Birmingham City are set to appoint former Derby County manager Gary Rowett as their new interim head coach later today, according to John Percy of The Telegraph, with the club currently just outside the relegation zone on goal difference.
The Blues are now in talks with their former manager, as they aim to bring him in on a short-term deal. This comes after Tony Mowbray was forced to undergo surgery, which is likely to rule him out until the end of the campaign.
Rowett left Millwall last October in a decision described by both as a mutual agreement. He was in charge at the Den for four years and finished in the top half of the division in each of those seasons. He has also had a previous spell at Derby County, where he led the Rams to the playoffs in 2018.
The ex-Birmingham player was also in charge at St Andrew’s from 2014 until 2016 and guided them to two tenth-place finishes in back-to-back seasons before being sacked and replaced by Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola.
The side from the Midlands are currently 21st in the Championship, with goal difference being the only thing between them and the drop zone at present. They are also without a win in six games, with the last victory coming back in February against Sunderland which was also the final game Mowbray took charge of.
Mark Venus has been in the dugout since the former Black Cats manager was forced to step out due to health issues. The club are now set to act to try to move away from the relegation battle with the appointment of Rowett. As per the report, there is expected to be an announcement later today.
It will be the fourth manager in charge of Birmingham this season, after John Eustace and Wayne Rooney. The Blues’ next fixture is against Queens Park Rangers away from home on Friday night.
Writer’s View
With the club slipping towards the relegation zone at an alarming rate, it makes sense to appoint someone who knows the club and the league. Rowett is aware of what it takes to keep a side up in the Championship, and the owners believe he can do just that in the unfortunate absence of Mowbray.
If the former Derby County man can put a couple of wins together, it will raise the hopes of the fans for the remainder of the season and keep them in the division for another year so they can try and rebuild again with Mowbray at the helm.
