Birmingham City have hit the headlines in recent days with their managerial choices, so let’s take a look at another high-profile manager to have occupied the St Andrew’s dugout – Harry Redknapp.
The former West Ham United manager was appointed as Birmingham’s manager on the 18th of April 2017 in a last-ditch attempt to save the club from relegation following Gianfranco Zola’s disastrous spell. Redknapp was given just three games to achieve the goal but managed it with two wins from those games.
Redknapp’s tenure would come to an end on 16th September after a poor start to the following season, as the club lost six of the opening eight games. The following players are those who started what looks to be the FA Cup winning manager’s final game in management, a 3-1 defeat to Preston North End at St Andrew’s.
David Stockdale
Stockdale initially joined The Blues in the summer of 2017 on a free transfer from Brighton and Hove Albion.
The stopper began his career at York City before impressing at Darlington and earning a move to Premier League Fulham. The promising keeper was called up to the England squad in 2011 only to withdraw to get married!
Loans with Plymouth Argyle and Hull City preceded a permanent switch to Brighton in 2014. Stockdale would play regularly across the three seasons he spent with Albion before a somewhat surprising move to St Andrew’s.
A regular in his first seasons with the Midlands outfit, Leeds-born Stockdale would endure a torrid time under Garry Monk and the Pep Clotet. He spoke openly on the Undr The Cosh podcast about the treatment he received from the club’s owners and how he was ostracised from the first team.
Stockdale represented Southend, Coventry City, Wycombe Wanderers and Stevenage on short-term loans and joined Wycombe permanently ahead of their Championship campaign. Sheffield Wednesday were his next destination before returning to York City this summer.
Emilio Nsue
Mallorca-born Nsue has represented clubs in Spain, England, Cyprus and Bosnia as well as having an impressive record of 15 goals in 37 matches for Equatorial Guinea. The versatile 33-year-old started with Mallorca and turned out for Castellon and Real Sociedad on loan before heading to England with Middlesbrough.
He was a regular with ‘Boro in the Championship but struggled to force his way into their Premier League starting lineup and headed back to the Championship with Birmingham. He would make 18 league appearances for the Blues as Harry Redknapp took over the reins from Gianfranco Zola and guided the club to 19th and safety.
The 2017/18 season would also see Birmingham change managers (twice), Nsue made 18 appearances and the club finished 19th in the Championship. By the time he left to join APOEL Nicosia, The Blues were on to Garry Monk having replaced Redknapp’s replacement Steve Cotterill after a little over five months in charge.
The Equatorial Guinea international would play for Nicosia, Apollon Limassol, FK Tuzla City and his current club CF Intercity of the third tier of Spanish football. Nsue is a two-time Cypriot champion with Nicosia and won the European Under 19 and 21 Championships with Spain in 2007 and 2011.
Harlee Dean
Dean worked his way through the non-league ranks with Dagenham and Redbridge, making loan moves to Redbridge FC, Bishop’s Stortford, Thurrock, Braintree and Grays Athletic before getting his big break moving to Southampton. The Saints were in League One and first-team football would prove hard to get for the centre back. A loan move to Brentford was eventually turned permanent.
Close to 250 appearances, a League One promotion and defeat in the Championship playoffs followed before his switch to the second city. The Blues parted with around £2 million for Dean’s services and he would appear 200 times for the St Andrews outfit, winning their Supporters’ Player and Players’ Player of the Year awards in 2020/21.
As Dean’s first team involvement began to wane, he was loaned to Sheffield Wednesday and eventually released in the summer of 2023, joining League One new boys Reading on a free.
Michael Morrison
Centre-back Morrison began his career at Cambridge United before a move to then League One outfit Leicester City where he was part of the side that won the division and achieved promotion to the Championship. A short time at Sheffield Wednesday was followed by three full seasons and another League One promotion with Charlton Athletic in 2011-12.
Morrison then moved to St Andrews and spent five seasons with City, making over 180 appearances, including Redknapp’s final match as a manager. Since leaving the second city, Morrison has represented Reading and Portsmouth and he currently represents his first club, Cambridge. The defender has represented England C and has over 600 matches to his name.
Maxime Colin
French full-back Colin was Birmingham’s goal scorer on the day of Redknapp’s last game as a manager having joined the club that summer from Brentford. The Under 20 international began his career in Ligue 2 with US Boulogne, representing the club 57 times before stepping into Ligue 1 with ESTAC Troyes.
A brief spell in Belgian with giants Anderlecht was Colin’s next stop before heading to England and the Championship with Brentford. After two seasons with the Bees, Birmingham shelled out close to £3 million for the defender
The Frenchman established himself as a mainstay in the Birmingham side over the next six seasons, going on to make over 250 appearances for the club under no fewer than seven permanent managers. Colin left the second city this summer to head back to France and currently represents Ligue 1 side FC Metz.
Cheikh N’Doye
Senegalese midfielder N’Doye began his European football journey with French 3rd Division outfit SAS Epinal in 2009. N’Doye then moved to fellow Championnat National side US Créteil-Lusitanos where his 11 goals helped earn a spot in Ligue 2.
His form in front of goal would continue over the following two seasons in France’s second-tier, scoring over 20 goals from his midfield spot. This form caught the attention of Ligue 1 side Angers SCO. After two seasons in western France, the 33-cap international joined Birmingham on a free as Harry Redknapp looked to build a squad capable of improving on the previous season of struggle.
Having featured in 37 of 46 Championship games in his first season, the financial issues at the club were a factor in a loan return to Angers for 2018-19. Over a year without a club followed before returning to Championnat National with Red Star, where N’Doye has started this season with four goals in seven games. His current manager is the former Newcastle United defender Habib Beye.
