John Eustace named Blackburn Rovers head coach after Jon Dahl Tomasson leaves
With Rovers, the 44-year-old has agreed to a two-and-a-half-year contract. This is his first job since being fired by Birmingham City in October.
Eustace takes over for Blackburn a team that has lost its last eight Championship games.
He’ll be at Saturday’s match against Stoke City, who are battling for relegation.
But first-team coaches Damien Johnson and David Lowe, who were already at Blackburn, will oversee the match, paving the way for Eustace’s early comeback against his old team, Birmingham, on Tuesday in his first match as manager.
“I am looking forward to being at Ewood Park tomorrow and meeting the supporters, who can play a big part for us between now and the end of the season,” Eustace stated on the club’s website.
“I will give my all to ensure the fans have a team they can be proud of and, together, I hope we can quickly start climbing the table.”
The appointment of Wayne Rooney by the new ownership ended Eustace’s tenure with the Blues, but not before he had transformed a team facing relegation into one that was competitive at the top of the Championship, with Birmingham sitting sixth at the time of his departure.
He faces a similar job at Ewood Park as he did during his formative years at St Andrew’s, when Blackburn lost 2-1 to Queens Park Rangers at home on Saturday, leaving them five points above the drop zone.
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Rovers have only won once in the league since November 29, when they were two points out of the top six and ranked seventh.
Rovers have lost six league games and drawn twice since their last Championship victory, which came in December at home against Bristol City. Their only other wins during that time have come in the FA Cup.
Despite possessing Sammie Szmodics, who is tied for the league’s leading scorer with 16 goals in the Championship this season and five more in the FA Cup, their play has been dismal.
Additionally, hopes of signing Duncan McGuire from Orlando City of Major League Soccer were dashed when the English Football League declined to approve the contract due to incomplete paperwork.
