Gregg Broughton says Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Rovers exit had become “inevitable” – but is confident John Eustace can be a long-term success at Ewood Park.

Tomasson left the club by mutual consent last month and has since taken charge of the Swedish national team.

“When I came to the club last June, I was presented by the board with three head coaches they had shortlisted,” Broughton told Training Ground Guru.

“We agreed on the strategy and the vision and because of that, I asked for Jon Dahl to be added to that interview list.

“I had never met him or even spoken to him before but I had been tracking him from some previous work I had done on head coach recruitment.

“From that interview process, the board supported that and we employed Jon Dahl. He did what we had asked him to do, he made the game model alive and made us really competitive.

“Last year, we came very close to getting into the play-offs. We also had fantastic runs in both cup competitions as well.

“But I think the situation had come to a head by the end of January and beginning of February, where I think a head coach change had become inevitable.”

Lancashire Telegraph: Rovers boss John EustaceRovers boss John Eustace (Image: PA)

Eustace had impressed at Birmingham earlier this season before his controversial sacking, and Rovers were confident he was the right man for the job.

Broughton continued: “My role then was to present the board of directors with a list. It is something we had been working on – and I have been quite open about it - for the previous 12 months.

“You have to highlight the risks, strengths and weaknesses of anybody who sits on that list.

“My job, when John Eustace comes into the post on the back of that, is to support him as best as possible, as I did with Jon Dahl previously.”

Rovers still have work to do heading into the final eight games of the Championship season as they aim to pull away from the relegation zone.

Broughton explained: “If you go back to where (Eustace) started at Kidderminster Harriers, they were very open and knows as the ‘Barcelona of non-league football’ in terms of some of their attacking play.

“You also saw at Birmingham last year that all of their players were either under 21 or over 28, they had very few players in that middle section. He also left the club in the play-off positions.

“Some of the headline data might not suggest that is the perfect match but when you scratch beneath the surface and do the research, there is a lot of alignment with the way we want to do things.

“The head coach needs the opportunity to get on the grass and implement his style of play. In John’s first five weeks here, we had double gameweeks because of our success in the FA Cup.

“This is the first extended period where he has been on the grass with the players, but I think he will need the rest of the season and pre-season as well for him to be able to put his slant on our game model.”