John Eustace - our head coach

[speeeeeeedie]

He is a puzzlement to me. 

Over the years he was mentioned quite regularly on here as a manager who could come in and do well. 

He was doing that at Brum then got fired for reasons that are now haunting them. 

His brief tenure has been middling. He kept Rovers up, so disaster was averted, but no home wins and some bad losses with very iffy performances has me wondering.

The old adage of give him a pre-season is never more apt. Having time to cement his ideas on the squad should help. 

However, the usual caveat needs to be made; who knows what clueless Venkys will do. Good owners will invest, strengthen, and give the manager the best opportunity to succeed. Venkys are the opposite of good owners so I am at a loss as to what he'll be like. 

[martonrover]

7 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

I want better than just survival next season. 

We all do, Chaddy, but midtable would be utopia, unless there is a seismic change of direction.

This lot are running the club into the ground. 

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, martonrover said:

They are the main problem, without doubt.

Personally. I wouldn’t trust Broughton even if significant funds were available.

When he's had some money I think his signings have been good - Brittain, Hyam, Szmodics, Tronstad (he won't be on peanuts). Sadly he's never had money. 

[Exiled_Rover]

10 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

I agree but the praise needs to be at least loosely based on reality or it has no meaning.

 

Have the players not worked hard for him since he arrived?

It's not their fault (or his) that they're simply not good enough. They've all put a shift in and put their bodies on the line. 

[martonrover]

1 minute ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Have the players not worked hard for him since he arrived?

It's not their fault (or his) that they're simply not good enough. They've all put a shift in and put their bodies on the line. 

Yes, the bottom line is that they have generally fought hard since his arrival.

Once that became evident I started to become more confident about survival than I was before he arrived.

[Exiled_Rover]

4 minutes ago, speeeeeeedie said:

He is a puzzlement to me. 

Over the years he was mentioned quite regularly on here as a manager who could come in and do well. 

He was doing that at Brum then got fired for reasons that are now haunting them. 

His brief tenure has been middling. He kept Rovers up, so disaster was averted, but no home wins and some bad losses with very iffy performances has me wondering.

The old adage of give him a pre-season is never more apt. Having time to cement his ideas on the squad should help. 

However, the usual caveat needs to be made; who knows what clueless Venkys will do. Good owners will invest, strengthen, and give the manager the best opportunity to succeed. Venkys are the opposite of good owners so I am at a loss as to what he'll be like. 

Was he ever mentioned as a potential manager here? I can't seem to recall that discussion. 

He's a decent / good Championship manager, but he can't do it without the players. JDT managed to drill the players within an inch of their lives to play his system - but when it went wrong (mainly when the lack of ability our players have showed up) we got thumped. There was no middle ground - which is why we couldn't eek out a result to get into the playoffs last year when we needed it and why we were losing to everyone from December onwards when injuries mounted. 

Eustace has come in, assessed that our best chance of survival with the collection of players he had at his disposal was to essentially shut up shop, and got us over the line. He gets far, far too much criticism on here. 

[wilsdenrover]

7 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Have the players not worked hard for him since he arrived?

It's not their fault (or his) that they're simply not good enough. They've all put a shift in and put their bodies on the line. 

I just think words like sensational are over the top.

[speeeeeeedie]

8 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Was he ever mentioned as a potential manager here? I can't seem to recall that discussion.  

I think so, although it could have been Gary Rowett. Another Birmingham connection.

[rovers11]

He achieved the one and only remit he had when given the job in Feb - keep up in the league.

I feel like the job he's done has been poor though. Not a single home win and a very poor style of play.

I'd personally get rid but he probably does deserve a summer to see what he can do. Having a woeful GK, Gally up front, selling your best midfielder and no replacing him, and letting your captain to out on loan are all ingredients for relegation so he came in at a tough time.

Birmingham would not have gone down if they had kept him.

[Blue blood]

47 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

I’d have more time for him if he cut out the hyperbole.

The ‘group’ hasn’t been sensational since he came in (see today’s interview)

He knows that, they know that, and we know that.

By all means ‘big up’ your players if you feel you must but please do so with some sense of realism.

I think thats the case and it makes me think he's not that astute. Lots of ways he could have bigger them up without it being detached from reality. Makes me wonder about his acumen a bit,  plus at Rovers this stuff matters more. 

[DE.]

19 minutes ago, rovers11 said:

Birmingham would not have gone down if they had kept him.

Agreed, I don't think they would have finished top six, but he had a squad there that he was comfortable with, and they were comfortable with him. They would have finished in mid-table, nowhere near the relegation zone. I imagine he has mixed emotions about them going down - pleased that the owners who sacked him got what they deserved, but sad for the players, staff and fans he had a bond with. 

