A topsy-turvy few weeks at Ewood Park has concluded with the appointment of former Birmingham City manager, John Eustace, who has taken the seemingly poisoned chalice to become the new Head Coach at Blackburn Rovers.
The 44-year-old – who replaces outgoing Head Coach, Jon Dahl Tomasson, who resigned on Friday – has signed a two-and-a-half-year-deal in East Lancashire and will undoubtedly be tasked with instilling a sense of resilience into the very talented playing staff, in order to steer the club away from the red dotted line of the Championship’s relegation zone, alongside trusted assistant, Matt Gardiner.
Eustace, who was by all accounts, unfairly sacked from Birmingham City in early October, despite having them inside the playoffs, has waited for the right opportunity to return to football management having been linked with many jobs over the past four months, but believes that Ewood Park is the correct point of re-entry into, both, football management and the second tier.
The former Watford midfielder, who captained the Hornets, has vast experience as a manager, even before his 15 months in the Second City. Having retired from playing due to injury, aged 35 in the summer of 2015, by April 2016, Eustace found himself at the helm, as he took over as manager at then-National League North side, Kidderminster Harriers where he evolved a relegated team into a possession-based defensively resilient side who managed to finish 2nd in the division with the joint-best defensive record with only 41 goals conceded from 42 league games as Eustace & the Reds qualified for the playoffs, but lost 2-1 in the semi-finals to former Rovers forward, Matt Jansen’s Chorley.
In his second season at the helm at Aggborough, Eustace again made it into the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, as Harriers finished 4th and qualified for the first qualifying round, as opposed to the semi-finals they got to the year prior. The one-legged affair however, proved Eustace’s downfall as his side lost 2-0 to Bradford Park Avenue & crashed out of the 2017-18 playoffs.
Following the conclusion of his second season as the figurehead in Kidderminster, the Solihull-born boss stepped down from his post to make the jump up to the Championship in May 2018, as he joined Steve McClaren’s backroom staff at Queens Park Rangers. The now-assistant manager, linked up with the former England manager at Loftus Road, but after McClaren only lasted 11 months, being sacked in April 2019, Eustace took over as interim boss and guided the R’s to safety with seven points from seven games as the London side finished 2018-19 in 19th place and eventually, 11 points clear of the drop zone. Whilst Eustace succeeded at the task handed to him, he did remain in West London – despite reportedly being shortlisted for the Swansea City job – as he became assistant to former Nottingham Forest and Rangers boss, Mark Warburton, who took charge in May 2019, before combining his club roles with a coaching course to gain his UEFA Pro License and a spell as assistant to Stephen Kenny at the Republic of Ireland, starting in March 2022.
Despite holding a dual role and being again linked to the vacant job at the Liberty Stadium, after Steve Cooper departed in July 2021, Eustace was able to spin all three plates for nigh on three years before he departed Loftus Road in May 2022, following the departure of Warburton and appointment of Michael Beale. Two months later, after rejecting an approach from Watford following their relegation from the Premier League, the ex-midfielder also departed the Republic of Ireland set-up as he yearned to return to being the main figure in the dugout as he searched for his first main opening at Championship level to really put his UEFA Pro qualification to the test.
A day after resigning from his international post, Eustace was unveiled as the new Birmingham City manager on 3rd July 2022 as he signed a three-year deal with the Second City side, replacing Lee Bowyer. Despite being one of the favourites for relegation, Eustace managed to finish the season in 17th place, which came ahead of a backdrop of financial difficulties, unplanned prolonged stadium renovation and international intervention leading to an EFL charge to former Barcelona striker, Maxi López and his consortium who pulled out of a deal to buy the Blues after five months of negotiations.
In July 2023, Eustace moved into his second season with some optimism as a new ownership appeared in Birmingham in the shape of American owners, which included seven-time NFL Superbowl Champion, Tom Brady on the board. The change in ownership allowed Eustace to go out and spend some money, with a rumoured total of £5m, which was backed up by the sale of Tahith Chong to Luton Town for around £4m. Alongside spending on six players, Eustace brought in two free transfers and four loanees as he looked to try and further bolster his squad following the release of six first-team players come the summer of 2023.
Eustace clearly targeted his players with intent, which showed as after five wins and three draws from his first 11 games of the campaign, Birmingham were sat in 5th place and looked set to build on a fantastic start to the season with ambitious looking much higher than saving themselves from relegation. That all came crashing down, both for the manager and the Bluenoses as on 9th October, Eustace was dismissed from his role with the club’s official statement citing ‘misalignment between the Board of Directors and footballing staff’. In the aftermath, the American ownership discarded Eustace and took on the more world-renowned name of Manchester United record goalscorer, Wayne Rooney, who himself only lasted 16 matches before himself being sacked and replaced by former Rovers manager, Tony Mowbray.
Since departing St. Andrew’s, Eustace has been in the frame for a number of jobs, mainly those in the Championship, Eustace clearly believes that a return to management at Ewood Park is the right move for his career as he again tries to put out relegation fires at another club, in which the supporters at odds with their board.
Welcome and Good Luck, John!
