John Mark Eustace (born 3 November 1979) is an English professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
and former
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...
who is head coach of club
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
.
During his playing career, he played as a
central midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
,
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
,
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
and
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
. He also spent time on loan at
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
,
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
and
Hereford United
Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...
.
After retiring as a player, Eustace served as manager of
Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed in ...
between 2016 and 2018, eventually leaving to become assistant manager of
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
in 2018. He had a brief spell as caretaker manager at QPR in 2019.
Playing career
Coventry City
Born in
Solihull
Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe i ...
, Eustace began his career as a trainee at
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
. Despite the fact that he was at the club for seven years, he only recorded 98 appearances in all competitions due to injuries. At 19 he went out on loan to
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
to gain first team experience. He played eleven matches and scored one goal against Hearts, becoming a firm favourite with United fans who voted him their young player of the year.
He returned to Coventry where he began to establish himself in the first team. In the
2000–01 season, he appeared in 32 league games. Despite his efforts, the club were relegated from the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
. At the start of the next season, he was named as captain by manager
Gordon Strachan
Gordon David Strachan ( born 9 February 1957) is a Scottish former football coach and player. He played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. He has since managed Cove ...
. However, on 8 September 2001, Eustace was struck down with a knee injury during Coventry's league defeat to Grimsby which kept him sidelined for 7 months. He returned to action in April 2002.
Eustace started the
2002–03 season well and attracted interest from
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
club
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
, to whom he was loaned out for one month in January 2003. He only made one substitute appearance, away to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, where he appeared for only the final two minutes of the game, but earned himself a yellow card.
Eustace made 33 league appearances over the season, his last with Coventry.
Stoke City
At the start of the 2003–04 season, Eustace left Coventry for fellow second-tier team
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
on a free transfer.
He made his debut in a 3–0 win over
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
at the start of the
2003–04 season and helped the side to 11th place in the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
, scoring five goals. Injury problems restricted him to a handful of appearances over the next two seasons – in the Potters' 1–0 win over
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
in February 2005, Eustace suffered a knee injury and was then substituted, in only his 8th appearance of the season. It later became clear that his injury would keep him out for at least the rest of the season. He missed the rest of the
2004–05 season and all of the
2005–06 season because of the injury. However, Eustace signed a one-year contract extension at the beginning of the season, which lasted until the end of the
2006–07 season.
Eustace returned from his long injury lay off in June 2006. He made his first appearance for Stoke City in over 18 months in their 2–0 friendly win over local opposition
Newcastle Town. On 13 October 2006, Eustace joined
Hereford United
Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...
on loan to gain first team football to aid his comeback.
During his time at
Edgar Street
Edgar Street is a football stadium in Hereford and was the home of Hereford United Football Club from the club's formation in 1924 until December 2014, when the club was wound up. It is now the home of Hereford FC, a phoenix club formed to rep ...
he was a key part of the Hereford
midfield
Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...
, and his loan was extended to the New Year.
However, on 14 December 2006 he was suddenly recalled by Stoke due to them suffering several injuries in midfield.
John's grandfather Ken Eustace also played one match for Hereford during the
1949–50 season.
Eustace returned to the Stoke starting line up in the 3rd round
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
match against
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...
. On 11 February 2007, he started his first league match of the season in Stoke's 1–0 loss to
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
. In total, Eustace made 23 league appearances over the course of the season for Stoke and Hereford. Eustace later signed a one-year contract extension with the club, to take him up until the summer of 2008.
He was a regular for Stoke during the first half of the
2007–08 season and captained the team up until his move to Watford on the last day of the transfer window.
Watford
On 31 January 2008, Eustace joined
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
from Stoke City for a fee of £250,000. On 20 September 2008, Eustace "scored" a bizarre opening
own goal
An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
in the game between Watford and
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
, where a goalmouth scramble saw the ball go nowhere near the goal line, despite the
linesman flagging for a goal to the bemusement of everyone in the ground. A corner from
Stephen Hunt Stephen Hunt or Steven Hunt may refer to:
Football
*Stephen Hunt (footballer, born 1981), Republic of Ireland footballer
*Stephen Hunt (footballer, born 1984), English footballer
*Steve Hunt (footballer, born 1956), England, Coventry, Aston Villa ...
bounced off of Eustace and was hooked back by
Noel Hunt. What could have been a debatable corner for Reading, initially given as a goal kick, was actually then given as a goal. The game ended Watford 2–2 Reading.
On 9 March 2009, he joined Championship rivals
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
on loan until the end of the 2008/09 season, in order to help solve the Rams' midfield injury crisis. He made his Derby debut in the 1–1 draw away to
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, and scored against his parent club on the final day of the season. However, Eustace failed to secure a permanent move to Derby at the end of his loan spell with the club and returned to Watford at the beginning of May. However, Derby manager
Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough was c ...
said "He's got a year left at Watford. If he's still in the same situation at the start of next season, needing a loan, then we might look at that."
With his Hornets career seemingly in jeopardy, Eustace signed an amended contract stipulating that he would not receive his sizeable appearance fee, freeing up
Malky Mackay
Malcolm George Mackay (born 19 February 1972) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player, who is currently the manager of Ross County. Mackay, who played as a defender, began his playing career in Scottish football with Quee ...
to pick the tenacious midfielder. After being handed the number 28 jersey for the season, Eustace went on to play an instrumental role as Watford retained their
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
status for another season. Eustace was also handed the captaincy on a number of occasions with first-choice skipper
Jay DeMerit
Jay Michael DeMerit (born December 4, 1979) is an American retired soccer player who played as a center back.
