Latest news with #JohnEustace
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Rams bid farewell to a 'crucial cog'
The departure of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing to MK Dons this week isn't necessarily news that comes as a shock to Rams fans, particularly with former Derby boss Paul Warne now at the helm, but it remains a hard goodbye racked up over 140 appearances in black and white, scoring 21 goals, and was a crucial cog in Derby's promotion from League One to the Championship, and again in the fight for Championship survival at the back end of the most notable moments in a Derby shirt came against Cambridge United away in April 2024, Portsmouth at Pride Park in December 2024, and, of course, against West Brom at The Hawthorns in April where Mendez-Laing wrapped up a vital three points in Derby's relegation is no denying Mendez-Laing has more than done his job for the club, with the Rams likely to not be where they are now without him. The Guatemalan departs with a lot of great memories, and a huge amount of respect from Rams fans who wish him nothing but the best in the forward, I imagine we will have to say a few more tough goodbyes as John Eustace begins a rebuild of his playing staff. However, with outgoings there will always be incomings too, and I'm excited to see what sort of targets Eustace is able to secure himself over the next few weeks and months as he kicks off a new era of Derby County.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
The 'best kid on the playground' departs
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing was a key part of Derby County's return from nine goals and 16 assists in League One as the Rams returned to the Championship were not only his best return in a single campaign but the difference in getting Derby over the line in second. He leaves Pride Park with his head held high, to join his former head coach Paul Warne at MK pair had a strong relationship during their time working together with Warne making the 33-year-old his captain and the key piece in his side, often describing him as "the best kid on the playground" when describing his ability throughout their promotion John Eustace looks to mould his squad moving forward, this seems to be a clever bit of business from the club as they make room in the wage department to further strengthen. Mendez-Laing only started three matches following the arrival of Eustace whilst dealing with an injury as may not have worked for him in the Championship, but Mendez-Laing more than played his part in a Derby shirt and I'm sure will be remembered fondly.
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Warne delay allowed Eustace to take Rams job
Derby County chief executive Stephen Pearce says the club would not have landed John Eustace as manager if they had sacked Paul Warne Rams escaped relegation back to League One on the last day of the season having been seven points adrift at the foot of the Championship when Eustace came in on 7 delay in dismissing Warne was questioned by fans, who felt the club missed a chance to bring in Eustace - who had taken Blackburn Rovers into the play-off positions - earlier so he could have influenced the club's business in the transfer window."Would we have liked to do it earlier? If we had to, yes, but all of the signs told us John would not have come if we'd done it earlier and we wouldn't have got the same calibre of manager as we got in John Eustace," Pearce told the Rams Daily Podcast. Asked if he should be held accountable for the way things went wrong under Warne, Pearce replied: "The results speak for themselves. "I'm accountable to the board and to David [Clowes] but ultimately I would also say that when we made that decision with regard to making that change and appointing John Eustace, I have to be accountable for that because I was the one that put him forward, that said to David 'Let's go and get him' and that got him over the line."In terms of something going wrong, Paul got us promoted. We missed out on the last game of the season in the first season to Sheffield Wednesday to get into the play-offs."Second season we were promoted with our record points total. Paul wasn't a failure." Derby drew with Stoke City on the final day of the season to ensure safety, and now they head into the summer with a transfer budget boosted by the sale of centre-back Eiran Cashin to Brighton in of the fee received from the Seagulls went on bringing in replacement Sondre Langas from Norwegian club Viking, but the rest is still in the pot, says Pearce."David has been very open and clear on it, we have a budget every year," he said. "This is how much we'll put in, and anything you generate over and above that doesn't get taken out and goes back into the pot to build for the future."We don't want to get carried away. All I will say is that the base we have got, the way we finished the season from when John came in, post the week of the build-up to the QPR game when he hadn't had time to instil his way of working, is a massively positive base for us to go forwards. His points per game tally speaks for itself."We are going to strengthen the squad and we've got a bigger budget. Our ambitions are to finish as high as possible, we're not going to put a position on it, but hopefully it will be an exciting season."Fans are still waiting to hear the outcome of talks held by owner David Clowes with an unnamed investor, but Pearce says he has no intention of leaving if there is a said that he is not party to ongoing talks but added: "I will stay at this football club until the day it's decided I'm not. I love this football club."What we've built over the last couple of years and what we're continuing to build is genuinely exciting, I believe in, but ultimately I'm not naive enough to believe that in football things can't change on a sixpence, so let's see what happens moving forward."
