Sam Allardyce offers damning verdict on Blackburn Rovers owners as John Eustace closes in on Derby County switch

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The transfer window may be closed, but one of the most sensational switches in the Championship is still about to go through as John Eustace prepares to trade Blackburn Rovers for Derby County.

Despite Blackburn Rovers being in sixth place and fighting for a play-off spot right now, John Eustace looks set to leave the club for Championship strugglers Derby, with an announcement thought to be imminent.

It’s a stunning story, with Eustace believed to be turning his back on Blackburn due to the club not supporting his ambitions and improving the playing squad during the winter window.

Derby dismissed Paul Warne last week and, in an attempt to stave off relegation, quickly made an approach for Eustace and reportedly agreed to pay the compensation clause in his contract at Ewood Park.

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Venky’s failed to support John Eustace and Sam Allardyce thinks they should sell the club

While this situation has shocked anyone following the second tier, it has not come as much of a surprise to Sam Allardyce, who insisted chasing success has long been an afterthought for Blackburn’s owners, Venky’s.

Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast in the wake of this emerging news, Allardyce said: “It’s something managers can’t do until later in their careers, where whatever the board says determines whether you take the job or not, irrespective of how big the club might be, because you will ultimately fail if that board doesn’t support you.

“There will definitely be a bigger budget at Derby and from what I hear from behind the scenes, Blackburn have lived on what money they can generate themselves within the club. They kept the money from the sale of Sammie Szmodics.

“It’s about the financial structure of the club first and surviving, so it doesn’t fall into debt being more important than the quality of the team on the field, which then affects the fans… I don’t know why they don’t sell [the club].”

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Can John Eustace save Derby County from relegation?

Things aren’t looking great for Derby right now, and obviously, we are out of the transfer window now so John Eustace won’t be able to change the squad he inherits.

Sitting just outside the relegation zone, Derby have played two more games than the teams below them, which could be costly. But, there is still more than enough time for Eustace to get them going again and instil some fight into the players.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
18	PortsmouthPortsmouth	32	8	9	15	39	55	-16	33
19	Stoke CityStoke City	30	7	11	12	28	37	-9	32
20	CardiffCardiff	31	7	10	14	34	53	-19	31
21	DerbyDerby	32	7	8	17	33	42	-9	29
22	Hull CityHull City	30	7	8	15	31	40	-9	29
23	LutonLuton	30	7	6	17	30	49	-19	27
24	PlymouthPlymouth	30	5	10	15	29	63	-34	25

There’s undoubtedly talent in that Derby County squad. Jacob Widell Zetterstrom is a decent goalkeeper, Eiran Cashin is a top defender who is destined for big things, and Kenzo Goudmijn is a really underrated playmaker in this division.

The new manager bounce could be crucial for Derby, and looking at the teams around them, that could actually be the difference between survival and relegation. If the Rams can grind out a few results and gain some momentum, we wouldn’t bet against them staying up.

One thing’s for sure, though, anyone who watches the Championship will be glued to the screen when Blackburn head to Pride Park on March 8th to play Derby. The ramifications of that game will be huge, not just for the teams’ promotion and relegation hopes, but as a grudge match of epic proportions.