He played college soccer for the UIC Flames and was in the Chicago Fire Premier development squad, but after not being drafted for Maj ...
sidelined through injury. Eustace made over forty appearances in league and cup competitions and was the 'Player's Player of the Season' as voted by his peers.
After much speculation throughout the
2009–10 off-season
In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...
, Eustace finally put pen-to-paper on a new two-year contract with Watford. Eustace and Mackay later revealed that he had passed a medical at
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
, and that there was interest from other clubs.
Ahead of the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
, Mackay handed Eustace the captaincy, after DeMerit was released on a
Bosman transfer
''Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman'' (1995) C-415/93 (known as the Bosman ruling) is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association ...
. He started the season in good form, scoring Watford's first goal of the season in a 3–2 win at
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
, followed a week later with an over-head finish in a 2–2 draw against former club Coventry which turned out to be 2010/11 goal of the season. Eustace kept the captain's armband following the managerial appointment of
Sean Dyche
Sean Mark Dyche (; born 28 June 1971) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of Burnley.
During his playing career, Dyche played as a centre-back, making his professional debut in 1990 a ...
in June 2011 and signed a new two-year contract until 2013 at the end of July despite interest from Derby County.
In June 2013, Eustace was offered a new contract with a player/coach role, which he declined, stating that he was not ready to turn away from playing just yet, therefore leaving the club as a free agent.
Derby County
In July 2013, it was confirmed by Derby County that Eustace had rejoined the club on trial, with a view to earning a contract
and after impressing Nigel Clough in pre-season training and friendly games, Eustace verbally agreed a one-year contract with Derby
and the move was made official on 24 July.
Eustace was originally expected to play a bit part role and according to Clough Eustace was to act as cover in his natural central midfield position as well as being an emergency central defender.
Eustace came on as a late substitute for
Will Hughes
William James Hughes (born 17 April 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Crystal Palace.
Having graduated a scholarship with Derby County, Hughes made his first team breakthrough during t ...
in Derby's opening game against
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
. His first Derby start was in the 1–0
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
win at
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic ...
.
Eustace scored the first goal of his second spell at Derby with a looping header against Queens Park Rangers on 10 February 2014, at Pride Park.
He picked up a serious knee cartilage injury against
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
in a 1–0 victory on 10 January 2015, a focal point in defensive central midfield, Eustace had only been on the losing side once in 14 appearances prior to his injury for Derby during the 2014–15 season. His manager
Steve McClaren
Stephen McClaren (born 3 May 1961) is an English former professional footballer and coach who currently serves as an assistant coach for Premier League club Manchester United, in his second spell at the club.
McClaren began his coaching care ...
described Eustace's injury as a 'big blow'. The injury required an operation and ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Eustace was released by Derby in June 2015.
On 22 June 2015, Eustace was linked with a move to Scottish giants
Rangers, with newly appointed manager
Mark Warburton
Mark Warburton (born 6 September 1962) is an English professional football manager and former player who is a first-team coach at West Ham United.
As a player, Warburton was a right back at non-League level with Enfield and Boreham Wood. He beg ...
claiming, "People like John Eustace are few and far between, people like John are ultra-professional on and off the pitch. They are great role models. If you look at his record and the win ratio when John's playing, it's really important. He had a big role to play at Derby over the last few years."
Despite the link to Rangers, Eustace retired from playing due to his injury.
Coaching career
Following his retirement as a player, Eustace moved into coaching. On 21 April 2016, he was named manager of
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
side
Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed in ...
, signing a one-year contract until the end of the 2016–17 season. While at the club, Eustace transformed the side's style of play,
with the Harriers being dubbed the "non-league
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
". Eustace led his side to the play-offs in two seasons, as well as the First Round Proper of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
.
He left the club on 25 May 2018 to join former manager Steve McClaren at
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
as assistant manager. At QPR, he had a brief spell as caretaker manager in 2019, helping the club avoid relegation from the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
with 7 points from his 7 games in charge.
Following
Mark Warburton
Mark Warburton (born 6 September 1962) is an English professional football manager and former player who is a first-team coach at West Ham United.
As a player, Warburton was a right back at non-League level with Enfield and Boreham Wood. He beg ...
's arrival as manager in May 2019, Eustace remained as his assistant and began studying for his
UEFA Pro Licence
UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, mandates several coaching licences for professional managers, each valid for coaching at a certain level. These include the UEFA Pro Licence, the UEFA A Licence, and the UEFA B Licence. They are iss ...
.
In March 2022 he was named as Assistant Manager of the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
team under manager
Stephen Kenny, while he would also continue his existing role at QPR.
Eustace, along with
Matt Gardiner, left his role at QPR in June 2022 following the appointment of new manager
Michael Beale.
Eustace succeeded
Lee Bowyer
Lee David Bowyer (; born 3 January 1977) is an English football manager and former professional player.
As a player, he was a midfielder who featured for Charlton Athletic, Leeds United, West Ham United (two spells), Newcastle United, Birmingha ...
as head coach of Championship club
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
on 3 July 2022. He signed a three-year contract.
Career statistics
As a player
Source:
As a manager
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eustace, John
1979 births
English footballers
Living people
Association football midfielders
Coventry City F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
Dundee United F.C. players
Middlesbrough F.C. players
Stoke City F.C. players
Hereford United F.C. players
Watford F.C. players
Premier League players
Sportspeople from Solihull
Scottish Premier League players
English Football League players
English football managers
Kidderminster Harriers F.C. managers
Birmingham City F.C. managers
Queens Park Rangers F.C. non-playing staff
Association football coaches
National League (English football) managers
English Football League managers