Edited May 4 by DE.

[RoversClitheroe]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

or they say lets back Eustace and bring in some quality signings who will improve us. 

Would infuriate me. 

Refused to back JDT but would back Eustace.

Be the most Venkys and Waggott thing ever.

[DeeCee]

1 hour ago, wilsdenrover said:

I just think words like sensational are over the top.

I agree, it's just sensationalism.

[Exiled_Rover]

49 minutes ago, Blue blood said:

I think thats the case and it makes me think he's not that astute. Lots of ways he could have bigger them up without it being detached from reality. Makes me wonder about his acumen a bit,  plus at Rovers this stuff matters more. 

I think you're giving the players too much credit - they're mostly thick as mince.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

16 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

Would infuriate me. 

Refused to back JDT but would back Eustace.

Be the most Venkys and Waggott thing ever.

Don’t worry, they won’t be backing anyone.

[chaddyrovers]

 

 

[roversfan99]

41 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

Would infuriate me. 

Refused to back JDT but would back Eustace.

Be the most Venkys and Waggott thing ever.

Whether we have a competitive budget or not will solely be down to Venkys. 

We need money to be spent, it wont, but I dont get why it would infuriate you if it did.

[aletheia]

4 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Now Eustace need some financial backing and good transfer budget this summer to improve the squad and bring in his own players so we can play his style of football and get up that table

Won't happen.

[aletheia]

4 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

A new CEO and Commercial head is deffo needed 

Won't happen.

[aletheia]

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

and bring in some quality signings who will improve us. 

Won't happen.

[Bronzed A Donis]

As speeeeeedie said further up , I'm also a bit puzzled.

He hasn't really made me think we've got a good one here, but he hasn't had a window and picked up on the back of a player mutiny and awful awful transfer window.

Apart from Newcastle and Sunderland, where I think we were excellent, struggled to see a approach to win a game. Very much reminds me of playing teams like Northampton in League 1, pack the 18 yard box and hope for the bounce of the ball, or in our case magic from Sammie.

He's achieved the clubs aim, but it's not been some miracle undertaking,  he's contributed a lot towards us not gathering enough points, despite a 7 point cushion and players back from injury,  to being, at 1 stage today,  1 Leicester goal from League 1. 

That being said, take away Szmodics and it's a poor squad , that JDT overachieved with, until he was let down repeatedly. 

Eustace has his work cut out, if he can keep us up comfortably next year, he will have done a hell of a job, unless we can somehow keep the run going and find another 20 goal a season striker again.

He gets the summer, only fair he gets the chance to try and polish the turd with his hands behind his back.

Ultimately it's impossible to judge any manager here, we are rotten from the top, set up to fail and for mediocrity to be celebrated as over achievement for as long as the buffoons keep the club in its paralysed state with clowns in charge. Good luck anyone who wants to better use your swimming against the tide.

[Norbert Rassragr]

He will probably be a manager for keeping the team in lower mid table, but not the guy for a play off or promotion push. Perfect for Venkys. 

[K-Hod]

2 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Was he ever mentioned as a potential manager here? I can't seem to recall that discussion. 

He's a decent / good Championship manager, but he can't do it without the players. JDT managed to drill the players within an inch of their lives to play his system - but when it went wrong (mainly when the lack of ability our players have showed up) we got thumped. There was no middle ground - which is why we couldn't eek out a result to get into the playoffs last year when we needed it and why we were losing to everyone from December onwards when injuries mounted. 

Eustace has come in, assessed that our best chance of survival with the collection of players he had at his disposal was to essentially shut up shop, and got us over the line. He gets far, far too much criticism on here. 

Is it any wonder he gets criticism, with his record since coming in? Christ.

[Mashed Potatoes]

12 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

Is it any wonder he gets criticism, with his record since coming in? Christ.

His record was that he inherited a team that had gained just 5 points from the previous manager's last 11 games - a spiral clearly leading to relegation - and was charged with the brief of ensuring that we were not relegated, a task which he has successfully accomplished. Hardly the grounds for criticism, I would have thought.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

His record was that he inherited a team that had gained just 5 points from the previous manager's last 11 games - a spiral clearly leading to relegation - and was charged with the brief of ensuring that we were not relegated, a task which he has successfully accomplished. Hardly the grounds for criticism, I would have thought.

If we have to take a similar collection of players to the Dingle Dome next season I’d rather be going with Eustace than the last manager that took us there. At least we know we can grind out results now if need be.