Talk about cherry picking stats, Jesus. JDT never had us as close to relegation as his successor, though I accept, people have absolved JE of the blame for that somehow.

Speaks absolute volumes for a lot of this current squad. Chance to work for a winner and improve your game? Nah, we'd rather have several days off a week, cheers. Absolute loser mentality. As for SS, he know's he's off this summer but he did a good job of being diplomatic enough. Fair play to him and good luck, he's earned the move.

That would be a shocking appointment, the cheapest and laziest option possible, so it will happen

Let's hope his very short term ambition is to be a Chief Exec. Can't be any worse.

The never ending Venky rebuild continues. Those down the chain moved out or forced out because they can't work for the scum. The scum and their henchmen keep on going. No end in sight for them. I just hope nobody is fooled by this. Its a typical Venky / Waggott stunt to convince people the problem has been addressed. Con.

JDT was ultimately a rookie manager and needed to be judged as such. The two flaws being brought up - a lack of Plan B and struggling with man management - are classic problems faced by inexperienced managers. The fact he was able to get us as far as he did in that first season is testament to the strengths of his footballing philosophy when it's working. The fact he was unable to arrest our decline both in the second half of his first season and the final couple of months of his final season is testament to the fact he's still a young manager with plenty to learn. I'm sure his experience here will stand him in good stead going forward, and if he can improve on his weaknesses then he's already shown here that his philosophy has the potential for a huge upside if all the pieces are in place and he's properly backed by the club's owners.

How much is the new Sky EFL deal worth to each Championship club - circa £3million/season? If anyone at Ewood had any degree of nous and they wanted to try drive sales, or even maintain existing sales given all new live coverage and different kick-off dates/times, then they would slash every season ticket price by £100. It would cost about £800/900k at max (and potentially lead to significant new sales reducing the cost further) but would show the club really are trying to reward its loyal core and attract new season ticket holders. The club would still be in profit by £2million+. IMO, to hold existing prices would be futile and would be akin to fiddling whilst Rome burns, to increase prices would be diabolical and a huge slap in the face of every supporter and a clear sign the club doesn't care and is on the road to nowhere. They need to feckin act and act big.

This month and next will be the ones where loads of people have final payments on summer holidays, etc due. Leaving it this late is commercially insane with the amount of competing financial priorities that people have going into the summer. As we've seen, once the habit is broken, Saturdays get filled with other things and it's very hard to get people back.

Then you compare that with someone like Ferguson. I saw an interview with Ben Foster and he said they won the league cup and were back in training the next day cos they had a league match the weekend after. That's the difference between a winner and a plodder.

Im not sure on renewing McFadzean's deal. I think hes very much helped in doing the job this season, amidst a very defensive set up trying to scrape over the line. That being said, I was hoping that wed move away from the back 5, backs to the walls, incapable of attacking style that weve seen as a short term stop gap. If McFadzean plays thats the only way we can play.

I've no idea how disappointed to be by this news - but there's no doubt whatsoever that he hasn't been given the tools to do his job.

Both a reduction from this year, but I get the point. Rovers are so skewed by the supply and demand model. Supply is almost always going to outweigh demand. What I'd love personally was for the club to almost call out the fans and say "Season tickets are £250 anywhere in the ground, lets see what you're made of. Whats the excuse for not coming now?"

