Birmingham City CEO Garry Cook has revealed that Gary Rowett was the club’s first-choice option to replace Tony Mowbray and Mark Venus temporarily, making this admission on the club website.
The Midlands club have seen plenty of different figures in the dugout this term.
John Eustace was the main man at the start of the season and he made an excellent start to the 2023/24 campaign with Blues, even guiding them into the play-offs.
However, the board wanted to see a different style of play implemented and this led to the dismissal of Eustace, with this decision proving to be costly.
The appointment of Wayne Rooney was even more costly for Birmingham, who struggled to adapt to the former England international’s style.
This led to the Manchester United legend’s dismissal back in January, with the club in relegation danger following his terrible tenure.
Rooney’s successor Tony Mowbray looked set to steer the club away from relegation danger, but a health condition ruled him out of action and in his absence, his assistant Mark Venus took caretaker charge.
Unfortunately for Venus, he struggled massively and this has persuaded Blues to appoint Rowett on a short-term basis, before Mowbray and Venus’ potential return to the dugout ahead of next term.
