It has been an excellent season so far for Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, with John Eustace's side defying expectations to be among the early play-off contenders.
Blackburn narrowly avoided relegation last season after Eustace led them to survival following his arrival in February, and they suffered a huge blow in the summer as top scorer Sammie Szmodics departed for Ipswich Town.
Given that Rovers had found it tough with Szmodics, who scored an incredible 33 goals last term, in the team, many predicted another season of struggle would be ahead for the Lancashire outfit after his exit, but it has certainly not worked out that way.
Blackburn continued their surprise promotion push as they secured their third consecutive victory with a 1-0 win over Leeds United at Ewood Park on Saturday, with Todd Cantwell's first half penalty sealing all three points.
Rovers currently sit eighth in the table, just two points from the play-off places ahead of Saturday's trip to Hull City, and they have a game in hand on the teams above them.
Championship table (as it stands 4th December)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Of course, Blackburn supporters will be delighted with their season so far, but after reports emerged this week linking Eustace with Hull City, the fear of losing their manager could become a constant theme during the rest of the campaign.
John Eustace, Hull City speculation will frustrate Blackburn Rovers
John Eustace applauds the Blackburn Rovers supporters
Eustace may have only been at Ewood Park for just under nine months, but his excellent work has clearly earned him plenty of admirers.
After Ryan Lowe departed Blackburn's Lancashire neighbours Preston North End just one game into the season, Eustace was said to be on a shortlist of potential replacements.
It always seemed unlikely that Eustace would jump ship to one of Rovers' bitter rivals, and the 45-year-old emphatically shut down the speculation, telling the Lancashire Telegraph: "I don't know anything about it, I am happy here. I'm here to build. I came to build an exciting football team and, hopefully, we can do that. There's been no contact at all."
However, Eustace's comments did little to prevent further talk about his future, and he was linked with the Stoke City job in September following the departure of Steven Schumacher, while he was also said to be under consideration by Coventry City last month after the shock sacking of Mark Robins.
Given that Eustace had represented both Stoke and Coventry during his playing days, Rovers supporters could have been forgiven for being concerned about the rumours, but Narcis Pelach and Frank Lampard landed the respective roles, and Eustace remained at Ewood Park.
Eustace's name again came up in the conversation for the job at another Championship club this week when it was reported that he was on Hull City's list of targets to replace Tim Walter, and while it looks as though the Tigers are set to appoint Reading manager Ruben Selles, Blackburn will no doubt by exasperated by the constant speculation about their manager.
Blackburn Rovers will have big John Eustace fear that rival clubs will always be lurking
John Eustace (2)
It is rare that a sacking enhances a manager's reputation, but that is exactly what happened to Eustace when he was harshly dismissed by Birmingham City last October with the club sitting sixth in the Championship table.
The Blues' subsequent struggles under Wayne Rooney and eventual relegation to League One proved what an excellent job Eustace was doing at St Andrew's, and his work at Ewood Park has only won him further praise.
It is fair to say that Blackburn supporters were initially unconvinced by Eustace as he failed to win any of his first 10 games in charge - drawing seven and losing three - but he inherited a team that was sliding down the table under his predecessor, Jon Dahl Tomasson, and conceding goals at an alarming rate.
Eustace immediately instilled defensive stability in his side after his arrival to give them a platform for survival, and impressive late season victories at Sunderland, Leeds United and Leicester City secured Rovers' place in the Championship.
Despite the loss of Szmodics, Blackburn have improved significantly this season, and while Eustace's men did endure a slight decline in form during October and early November, they have been among the play-off contenders for the entirety of the campaign so far.
Sammie Szmodics, Blackburn Rovers Related
How much more Sammie Szmodics' annual salary at Ipswich Town is compared to at Blackburn Rovers
We take a look at how much Szmodics is earning at Portman Road, compared to what he was on at Ewood Park.
It is easy to see why Eustace is attracting interest, and while it does not seem as though any club has yet made a formal approach to Rovers, supporters will be concerned that he could depart if he was to receive an attractive offer, particularly given the ongoing off-field issues at Ewood Park.
The past week has underlined exactly what Eustace has brought to Blackburn, with his side defending resiliently and playing some neat football in their victories over Middlesbrough and Leeds United, and there is no doubt that losing him would be a huge blow to their promotion hopes.
Unfortunately for Rovers, if Eustace continues to deliver results, he will almost certainly be linked with further vacancies, but considering the loyalty he has shown the club so far, they will hope that he will resist any advances from elsewhere.