DE.

It took him a while to get us going, basically the last few games of last season, and that was largely Szmodics stepping up. He doesn't have that time at Derby and he doesn't have a Szmodics either. Getting out of League 1 no easy feat either these days. Big, big gamble he's taken. If he gets relegated with Derby and then can't get them up at first attempt it could damage his career trajectory immensely.

Problem is our backup is yet another cheap punt who looks to be just as dodgy.

Honeymoon period definitively over, as well as any idea these players can self-motivate themselves for the remaining matches. A new manager in asap is essential if there is any ambition for us to get top six (I have my doubts on this as ambition and Venky's don't go together without 'no' in the sentence somewhere).

At least this will hopefully put some pressure on Waggott and Suhail to get their arses in gear and appoint a manager. Embarrassing result today, 3 points thrown in the bin as we dawdle on hiring Eustace's replacement.

Losing 2-0 to this lot, after fielding that poor excuse for a starting lineup, is totally unacceptable. Really embarrassing. We need someone brave in the dugout who isn't going to pick a player because he usually averages a 6/10 (looking at you, Hedges). Kargbo should have started. A braver manager would have gone for it against this poor team.

Looks like Coventry are the team having a late surge to the playoffs this season. If Lampard can have that kind of impact then maybe Gerrard would work here. Lose today and we need an appointment announced asap. Stop fucking around and sort it out.

I don't know enough about that situation to comment, but it's fair to saying hiring a very inexperienced manager as replacement was extremely risky.

Imagine it would have been given if the other way around, but oh well. Still a shit result for Man Utd and I'll never have any sympathy for Kean's mate Moyes.

United might as well have saved £15m and kept Ten Hag. Amorim has somehow made them even worse and I don't see how it gets any better long-term without spending money that they seemingly no longer have. Beautiful.

Sacking Cooper to bring in RVN was a massive gamble. I think Cooper would have at the very least kept them above three other teams this season. As it stands it may be a decision that costs them their place in the PL, although they still have time to course correct thanks to the bottom four all being at a similar level. Can't see them staying up if they keep Ruud though.

Lol, well, I'm sure he's very interested considering how underqualified he is for the role. Has his name been linked with other jobs in this league? Genuine question as I haven't been following speculation for other clubs vacant roles.

The final would obviously be a better scenario as it's a one off match, as opposed to two legs. With a statistically weaker team we'd have a better chance of winning a single match rather than having to come out on top over two games. Based on the fact we don't score that many I'd rather face Burnley than Leeds or Sheff Utd, as we're more likely to nick a 1-0. Whilst it was obviously annoying that Burnley won the Championship title at Ewood a couple of seasons back, ultimately a final would just be about getting promoted. Doing it by beating Burnley would obviously make it even better, but I wouldn't see avenging Burnley's title victory as important or relevant. That's been and gone and was ultimately just another dark day under Venky's stewardship - we've had plenty at this point. Burnley had a miserable PL season and came back down, so whatever. It'd be all about the here and now.

Talent, yes, application, no. The occasional flash of excellence but only really useful as an impact sub on the rare occasions he was fit. Might be useful in another league, if he can get back to proper fitness, but don't think he's suited to a physical league like the Championship.

They've hired a manager whose system doesn't work with the players they have. Some lucky wins over some shit teams briefly papered over the cracks, but it's obvious Amorim is going to need significant recruitment to implement his vision, and there's no suggestion INEOS are going to provide that. If anything they are doing the opposite.

If we hire Boateng then it's sabotage from the top, plain and simple. We'd be better off keeping Lowe in charge.

I totally agree. That's why I'd like to hear some more details, if unleaded knows any more about the situation. I'm mainly curious about who allowed Eustace to supposedly have enough say in transfer policy that he could delay transfers to the point where players would lose interest. I can understand taking his opinion on board, but if the transfer committee had the final say then it shouldn't have been a factor in whether a player was signed or not. If Eustace was threatening to leave or refuse to play signings he didn't approve of, then we should have parted ways with him sooner. If he wasn't making these kind of threats then why would it delay transfers? He'd just need to get on with it, if that is what he agreed to when he signed. The only conclusion I can come to is that someone in the hierarchy gave him enough sway to significantly delay transfers he didn't approve of, and the only person who makes sense in that scenario is Waggott, as the CEO and the person who hired Eustace.

