The Sack Race

[JaseTheVillain]

Zola appointed according to the Beeb.

 

[Pilgrim Meister]

http://mobile.bcfc.com//news/article/2016-17/gianfranco-zola-pierluigi-casiraghi-3469057.aspx

Official. 2 and a half year contract for Zola

 

[PaulWolves]

You've got to feel sorry for the Blues fans.

Give over.

 

[Liam_SWFC]

Zola had a good season with Watford a few seasons back and had them playing some good stuff, but he had some great technical players like Abdi, Vydra, Forestieri and Deeney, he doesn't have that quality available to him with Birmingham. Think Rowett will end up with a top end Championship job if not a lower end Premier League side, his CV is excellent.

 

[Max]

I'm so glad we're appointing the guy who can't hack it in the Qatari League and lasted less than three months at Cagliari.

Meanwhile, we sack a (fairly) popular manager, and ex-player to boot, just before Christmas. We'll need a team full of Emiles to make the best of this ...

:hesk::hesk::hesk::hesk::hesk::hesk::hesk::hesk::hesk::hesk::hesk:

 

[Etienne Vermeer]

Because Gianfranco Zola has much more chance of getting Birmingham promoted than Gary Rowett.

Fucking hell, football these days.

 

[villa loyal]

Can some blue nose explain to me why they have sacked rowett? Unbelievable. Expect him at the wolves once they sack lambert

 

[JJH]

You've got to feel sorry for the Blues fans.

Not at all.

 

[villa loyal]

You've got to feel sorry for the Blues fans.

get away. Blues fans are not happy unless they are suffering.

 

[Max]

get away. Blues fans are not happy unless they are suffering.

I always thought that was just a Midlands thing

 

[villa loyal]

I always thought that was just a Midlands thing

yes it's a West Midlands thing. Blues love suffering and we just love to moan regardless.

 

[Blitzballer]

I actually do feel sorry for them. Rivalry aside , I had them and us to push for the playoffs but can see this going tits up for them. Gary Rowett has done a great job in my opinion on a very tight budget. Unless he's banging someone's mrs, disgraceful decision

 

[markwwfc1992]

I'd chop my left bollock off to have Rowett as manager.

Absolute insanity, I even feel sorry for the Birmingham fans, never thought I'd say that.

 

[El Guapo]

Mixed feelings on Rowett. He has been a good ambassador for the club but the football has largely been uninspiring and we're probably averaging the lowest possession percentage of any club in the Championship. However, the results somehow have been good and we're three points off third. It's a gamble. Ultimately do we want to remain stagnant and be content with probable mid-table or do we want to try and push on to the next level. I personally think Rowett is a bit overrated but you can't not appreciate the job he's done.

 

[Super_horns]

Well Zola will get you playing attacking football potentially but you might let a few in.

 

[Bobbin']

Mixed feelings on Rowett. He has been a good ambassador for the club but the football has largely been uninspiring and we're probably averaging the lowest possession percentage of any club in the Championship. However, the results somehow have been good and we're three points off third. It's a gamble. Ultimately do we want to remain stagnant and be content with probable mid-table or do we want to try and push on to the next level. I personally think Rowett is a bit overrated but you can't not appreciate the job he's done.

Say what?

You were second bottom when Rowett took charge and ended that season in 10th place, this a season after you stayed up by the very skin of your teeth, that is progress.

Fast forward two years and you're three points off third place going in to Christmas and a transfer window with a very realistic chance of play-offs, that is further progress. That for me is surely pushing for the next level? Birmingham don't really see themselves troubling Newcastle or Brighton this season do they?

With all that in mind and the fact he probably set the wheels in motion for Burton's rise up the football league, calling him overrated seems a bit off the mark.

I think you can try and dress it up as much as you like and convince yourself that it's not a bad call but frankly, it's a diabolical decision.

 

[MagpieBee]

Say what?

You were second bottom when Rowett took charge and ended that season in 10th place, this a season after you stayed up by the very skin of your teeth, that is progress.

Fast forward two years and you're three points off third place going in to Christmas and a transfer window with a very realistic chance of play-offs, that is further progress. That for me is surely pushing for the next level? Birmingham don't really see themselves troubling Newcastle or Brighton this season do they?

With all that in mind and the fact he probably set the wheels in motion for Burton's rise up the football league, calling him overrated seems a bit off the mark.

I think you can try and dress it up as much as you like and convince yourself that it's not a bad call but frankly, it's a diabolical decision.

This.

 

[LordJord]

I heard someone on the radio say that Rowett had taken the club as far as he could with his ability. I would argue he has taken the club as far as possible with the players at his disposal. Big difference.

 

[JJH]

I heard someone on the radio say that Rowett had taken the club as far as he could with his ability. I would argue he has taken the club as far as possible with the players at his disposal. Big difference.

He was getting 110% out of that squad which had even put together with a fraction of the money a lot of us have spent in recent years.

 

[Veggie Legs]

Interestingly, the manager of Birmingham's women's team also resigned this week. Sounds like a case of the new owners making changes for the sake of it just to make their mark.

 

[El Guapo]

Say what?

