Now I know they've had their knockers...

I'll support Eustace, like Tomasson it won't be his fault when he's trying to squeeze blood from a stone. I have a terrible feeling he's going to be another Appleton though. Was he "head coach" at Birmingham too, or is that just some bullshit to avoid paying Broughton compensation?

I took it that he didn't sign up for a relegation battle so if they didn't want to try and get promoted he may as well go. I suspect your second paragraph has a lot of truth to it and he thought he'd just have to make it through to January, but then it didn't happen.

I hope he doesn't turn us into a Non League Barcelona.

Didn't he say something like... I offered to go in the Summer when a hand grenade was thrown and the project changed to staying in this league and developing players. I'm more ambitious.

Well, he said he wanted to go in Summer.

Eustace will be in a hotel somewhere.

The fans are secondary.

I don't expect us to stay up regardless.

Since the Rao's turned up I go into every a season expecting it to end painfully. And which other promotion chasing club would not support their manager in January, when in such a good position? Especially with an already stretched squad. The higher ups at the club nailed their colours to the mast with that one - there was no intention of promotion.

I would, but he'd probably have a panic attack when he saw the squad.

I didn't see last season as painful. It looked like finally we had some progress. Compare it to what came before, like the two 15th place finishes under Mowbray for example where he should have been replaced. Unless there's a big changes at the club we're going to go back to those days of mediocrity, but I fear it could be even worse with the way they are stripping the club of any quality. After last years 7th placed finish, the manager should have been backed. Or if they knew there were trouble ahead they should have let him go, appointed a battle axe like Warnock and appointed players for a scrap. It's not rocket science is it, but then we're told the simpletons in the office can't even click the right button.

I don't think we had it in our locker for winning the play offs (but we were decent in the cup so you never know), but just being in the play offs which would have been massive improvement on all that came before.

I understand the problems people have with him, but I can't bring myself to judge him on this season. He's operating under a team of lunatics who have assembled an incapable squad. Then we have absent owners wanting a certain kind of football, interfering with recruitment, and having the club set up as some kind of development agency. And all with a lack of monetary support. It'll happen again and again whoever is in charge. I'll be pleasantly surprised if Eustace or whoever can circumvent the absolute clown show that is BRFC.

Always someone else's fault with Venkys isn't it, yet there's only been one constant. Some of you lot are a soft bunch.

He got some of his facts wrong sadly, but he's not going to know the ins and outs of a club that's been down in the doldrums for the past 13 years. He did mention John Williams, but then went on to say they'd spent £200m without mentioning they undermined John Williams with a football agent, which forced him to resign along with the club secretary. Kean and Anderson led to relegation, and without people like Williams and Finn that led to them losing so much money. It led to them losing paying fans which they've never recovered from, and that's why now they are having to pay to keep the club afloat. Whichever way you look at it, they are paying for their own mistakes.

It'll be interesting to see what a more defensive minded manager would do with the players on offer. There's no way some of them will get anywhere near the first team.

But aren't you basing your opinion partly on Eustace getting a Summer backed Brum 6th place, two months earlier? I think it's very difficult to judge whether Eustace would be a decent appointment personally. And if he did keep us up he'll have the same trials to go through that JDT has. And that's not knocking Eustace, they all will.

The conversation wasn't about whether Tomasson should stay or go (he's already gone), it was about Eustace replacing him and being an upgrade, then a big upgrade. And that was based on him keeping Brum up ending in 17th place, then his 6th place October sacking after he was backed in the Summer.

If that's the case we need to stop judging Eustace on being 6th place when sacked. 9th October 2023, Birmingham were 6th and "backed" Eustace was sacked. Can anyone remember where "unbacked" and Brereton-less Rovers were at that point?

Be a nice holiday for Gregg and co in Orlando, but I can't see the lad signing a pre-contract.

If he keeps us up he won't get any money to spend in the Summer. We'll likely sell Szmodics and expect whichever bottom of the barrel signing to replace him. Then a large amount of fans will say he should be doing better and to get rid. They'll appoint another big upgrade and the process repeats.

You're not wrong, he'd only managed them for two months then we wanted him for some reason.