An open letter to Panos Pavlakis

Dear Mr. Pavlakis,

Supporters of Birmingham City will forever be grateful to you for the work you did in helping preserve the club we love. The previous regime was toxic and the club was in danger of going out of existence until your actions forced a long overdue takeover. So for that, we thank you.

However, now it is time to face up to the current situation and listen to the fans.

Back in December, you (and the board) removed Gary Rowett as manager of Birmingham City. Rowett was an honest, hardworking, likeable man who was doing an adequate job of overseeing the progress of this club, which he had to rebuild with limited resources. The style of football wasn`t to Paul Suen`s liking and, seemingly, Rowett wasn`t a big enough ‘name`.

Gianfranco Zola was appointed, a legendary player back in the day, but he arrived in the St. Andrews dugout with a point to prove. I, like many others, admire his bravery in trying to turn Blues into an attractive, expansive team. And like many others, I have tried to buy into Zola`s vision and defended him during this disastrous run of form.

But let`s be honest, it hasn`t worked. We`ve slipped from play-off contenders to relegation battlers. One win from 14 games is a truly atrocious record at any level and Saturday`s performance against QPR was on a par with the worst I have ever witnessed on home soil. Enough is enough.

We understand that the decision was seen as the best one for the club but it has horribly backfired. The players have no confidence, no idea and appear to be confused and baffled by the tactics and team selections. So please, for the sake of the fans (who turned up in numbers on Saturday) please replace Zola with a new manager who can bring a fresh approach and try to turn around this torrid form.

I say this not as someone who has a personal grudge against a very charming and personable man. I speak as a supporter of Birmingham City. And I think I speak on behalf of 99% of Birmingham City supporters when I say that it is time for Zola to leave. I thank him for his efforts and wish him good luck in the future. However, his future isn`t in the second city.

King regards,

Vital Blues (and 99% of Bluenoses)

Please note, this letter has been sent directly to Panos Pavlakis