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Four positives for Blackburn Rovers to build on after play-off near miss
We take a closer look at the positives Rovers can build on next season after another near miss in the play-off race. DEFENISVE RESILIENCE Rovers conceded 48 goals in the league this season (1.04 per game) and only five sides in the division shipped fewer. Those were Burnley (16), Leeds (30), Sheffield United (36), Sunderland (44) and West Brom (47). Moreover, Rovers were one of only three sides in the second tier who didn't lose any of the games in which they took the lead along with Leeds and Burnley. Only three other clubs in the EFL achieved that feat - Charlton and Stevenage in League One and Port Vale en route to automatic promotion from League Two. One of John Eustace's first priorities when he arrived at Ewood Park was to tighten up the defence and he built on that work over the summer. Valerien Ismael had a tough start in the hot seat but Rovers managed to combine their stubborn defending with the new head coach's style of play during the last five games of the campaign, only conceding three times. The side took 14 out of a possible 18 points from their final six games and that form certainly bodes well for next term. SETTLED IN Yuki Ohashi and Makhtar Gueye both had their first tastes of English football at Ewood Park this season. Ohashi hit the ground running, scoring in his first three appearances for the club, while Gueye had to wait until December for his first league goal. The pair ended up with a combined 18 goals and nine assists, which represents a solid platform to build on next season. Ohashi will benefit from the summer break, having already been playing in the J League for several months when his move to Lancashire was finalised. Gueye has also spoken about the transition to Championship football and why it took time to build up his confidence, although the towering forward has shown in spells how effective he can be at this level. Gueye celebrates a goal (Image: PA) Todd Cantwell is another player who headed to Ewood Park last summer and his quality is clear to see, although the playmaker had some tougher spells when the team were struggling to pick up points. Cantwell already had plenty of Championship experience from his spells at Norwich and Bournemouth but will still benefit from a full pre-season with the squad, having joined late in the last summer window. Augustus Kargbo has also had a bit of time to settle into life in Lancashire following his January switch from Cesena, although the 25-year-old's playing time was limited by injury. LOAN MARKET Rovers had mixed success in the loan market this season but Owen Beck's performances were a major plus. The club utilised its relationship with Liverpool once again to land Beck, who enjoyed an impressive campaign before injury struck. Beck had been thrown in at the deep end at the start of the campaign, with his debut coming in a fierce East Lancashire derby at Turf Moor, but he did an admirable job up against Luca Koleosho. The Welshman managed to get on the scoresheet against Luton in December as Rovers made it six successive victories in the Championship. It was a blow to lose the full-back for the final weeks of the campaign as Rovers battled for a play-off spot. Lewis Baker also had a positive impact during the first half of the campaign before he was recalled by Stoke following Mark Robins' appointment. Baker netted against Cardiff and got a run of games under his belt alongside Sondre Tronstad while Lewis Travis was out injured. The midfielder kicked on at Stoke in the second half of the campaign, scoring a further six goals as the Potters avoided relegation. Amario Cozier-Duberry also spent the second on loan at Ewood Park from Brighton, playing 23 times and scoring once, but saw his momentum hampered by injuries. Dion Sanderson, Cauley Woodrow and Emmanuel Dennis all arrived on loan in the January window, although the trio saw their playing time limited. The Dennis deal came with risk, having not played any competitive football during the first half of the campaign, and unfortunately the striker picked up an injury as he was starting to build up his sharpness. ACADEMY SUCCESS It was yet another productive campaign for the Academy with Leo Duru, Kristi Montgomery, Igor Tyjon and Harley O'Grady-Macken all making their senior debuts. Several other youngsters made the bench for the first time, while some gained valuable experience out on loan. Regardless of who is in the dugout, it is clear that the club still views the Academy as an important part of its long-term strategy – and why wouldn't they after all the success stories in recent years? Rovers have already secured the futures of O'Grady-Macken, Matty Litherland, Brandon Powell and George Pratt this summer. The club also tied down England youth international Harvey Higgins to a scholarship deal despite strong interest from a top Premier League club and he could be one to watch for the future.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Rovers boss Ismael eyes summer of stability
Valerien Ismael hopes to avoid a summer of upheaval at Ewood Park and says stability is the key for Blackburn success next endured a rollercoaster campaign, spending much of the season in the top six of the Championship but dropping to 12th in April, only to finish strong and end up narrowly missed out on a play-off place on the final day, courtesy of a draw at Sheffield United while Bristol City came from 2-0 down to draw against Preston and secure sixth 49-year-old Frenchman, who guided Rovers to 15 points from their final 12 games after replacing John Eustace in February, told the club website, external: "Our job now is to keep the vast majority of this squad as I've learned about the players."Reliability is very important for a manager - at the same time, we need to add some of what we don't have in the team to ensure we can compete better."Ismael said "a lot will depend" on how contract negotiations go and added: "We will have some business to do but I don't want that big turnaround."We have a lot of trust in the players and, with a good pre-season and being clearer with the principles, I think we will be in a good place."The main thing is to have stability in this team and identify the right decisions. When everything is in place and with fewer injuries, we can compete and we can compete well. We have a positive view for next season."
