Former Premier League owner Simon Jordan believes there will be plenty of interested parties in the vacant managerial position at Birmingham City.
The Blues have endured a season of turmoil which saw no less than four different managers take the hot seat. It all started with John Eustace, who guided the West Midlands-based club to their best start to a campaign in years. However, despite a 3-1 win over rivals West Bromwich Albion taking them into the play-off places in October, he was sacked in favour of Wayne Rooney.
To put it bluntly, the former England international was an absolute flop. He picked up just two wins in 15 games before also finding himself cast aside.
Languishing just above the relegation zone, ex-Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray was brought in to steady the ship. He did just that, winning three and losing just two of his six league games in charge before he was forced to take a leave of absence on medical grounds. Eventually, Gary Rowett rejoined the club, but oversaw their relegation to the third tier for the first time in 29 years.
Birmingham confirmed this afternoon that Mowbray had informed them that he had decided to stand down. As a result, the club will now be looking for a new manager to guide them into League One next season.
We can confirm that Tony Mowbray has informed the Club of his decision to stand down as Men’s First Team Manager with immediate effect.
— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) May 21, 2024
Reports emerged last week that former Hull City boss Liam Rosenior was being lined up by club executives. There will be a fight for his signature though, with Sunderland said to be amongst his many admirers. Meanwhile, Steve Bruce is believed to be interested in a return to St Andrew’s.
According to talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan, there will be plenty of interest in the position, despite their recent relegation. Via Birmingham Live, the ex-Crystal Palace owner said:
“It doesn’t matter what you do off-the-field. You can live in this world of off-the-field stuff for a period of time but if you relegate your club from the Championship into League One, then you are accountable for it.
“All these guys have done is waste a year. But, be under no illusions, it’s not easy to own a club in the first season. I did something similar and we got out of relegation on the last day of the season. But I didn’t take a manager out who was sixth in the league.
“I do get tired of hearing this argument about style of football. Sod the style of football, get out of League One.
“There’ll be plenty of takers for the Birmingham job. There’ll be plenty of people who see it as an opportunity. It’s a big football club that should have done far more things during its lifespan.”
Aside from Rosenior, Alex Neil, Ian Evatt, Darren Ferguson and Michael Skubala are considered to be amongst the early frontrunners.
Writer’s View
Birmingham are indeed a big club and will still be an attractive option to some looking for new jobs. Despite playing in League One next season, the opportunity to guide them back to the Championship at the first time of asking would be great on anyone’s CV, although it certainly comes with a degree of risk attached to it.
Liam Rosenior is said to be uninterested in the post. This is understandable as his stock remains high and he is expected to be high on the list of a number of Championship clubs. Someone like Ian Evatt could be a decent shout after his recent play-off failure with Bolton Wanderers.