Patience is wearing thin as Blues head to Rotherham

When Gianfranco Zola walked through the door, he was saying all the right things despite being instantly under pressure. The disarray in the terraces at the decision to sack Gary Rowett was the biggest hurdle Zola had to jump.

Four months on, he’s unarguably further away from jumping that hurdle than he was back in December.

On Monday, the board of Birmingham City released a statement effectively backing their manager. A dreaded vote of confidence it may well have been. But the carefully and cleverly worded statement was not indictment of the club’s vision or Zola – yet defeat at Rotherham tomorrow could make Zola’s position untenable. Certainly it’ll be untenable in the fans eyes.

I read an article this week that suggested that when an away contingent turn on the team and manager vocally (which Arsenal fans did in Monday’s defeat at Palace) it’s game over.

Blues’ fans have been praised for their support of the team through a torrid run which has seen them win just twice in 22 games – the average attendance at St. Andrews has increased by 1,700 since the Italian took the reigns. However, even the most ardent Bluenose has a limit of what they can take. That’s why, Rotherham is a must win for Zola, a must win for Blues and a must win for the fans.

Failure to bring three points – and confirmed safety – back from the New York Stadium tomorrow will be the final straw for many fans’ patience.