammates at Boro for one season in the 2007/08 campaign. If O'Neil is their main target, that could explain Boateng being touted as a number two here. It might just be speculation for now, but there is a Boro theme showing itself in the links. Just a hunch, but I'm expecting, after going round the houses with various names and whispers about 150 applicants, (Yeah, right) for it to end with Karanka. If it's somebody that nobody has mentioned nor has appeared in these lists, it will come as a surprise to me. If it came down to a choice between the two, I'd be picking O'Neil all day long ahead of a Karanka. The latter is a k#&! and would change things too much. O'Neil has shown recently to have Premier League pedigree and that's exactly what our club has (minus those upstairs).

I'd argue that he started looking at other jobs due to what went on last summer, Jim. I think that was the catalyst, rather than him being a snake who always wanted out, that some quarters are portraying him as. Based on info/rumours that have emerged, it is likely that this is how it went: 1) He allegedly had an agreement with the car salesman that he would have the McGuire money to spend last summer, providing he kept us up. 2) He keeps his side of the bargain. The clown pairing then attempt to go back on that understanding. He offers to resign, twice. That scenario, I think, showed him what he was up against. That would be a red flag for most competent managers. A few signings arrive, including Cantwell, temporarily calming matters...but he probably sees Ohashi and Gueye come in and thinks "who?". I don't think he was pleased with how last summer went and saw no plan or vision, but with a compromise reached on signings he resolves to carry on despite having reservations. 3) Seeing how they operate and not knowing what is happening with contracts or the long term plan, he feels the need to get away so starts looking out for other jobs. Hence mentions of Preston, Hull etc in August and beyond. 4) The constant focus on "togetherness" and "unity" from Eustace are not the acts of a snake or a hypocrite IMO, but rather show him to be the good man that he is. I think this was him trying to bring all of us together on the pitch. Fans, players and staff, so that the club could still pick up results and achieve something. Despite him wanting out in the background, he didn't want the team or the fans to suffer for what was going on upstairs. Think it became clear to him last summer that those above him are clowns who aren't fussed, just like we realised long ago, but we all still want Rovers to win and do well despite them. He constantly referenced "the players, me, the staff, the fans, we all want quality players to come in, we all want the club to be successful" etc. It became an us against them scenario. Just like it was under JDT. This will never change under this hierarchy. They don't want what we, the fans, and our managers want. 5) In the weeks leading up to January Eustace stated many times, the need for 2 or 3 quality signings. Again, it was stressed that he, the players, the staff and the fans all want these signings made. He made it obvious that if they didn't come in it wouldn't be due to him or his staff. The Jan window ends as it does and he is seemingly not happy. He repeatedly refers to "club signings" and "their signings". Maybe because he didn't get who he wanted, maybe because they are mostly short term moves or that he just doesn't rate them. He has likely viewed the Jan window to be a continuation of last summer. No plan, no ambition, no vision. 6) The Sigurdsson situation and the way he was omitted, being the cherry on the top of an abysmal cake. If Siggy's account is to be believed, his omission makes Eustace look like a prick for giving him hope, when it wasn't his fault that he was unregistered. I think this was the "that's it, I'm done" moment. 7) Eustace tells the public he's going to hold talks with Pasha and Waggott following Derby's official approach and that he is seeking assurances regarding his own future, investment from the owners and the club's long term plan. If he leaves, it's because they wouldn't give him those assurances. It's a clear move by him to show the fans who and what the issue is at this club. They failed to deliver and he left. 😎😎 (Ignore emojis, this is point 😎 8. Yesterday in his Derby presser, he talks about Derby having "a long term plan, a vision, and ambition". Whilst he's playing to the Derby gallery a bit, those words are a pop at our joke of a hierarchy! Not the words of a "greedy bastard" or whatever. He also talked about Derby having people on the Board that care about the club and the fans. Again, another pop at the hierarchy here and a pointed message for us Rovers fans to ponder. Can any of us argue that he is wrong in what he is trying to say? Two consecutive managers have told us all we need to know, yet some are still taken in by the words of an extensively pro club hack (the same hack who showed much love for Kean and Anderson, odd, that) and the hot air assumption of Jordan on talksport. The latter ridiculously suggested Eustace must have got too big for his boots and is therefore entitled, ungrateful and disloyal for walking away. Based on what? No inside info, no knowledge of Rovers under Venky's, just assumption. Absolute cobblers from people who care not about this club. I am far from a Eustace fan boy. If people recall, I was probably the first to say 'Eustace out' on here after hearing his "no excuses" comment. That was wrong though, and was caused by anger at JDT's treatment and exit and seeing him as Waggott's stooge. He certainly isn't that. I have no issue with Eustace over any of this. He was driven to look for a way out. He was on our side. He wanted Rovers to kick on. He saw that those upstairs didn't give a shit. Neither he nor JDT are our enemy. Venky's out. Pasha out. Waggott out.

