Derby County: 3 managers David Clowes must eye as John Eustace faces big pressure | OneFootball

Derby County may be on the hunt for a new head coach shortly after a poor start to the campaign

The pressure is starting to pile up on Derby County head coach John Eustace, after the Rams fell into the relegation zone on Wednesday following a 1-0 home defeat against a West Brom side who played with 10 men for the better part of an hour.

It's been a tumultuous summer at Pride Park, with all the noise surrounding the potential investment of Turki Alalshikh being pulled out at the eleventh hour and several injuries to begin the campaign.

That being said, it's been incredibly worrying on the pitch for a side who finished eighth last season, especially going forward.

The Rams had three shots on target on Wednesday despite playing at home against 10 men, which follows on from having no shots on target away at West Ham United last weekend and at home against Swansea City the week before.

John Eustace is receiving pressure from Derby County fans following West Brom loss

Eustace does have credit in the bank at Derby. He helped stave off relegation in his first half-season before turning a slow start round last year and finishing just outside the play-offs in a position that, this time round, gets them into the postseason.

However, some Rams fans are starting to get restless surrounding the recent results and are calling for him to be replaced.

"Gone by October if he doesn’t win 2 of the next 3 games. No style, no patterns of play, no consistency, no confidence," one Derby fan tweeted after the loss against West Brom.

"Feels like he’s lost the fans. Is there any coming back from that? Players next? Injuries really costing us but still not a bottom 3 side though. #dcfc," a second fan said.

"Spineless performance second half poor team selection. Lack of attacking quality questions need to be asked. #eustaceout," was also among the comments following the defeat on Wednesday night, as was, bluntly, "Sack the clown."

If the higher-ups at Pride Park do pull the trigger on a change, these three managers should be among the shortlist to replace Eustace in the dugout.

Scott Parker

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Whenever a manager in the Championship gets sacked this season, you get the feeling that, if Scott Parker is available, they'll be trying to bring him in.

The 45-year-old has achieved promotion with three different sides: Fulham, AFC Bournemouth and, most recently, Burnley, overseeing record defensive numbers with the Clarets during the 2024/25 campaign.

Parker has been out of work since leaving Turf Moor in late April after once again failing to keep a side up after achieving success in the Championship. A move to another second-tier side would see him back in a more familiar setting.

It'd give him a new challenge, too. It's been three seasons, three promotions at the level, but he's done all three with clubs in receipt of parachute payments. Derby don't have that, so it would be a test of how good a coach he is with a weaker squad on paper.

Getting him in would showcase promotion intentions from the Rams, and if Parker is, indeed, one of the best around at the level, he'd be a well-received option at Pride Park.

Rob Edwards

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Rob Edwards is another head coach who is available after being sacked from a recently relegated Premier League side. His departure from Wolves was a little shocking, having first discovered the news on social media.

If he's ready to return to management, you'd imagine that a club such as Derby would be a good opportunity for him. Similar to Middlesbrough last summer, the Rams are a big club for the level, with aspirations of pushing for the play-offs.

He exceeded those expectations massively in his short time at the Riverside, putting down the foundations for what Kim Hellberg has eventually taken to the next level.

Under Edwards, Boro were difficult to break down, which would bode well for a Derby side whose strengths lie in the engine room and in the defence, rather than in attack at this moment in time.

The 43-year-old also has promotion credentials, having won in the play-offs with Luton Town. Perhaps he could replicate that at Pride Park?

Jon Dahl Tomasson

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Former Danish footballing legend Jon Dahl Tomasson hasn't been in club management since he walked away from his role at Blackburn Rovers over two years ago due to a lack of financial backing from the Venkys ownership.

He said that the job turned into a project he didn't sign up for, something which likely was a reason for John Eustace to jump ship with the club in the play-offs to join Derby back in February 2025.

Nevertheless, like Eustace before him, Tomasson was successful with what he had at Ewood Park during a time when he clearly cared a lot more about the direction of the club. In his only full season at the club, Blackburn finished seventh in 2022/23, missing out on the play-offs on goal difference.

Despite the Saudi funding being pulled, Derby are still well-backed by owner David Clowes. Patrick Agyemang arrived for up to £7.3 million last summer, and Bobby Clark cost around £6 million this summer.