Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers owners share unwanted John Eustace link | OneFootball

Both clubs haven't given the manager the backing he deserved, and were left to deal with the consequences

With John Eustace set to leave Blackburn Rovers to takeover at Derby County, there will be plenty at Ewood Park directing their ire not towards their departing manager, but those in the boardroom.

The 45-year-old has been reported to be at loggerheads with the Venky’s for a large part of his 12-month stint in charge of the former Premier League Champions, with a lack of backing from upstairs cited as a reason for his impending departure.

The Lancashire side were flying high in the second tier before things started to come to a head, with Eustace looking likely to leave in midweek with the club still sitting sixth in the table, despite a run of four defeats in their previous five league games.

Birmingham City fans will know all too well about the consequences of the club’s hierarchy not seeing eye to eye with Eustace, with the Blues paying the ultimate price just months after letting him go while still in a play-off place.

Derby County set to announce John Eustace arrival

Derby made the decision to part with boss Paul Warne last Friday, with the Rams losing seven straight Championship matches, and slipping into the relegation places in the second tier as a result.

Since then, speculation surrounding Eustace and a move to Pride Park has risen, with the former midfielder finishing his playing days with the Rams back in 2015.

It may seem like a strange move from the outside to leave a club fighting for the play-offs for a club trying to stay in the division at the other end of the table, but reports claim that Eustace has struggled to see eye to eye with the Venky’s for quite some time.

Despite bringing in six players in the winter transfer window, Augustus Karbo was the only player to cost a penny, with Yuri Ribeiro and Adam Forshaw joining on free transfers, while Emmanuel Dennis, Dion Sanderson and Cauley Woodrow arrived on loan.

As has so often been the case under the current ownership, Rovers have had the rug pulled from beneath them from what looked like a promising situation this season, after flying out the blocks at the start of the campaign.

After going unbeaten in their first seven league matches of the season, thoughts of a return to the top flight would have been beginning to blossom for those hardened souls who follow the ill-fated side, but once again, those dreams look likely to end in tatters.

While there has been links to the likes of Gary O’Neil as a replacement, there can be no escaping that the mood will have turned sour around that particular part of Lancashire over the last few days, with decisions needing to be made hastily if their season is going to be rescued.

There are plenty of clubs breathing down their necks in the race for a play-off spot this season, and with Eustace seemingly out the door, Birmingham City will be watching on with that all too familiar feeling in their stomachs.

Birmingham City will recognise John Eustace, Blackburn Rovers similarities

This isn’t the first time that Eustace has felt like he has had to leave a club due to poor ownership, with his time in charge at St Andrew’s finishing in a similar matter back in October 2023, after the takeover from Tom Wagner and Knighthead Capital Management the previous summer.

Having kept the club up under the Chinese ownership the season before, Eustace oversaw a start to the season that saw Birmingham lose just three of their opening eleven league matches of the 23/24 campaign before a ‘misalignment with the leadership of the club’ led to his dismissal.

Just like Rovers are now, the Blues were in a play-off spot in the opening stages of the season when their boss was relieved of his duties, but City would end up paying the ultimate price, with Wayne Rooney’s [pictured] tenure seeing them drop down the league table like a stone.

A first relegation to the third tier in 30 years soon followed, with Chris Davies now trying to pick up the pieces down in League One, with an immediate return looking likely as it stands.

While Rovers won’t be suffering that ignominy this season, their play-off aspirations could well be going up in smoke if things aren’t sorted soon, with all that early promise proving to be in vain as the Venky’s wield their wand of destruction once again.