It must be frustrating for Blackburn Rovers supporters to see how successful John Eustace has been with Derby County since his exit from Ewood Park almost a year ago.
The English boss left Rovers when they were seventh in the Championship table in February last year, whilst the Rams were 21st and battling against relegation.
Now, almost 12 months on, Eustace has Derby in seventh place in the table and Blackburn are on the lookout for a new manager after they sacked Valerien Ismael – sat in 21st place.
The 46-year-old tactician joined Rovers in February 2024, after he had been sacked by Birmingham in October 2023, and he took the team from 19th in the 2023/24 campaign to leaving them in seventh at the time of his move to Derby.
Eustace’s success at Ewood Park after joining as an out-of-work manager who had been sacked by a club earlier that season shows that the club should not turn their nose up at similar options in their current position.
Since Ismael’s departure earlier this week, plenty of managers have been touted to replace him in the dugout, and Robbie Savage is reportedly one of the front-runners.
The former Derby midfielder, though, is currently managing Forest Green Rovers and would not come in with managerial experience in the Championship or at a higher level.
According to the Lancashire Telegraph, the hugely experienced Chris Coleman is one of the managers under consideration by Blackburn Rovers at this moment in time.
The report claims that the club are looking at him as one of several targets to replace Ismael in the hot seat, as they weigh up their options to boost their survival hopes.
It adds that initial contact has already been made with Coleman. This means that some talks have already been held, and the Welshman would be open to taking the role.
Now, it is down to the board to decide if the former Fulham, Sunderland, and Wales boss is the right man to lead them forward in the coming weeks and months.
Why Coleman could be Blackburn’s next Eustace
Prior to his move to Derby, Blackburn benefitted from Eustace’s coaching ability after they decided to bring him to the club in spite of his sacking at Birmingham earlier that season.
Now, Rovers could repeat that Eustace blinder by hiring Coleman as Ismael’s successor, after the Welshman was sacked by Greek side Asteras Aktor last month.
The 4-2-3-1 manager, who has also been linked with the vacant post at Leicester City, has managed in Cyprus, Greece, Belgium, and China in recent years, but he also has a wealth of experience in English football.
Eustace had Championship experience with Birmingham and QPR before he took the job at Blackburn, and Coleman has managed 135 matches in the league in his career, whilst the other reported target, Savage, has never managed at that level.
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The former Wales national team boss has also managed 153 times in the Premier League, guiding Fulham to safety in all three of his full seasons at Craven Cottage.
|
Chris Coleman’s managerial league career |
||
|---|---|---|
|
League |
Games |
Points per game |
|
Premier League |
153 |
1.24 |
|
Championship |
135 |
1.10 |
|
Super League 1 |
54 |
1.06 |
|
Chinese Super League |
28 |
1.55 |
|
LaLiga 2 |
20 |
1.36 |
|
Pro League |
14 |
1.36 |
|
Cyprus League |
11 |
1.18 |
|
Football League |
10 |
1.90 |
His points per game rate of 1.10 across his Championship career is better than what Blackburn are currently tracking at (1.06) and, interestingly, he has a better points per game rate in the Premier League than he does in the second tier.
His overall career shows that he is capable of being an effective manager, especially given what he achieved with Fulham in the past, but that it has to be the right fit.
Given that his remit in the past at English sides, particularly with Coventry in the Championship and Fulham in the Premier League, has been to avoid relegation, the current survival battle that Blackburn have on their hands feels like the right situation for him to walk in to.
This is why Coleman could be a good fit for what Rovers need at this moment in time and why it could make sense for both parties, after he was sacked in Greece last month.
If the club do decide to go with the former Sunderland head coach, Coleman could end up being Eustace 2.0 as another recently sacked manager with EFL experience to guide the club away from danger in the Championship.