Tony Mowbray to give John O’Shea opportunity at Birmingham after Wayne Rooney exit
John O'Shea had been working at Birmingham City under Wayne Rooney. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
John O’Shea will get an opportunity to impress new Birmingham City boss Tony Mowbray and keep his job on the coaching staff with the club.
Former Ireland man O’Shea was brought to Birmingham by his former Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney last year, along with Ashley Cole. Since he retired from playing O’Shea (42) has had coaching roles with Reading and Stoke City, was assistant manager to Jim Crawford with the Ireland U-21s for a spell and was more recently promoted to the Ireland senior squad staff by Stephen Kenny.
The FAI confirmed in November that O’Shea’s time on their staff ended with Kenny’s departure.
Today's Sport News in 90 Seconds - 12th January
While they were not immediately axed by the club when Rooney was sacked last week, there was no confirmation that they had been formally retained by Mowbray, who now says he will take time before making a final decision on his backroom staff.
“I come in with an open mind, I come in without an agenda,” Mowbray said today. “What I’ve got around me, the extras as I arrive, I have to suss out really. I have already talked to all the coaching staff individually and got their own views. I think things will develop.
"What’s important is we put the team at the centre of what we are trying to do really and it will evolve itself. Every time I go to a new club I don’t go in with an agenda - ‘I’m getting rid of him, I’m sacking him, he’s moving on’ - I don’t do that. I have to find out about the people.
"Sometimes the people want to stay and grow, and learn from you. Sometimes the people want to leave for whatever reason, they want to be a manager now and think they have been here long enough.
“I’m pretty open about it. Let’s see how it goes. People will be making their own minds up of what they want to do. The staff will be the staff. If we need to add some because people leave, that’s what we will do. If nobody leaves, it’ll be fine and we’ll get on with it."
