Let’s rewind our clocks to the time Gary Rowett was sacked which took everyone by surprise, for his Birmingham City had outclassed Ipswich Town 2-1 the night before he was shown the exit route and were just a point adrift of the sixth spot, i.e., the last play-off berth. The Blues were farcical in the way they treated Rowett, which was arguably not the call of the hour then. When he took charge from Lee Clark, the team was in tatters and then, with his reign lasting a bit over two years, he changed the complexion of the St. Andrew’s based outfit.
He had beefed up Birmingham City’s squad by overseeing some eye-catching deals (though not all were shrewd ones), the supporters knew something big was in the making. There was an essence of strength and indomitable courage flowing up and down the side and time and again, he laid down that he wasn’t reluctant to lose but it was the desire to be brave on the pitch that mattered the most to him.
The fact that the new owners in the shape of Trillion Trophy Asia were cautious about how their money would be channelised, a couple of Rowett’s failed signings and off-the-camera disagreements and failure to chalk a consensus-ad-idem may be the excuses they could fork out as a justification.
One must be careful of what they wish for, as Gianfranco Zola’s appointment as the heir of Rowett hasn’t panned out in a convincing manner whatsoever. Zola has won just one game ever since taking over the responsibilities of taking the club forward, implying that only a backward trajectory has been the outcome so far.
The play-off spots are a distant dream now, for as many as 18 points separate them from sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday and the Chelsea legend’s spell hit a new low as they were thrashed 4-1 at home by Queens Park Rangers. Zola has failed to get the team together and sadly, the lack of bagging notable results have also played an instrumental role in his lacklustre managerial appointment at St. Andrew’s.
Besides, Zola’s spell at West Ham United, Watford and Cagliari barely yielded the dividends that his former employers desired and although it might to too early to give a verdict, a thought is creeping that perhaps Birmingham City roped in the wrong man. His January signings including Emilio Nsue, Cheick Keita and Kerim Frei haven’t helped in bringing about a change. The fans have started to be vocal and quite rightly so, for they didn’t want him in the first place and with such shambolic results, the 50-year-old’s days are seemingly numbered.
