Derby County’s bold pursuit of Blackburn Rovers manager John Eustace has piqued the interest of fans, with the Rams acting rapidly to grab their top target following Paul Warne’s resignation.
Despite now leading Rovers to the Championship play-offs, the former Pride Park favourite, who completed his playing career with Derby in 2015, is the top candidate to assume the helm.
John Eustace to Derby County would be a “masterstroke” from David Clowes
Derby County’s interest in Blackburn Rovers boss Eustace has sparked speculation in the Championship. The Rams want to bring their former player back to Pride Park as a manager.
Derby have moved quickly to recruit Eustace after Paul Warne’s departure following seven straight league defeats. They have triggered a compensation clause in his contract with Rovers, allowing them to officially speak with their former midfield general.
According to FLW’s Rams fan analyst Shaun Woodward, the possible appointment may significantly improve the club’s fortunes and be a great coup for owner David Clowes.
“I don’t think many people saw this one coming, and if [Derby County owner] David Clowes can pull this one out of the bag then I think he’s done an amazing job,” Shaun told Football League World during an interview.
“Let’s be honest, Eustace is doing an excellent job at Blackburn; he has them on the cusp of the play-offs, with the possibility of promotion to the Premier League, so many people would wonder why he wants to leave there.
“But, from our perspective, he’s been at the club before, he’s played for us, he was a bit of a hero at Derby – the fans loved him, so he knows what he’s getting; he’ll get 30,000 fans every week who will adore him, and he has the potential to really ignite the club.”
“We’re a bit of a sleeping giant right now. Even if the worst happens and we go down, he can start again; he’ll have 27,000-30,000 people cheering him on every week.”
“With all due respect to Blackburn, I believe our desire in the long run is greater than theirs, even though they are performing well right now. They probably average 17,000, so he’d have a full house to perform and manage in front of, which I believe would excite him.
“If we can acquire him, it will be a masterstroke. I’m excited to see how this progresses over the next several days, so keep an eye on this place.”
John Eustace to Derby County would be a shock but Blackburn Rovers can’t be surprised if he wants to leave
Derby’s interest comes at an interesting time, as Eustace is presently leading Blackburn to a potential play-off berth and Premier League promotion.
However, given that things have not been going well behind the scenes at Ewood Park in recent years, it may be easier to see why Eustace would be willing to trade his current post for a Championship relegation struggle.
There is, of course, the family component of going closer to his West Midlands roots, as well as the fact that he previously played for Derby, but Eustace has expressed recent unhappiness with Blackburn’s late January transfer business, which appears to be underwhelming.
Current Blackburn owners, the Venkys, have been no-shows at Ewood Park for 14 years, and their ongoing court proceedings in India, which are being pushed back, are clearly influencing what kind of funds managers have to work with, and exactly a year ago, Jon Dahl Tomasson left in a blaze of glory after calling out the hierarchy.
Without Eustace going that far, we appear to be entering similar terrain, and while nothing has been confirmed, the most shocking Championship management transfer this season appears to be getting closer.
Leave a Reply