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John Eustace speaks on becoming new Blackburn manager as Jon Dahl Tomasson departs

John Eustace speaks for the first time on becoming new Blackburn Rovers manager as Jon Dahl Tomasson departs from the role.

An agreement has been reached to part ways with head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson, reporting Sweden bound, and it with former Birmingham boss John Eustace to be his replacement.

The team’s recent 2-1 home defeat to Queens Park Rangers leaves them just five points above the Championship relegation zone after 29 games played.

Despite being in charge since June 2022, Tomasson hasn’t been able to get a win in the last eight league games.

Rovers had been in a promising position back in late November, sitting in 7th place and just two points away from the top six.

However, they have only managed to win one league game since then with Tomasson, who had previously won two Swedish league titles with Malmo, expressing concern about the club’s situation after the defeat to QPR.

His departure comes after a decision by the club for him not to fulfill his pre-match media commitments. In addition, Blackburn recently failed to sign Orlando City striker Duncan McGuire on loan due to paperwork issues, similar to what happened when they attempted to sign Lewis O’Brien last year.

Since their last Championship win against Bristol City in December, the team has suffered six league defeats and two draws, with their only wins coming in the FA Cup, of which they will face Newcastle in the fifth round of the FA Cup on the 27th of February.

STATEMENT ON TOMASSON

Jon Dahl Tomasson has today left his position as Blackburn Roversโ€™ Head Coach by mutual consent.

Tomasson arrived at Ewood Park on a three-year contract in June 2022 and brought an attacking brand of football that saw us go close to a play-off spot last season, whilst also progressing to the latter stages of both domestic cup competitions.

However, it has been mutually agreed that the Dane will step away from his role, along with assistant coach Remy Reijnierse, with immediate effect.

Rovers wish to thank both Jon and Remy for all their efforts over the past 18 months and we wish them both well in their future careers.

The search for a successor is now underway and the club will provide no further comment until an appointment is announced.

Jon Dahl Tomasson said via Instagram: “My time at Rovers has come to an end. My family and I would like to send a very special thank you to all the people in and around Rovers for making this journey so very special

“A sincere thank you to my team of coaches, to Bev and Les and to the staff working behind the scenes in the kitchen, kit room, grounds and to all the academy staff who work relentlessly every day developing the talented young players.

“Thank you for the great teamwork, you are doing amazing work. To the players, thank you for always being dedicated and working hard to develop and give everything for Rovers. I am proud of you and look forward to following your future careers.

“Lastly a thank you to the fans. Thank you for your support and many heartwarming moments inside and outside of the stadiums. Football is nothing without fans and your support has been tremendously appreciated by me and my staff. I will always remember my time with Rovers and I can honestly say, I wish Rovers all the best for the future and will keep the memories we made forever.”

STATEMENT ON JOHN EUSTACE:

Rovers are delighted to confirm the appointment of John Eustace as the clubโ€™s new Head Coach.

The 44-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at the club and arrives on the back of a successful spell at Birmingham City.

A progressive and forward-thinking coach, with a clear football philosophy, Eustace will be joined at Ewood Park by trusted assistant Matt Gardiner, who he worked with at St. Andrewโ€™s.

A talented midfielder in his playing days, Eustace made over 400 appearances for the likes of Coventry City, Stoke City, Watford and Derby County.

He took his first steps into management with Kidderminster Harriers in April 2016, twice leading the National League side to the play-offs, before becoming assistant manager at QPR in May 2018.

During his four years at Loftus Road, he helped the Hoops record successive top-half finishes in the Championship and also enjoyed a spell in caretaker charge in 2019.

The highly-regarded coach has also gained experience on the international scene, having worked as the Republic of Ireland national teamโ€™s assistant manager under Stephen Kenny from March 2022 to July 2022, at which point he landed the top job at Birmingham City.

Guiding the Blues to their highest points total since 2016 in his first season in charge, whilst developing a raft of exciting young players, Eustaceโ€™s Birmingham side made an impressive start to the current campaign, sitting sixth in the table with 18 points from 11 games, before his departure from the Midlands club in October.

