Blackburn Rovers travelled to Birmingham City on Tuesday night as both teams’ head coaches, John Eustace and Tony Mowbray, attempted to get one over on their former clubs.
However, it was Mowbray who walked away from the clash at St. Andrew’s as the victor following a goal from Queens Park Rangers loanee Andre Dozzell 13 minutes from time. The win moved the Blues to within a point of the visitors and opened up a six-point cushion between themselves and QPR, although the latter still have to play tonight at home to Stoke City.
In the days leading up to Blackburn’s fixture on Saturday at Ewood Park against the Potters, the club announced that they had agreed to mutually terminate former boss Jon Dahl Tomasson’s contract, ending his 18-month spell with the Lancashire outfit.
Damien Johnson and David Lowe took charge of the managerless team on an interim basis and guided Rovers to a 3-1 victory at home versus Stoke, setting the side up in good stead for last night’s important bout in Eustace’s first game back in the dugout.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t a happy return to the West Midlands for the Englishman as his side were defeated while having less possession and boasting fewer than half of Birmingham’s number of shots on goal.
Speaking after the game, Eustace admitted that his team need to be better on the ball, which was their Achilles heel throughout the match [quotes via Blackburn’s club media]:
“We can be a lot better on the ball. I’ve seen over the course of the season just how good the boys can be on the ball, so it was disappointing tonight.
“The way the boys defended the goal with their lives and stuck together on a difficult night, that was pleasing, but we’re disappointed to lose,” he continued.
🗣️ The gaffer’s post-match reaction.#BIRvROV | #Rovers 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/h6sEBSW00c
— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) February 13, 2024
“We won the ball back well when we were defending but were then loose on those transition moments. If we’d have got that extra pass in or took a bit more care with the final ball, we might have been better tonight. There’s lots to work on.
“The way the boys were defending, I knew Birmingham would take more risks, but we need to be better on the ball.”
Writer’s View
Eustace will certainly be disappointed with his debut as head coach of Blackburn Rovers, especially since his side could have moved within nine points of the final playoff spot, giving them an outside chance of promotion this season.
However, the aim should just be to consolidate their position in the league and for Eustace to build a style of play at Ewood Park, one that revolves around attacking football but is not as permeable at the opposite end of the pitch as it was under his predecessor.