Makhtar Gueye has arrived!! What a goal. Don't know what has happened these past few weeks, but he looks the real deal.

Get in Mak! Looks a new player all of a sudden. Brilliant.

The win is there for the taking. Need Kargbo and Dennis on in the second half. Surprised by the non existent atmosphere at The Hawthorns tonight. Don't know if that's just how it is. Sounds like a pre season game.

Early observation...Owen Beck is a lot better than Yuri Ribeiro. The latter isn't bad, he's more experienced and an ok option, but you can clearly see the difference between the two. If it was possible (not likely), Beck would be a big signing to get done.

Yes, it was. I mentioned Karanka a few days ago as one who would be in the frame. Imagine my surprise (not) this morning seeing Nicko's list of candidates. My first thought was 'the outstanding candidate'. Then I saw somebody else on here opine that it would be like an Owen Coyle appointment. Who recommended Coyle to Pasha, remains an unanswered question. There is a pattern that has gone largely unnoticed by fans over the years. The pattern has shown itself relating to a number of rumoured transfer targets too over the past 14 years, which is why I posted similar in the transfer thread too. Somebody like Carsley or O'Neil coming in would be something different, so let's see who they end up going for.

It should be an exciting prospect...for a normal club. Faced with this scenario: Uncle Jack would have told Mourinho to name his price. Failing that, Allegri would have been getting a call. John Williams would have been sorting out the finer details with Big Sam, with Warnock's number on standby. In today's world of the lost though: "Hey, Aitor! Amigo. Welcome to the Camelot of English football". IMO, it looks all set for Karanka to come in with another Boro man in Boateng joining the staff too. I hope neither happens.

Fair play to Big Sam and Phil Thompson for saying it as it is. The more people in the game that speak up, the better. That initial reaction from Thompson of "Are they still in charge?" is a common one found amongst football fans who haven't seen us much since relegation. People tend to be exasperated that they are still here and are still messing things up.

Good to hear from Richard Dinnis again. A top co-commentator for Rovers games on Radio Lancs back in the day. Both make fair points there. There's no reason why we can't make it back to the Prem. The size of our crowds is not a sticking point, like some try to do us down with. We just need investment. As both of them suggest.

That's the type of move we should be attempting. It's the kind of thing John Williams would have tried, but this lot? They can't handle any manager with ambition, so there's no chance. Wouldn't be surprised to see Terzic managing Brighton some time soon. They are doing what we used to do.

Him and Jordan combined have done a sterling job in taking some of the heat away from where it should be. The good thing is, not everybody is going to be swayed by that and we have people like Henry Winter in our corner.