Jason Lowe
Wigan-born midfielder Lowe started his career with Blackburn Rovers where, after a short loan at Oldham Athletic, he would go on to make close to 200 appearances. Lowe would eventually leave the club following relegation from the Championship in 2017 when he signed a one-year deal with Birmingham.
The England Under 21 international’s time at St Andrew’s did not pan out quite how he would have hoped, picking up an injury early in the season and then being frozen out of the squad by Cotterill and then Monk following Redknapp’s departure.
His next stop was Bolton Wanderers, joining at a time of financial uncertainty. His first season with the club ended in relegation from the Championship and that was followed by a 12-point deduction at the start of the League One campaign. Wanderers were unable to save themselves from successive relegation and, after just over 70 matches for the club, Lowe was released.
Three years and 125 games at Salford City came next for the former Blackburn man, enjoying EFL Trophy success in 2020 as his decisive shootout penalty helped defeat Portsmouth at Wembley. In the summer of 2023, Lowe signed for League One side Port Vale.
David Davis
Wolverhampton Wanderers academy product Davis has made over 300 appearances since making his competitive debut for Darlington in 2009-10. Further loan moves to Walsall, Shrewsbury, Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Chesterfield preceded a brief period of regular football at parent club Wolves before a permanent switch to Midlands rivals Birmingham City in 2014.
The Smethwick-born midfield man was a regular at St Andrew’s during his first three seasons with the club before his playing time dwindled and he sought pastures new. A return to former loan club Shrewsbury was next for Davis where he spent two seasons in League One before moving on again, this time to League Two side Forest Green Rovers.
During his first season with the club, he had a very brief loan at Solihull Moors. It is here that the whereabouts of the former Wolves man become a little unclear. Transfermarkt have him as a Forest Green player but the club’s official website does not include him in the first team list.
Jacques Maghoma
Versatile midfielder Maghoma began life as a footballer with Tottenham Hotspur before moving on to the then League Two outfit Burton Albion. The young midfielder enjoyed a fruitful spell with the Brewers, culminating in his best scoring season in 2012-13 when he found the net 15 times as the club just lost out in the playoffs.
This form caught the eye of Championship side Sheffield Wednesday who secured his signature on a free transfer. After playing 66 times for Wednesday and contributing to 15 goals over two seasons, the DR Congo international was on the move again this time to St Andrew’s.
The move saw him reunite with his former Burton manager Gary Rowett and he would go on to appear under no fewer than six permanent managers over his five seasons at the club. Over those seasons, Maghoma represented Birmingham on 180 occasions and contributed to 43 goals. His form helped him win the Player of the Year and Player’s Player of the Year awards in 2017-18. He would be released from his contract at the end of 2019-20.
Upon his departure from Birmingham, Maghoma joined East Bengal of the Indian Super League for one season before returning to England to train with Spalding United, then managed by his former DR Congo team mate Gabriel Zakuani and signing for National League South side Hemel Hempstead Town. He retired from football in October 2022.
Sam Gallagher
Gallagher started his youth career with Plymouth Argyle before Southampton won the race for his signature in 2012. The striker debuted for the Saints in 2013 and scored his first goal for the club against Yeovil in the FA Cup. He spent time on loan at MK Dons, Blackburn Rovers and the season with Birmingham as he looked to gain experience and a chance to force his way into Southampton’s Premier League side.
His time with Blackburn in the 2016-17 season saw the England Under 20 international score 11 goals in 43 outings and his Birmingham loan the following season returned six goals in 33 matches. The striker would eventually sign for Blackburn Rovers permanently in 2019 and is still at Ewood Park at the time of writing.
Jeremie Boga
Boga’s time in English football began with Chelsea but it would be in France with Stade Rennais where the young attacker would gain his first experience of professional football, appearing in 27 Ligue 1 matches across the 2015-16 season.
His next season would be spent in La Liga with Granada before making his solitary Chelsea appearance the following season. Following that appearance, the Ivory Coast international was sent on loan to Birmingham City. Boga played 34 times for the Blues across all competitions as they narrowly avoided the drop to League One.
His form in the Midlands must have been excellent as Italian side Sassuolo, then managed by current Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi, were convinced to shell out a fee of around £8 million according to Transfermarkt.
Fellow Serie A side Atalanta were impressed by Boga’s form and signed the player, firstly on loan and then for a fee reported to be £19 million. He made 47 appearances and contributed 10 goals for Atalanta over two seasons before joining French club OGC Nice this summer for around £15 million.
Harry Redknapp
Redknapp had a long managerial career after taking the hotseat at Bournemouth in 1983. Following a promotion and relegation with the club, Redknapp would rejoin West Ham United where he spent the bulk of his playing career. He became the club’s manager in 1994 and remained in that role until 2001.
He became Director of Football at Portsmouth before assuming the role of manager in 2002. He would take Pompey into the Premier League by winning the Division One title in 2003. Controversially, Redknapp would take over at Pompey’s archrivals Southampton before returning to Fratton Park after relegating the Saints!
Portsmouth would go on to win the 2008 FA Cup before Tottenham came calling in 2008. Redknapp helped Spurs into the Champions League but would eventually be relieved of his role in 2012. Two promotions and a relegation followed with Queens Park Rangers before entering his final job at Birmingham, charged with winning two of the last three games to give the Blues even a chance of staying up. The experienced manager completed this task but would only last eight games of the 2017-18 season before he left the club.
Since leaving football management, Redknapp has, of course, been named King of the Jungle after appearing on the ITV show ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!
