The old cliché that nothing much surprises in football any more has been well versed in the days since Gary Rowett’s dismissal as Birmingham City manager, but more than a few heads were left scratched after events at St Andrew’s last week.
When the elusive Paul Suen’s Trillion Trophy Asia Limited (TTAL) completed a protracted takeover in October, his cautionary words were that they “have not come in to make outlandish promises or to implement decisions that could cause upheaval to the detriment of the club or team”.
Six weeks later, and it would be fair to say that hasn’t gone particularly well; for some reason it was deemed necessary to sack one of the brightest English managers in the Football League. A day earlier, a 2-1 win over Ipswich Town left Birmingham eighth and a point outside the Sky Bet Championship play-offs.
A mere six hours later, however, Gianfranco Zola was announced as his replacement: the man to lead Birmingham to the “bright and exciting future” TTAL is looking for, director Panos Pavlakis said, adding: “In football you can never stand still.”
When Rowett arrived in 2014, Birmingham were plummeting. They languished second from bottom in the Championship having just endured an 8-0 home thrashing by Bournemouth. The club were in a precarious financial state and that year previous owner Carson Yeung had been convicted and imprisoned for money laundering.
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Still, despite financial constraints, the former Burton Albion manager engineered two tenth-place finishes and restored a sense of pride in a club firmly in the doldrums since their relegation from the Premier League in 2011.
In an interview in October, marking two years in the job — making Rowett then, astonishingly, the third longest-serving manager in the Championship — he spoke forebodingly about the revolving door of managers and the lack of opportunity for English coaches in the Premier League today. “I could say it’s unfair, but we all know what we’re getting into,” he told The Telegraph.
“I know the circumstances were not easy, but we are professional and we have to do the best for this clubGianfranco Zola
Unfair? If a manager such as Rowett is not afforded the opportunity to take Birmingham forward, to work with the more substantial budget now available after getting every last morsel from the resources at his disposal while having to make do and mend for so long, it does beg the question, why?
Before Saturday’s game against Brighton & Hove Albion, Dave Thomas, editor of the Made In Brum fanzine that he is flogging outside St Andrew’s, shakes his head when asked about the decision. “The football wasn’t always great,” he says, “but he’s a bright young manager and was learning from his mistakes.”
Other fans spoke of Rowett showing a little too much eagerness to speak to prospective new employers, along with a supposed new contract on offer that had been left unsigned for some time.
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Given that the deal Rowett signed in January — there have been approaches by Fulham and Queens Park Rangers — was a 12-month rolling contract, any suggestion that Birmingham pushed before Rowett jumped doesn’t particularly hold up. Yesterday the former Birmingham player broke his silence after his surprise exit. “I am extremely disappointed that my time as manager has come to an end,” Rowett was quoted as saying in a League Managers Association statement. “I felt we were only halfway through the project and I strongly believed we were on course to achieve our objectives.”
Nevertheless, TTAL has evidently chosen to place its faith in a household name and face, suggesting a frustratingly common ignorance of the demands of English football, as West Midlands neighbours Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers, both under Chinese ownership, have also learnt about recently.
Zola’s Italian compatriots Roberto Di Matteo and Walter Zenga, appointed in the summer, have been replaced by the more experienced and proven, if less glamorous, perhaps, Steve Bruce and Paul Lambert. Time will tell if Birmingham, too, will be forced to revert to a manager similar to the one they had in place.
“Most people who own clubs see them as businesses now, they make money or gain status through them,” says Margaret Decker, 74, secretary of the Blues Trust. “Fans believe that they own part of the club: the traditions, the history, the stories . . .”
She and fellow Blues Trust board member Richard Stanley were handing out signs in the pubs and streets around St Andrew’s, reading “Thank you Gary Rowett”, before kick-off. They feel that as supporters they deserve an explanation for the decision, but will offer their full support to Zola.
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“Two seasons ago was the first time I considered not renewing my season ticket,” Stanley says. “After this I’ve returned to those feelings: would I rather watch a team in, say, the Southern League, where money is less significant as a driver of success than continue to watch a sport which is basically dominated by money, and is essentially now a business.”
A smattering of their signs thanking Rowett could be seen around St Andrew’s before Zola’s first game in the dugout — without any welcoming introduction — got under way.
After a goalless first half, a greater intensity to Birmingham’s play was rewarded when Lukas Jutkiewicz gave them the lead.
It took until the final ten minutes for Brighton to demonstrate why they entered the game second in the Championship table. Anthony Knockaert levelled from a Solly March cross, then, deep into stoppage time, an inswinging corner was met by Glenn Murray for the winner.
“It is very sad and cruel to lose games like that,” Zola said, before thanking the fans who sang his name fleetingly from the stands. “I know the circumstances were not easy, but we are professional and we have to do the best for this club.”