Birmingham City are edging closer towards finding a permanent successor for Tony Mowbray in the dugout following the manager’s departure last week.
There have been numerous rumours surrounding the club’s pursuit of a new head coach after a catastrophic season which eventually led to relegation to League One for the first time in 30 years and just the third in the Blues’ history.
Liam Rosenior was one name linked with the vacant job at St. Andrew’s, having recently been relieved of his duties at Hull City at the beginning of May after he failed to guide the Tigers to a place in the Championship’s top six. Coincidentally, it was Hull’s inability to beat Plymouth Argyle at Home Park on the final day of the 2023/24 campaign under the guidance of Rosenior which ultimately relegated the West Midlands outfit.
Nevertheless, the former Derby County boss has found himself eyed up by the likes of Sunderland and even Norwich City, who are also searching for a new head coach, so it seems unlikely that the 39-year-old would be willing to drop down a division for his next job.
After successful interviews with the board, one manager who is now said to be the new favourite is ex-Stoke City, Norwich, and Preston North End boss Alex Neil. Having been a manager for merely 11 years, the Scot has proven himself to be a promotion expert, having achieved three promotions in his career so far – twice in England and once in Scotland.
His most recent feat was taking Sunderland from League One to the Championship before eventually, and perhaps surprisingly, jumping ship to Stoke during the early stages of the 2022/23 season. The Birmingham City board will be hoping Neil can pull off a similar triumph should they hand him the reins.
Sheffield Wednesday legend and current EFL pundit Carlton Palmer certainly believes this is the right appointment, hailing the 42-year-old as “tactically very shrewd” in an interview with Football League World.
“Through his managerial career, he is tactically very shrewd, and I think it is a good hire for Birmingham City.
“I think [Alex] Neil is a great appointment if he’s backed in the transfer market. He has proved he can work with young players. Pritchard, a former Sunderland player, who soared under Neil at Sunderland, has had a difficult start at Birmingham City, but I’m sure he will be delighted to see Alex Neil and Birmingham fans can get to see the best out of him next season.”
Writer’s View
Neil is exactly the type of manager that Birmingham need right now. Throughout his coaching career, he has proved he can get teams promoted, even if the style of football can sometimes be pragmatic, like at Sunderland when direct play to target man Ross Stewart was part of the team’s DNA, one which proved effective throughout the 2021/22 campaign.
The Blues will have one of the largest budgets in League One next season and need a promotion specialist like Neil to use these resources to ensure that the club don’t languish in the third tier for too long like Sunderland previously or Portsmouth until this term.