If Burnley had a better manager they'd have a good chance of autos, considering how strong their defence is. Parker's limitations mean they're likely to end up in the playoffs, possibly even finishing 4th if Sunderland keep going as they have been. Playoffs are obviously a lottery, and the lack of goals must surely be a huge concern. We've now scored the same amount of goals as them this season, with a fraction of their budget.

Have to admit I look at our run in and think, with some momentum behind us we really do have a good chance of getting a playoff spot this season. It's Rovers under the Venky curse so I can't say I expect us to finish top six, but... it's definitely there for us.

Great result against a team who were starting to pick up momentum. Unfortunately for them, so are we! Big decision to make - do we have faith in the remaining backroom staff and squad to get us over the line, or appoint an external manager for what remains of the season? It was a much easier answer before we won two on the spin without conceding. Good performances in both as well, and the list of external candidates is uninspiring to say the least. It's only two games, granted, but can't deny we look like we're getting on a roll, and momentum is vitally important at this stage of the season. If the current team know how to carry on what Eustace had implemented, do we leave it be rather than bring in a potential disruption? My head says stop being stupid, we obviously need a proper manager in situ, but at the same time...

The post stated: JE knew he was signing up to be a coach with transfers above his head. However, he got a big ego and started interfering. (Literally what the post says, not inferred) Park walked because JE was slowing down transfers and refusing to follow the model. If there is agreement that Waggott, Venky's and Suhail are ultimately still culpable for allowing the situation to happen in the first place then fair enough. That's why I wanted more details, as otherwise JE is singled out explicitly for criticism whilst anything else is simply inferred.

I've asked unleaded some follow up questions which hopefully he'll answer. We know he has an inside track when it comes to transfers so I don't doubt his source or sources. I'm sceptical about apportioning 100% blame to JE though. Something about the last 14 years just makes me cynical. Who knows why.

Yeah, suddenly Eustace is the root of all evil at the club. Not only a liar, snake, backstabber, but also responsible for our transfers being slow, wanted to keep poor players, wanted to bring in nothing but old players on long contracts and is even responsible for Park leaving, lol. I'm expecting to read next that it was actually Eustace who sabotaged the McGuire deal by sneaking into Ewood and distracting the secretary long enough for send not to be hit. A master plan to ensure JDT left and he would get hired.

Could you clarify a couple of points, Unleaded... - How was JE able to interfere, exactly? If his job is to coach and the transfer committee to sign players, who was giving Eustace scope to interfere in the first place? There must have been a member of the hierarchy letting Eustace have his say and overrule things - who was it? Waggott? This suggests a highly disorganised and chaotic structure at the club. - Why were things different in January? By all accounts Eustace did not get the players he wanted in this window, and instead these players were the choice of the transfer committee, which Eustace wasn't happy with. It's strange to me that there would be such a sudden change between the summer and the winter, and that Park left despite the January window likely to allow him to wield more influence rather than less. This also suggests a highly disorganised and chaotic structure at the club. - Since JE has gone, is there a possibility of a third return for Park, as you say he left because of Eustace, and Eustace is no longer here? People at the club clearly seem to like him, as he's already been and gone twice.

Two managers and our head of recruitment (five months after re-joining) have walked or forced moves out of the club in the last 12 months, so I think that tells its own story. This place tends to be pretty realistic when it comes to the state of the club behind the scenes, but maybe it's somehow even worse than we think.

I still feel like it might have been better to wait until the summer and take a look at the lay of the land then. Even if we finished in the top half that would be a great achievement with our budget, and you'd think there would be some interest there. I wonder if losing out on the WBA, Coventry and Hull jobs spooked him into just taking whatever he could get at the first opportunity? It seems like he's wanted out since the summer - and who could blame him? - and seemingly the thought of another summer under Venky employment was too much for him. I don't really buy the family distance and the past history with Derby as legitimate reasons for leaving a club in the top six to join a relegation battle. Nor do I think Derby have the kind of cash to give him a major payrise - unless he was on absolute peanuts here, which is possible. As you say, he must have absolutely hated it here to the point where he was so desperate that anything would do. Time will tell whether, in the end, it was the right call to jump ship ASAP rather than remain patient and wait for a potentially better opportunity.