John Eustace exit update emerges at Birmingham City amid candidacy to replace Michael Beale at Rangers
John Eustace is not currently “close” to leaving Birmingham City despite being a “candidate” to replace Michael Beale at Rangers, according to The Guardian.
The newspaper reported via their website on Friday (8 September) that Wayne Rooney is a “leading contender” to come in at the English Championship side if Eustace moves on after interest from Swansea and the current links to Ibrox, but an exit isn’t imminent.
Birmingham’s new owners reportedly “explored making a big-name appointment” when they took over this summer, and while the 37-year-old former England star, currently at DC United in MLS, is now being lined up as the next man in “it is not thought Eustace is close to leaving the club” as he impresses early in the campaign, although he is “thought to be a candidate for Rangers if they were to sack under-pressure manager Michael Beale”.
Beale is facing the heat after his first full season as Rangers boss got off to a rough start following his major summer rebuild, with the 1-0 Old Firm defeat by Celtic on Sunday putting him under major pressure already.
Not yet
The indications currently are that with the situation as it is over the international break none of the managers involved in the equation are set to move.
But once clubs are back in action things could change quickly and contingency plans are being drawn up, with Rangers looking like the possible trigger.
Having brought in nine new players and seen the departure through various means of an even greater number it looks like Beale is going to get a longer chance to steady matters at Ibrox.
That will not please a growing proportion of the fanbase after the worrying trend of coming up short in the biggest matches has continued this season, after back-to-back damaging defeats to PSV Eindhoven and Celtic.
A charitable assessment would be that the start to this term was always going to be rocky after such upheaval and firing the man at the centre of the plan will only increase the chaos.
Were Beale a new man this summer that would be fine but he is struggling based on his overall record last season too, with one win in six Old Firm derbies now, failure in both cups and now with Champions League qualification.
If he turns things around over the next month and doesn’t look back then he will have rescued the situation and Eustace won’t be called upon, but continue to struggle and it looks like the board are getting ready to respond.
In other Rangers news, the one key achievement that successfully averts Beale’s job “crisis” has been mooted by Keith Jackson.