JDT never had a plan B, that was the biggest issue - see Reading, Dingles, Sheff Utd last season away - I never felt like we prepared for the opposition. The No Tippy Tappy Podcast with Warnock is interesting in this regard, they talk about their dislike of this now common modern theme of managers having a footballing philosophy and wanting to impart a style of play onto a team regardless of the talent at their disposal, they both comment that you have to work with what you've got - possibly a reason why they've had long careers in lots of different clubs. Many fans, including myself, defended JDT for not being backed and not getting the attacking options he wanted, yet we still tried to go all out attack leaving massive gaps in midfield. JE comes in, has the same attacking options, the same lack of striker, and get's criticised for being too defensive and playing a supposed "boring" brand of football, I personally don't get the double standards myself and although some of the football under JDT was amazing, I'd take JE's brand of pragmatism any day. He's literally had the same team to work with yet some fans don't give him the same slack that they gave JDT, especially when it comes to attacking options. Fans bemoan the games at home we drew - take Coventry, if Sammie puts that sitter away we've won, JE can't control that, neither can he control Hyam's disaster at Bristol and Aynsley's against SW. If I had one main issue with JE is that he's made us too relaxed, perhaps a result of trying to take the pressure off too much, but he's dealing with a squad devoid of any confidence. I think Sheff Wed at home was the perfect example of that BUT at 1-1 before the errors, SW were looking rattled (everyone seems to forget about that) and our more relaxed approach was looking to pay off. Any of JE's decisions/approaches to me can explained with pragmatism and logic, whilst many of JDT's seem stubborn and rash to me. I saw a comment somewhere saying Eustace is "soft" and comparing him to Big Sam - if you listen to the Under the Cosh podcast, any time Big Sam is mentioned, almost every player says how great he was, his famous Dubai trips, giving them days off and time with family etc. If Allardyce does it, it's great management, if JE does it it's lack of backbone. Can't have it both ways. I think this is really harsh. I really believe that if Rohl, Harris or Cifuentes came to Ewood they would struggle too - just due to how disjointed our squad is and the lack of attacking options. We don't have the aggression, nor the bodies in midfield to play like those teams ended the season. I also don't think Eustace has less demanding standards due to where he played, look at someone like Mourinho - I think he walked into the dressing room saw a completely destroyed team with no clear direction, I think he got a sense of something not being right just by the "vibes" in the room, and quickly got something together to try and get some points. People can compare records on paper all day but the slide under JDT before he left was horrendous, no stats can accurately convey exactly what was going on in real life at that point. People say we were lucky and "stole" wins by parking the bus against Leeds and Leicester, but for me that was the only way with the options we had to get some points: soak up the pressure and use Sammie on the break. The jury is still out but I've got confidence him, forget what he says in the press- he's not being media managed and his post-match stuff for Brum wasn't any different, some are good at it some aren't, who cares.

The results improved enough to keep us in the Division, and that is all that matters. 29 goals conceded in JDT’s last 12 matches. We were hurtling towards League One. The change in mentality discussed in the podcast was from “victims to fighters”, not about liking the new head coach. With regards to the playing careers of JDT and Eustace, that has got b*gger all to do with their abilities as head coaches / managers. A good player with pedigree does not necessarily make a good manager (they very often don’t), and an average player can still be a very good manager, (countless examples). Eustace is a pragmatist, as Big Sam said, and he opted for safety first. We didn’t lose any of those games, and Millwall and Plymouth were also fighting hard against relegation. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective. That’s why Birmingham and Huddersfield fans would love to swap places with us.

He sounds like the best qualified person for a position this lot have ever employed !

Silvester out, Baker in...my first thought was it sounds like we're swapping Time Lords! (I wish we did have a Time Lord helping run the club...first mission, go back and sabotage Venkys' purchase of the club by any means necessary)

All a bit romantic Parson, this club is in a hole, decent former players but zero coaching or ‘upstairs’ experience at any level isn’t exactly who I’d be looking at.

I certainly haven’t described Eustace as a “Messiah”. He has a lot of work to do next season, and probably in difficult circumstances once again. I’m crediting him for a job well done in retaining Championship status.

Very good post. But does anyone else keep seeing an Australian wrong 'un when they see these two names together??!

The point about footballing abilities is correct, but JDT's coaching records at Malmo and at Rovers already are superior to what JE has achieved as a coach, and he also took Rovers on their closest run to promotion since Venkys took over. SS was very diplomatic all around in that interview but he clearly believed in what JDT was doing on the pitch. There's little doubting his coaching ability in that area. It was ultimately his man management that let him down and his refusal to change from his footballing beliefs when injuries and fatigue built up. It's a very good watch actually. I put it on last night to skim through it and watched the whole lot. Especially liked Big Sam calling the Rovers / Burnley derby "evil".

The simplest strategy would be to set them at 94/95 prices.

The dept that trebled Ennis Plymouth wage, spent 800k on Leo and signed Tel you mean ? I'll hold my thoughts on their capability for now.

