Rowett aims to keep Birmingham up.
After a poor season in the Championship, the Midlands team is expected to be relegated to League One on Saturday.
Birmingham are one point below Plymouth Argyle, lying in 22nd place and in the relegation zone, knowing they must win at home to Norwich City, especially given their goal difference is lower than the Pilgrims. Victory would offer them a chance of survival, as Plymouth face playoff-chasing Hull City at the same time, which will be difficult for them.
The season began with controversy for the Blues, with John Eustace’s resignation in October viewed as harsh, followed by Wayne Rooney’s disastrous tenure as manager.
Tony Mowbray then took over, however his season was cut short due to health issues, and Rowett has since returned to St Andrew’s as temporary manager, doing his best to keep Birmingham in the Championship. In seven games, he has averaged 1.14 points per game, compared to 1.49 points per game during his first term. He has struggled to lead his team out of danger.
Key Gary Rowett update comes.
According to Football Insider, Birmingham’s interim manager, Rowett, is unlikely to stay beyond this season, despite initial board aspirations for an extension.
According to the source, “there had been an expectation from the hierarchy that Rowett could make a strong case to land the job permanently, but that is not expected to now happen”, implying that he hasn’t done enough to merit remaining on and that the club has changed their mind.
In actuality, it would make sense to end Rowett’s second spell at Birmingham this summer, given that he hasn’t exactly excelled since returning to the club. Granted, he took over at a difficult moment, particularly with Mowbray’s position, but a new manager must be found before the start of the next season.
Some supporters may believe that the Englishman deserves to stay if he keeps the Blues in the Championship on Saturday, but the club should consider the larger picture rather than making a snap choice.
| Gary Rowett’s managerial career | Matches | Points per game |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham City (interim manager) | 7 | 1.14 |
| Millwall | 196 | 1.45 |
| Stoke City | 29 | 1.34 |
| Derby County | 60 | 1.60 |
| Birmingham City | 106 | 1.49 |
| Burton Albion | 135 | 1.60 |
Moving forward, this simply has to become a more settled period at St Andrew’s, with so many managerial changes indicating a lack of stability, particularly when Eustace was so harshly dismissed, despite Birmingham sitting sixth in the Championship table at the time, which seems unfathomable now given their current position.
Who that man is remains to be seen, but if the Blues do end up in League One next season, they need the proper person in place to ensure they bounce back on their first try.
Henry is a seasoned football writer with a strong interest and knowledge of the sport.
With more than a decade of writing experience, he joined Snack Media’s freelancing staff in 2020. He is also a regular contributor to This Is Anfield, one of the world’s most popular Reds-related websites, where he produces features and news and covers matchday coverage ranging from live blogs to the infamous Player Ratings.
Henry is a Liverpool supporter, as you might expect, and has written articles for the Times and the Guardian, as well as been on BBC Radio 5 Live and LBC.
He has also amassed nearly 30,000 Twitter followers and established himself as a go-to source for all things Reds.
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