eardun

Agree entirely. Love his enthusiasm and it is infectious - he’s made me look forward to Saturday far more than I was before his interview. Agree, shame about the gap in content.

I can see it happening too although not because of new owners; I could see the current owners thinking that a big name would placate a lot of fans. Not how you should choose a manager/coach of course.

Saw this on twitter too re Eustace by Mike Holden - interesting The situation at Birmingham. John Eustace and Wayne Rooney are polar opposite personality types. Completely different functions, different attitudes, different temperaments. They could hardly be more different. • Eustace values control (work to a plan) • Rooney values chaos (be ready for anything) • Eustace is tribe above self (shared collective cause) • Rooney is self above tribe (motivation comes from within) • Eustace works to logical criteria (tactics and strategy) • Rooney works to emotional criteria (desire and motivation) The above variables all have their own merits. They each bring varying rewards in different contexts and scenarios, over different timescales. The players don't know any of this. They haven’t got a clue what's going on. They just know its different, and it has spooked them. Big time. The players were content with the blueprint they were working to. They were invested in Eustace. Then Garry Cook does what Garry Cook does and imprints his ruthless ambition on proceedings. He doesn’t want content now, he wants success later. Big success. Bigger success than most of those players are capable of achieving. So now those players are wrestling with the realisation that this might no longer be a journey with a final destination for them. They might be surplus to requirements sooner rather than later. One minute, you're in a controlled environment and everything is settled, everyone knows where they stand and all the messages are predictable. The next minute, it's all change and the messages are different. It's unsettling. And it's bound to affect performance. This is no longer the season those players thought it was going to be. No longer the future those players thought they were going to have. Back to square one. All that conditioning in the summer? All the stuff they thought their efforts and performances were going to be judged on? It's just been ripped up and thrown out of the window. Start again. New guy, new methods. The players have gone into survival mode. For them, this is a crisis situation. Nobody knows where they stand. That collective cause that Eustace fostered? Now it’s every man for himself. When you're in survival mode, you can't be creative. You can only be creative and fully express the best version of yourself when you feel safe. And to feel safe in this context, you have to have strong convictions about yourself and your abilities. The ones who do have a long-term future at St Andrew’s will be the ones who react best to this change and step up quickest. If you can quickly adapt to this sudden threat to your livelihood, then you might just have what it takes to survive in the Premier League as well.

Funny as I just said in the Tinnion thread that our own interviews seemed to be spoofs!

We need a Jude - patron saint of lost causes.

Was this the statement you were referring to @Jerseybean https://www.bcfc.com/news/all/club-statement-john-eustace I was trying to get my head around what they could have meant by this - are they suggesting that Eustace did not have a winning mentality and lacked ambition? Almost libellous for a football manager you would think. It is essential that the Board of Directors and the football management are fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition across the entire Football Club. With this in mind, Birmingham City has today parted company with Head Coach, John Eustace.

Nige must have been kicking them at half time. I’ve watched both interviews again now, and the more I watch them, I think they are spoof interviews - a bit like candid camera or game for a laugh. In the next interview, Jon and Brian announce that ‘after an extensive worldwide search, and considering the required qualities that we described in our previous interviews, we’re pleased to report that we’ve found the perfect candidate. We’ve signed Nigel Pearson on a three year contract.’

Drink!

Another one who was doing a good job - shocking decision.

What could possibly go wrong on Saturday?!

To be honest I think I probably prefer that to the previous six week worldwide search before finding someone already in the building. If you decide to sack someone, you should be ready to act.

The next daft decision!

Interesting argument for Frank. I’m not sure but I can also see that only a big name appointment like this will bring some of the fans around. Some of the names on the list are a hard sell when you compare them Pearson.

That’s the nub of for me. If I take what they are saying at face value, they clearly genuinely think that we should be sitting comfortably in the top 6 at this point in the season. I don’t know anyone else who thinks that. This probably also explains why they don’t want to invest in any more players - we have everyone we need already.

Coppell’s departure was a shock but too soon to feel as depressing as Pearson’s sacking.

Apart from valuing Rowett perhaps!

That would be one way of the board ensuring he does not play at CB given they don’t like that!

That article pretty much sums up what I’ve always suspected - that it’s all been to do with his health. They acted now before he starts winning again.

I agree with the above. Most fans have been patient with Pearson as they could see what he was having to turn around and could see the progress - hence the incredulity at his sacking. Unless the new head coach improves results compared to Pearson quickly - given that is Lansdown’s reason for the change - I don’t think the fans will be patient and it could get quite toxic very quickly.

Lovely words from Nige. And shows the culture and togetherness that he has built which I mentioned on another thread. What a waste.

Pearson’s management skill is in sorting out a club’s culture and getting everyone pulling in the same direction. As a result, the fans get on board as well and you feel the connection. The club feels together. This is why most fans are disappointed by Pearson’s sacking. But what it brings into sharp focus is that the owners are not part of that togetherness. Like at Leicester (with Ranieri), I can see our next manager reaping the benefits of Pearson’s work. Leicester fans recognise his contribution to their title win. At the moment, I think I’d struggle to give the new manager the full credit for any success - perhaps I’ll get over that feeling in time though. However, my bigger worry is that the next manager will not have the skills of Pearson and we will lose the culture that Pearson has built. If so, we will struggle.

Sums the decision up perfectly.

Conveniently for the owners we have had a load of injuries and so lost 5 in 7 (two of which were Leicester and Leeds so hardly surprising given their budgets) so they can say that’s the reason for the decision and of course ensure that they act before players come back and Pearson turns our form around again. They can’t seriously expect us to be sitting in the top 6 at present. They clearly wanted him out come what may. Within the smoke and mirrors we also have the CEO leaving abruptly and Pearson’s health situation and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were connected to the decision. Sorry to see him go given how he has turned the club around.

Embarrassingly clueless decision.

Others have answered your points but on the goalkeeper one it is not right to say Pearson has gone quiet in this. On the contrary he has been very honest in press conferences that due to budget constraints getting another number 1 or 2 goalkeeper has been lower down the priority list.