I get that he is a leader and I do think thats one big plus. I noticed for example when Pears made that mistake v Sheffield Wednesday, at full time he looked like he ws about to go and hide in the dressing room. McFadzean gave him a hug and then ushered him towards the Blackburn End. Our supposed captain Hyam wasnt the one doing it. But he is so slow and old that playing him means that you cant even consider playing a back 4 and you have to play really defensive tactics to accomodate him. I get that there are occasions when we will be holding onto a lead where that may be somewhat useful, but I want us to move away from those tactics in general. Id like to think that we will play those tactics very rarely and then it becomes a luxury signing even without any fee just to have a player on a senior wage when we have no money just to play occasionally.

Those who think negatively of the squad for being motivated by a reward of days off may be missing the context. JDT had them in 7 days a week, when you're losing, there's no way to break off from football and you get mental fatigue. Sam alludes to it in the interview. So after 18 months of that, and probably not enjoying the environment, it probably did motivate players or get them on side. In the Warnock interview he spoke of how Big Sam won them over with time off and nights out. When you're winning the players may grudgingly accept no days off but when the results don't come, it's easy to see why it gets toxic.

If someone else is appointed to the role then we could do a lot worse than look at Gary Bowyer (if he be interested in that sort of role). I never rated him as a coach but he undoubtedly had a good eye when it came to recruiting players on a modest budget, he also knows what he will be working with in terms of the circus that is the ownership and he knows our academy well.

The notion that we've undergone all this change and come close to the playoffs after we finally got shut of Mowbray, just to end up with another Mowbray-like manager, kills my soul. And tbh, currently I don't even think he'll be as good as Mowbray was.

Gyokeres and Bellingham?

Well i suppose it will be Ex-Coventry and Ex-Birmingham players from now on then

Maybe it just reaffirms the belief there is no money to spend this summer. Why have a director of football or a scouting team when all we spend is a bag of haribo and a fizzy pop on players

Swag back in the driving seat. Always makes me laugh when folk call him ‘stupid’, ‘an imbecile’ - when it comes to the Machiavellian world of football he’s one canny fucker.

Szmodics on JDT and JE was good. JDT the tactician and JE as the man manager. Was interesting to hear Big Sam’s take on it. Clearly believes in the JE ‘Pragmatic’ style over ego fuelled ‘Head coach’ methodology. I think it’s horses for courses. In a well funded, well run club, JDT would thrive…but his inability to relent on his style in order to pick up a few points in a shit show like Rovers would’ve meant almost certainly relegation. JE is the type of ‘Manager’ who focuses on motivating his squad and isn’t too wedded to a style or pattern of play. Meaning his isn’t as tactically astute, but he is more likely to ‘find a way’… Based on that interaction, I’d say JE is better suited for us right now.

I dispute that it’s cherry picking stats. We were losing heavily on a regular basis and the direction of travel was one way only. The worst defensive record in the league. In my opinion, the only reason JDT never had us as close to relegation was because he was removed, (probably in the nick of time). He was doing the same things week in week out, with the same results, (either insanity or stubbornness). I accept that others have a different opinion, but mine is that Eustace did very well to help maintain our Championship status. He walked in to an absolute mess, on and off the pitch, and instilled a fighting spirit into a squad of players which had previously appeared to be waving the white flag. We needed a pragmatist and we got one. Yes, we slipped a little further, but the straight down trajectory was arrested, and that was crucial.

You'd never think reading this that we ended up closer to relegation in terms of points and position than we were when JDT left the club. You'd think we were cut adrift in the bottom 3, changed manager then went on a great run and stayed up a la Danny Rohl and Sheffield Wednesday. When in reality we won 3 games in 16 including none at home and scored on average less than a goal a game. Also Eustace's points per game this season was worse than JDT's.

JDT did well at Malmo, but that’s hardly an indicator of a successful career in a tougher league. On the whole, JDT’s full season was good, but we didn’t get in the Play Offs, so I wouldn’t describe it as being near to promotion. I think the second half of the season slump was a fair warning of what was to come. At the business end of the season we certainly did not have the look of a side heading for promotion. JDT was let down by the powers that be, but still has to take some responsibility for the predicament he left us in. You have carefully omitted a mention of JDT’s relegation in Dutch football. JE’s career is still in it’s formative stages, but he’s shown enough in brief stints at other, equally troubled clubs, together with a successful relegation fight with us, to suggest he has something to offer. I think Sam Allardyce probably hit the nail on the head when he described JDT as a coach, not a manager. I think JE is a better fit for us, rather than someone on a puritanical crusade, often at the expense of results.

