Birmingham City made a somewhat surprising decision back in October, when they confirmed the sacking of manager John Eustace.
That is not a move that went down well with the majority of Blues fans, given the success he had been enjoying at St Andrew’s at the time.
Indeed, those concerns proved to be correct. Under replacement Wayne Rooney, the club plummeted down the table and into a relegation battle, leading to his sacking last month.
Former Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has since been appointed as Rooney’s successor at St Andrew’s.
Now it seems as though the Ewood Park club could have a former Birmingham City manager, at Ewood Park. According to reports from The Daily Mirror, Eustace is being lined up to replace Jon Dahl Tomasson.
The Dane is expected to resign from his role with the Lancashire club imminently.
With that in mind, here is a look at three things Birmingham City know about Eustace, that Blackburn Rovers can look forward to.
Defensive solidity
Conceding goals has been a major problem for Blackburn Rovers this season. The Ewood Park club have let in 55 goals in the league this season. That is a higher tally than any other club in the Championship.
Birmingham City meanwhile, conceded 11 goals in as many league games under Eustace at the start of the campaign. That of course, averages out at one goal per game. By contrast, that same defence would then ship 30 goals in just the 15 league games that Rooney was in charge for, an average of two goals per game.
As a result, it seems Eustace may be a decent option to help solidify Blackburn Rovers’ defence. If he is able to do that, it could be key to their hopes of avoiding the relegation zone.
A good man-manager
It seems it was not just the Birmingham City supporters that were sad to see Eustace leave back in August, but his players as well.
According to reports, the 44-year-old was well liked among his squad at St Andrew’s. That was apparently especially prevalent with regards to the young players, who appreciated the opportunities he gave them.
If he can take that personality with him to Ewood Park, it may help lift the spirits of a squad that may be lacking morale after a poor recent run. Indeed, the fact Eustace made a particular impression on the young players, could be particularly telling here, with Blackburn Rovers possessing one of the division’s more inexperienced squads.
Play-off pedigree with Birmingham City
While things have not gone all that well for Blackburn Rovers this season, it was a different story last time around.
That campaign saw the Ewood Park club finish seventh in the Championship table. Indeed, they only missed out on the play-offs on goal difference. You feel if possible, they will be keen to improve on that in the near future.
As a result, the fact that Eustace seemingly had his Blues side punching above their weight in the play-off places when he was sacked by Blues, suggests he could be a very good fit for that role at Blackburn Rovers.