Former Premier League winner Chris Sutton has slammed Birmingham City’s decision to sack manager John Eustace, despite the club sitting sixth in the Championship.
The Blues made the decision to part company with the 43-year-old earlier this morning following speculation that outgoing DC United boss Wayne Rooney was set to take the helm at St Andrew’s. In a bizarre statement, the board cited football reasons, saying;
“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.”
The West Midlands club are currently in the midst of their best start in years and Eustace was beginning to attract the attention of a host of clubs, including Scottish giants Rangers. Friday night’s 3-1 win over rivals West Bromwich Albion saw the club enter the international break on a high, and the victory came just three days after they thumped Huddersfield Town with an impressive 4-1 scoreline.
Talks are thought to have begun with England legend Rooney and the 37-year-old could be in charge for the fixture against Middlesbrough in just under two weeks’ time. The speculation has drawn much criticism and Celtic legend and former Lincoln City manager Chris Sutton is the latest to weigh in on the debate. Speaking to the Daily Mail podcast It’s All Kicking Off, the ex-striker said;
“Why would you get rid of someone who’s successful?
“It’s not like – with respect to Wayne Rooney, great playing career – they’re bringing in a world beater of a manager. He’s still a rookie in managerial terms, isn’t he?
“On the face of it, it does seem like madness to sack John Eustace when the club are doing well.
“And essentially, what does it do? It puts a hell of a lot more pressure on the owners making that decision.”
Responding to Sutton’s criticism, Mail journalist Ian Ladyman was equally scathing;
“Clubs do stupid things and clubs seem to labour under this illusion that a big name will bring them the publicity and glamor they want.
“It does, but only for about a fortnight. The only thing that really keeps you in the public eye long-term is good results and Birmingham seem to have plenty of decent results.”
Writer’s View
To put it bluntly, Birmingham City have become a circus. They are a club which has been in the doldrums for a number of years, flirting with relegation to League One on several occasions. Yes, the investment from the United States has helped steady the ship, but Eustace’s contribution cannot be understated here. He is a local lad who has the club’s best interests at heart.
Rooney is someone who looks to have all the attributes to succeed as a manager, but he will be up against it from day one. The footballing world will want him to fail. It’s an absolute disgrace of a decision.
