Steve Cotterill: Birmingham City sack

Steve Cotterill: Birmingham City sack manager after five league defeats in a row


Blues lost 2-1 at Nottingham Forest on Saturday to remain two points adrift of safety in 22nd with 11 games remaining.

Former Bristol City boss Cotterill, who was appointed manager in September after Harry Redknapp's dismissal, won just six league games out of 24.

Birmingham are now looking for a fifth manager in 16 months since Gary Rowett was sacked in December 2016.

Speculation had surrounded Cotterill's future at St Andrew's, with former Leeds United and Middlesbrough manager Garry Monk linked with the job.

Cotterill, who this week met with Hong Kong-based chairman Zhao Wenqing, admitted his frustration about the rumours after the defeat at the City Ground.

"If that's been going on behind my back, it's best for them to get on with it," he told BBC WM 95.6.

"What I've learned is you can't judge other people by your own standards," he added. "I've stayed professional throughout, worked extremely hard in the time I've been at this football club."

Birmingham, who are the lowest scorers in Championship this season with 23 goals from 35 games, are next in action on Tuesday when they are home against seventh-placed Middlesbrough.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43274344

Another one of these managers, (see also Garry Monk, Alan Pardew) that seems to get jobs regardless of the fact he's been useless virtually everywhere he's been.

These days, given the huge sums and business culture involved, so many clubs are just looking for someone proven and experienced in the admin side of football, with contacts. Whether they're any good on the footy side of things ia almost coincidental.
"Just keep the tap running, Steve, that's all we need". More a club manager than a team manager, the tracksuits can do all the other boring stuff out in the rain with the protein alphas. That boring guy who is still chewing gum for a living, can't remember his name, he must have managed every club in the premiership outside of the elite global brands.

beesrus wrote:

These days, given the huge sums and business culture involved, so many clubs are just looking for someone proven and experienced in the admin side of football, with contacts. Whether they're any good on the footy side of things ia almost coincidental.
"Just keep the tap running, Steve, that's all we need". That boring guy who is still chewing gum for a living, can't remember his name, he must have managed every club in the premiership outside of the elite global brands.

If that is the case, then it seems rather an odd decision to sack Cotterill. The biggest mistake Birmingham made was to sack Rowett when they were doing reasonably well and seemingly get ideas above their station by appointing Zola, who was never going cut the mustard there.

There's also a weird current trend/fashion in english football that any foreign manager has a secret formula that can work overnight. Ranieri at Leicester only encouraged that belief.

beesrus wrote:

There's also a weird current trend/fashion in english football that any foreign manager has a secret formula that can work overnight. Ranieri at Leicester only encouraged that belief.

Its been a thing ever since Arsene Wenger brought pasta over here in 1996. Unfortunately time has not been kind and Brown rice is the thing now.