I do wonder if we have missed the boat with cheap ST'S. This time last year I think we could have sold thousands, more than preston anyway at £250-300. After the nonsense of this season, the appalling home record and sky plastering it everywhere they can that at least half of your games will be televised I think we would only just hit about where we are now to be honest if they were that price. Would be another one for the "shit fans; everything is the fans fault" brigade to lap up. As many have said, a rise is suicidal for the future fanbase of this club so that's exactly what I expect to happen, at best a £429 "price freeze".

£94/95 across the board.👍

Gregg: Steve have the owners got back to you regarding the budget? Waggott: Not yet, they said a couple of weeks back that they're looking into it. Gregg: Ahh okay - could you possibly give them a nudge so we can plan for the window? It opens in 5 weeks. Waggott: Umm yeah course Gregg... *bites a chocolate digestive* i'll look into it. 5 weeks, let's hope they can get their ducks in a row! Though I wouldn't hold my breath...

Fergie - journeyman footballer - possibly the best manager ever. Bobby Charlton - world class footballer - a flop as a manager. I detected enough of a change in the mentality of the team for us get hard won wins away at Leeds and Leicester.

I think I'd rather use fergies judgement than some dude on brfcs if I'm totally honest.

If Mcfadz stays as a bit part player but they put him through his badges as part of the deal if that's what he wants then happy days. Needs to be a low wage though cannot be tying up what meagre budget we might have in a guy like that as hard as it is to say. He may well have better paid offers from lge 1 clubs so in that case we'll have to let him go. Finding another centre defender a bit younger with a bit of experience and attitude really shouldn't be that difficult for this so called DoF and backroom team. Should it ?

I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for the delay. Like some imaginative new pricing structure that has been painstakingly planned and developed and is just getting the final touches, or waiting to crack on with a massive new marketing and publicity campaign in a bid to reach new audiences.

Maybe so but to suggest that anything other than a series of bad injuries was what ruined his career is nonsense.

Tremendous timing for the brains trust running this club to put them on sale after a week Sky have bombarded anyone with even a passing interest in an EFL club to just his many times their side will be on the tele… It obviously won’t bother those clubs that have had them on sale for up to three months and their fans all nicely renewed. Bravo once again 👏

Didnt Big Sam play him in as a Defensive Midfielder whilst here?

Another great interview by a rover... thought Sammie did a great job of being respectful to the club but also being honest. Interesting that what he has said about the managers is pretty much exactly what the general thoughts on here have been. JDT being great on tactics but having no plan B, stubborn, poor for morale when you are losing; Eustace more direct, more relaxed, keen to keep the pressure off.

Surely he's not being signed to be a starter. He's experienced and, more importantly, he's a leader. We've desperately short of those in the dressing room. I'm not opposed to the move considering S. Wharton will be out most of the season.

exactly. Big Sam explains the didn't and you are damned right that it doesn't make Eustace a soft touch but actually managing the squad and its not a soft approach. JDT is clearly a very good coach and tactical suits being a coach but confirms he was far too stubborn. Eustace is clearly good man manager and knows how to manage the players. Also Big Sam's no tippy tappy podcast have been excellent and listen to.

The day off segment was comical. Talk about being happy just plodding along in lower leagues. (Not Sammie but the fact he said certain players hated it) “If you beat Sheffield Wednesday you’re off until Thursday and it was all the motivation we wanted” - then they turn up with that performance 😂

What’s most interesting are Big Sam’s observations, ie calling JDT a coach not a manager and describing Eustace as pragmatic. Even the praise given to JDT by Szmodics is more from a coaching perspective. The interview also confirms that JDT was stubborn and had no Plan B. Just because Eustace gives them a couple of days of doesn’t make him a soft touch. Szmodics confirms a mentality change when Eustace arrived, and in my view that is why we stayed up, (more clean sheets etc).

£18 million was a terrible price, the fact that lad at Bristol City went for £25million tells you that. Not that it matters I suppose as we will be spending 0 of 18, instead of 0 of 25, but it still rankles that a ‘generational talent’ was bundled out the door to merely pay the bills, not to rebuild a team desperate for it.