Following his arrival at Rovers, a proud Eustace said: โ€œI am delighted to be the new Head Coach of such a fantastic football club as Blackburn Rovers, which has such a proud history and tradition within the game.

โ€œI am excited for this new challenge in my career and canโ€™t wait to get started.

โ€œI 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.

โ€œI 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.โ€

Roversโ€™ first team coaches David Lowe and Damien Johnson will take charge of tomorrowโ€™s home game against Stoke City, with new Head Coach John Eustace in close attendance.

Twitter users reacted as John Eustace speaks on becoming the new Blackburn manager as Jon Dahl Tomasson departs…

@liam18kinney: Thanks JDT, you always batted for the fans, genuinely had ambitions for Rovers and wanted the best for the club – must have been hard working for and with people that donโ€™t. Good luck ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ

@brfctoby96: Credit where it’s due, #Rovers have acted quickly here to make what looks like a sensible appointment. Need to see a lot more of that going forward after how things have played out recently.

@AlexLomax11: JDT will go down as somebody who played football the right way, was always unfailingly honest with the fans and carried himself with integrity. He is a victim of the terrible incompetence of those around him and will undoubtably go on to have a very successful career elsewhere.

@YouBearsssssss: Of course his first game is Away to Blues on Tuesday Night ๐Ÿ˜‘ A game I hoped to Win you know they’ll beat us now ๐Ÿ™ˆ I Hope he gets a good reception, He did a good job at Blues!! Best of luck (Not Tuesday) #BCFC #Rovers

@George141414: Overall enjoyed his spell in charge until the last few games. Last season there was some good memories. But recently we’ve been terrible and he doesn’t seem to be able to change it around. All the best JDT! Gutting it’s ended like this ๐Ÿ˜ข #Rovers

@GiallorossiBlue: Wow. We can actually move fast and submit paperwork on time! Delighted with this appointment. I think Eustace is exactly the manager our players need right now. He’s versatile in his tactics, and he will shore up the defense, 2 things JDT was incapable of doing toward the end.

@RazinaU_: Despite recent results JDT gave us some gorj football. Always was about the fans and hats off that he didnโ€™t hold back telling us about the shit show behind the scenes. Honest people are hard to come by and for that and his demeanour heโ€™s a firm fave for me. Proper shame.

@TalkOfEwood: A real tale of โ€˜what couldโ€™ve beenโ€ฆโ€™ had the owners backed him. Sure he will go on to have a great career. Such a shame. Best of luck, JDT. ๐Ÿ’™ #Rovers

@Ryan73542: Thank you for last year JDT, Magical season amazing cups runs and it was just amazing. It is the right time go the form hasnโ€™t been good at all and nothing can justify that. Great manager and very ambitious.

@PropaNortherner: Brilliant appointment this. #BCFC fans were gutted he left and wanted him back after Rooney. He should make us a sum of our parts. Compact at the back and hit teams on the coutner. Clearly don’t have the players to play expansive football. Get this worst defense sorted. #Rovers

@StoicBryan: Heartbreaking, grown to proper love JDT, on and off the field. Loved his football personally, despite the recent run I will miss the fella. Best of luck Eustace, you will need it. #Rovers

@Blairso95: Whilst it was all too inevitable, this still stings. Some of the best football we have played in years & sadly let down in several transfer windows. All the best JDT

@JosephB29435166: Beat coach we’ve had in certainly last 20 years. All the best Jon. Thank you for the amazing memories and exciting football last season (eventually lol) as a Rovers fan living in Leicester you also provided my greatest football memory in that fa cup game at the king power ๐Ÿ”ตโšช๏ธ

@mr_maack: Glad he’s gone personally. That doesn’t mean I love the way the club is managed, I just think our form is awful and we needed a change.

@TwooterHead: Thank you to JDT for all that you have brought to us. You left on better terms than Mowbray and never blamed the fans at any time.

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