Wayne Rooney left Birmingham in January after just 15 games. Photo: Getty Images/Steve Bardens
Ten years after their last madness Fleeing to safety, Birmingham City find themselves on course for League One again.
Birmingham will have to pull themselves together this weekend the spirit of the great escape of 2014 to prevent relegation that would deal a devastating blow to the team. -urgent ambitions of the owners of Knighthead Capital.
It has been another tumultuous season, from John Eustace's sacking in October to Wayne Rooney's disastrous experiment with his bold 'no fear' football, 22 defeats and an unbalanced squad. There have been four managers in total, with Tony Mowbray resigning on medical grounds in February and Gary Rowett returning to St Andrews a month later to lead the security mission.
Birmingham's task on Saturday is clear: they must beat Norwich City at home and hope their nearest rivals Sheffield Wednesday or Blackburn Rovers lose and Plymouth Argyle fail to win. The situation is critical, but strangely enough it feels different this year after eight relegation battles in a row.
When Birmingham defender Paul Caddis saved his club with a 93rd-minute equalizer at Bolton Wanderers 10 years ago, relegation would have been a disaster.
'Zhigich… he is disconnected from the line… and in comes… Paul Caddis! Incredible scenes at Reebok!” 😇#OTD in 2014. 👊 pic.twitter.com/T7JmvN72sH
— Birmingham City Football Club (@BCFC) May 3, 2023
At the time, management and perhaps something worse were genuine concerns of the club's owners. But now, under the leadership of Knighthead's American owners, there is a clear long-term strategy for further development and optimism for the future. Reaching League One for the first time since 1995 will set Knighthead's ambitions back a year or two, but it may be the reset this club desperately needs.
Birmingham fans of a certain age will remember the 1994-95 season under Barry Fry, when the club won the Double, as one of the most enjoyable. When Fry was appointed midway through the previous season, he famously insisted on taking Birmingham out of the division and, unfortunately, he was right. Nearly 30 years later, rumors are swirling about what the future holds.
Knighthead's vision is exciting and focused, and last month chairman Tom Wagner insisted the group is here to stay.
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“What happens in the next five games will have no impact on what we are aiming for and our vision for the next decade,” he said. “You can’t talk about multi-billion dollar investments and worry about the next two matches.”
There is no doubt about their commitment. Tom Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl winner, remains fully behind the club and is believed to have attended a recent Zoom meeting with officials at 5:30 a.m. US time. Knighthead have acquired 60 acres of land to build a new stadium at a cost of around £50 million, and insiders familiar with the plans say they are “amazing”.
Harry Cook, the club's CEO, who counts Manchester City among his former clubs, has also built a strong infrastructure. Many former Manchester City officials have been lured to the West Midlands to fill key roles. Mike Rigg, the former director of football at Etihad, became the new technical director of the Academy with a broad remit to develop junior levels, helping to develop Jude Bellingham.
Whatever happens this weekend, Birmingham's owners will look back on October 9 last year as the day that put them in such a precarious position. The decision to sack Eustace, who was sixth in the table, was ill-timed. There was a sense that the new regime wanted its man, but it stopped Birmingham's momentum and hurt the feel-good factor.
John Eustace was unexpectedly sacked from Birmingham in October after 15 months in charge. Photo: Getty Images/Cameron Smith
Rooney's arrival was inevitable and turned out to be a disaster. Nine defeats in 15 matches only tell half the story. As the results went from bad to worse, Rooney expressed his disappointment with his team's harsh assessments after the match. He was convinced that Birmingham would give him the money to completely revamp the team, but this would never happen due to concerns about the AFL's financial rules. Rooney may not have “lost the dressing room”, but his harsh remarks have undermined the confidence of the players.
Mowbray was a popular and sensible appointment to replace Rooney, and initially it happened. However, he had to leave in February due to illness, and although it was inevitable, the impact on the team was huge. With Mowbray's health still a major concern, there is no guarantee at this stage that he will return for pre-season training.
Rowett has stabilized the team with eight points from seven matches, but is working with a team made up of players whose futures are unclear. Discipline has been an issue, with one player sacked last month for being late to a team meeting.
With 15 players out of contract at the end of this season, next season's squad will look completely different regardless of Saturday's outcome . Recruiting needs to improve this summer. Many managers this season have lamented the lack of leadership. The club appears to have moved away from a core of reliable professionals such as John Ruddy, Mark Roberts, Gary Gardner and Lukas Jutkiewicz.
The team appears to have too many talented but mentally fragile players. Failing to sign a striker in January and allowing Kevin Long to leave for the United States appears costly.
Birmingham need one of their players to be the hero this weekend. Jay Stansfield, a striker on loan from Fulham, has scored 12 goals this season and will also be vital.
In the past they always seemed to find a way through. However, while the future may be bright, relegation is a roadblock no one wants.
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