When Birmingham moved into the Sky Bet Championship play-off spots courtesy of a 3-1 win over neighbours West Brom, it signalled what could have been a new dawn for the club.
- @GabSutton is a football expert who specialises in the Sky Bet EFL
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Could have been.
John Eustace has since been sacked as boss, with Wayne Rooney appointed his successor.
Blues' best manager in 10 years sacked in pursuit of celebrity - is that what football has become? I thought my club was better than that.
Ahead of schedule
Since dropping down to the Championship in 2011, Blues have battled relegation in nine of 11 seasons.
So while last year’s 17th-place was far from spectacular, it was also the first campaign in which relegation had never seemed a genuine danger.
Expectations were on the floor in the summer of 2022 and inheriting a wafer-thin squad, Eustace had Blues seventh in mid-December, before nine defeats in 11 saw them plummet to 19th.
Eustace got the results he needed to negotiate an awkward campaign, whilst establishing a clearer style.
Simultaneously, he built an excellent relationship with his players, and was loved by supporters.
This season, backed by Tom Wagner and Knighthead Capital Management, who completed an eagerly anticipated takeover in July, he made 10 new signings and built a team that plays with an effervescent energy barely seen at St Andrews since the 2011-12 season under Chris Hughton.
It was early days but Blues looked a serious force.
Board not being honest
The statement announcing Eustace’s departure said the club was keen to implement a “winning mentality” and “culture of ambition” and that the new boss would “create an identity and clear ‘no fear’ playing style”.
Eustace had already done all of this.
He is ambitious. He had created an identity and a clear playing style. He certainly didn't come across as fearful - which is what the club have implied.
It is all an excuse for the real reason why they’ve changed tack.
Rooney’s celebrity appeal
Having NFL legend Tom Brady as minority owner and advisor, the club seeking a big-name manager should perhaps come as no shock.
A Netflix or Amazon series feels predictable even with no rumours, with Rooney and Brady the stars.
But at what cost?
For all the financial benefits of bringing the Manchester United and England legend in, a good manager has unfairly lost his job for one whose managerial career so far has been hit-and-miss.
Rooney remains unproven
Rooney did a reasonable initial job at Derby, scraping to safety in 2020/21 before financial woes saw the club lumbered with a 12-point deduction the following season and 21 departures ravaged the squad.
He had to work miracles with veterans and youngsters and natives appreciated his loyalty and commitment.
But he still didn’t achieve anything of substance. And he still hasn't.
At DC United his side was unable to qualify for the MLS play-offs in successive seasons.
Even if the 37-year-old has shown flashes of coaching potential, he simply cannot be considered a managerial upgrade on Eustace.
Celebrity over stability
Ultimately, Birmingham's new owners have put celebrity and money first.
The irony is the decision they have made risks everything, compromising the substance and synergy that Eustace had created in a progressive 18-month period.
Yes, Wagner and co. deserve gratitude for the hope they’ve given the club since taking over, their investment, communication and the vision that’s been laid out, and such that goodwill hasn’t dissipated entirely through this move. But it has begun to erode.
And what makes it all the worse is that these owners were supposed to be different, and yet we've been here before, Birmingham chasing celebrity over stability.
Let's hope we don't need Neil Warnock to be our Harry Redknapp come April.
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