Birmingham's owners want 'no fear' but they failed John Eustace on many levels
It wasn’t the first time I’ve been called into the manager’s office at Birmingham City.
Trevor Francis? Usually a moan about the owners. Steve Bruce? His opening shot was one of the biggest mouthfuls ever off-loaded in my direction. Alex McLeish? Gary Rowett? Lee Clark? Like speaking to mates down the pub. Perhaps I’d grown up a bit. I dunno.
It was the day before the trip to Watford a few weeks ago. John Eustace asked for a word after the pre-match press conference. We made small talk. Then I asked what he wanted me for.
“Just to tell you that this is personal for me,” he said. “I care about this. I live here. I know what this means. I’m desperate to make this a success.”
Dear reader, you probably think I’ve heard this 100 times before. One thousand times, even. But professional football managers don’t talk like that.
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Yes, they all care. Yes, it’s personal in as much as it affects them. The majority are parachuted into the West Midlands. They aren’t local. Most will never understand the supporters they represent. They just can’t.
Eustace was kicked out of Blues as a kid when David Sullivan dismantled the academy. He wore the jersey bearing the ball and globe. His own hopes were dashed before he re-emerged at Coventry City and made it as a professional.
In that, he’s absolutely aligned to every Birmingham City supporter out there. Crushed dreams 'r' us.
Those with short memories, now looking to the future, shouldn’t disregard the debt the club owes Eustace. Twelve months ago, he was the glue holding it together. A civil war raged between owners and supporters. It was being propped up financially - just - but the clouds of dissent were never far away.
John Eustace, Manager of Birmingham City, celebrates victory with Emmanuel Longelo after his final match in chargeEustace put together a team - one that relied heavily on loan players - and made sense of it all. He hadn’t been left with a monstrous amount but with one or two sensible moves - like Krystian Bielik from Derby, Arsenal’s Auston Trusty, Dion Sanderson from Wolves and the inspired signing of keeper John Ruddy - along with reliable warhorses Maxime Colin and Lukas Jutkiewicz, it just about worked.
Eustace had been pragmatic. Used the pieces to fit the jigsaw together as best he could. And there has to be that realism if you’re a Championship football manager. It is the most competitive division out there. You cannot play champagne football with ale-house players. It’s that simple.
After new American owners Knighthead assumed control, he was told it was a re-building job - literally in terms of the stands - but also in terms of his squad. Eustace understood the brief. But unless any club is going to bankroll a complete overhaul, then asking for ‘no fear’ football - as today's statement says - is pie-in-the-sky thinking.
Ahead of this campaign, the manager asked for robust players. Men who would play 35 games-plus per season. Men around whom he could build a philosophy. He did not want a medical room littered with injured bodies.
At least four of the summer signings are currently out of action. Tyler Roberts and Ethan Laird haven’t really been seen.
So, you have a manager who understands the club. At one with his supporters. Currently lying sixth in the Championship with a group he’s not yet seen the best of. And he's been sacked, for what?
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Wayne Rooney, a footballer whose reputation on the pitch was without equal. As a manager, not so much.
But now the former England great has been charged with bringing ‘no fear’ football and an alignment of a ‘winning mentality’ with the owners. It would be interesting to see how that marries up with his time at Derby County and DC United, but you never know.
For Birmingham’s supporters this smacks of the time when Gary Rowett was sacked seven years ago - the club had just beaten Ipswich to move into seventh and Gianfranco Zola was installed in search of this entertaining, winning football to which everyone, it seems, aspires.
Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner, CEO Garry Cook and co-owner Tom Brady want sexy football - John Eustace has paid the price (Mike Egerton/PA Wire)Contrary to popular belief, there is no magic wand. Players can either do it, or they can’t.
The result? The club stayed up by the skin of its’ teeth.
In terms of his pull, Eustace wasn’t a big name. To supporters, that didn’t matter.
Judge a man by his actions, not his words. He can leave with his head held high at a job well done with the grateful thanks of every single supporter - if not the new owners.
For they have set a high bar. And seriously, all the best with that, Wayne.
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