Simon Jordan's whole basis for blaming Eustace is underpinned by two of his own bugbears when he was a club owner: 1) Gratitude 2) Entitlement He's always harping on about managers and players needing to be grateful. "Be grateful" (sounds familiar). In this instance, he has both today and yesterday reiterated that "Eustace should be grateful to Blackburn for giving him an opportunity". This is a generic point made by Jordan who knows NOTHING about what has gone on here over the past 14 years. If he had any clue how this lot operate, he would not be calling Eustace out on the basis of gratitude. Secondly, he's often laying into players and managers for being 'entitled'. Doesn't matter which club or player it is, he has done this multiple times. Again, he has personal scars from his club ownership days, which he is, IMO, wrongly applying to Eustace based on nothing but "my nose says". He is making out, based on nothing but a guess, that Eustace got too big for his boots, didn't get what he wanted and therefore scarpered. These views are a problem in our cause to have the Rovers fans unite against the real issue. Why? Because there are already some Rovers fans that have listened to Jordan's views who have decided he must be right because he was a former club owner. He knows better than us, therefore Eustace is an ungrateful snake. His views are based on nothing but his "nose for these things". He needs to stfu and stop applying his own personal grievances with players/managers from yesteryear into this matter. He's unintentionally feeding the anti Eustace narrative and backing the owners. He hasn't got a clue what has been going on at Rovers since late 2010.

Fair, but I still think it was a token comment. A hint of truth in it maybe, the casual observer/listener would readily accept it and move on. Nowhere near being the real reason though. The issue is, IMO, some of our own fans taking that to be the main reason for his exit and piling on Eustace as a result. The very same response from some quarters as they gave to JDT 12 months ago. Some people will never learn. It seems to be the way of this corrupt world. The good guys who want to win and are trying to help you are the villains. The people who try and point this out are 'conspiracy theorists'. The bad guys who don't give a shit about you and are in reality your enemy are lauded as being the saviours. The people praising them are lost and being led a merry dance. It doesn't just apply to Rovers or football either.

I'm not paying any attention to the "family reasons" thing that is out there regarding Eustace. IMO, it's being used as a cover story but many are running away with it to wrongly bash Eustace. Playing straight into the hands of the enemy. "If he wants to be near his family, why did he take the Rovers job, he knew he'd be away from them, good riddance" etc. To me, what Elliott Jackson's information from this morning shows is that, much like us here, Eustace had the hierarchy sussed as being useless early doors. He saw a pair of bluffers who had no idea, no ambition and who weren't going to get him what he needed. Like us, he had hope that John Park might be able to do something for him in the window, but then Park walked. Along with him went that hope. He then became desperate to get out but had a contract tying him down. Let's not forget, the pair of bluffers attempted to renege on a previous agreement to allow him the McGuire money last summer. He was set to resign before they met him in the middle. This set the tone, though. He knew they weren't serious operators. Whilst we post about it here, Eustace was in the thick of it, dealing with them regularly. We don't know what other kind of bullshit he may have had to put up with, but the fact is he was bound by a contract. Hence, IMO, his desperation to get out and him being linked with numerous jobs. I don't see the latter as him being a traitor or disloyal or a 'snake'. It is not normal for a manager to be linked with all and sundry like Eustace was. There had to be a reason for that to keep on happening. It only needs one minute of speaking with Pasha to know that he is a dud when it comes to football. He can't help anybody on a footballing front. I know this close hand from a regular fan. The last 10 years show that he has not learnt the basics of football. He has no idea about player values, the need to reinvest, buying 'assets', the need to renew contracts etc and we are seeing all of this plain and clear. If a regular fan can see Pasha as being useless in that role, then somebody as experienced within the game as JDT or Eustace will spot it instantly. It is not a surprise Eustace wanted out, as he could see what he was dealing with. He shouldn't be blamed for trying to leave, IMO. This is a uniquely shit situation, a uniquely shit setup, where an ambitious manager stands no chance. Two managers have left in the same way now, both have named the bluffers either directly or indirectly upon leaving. None of this is a coincidence, in my view. If this was a normal club with a normal Board, I would be partly blaming Eustace and would be angry about him looking elsewhere for the past few months. Under this regime though, I get it. I don't like it, but I absolutely get why he wanted out. Just like JDT, it became a desperate need to leave. It's not a good look for all concerned, true, but I'm not blaming Eustace. He is not the enemy, just like JDT wasn't the enemy. Most of us know where the problems lie, despite whatever PR bullshit certain hacks might put out.