Gary Rowett – One Year On

One year ago to this very day, Gary Rowett was appointed manager of Birmingham City. A club that was struggling on and off the pitch needed stability. Panos Pavlakis didn`t have to look far – then Burton Albion boss Rowett was always his first choice.

At the time, I heard whispers that sending an SOS to a League Two manager was a huge gamble, but Blues had to act within their means. The parameters wouldn`t have stretched to tempt Chris Hughton into a return so Rowett was Blues` go-to guy.

In all honestly, it was more of a gamble for Rowett. His job at Burton was a cushty little number and he was heading to League One, seemingly the same place as the club he was about to take over. Rowett took to the hot seat following an 8-0 drubbing at the hands of Bournemouth.

Through it all, Rowett genuinely believed the players had the quality to get out of the mess they were in. A hard earned goalless draw against Wolves followed by a home win against promotion hopefuls Watford set the foundations to build on.

One year on, Blues are sitting sixth in the Championship table, only a single point off the automatic promotion spots.

It has been a truly magnificent turn around. The economic situation at the club has helped slightly. With Carson Yeung and Peter Pannu off the scene, the club is starting to rebuild slowly but surely and matters on the field are looking somewhat brighter.

Regardless of whether Blues finish in a play-off this season, Rowett and his backroom staff, and the players of course, deserve a huge amount of praise. Not only has our club come through the worst, we as fans can now look forward to a bright future.

Happy Rowett Day!

Twitter @TheWildeyShow