Tony Mowbray, according to former Crystal Palace owner and talkSPORT analyst Simon Jordan, will be a “steady pair of hands” for Birmingham City.
Mowbray was named the Blues’ new manager on Monday, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract at St Andrew’s.
The 60-year-old has been out of employment since being ousted by Sunderland last month and now takes over for Wayne Rooney, who was fired last week after a catastrophic three-month reign.
Birmingham replaced John Eustace with Rooney in October, despite being sixth in the Championship standings at the time, and he won only two of his 15 games in charge, leaving the team in 20th place, six points above the relegation zone.
Mowbray will take command of the Blues for the first time on Saturday when they face Swansea City, and chief executive Garry Cook feels he is the ideal man for the position.
“Tony is a well-known figure in the game with a wealth of Championship experience.” He understands what it takes to succeed at this level. “Tony has rightfully earned a reputation as a manager who delivers results, enjoys playing attractive football, and believes in giving young players a chance,” Cook said in a statement on the club’s official website.
“He is the right leader at the right time for our club and I know that our supporters will be right behind him and the team.”
Jordan: Mowbray is a safe appointment for Birmingham City
Jordan believes Mowbray is a wise choice for Birmingham, but after consulting with an experienced manager, he questions the aim of the Rooney experiment.
“It’s fine, but you have to wonder what the point of the exercise was,” Jordan stated on talkSPORT.
“What was the point of removing John Eustace and replacing him with Wayne Rooney to return to a steady pair of hands?”
“It’s okay, he couldn’t get Sunderland where they wanted to go, I think because he spoke out of turn and the owner got the hump with it, Blackburn Rovers a little bit the same, but it’s all right.”
“You’re not going to have any dramas at Birmingham, you might give yourselves a chance of the play-offs, not this season, that’s gone.”
Jordan doubled back on his prior criticisms of Cook in a conversation with co-host Graeme Souness, blaming him for the decision to appoint Rooney.
“You didn’t hear the speech that Garry Cook gave when Rooney came in and set out the parameters of what Rooney was going to do, fearless football and all of this sort of nonsense that gets trotted out by people who seem to want to say things without any substance behind it,” Jordan went on to remark.
“That’s why I’m so critical here, the owners themselves; sometimes we make decisions because we think we can translate decisions from one industry to another.”
“But, with someone like this guy by your side, what’s the point of having him there?” “What’s the point of doing that?”
Is Tony Mowbray a good appointment for Birmingham City?
Mowbray is a fantastic choice for the Blues.
He accomplished an excellent job at Sunderland and was extremely unlucky to be fired last month, when the club was just outside the play-off places.
At the Stadium of Light, Mowbray produced a team that played attractive, attacking football, and he has earned a reputation as an excellent man manager.
Mowbray’s arrival is expected to alleviate any relegation anxieties at St Andrew’s, and if backed in the market, he might deliver success at the club.
