Former Premier League Shareholder Predicts Birmingham City Manager

Former Premier League owner Simon Jordan feels there will be a high level of interest in Birmingham City’s vacant managerial position.

The Blues have had a turbulent season, with four different managers in charge. It all started with John Eustace, who led the West Midlands club to their finest start to the season in years. Despite a 3-1 victory over rivals West Bromwich Albion that propelled them into the play-offs in October, he was fired in favor of Wayne Rooney.

To put it frankly, the former England international was a complete washout. He managed only two victories in 15 games before being demoted.

Tony Mowbray, the former Sunderland manager, was brought in to steady the ship as the club hovered barely above the relegation zone. He succeeded, winning three and losing only two of his six league games in command before being forced to take a medical leave of absence. Gary Rowett eventually returned to the club, but he supervised its relegation to the third tier for the first time in 29 years.

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 surfaced last week that former Hull City manager Liam Rosenior was being lined up by club administrators. Sunderland is thought to be one of his many fans, therefore the battle for his signature will be fierce. Meanwhile, Steve Bruce is thought to be interested in returning to St Andrew’s.

Despite their recent relegation, talkSPORT expert Simon Jordan predicts that the post will be much sought after. According to Birmingham Live, the former 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.

Birmingham is a large club that will continue to appeal to those looking for fresh opportunities. Despite playing in League One next season, the potential to guide them back to the Championship at the first attempt would look wonderful on anyone’s CV, albeit it does come with some risk.

Liam Rosenior is thought to be uninterested in the role. This is logical given his high stock and expectations from a number of Championship clubs. Ian Evatt, who recently failed in the play-offs with Bolton Wanderers, could be a good candidate.