How Eustace ghosted into Derby on mission to rescue Rams

John Eustace was in charge of Blackburn Rovers for a year

John Eustace hid himself away at Pride Park on Tuesday night to watch the Derby County side he was about to inherit.

The Rams had already kicked off against Oxford United when Eustace got into the ground undetected by a crowd of 25,999 that had anticipated the appearance of the soon-to-be-anointed one.

He was still Blackburn Rovers head coach when he took his place in an executive suite in the West Stand to follow the action on TV, mindful that any view of the ground could reveal his presence and the imminent reality of the move.

He wasn't there to study the relegation battlers he would be leaving Premier League promotion chasers for. Although the forgettable goalless draw with the U's that lifted Derby out of the bottom three would have highlighted the enormity of the job ahead of him.

Rather, he was there to feel the thrum of supporters, the energy of a crowd that he so fondly recalls feeding off as a combative Rams midfielder a decade ago.

"I was there, but watching on the screens," he told BBC Sport. "I didn't want to get too close, but I wanted to feel the atmosphere again and be part of the matchday experience."

For the 24 hours before that match, Eustace had been locked in negotiations with Rams officials after Rovers had "reluctantly" granted him permission to speak to their lowly Championship rivals.

But even before he was secretly ushered through the corridors of the stadium, the 45-year-old was convinced that Derby and its "long-term" plans for success were where he wanted to be, despite recognising the career risk he was taking.

"I didn't need swaying at all," Eustace said. "I know exactly what Pride Park can be and how powerful the fans can be.

"I've been here when the club has been rocking, when we have been to Wembley and been a top Championship team.

"And that really motivates me going forward to get the club back into that position, no matter how long it takes. I'm willing to sacrifice everything to make sure that Derby County becomes one of the top teams again."

Eustace's two spells as a Derby player had him involved in a fight to avoid the drop and quests for a Premier League return.

He was first brought to the East Midlands club on loan from Watford in 2009 to help them avoid a second successive relegation, having plummeted from the Premier League a season earlier with the lowest points tally in the competition's history.

Eustace was brought back permanently in 2013 and in his first season back, he helped get them to within one win of a top-flight return, as the Rams were beaten by Queens Park Rangers 1-0 in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

It was under Steve McClaren that the Rams got to that showpiece, and it was the former England boss who gave him his first job as a Championship coach - recruiting Eustace as his assistant at QPR in 2018 after he had started his management career at non-league level with Kidderminster Harriers.

McClaren - whose dismissal at Loftus Road in 2019 saw Eustace take charge of a Championship match for the first time as an interim boss - says the Solihull-born boss is an ideal fit for Derby.

"For years we have talked about Derby County; he loved playing for them, I loved him when he was there, and it's the perfect job for him," McClaren said.

Eustace said being asked to return to the Rams was "a great honour", even though he accepts the "short term is going to be very difficult" with a side he freely admits "will be seen as favourites for relegation".

His first match in charge will be Friday night at QPR and is the first of "14 cup finals" between now and the end of the season as they try to stay up.

"It's been very emotional," Eustace added.

"I was very sad to leave a group of players and staff who were fantastic at Blackburn, but also there is emotion coming back to a club that has played a big part in my footballing career.

"If we don't stay in the league, then we have a project over the next three or four years that will make sure that we come back stronger and better and make sure we get into the Premier League.

"The odds are against us, but sometimes that can be good, and we have to create that siege mentality now."

John Eustace made 62 appearances for Derby County across two spells

Eustace has forged a big reputation in recent years for what he has done at Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City before that.

At Blues - and just as he would do at Blackburn - Eustace oversaw a battle to avoid relegation in his first season before going on to guide them up the table in his second campaign at the helm.

Birmingham, just as Blackburn are now, were in the play-off places when he was replaced by Wayne Rooney in October 2023.

But it was what Eustace was able to do in the lower reaches of the English football pyramid at the start of his coaching career that convinced McClaren of what he was capable of.

"When he finished his career, I followed him at Kidderminster, and the kind of football that we wanted to bring at Derby in the years we were there, he'd taken it to Kidderminster, and he was doing it in the non-league," McClaren said.

"He got his teams playing football, which I'd never seen at that level before or since.

"That is why I took him to QPR. He is a worker, a leader; he looks after his players and has a good philosophy."

When describing himself and what Derby can expect of him as a boss, Eustace smiled as he spoke of being more "mature" than the player who remains a cult figure among Rams fans.

"I'm maybe not as hot-headed as a coach, although I have had a couple of fines lately, which haven't been great," he said.

"I just want to help the group. I love developing players and love creating a winning environment, and that is something I will be aiming to do at Derby over the next three or four years.

"There will be some difficult moments; of course there will be, and when they happen, they [supporters] have to really back the group and know we are fully committed to make sure we stay in the league."