With Birmingham City now on the up under the new boss Gary Rowett and his revolution well underway I am going to be time lining the key moments from his spell in charge so far.
20/10/14- Lee Clark sacked
On the 20th of October the news broke that Lee Clark and his assistant Steve Watson were both dismissed by Birmingham City FC. Clark was sacked after only winning 33 of his 116 games in charge with the blues sat just outside the relegation zone.
25/10/14 – Bournemouth bury Birmingham
5 days after the departure of Clark blues hosted high flying Bournemouth at St Andrews with caretaker Malcom Crosby at the helm. Fans were sensing déjà vu when the team was announced looking almost like a direct copy from Clark with no clear change in tactics or personnel. Then the flood gates opened at the back as the visitors took the win with them but not before smashing blues for 8 without reply. Things looked dire for Birmingham with a derby clash on the horizon.
27/10/14 – The Revolution begins
Exactly a week after the last permanent manager was sacked Gary Rowett stood before the press as his replacement. With a previous spell at the club, as a player, fans were quick to get behind the new boss as he set to work. Rowett left Burton Albion, where he was manager, challenging at the top of League 2 and brought his own backroom staff in to help bring Birmingham City away from the foot of the table. With only days from a local derby it was going to be a real test for Rowett to make a noticeable change before his baptism of fire.
31/10/14 – Morrison man`s up the defence
Just days into his reign as manager Rowett welcomed Michael Morrison on a 2 month loan from Charlton as he sought to patch up the defence that let in 8 goals in its last time out. With the signing of Charlton`s then vice-captain who stands at 6 foot he did exactly that.
1/11/14 – Wolves wobble as Birmingham build a new start
Rowett went into his first match within days of arriving at blues and with little time to change things many expected a Wolves whitewash. As the game played out in front of the sky cameras it became clear Rowett had managed to already beginning to get across his ideas to the Birmingham squad. With a solid defence being key and counter attacks being the order of the day blues played out a 0 – 0 draw against local rivals who went top once the final whistle went. It was a result few expected and one that was used as a foundation of what was to come.
4/11/14 – 22/11/14 – Birmingham break big boys stride
A mid-week fixture against Watford was the next task for Rowett who looked to shock the visiting side at St Andrews. With expectations still low from fans as this was set to be a tough match for Birmingham the shock was evident from all fans as blues came out with all 3 points following a 2 – 1 victory.
Following this win a visit from Cardiff was the next challenge and surely the luck would run out for blues in the 3rd match under Rowett. Despite the clear gap in quality between players such as Clayton Donaldson and Adam Le Fondre blues managed to earn a draw which caused Birmingham to look up the table instead of just over their shoulders as they began to create a small amount of daylight from relegation.
The first away trip following the Wolves stalemate was to newly promoted side Rotherham who were an unknown prospect in the Championship in their first season at this level since 2005. Blues went into this game looking to take 3 points from the hosts and this is exactly what Rowett and his men did. From 2 games against top opposition and a match against a new team blues managed to pick up a possible 7 points from 9.
29/11/14 – November forest finale
The next test for blues was a visit from Nottingham Forest who at the start of the season set a great pace picking up win after win. Slowly though the wins dried up a bit sending Forest to the middle of the pack but still managing to get points from teams around them and below them to keep them ticking over. As Birmingham fans arrived at St Andrews for this match there was a sense of hope that maybe with the current form blues could remain undefeated for another game. It was a hard fought match but once more Birmingham edged the opposition whilst absorbing heavy pressure from former player Chris Burke as well as Henri Lansbury and Britt Assombalonga who until recent weeks had been tearing apart defences.
6/12/14 – Clarks` cloggers crash the machine
It was almost predictable that Rowett and his Birmingham team had not seen the last of Lee Clark following his sacking from blues. Despite almost dragging Birmingham down the previous season with negative football and mental tactics Blackpool took the gamble to hire Clark as a last ditch attempt to save the sinking club. As blues arrived at seaside town there was a feeling Birmingham would take the 3 points under the new style Rowett had implemented so far to great success however it was not to be that simple. Blackpool scraped past Birmingham who looked off the pace and unable to cope with direct long balls over everybody in front of Randolph.
13/12/14 – 6-1, Am I Reading this correctly?
Following the defeat Rowett set about his squad telling them he wanted a reaction after the defeat at Blackpool. Well if it was a reaction he wanted he certainly got one. Birmingham smashed Reading 6 – 1 at St Andrews with talented youngster Demarai Gray taking a well-earned match ball home with him following his hat trick. 2 days later the Reading manager Nigel Adkins was dismissed following the result.
26/12/14 – Boxing day knockout
Birmingham had the stern test of Derby County to face on Boxing Day and with Derby having one of the most talented squads in the league with stars such as Will Hughes and Chris Martin who has been scoring for fun this season it was set to be the hardest challenge for Rowett so far. Despite fans expecting it to be a tough match not many were expecting the vistors to win 0 – 4 and blues to offer nothing as the snow fell around the players.
28/12/14 – Donaldson`s double seals the double
2 days after the Derby defeat Birmingham were set to be shown under the Sky Sports cameras against Nottingham Forest who they had previously managed to beat in a highly competitive game. Fans of both sides were expecting a similar clash as little had changed in the time between the matches. Despite this Birmingham went into half time 0 – 3 up following a David Cotterill goal and 2 from Clayton Donaldson. With blues in control the points were in the bag however there was a sense of disappointment as conceding a late goal to end the match 1 – 3. This is a testament to just how far Birmingham have come under Rowett.
As the revolution carries on at St Andrews fans of Birmingham are coming back to the side as memories of Clark reign get pushed to the past. With January approaching and Rowett saying he can sign 2 players for a fee if he needs to there is a new feeling of hope at Birmingham City. Long live the Rowett revolution.
What do you think? Leave a Comment Below!
Going to the game can sometimes be a little too expensive, well not anymore!
Win two tickets to Birmingham City`s next home game just Click Here
For business enquires please click Here
Vital Birmingham on:
Vital Birmingham on:
Join Vital Birmingham
It’s easy to REGISTER HERE, simply click the link and enjoy getting involved!
