John Eustace opens up on Tony Pulis friendship and Stoke City frustration.
Former Stoke City captain John Eustace goes up against the club as Blackburn Rovers manager.
John Eustace hopes there’s a little bit of Tony Pulis in his management style as he reflects on a very happy if frustrating time as a player at Stoke City.
Eustace joined Stoke from Coventry as a midfielder in the summer of 2003 and he showed his potential as he became captain and a crowd favourite. He was, however, dogged by injuries, including a knee problem that ruled him out of a big chunk of 2004/05 and the whole of 2005/06, Johan Boskamp’s one campaign in charge.
He recovered to become a regular in the side that would go on to win promotion to the Premier League before leaving for Watford, where he was finally able to play regularly, and Derby County. He racked up more than 400 senior appearances despite the time in the treatment room and has been coaching since becoming Kidderminster Harriers boss in 2016.
Spells in the backroom set-up at Queens Park Rangers and with Republic of Ireland were followed by just over a year in charge of Birmingham City, who were in the top six after the opening 11 games of last term when he was replaced by Wayne Rooney.
He joined Blackburn in February, kept them up and has them a couple of points outside the top six ahead of this evening’s clash with Stoke at Ewood Park (7.45pm). That’s given him the the chance to look back on his time in the Potteries and what he learned there that he might use against them tongiht.
“I had five very happy years there,” he said. “Unfortunately, I was injured for two-and-a-half, three years of that.
“The people there, the fanbase are great. The staff are fantastic. I had a very good manager in Tony Pulis there, it’s a really good club.
“I have taken bits from each manager throughout my career. You look at reasons why when you’re happy at a club and that can be from management, the environments that they set. I try to take a bit from everyone.
Tony is a friend of mine now who I speak to a lot. Someone I respect a great deal.”
Eustace is pitting his wits against Narcis Pelach, who became Stoke’s eighth manager post-Pulis in September and is trying to put his stamp on the squad.