You were second bottom when Rowett took charge and ended that season in 10th place, this a season after you stayed up by the very skin of your teeth, that is progress.

Fast forward two years and you're three points off third place going in to Christmas and a transfer window with a very realistic chance of play-offs, that is further progress. That for me is surely pushing for the next level? Birmingham don't really see themselves troubling Newcastle or Brighton this season do they?

I think you can try and dress it up as much as you like and convince yourself that it's not a bad call but frankly, it's a diabolical decision.

You have to look at the bigger picture. First and foremost we were second bottom due to Lee Clark who took what was a decent top six side to the brink of relegation. I'm certain that any competent manager would have improved on the mess that Lee Clark left behind. Gary Rowett is rightly credited with steadying the ship and turning us back in the right direction but it has largely been dull, defence-minded football and with a bored, non-attending fan base the club itself was starting to become stale.

There has been friction behind the scenes according to local journalists. Rowett (apparently) held talks with Fulham last season but was persuaded to stay having engineered a higher salary for himself and his backroom staff and (apparently) sourced out a move to QPR. If he was seeking out other clubs then you can perhaps see that TTA could not trust him to stay nor be trusted with spending the club's money in January whose transfer activity has generally been hit and miss.

Anyway, underwhelmed by Zola. Every managerial appointment is a dice roll, it’s a big gamble but we have just got to run with it and see how it pans out. TTA want to try and push the club on than hope to hang on to sixth place by our fingertips. I’m not content with mid-table mediocrity and I am not convinced that Rowett could or would have taken us much further.

With all that in mind and the fact he probably set the wheels in motion for Burton's rise up the football league, calling him overrated seems a bit off the mark.

I said that Rowett is a bit overrated, not that he is overrated. He is of the same mould as a Mick McCarthy type than an Eddie Howe.

Burton are where they are because of the foundations put in place by Nigel Clough who built the club up year upon year. Paul Peschisolido got them established in League 2. Rowett installed the quality and JFH moved them up another notch to where they are now. To put Burton’s success solely down on Rowett is not entirely accurate.

 

[Bobbin']

You have to look at the bigger picture. First and foremost we were second bottom due to Lee Clark who took what was a decent top six side to the brink of relegation. I'm certain that any competent manager would have improved on the mess that Lee Clark left behind. And Gary Rowett is rightly credited with steadying the ship and turning us back in the right direction but it has largely been stale, uninspiring defence-minded football (bar two or three eye-catching performances) and with a bored, non-attending fan base the club itself was starting to become stale.

I think it's fairly easy to say that any competent manager could have improved on what Lee Clark left behind, any manager didn't, Gary Rowett did.

You talk about wanting to push to the next level but then criticise the way in which Rowett was going about it, you can't always have it both ways. Chelsea hardly played the most entertaining brand of football under Mourinho but their fans weren't moaning about uninspiring football when he was winning cups and league titles. If you would like another example a bit more relatable to the football league then Chris Powell with us, most fans in League One that season will tell you we hardly thrilled with entertaining football and I thought we were too defence minded but we were by far the most effective and reached 101 points.

If you can't enjoy challenging for and being in and around the play-offs, I'm not sure you're ever going to be satisfied no matter who the manager is.

There has been friction behind the scenes according to local journalists. Rowett (apparently) held talks with Fulham last season but was persuaded to stay having engineered a higher salary for himself and his backroom staff and (apparently) sourced out a move to QPR. If he was seeking out other clubs then you can perhaps see that TTA could not trust him to stay nor be trusted with spending the club's money in January whose transfer activity has generally been hit and miss.

Fair enough on this although I do have my doubts whether it was a factor in their decision, still firmly believe it's because his name isn't as fashionable as Zola's.

Burton are where they are now because of the foundations put in place by Nigel Clough who built the club up year upon year. Paul Peschisolido got them established in League 2. Rowett installed the quality and JFH moved them up another gear to where they are now. To put Burton’s success solely down on Rowett is not entirely accurate

Quite right, which is why I didn't.

I said he probably set the wheels in motion for their rises up the league, which I think he did. Not meaning to discredit the likes of Clough and Peschisolido who did a cracking job at stabilising Burton and setting them up as an established league club but it was Rowett who set them up for their promotion season, not discrediting JFH either but he did inherit a good squad and league position left by Rowett.

I have no ill-feeling towards Birmingham or their fans so not all that bothered if it works out or not but my feeling is it won't.

 

[QPR_Matt]

There is a threat that is 8 pages long about Rowett on a QPR forum. Whilst I do not want Holloway sacked or anything, it is a little frustrating that he is available now but we did not go in for him previously as we did not want to pay.

Not that he would want to join us anyway I'd imagine.

 

[David Curries Mullet]

Let's hope the scenes at Coventry aren't being played out at St Andrews in the near future.

 

[PaulWolves]

Oh I don't know

 

[Magic]

I don't know how these owners come up with this sort of thing? Some people are feeling anxious about Radrizzani taking over here and replacing Monk. It's like, surely they realise such a decision would cause absolute carnage amongst the fanbase? Cellino never recovered from sacking McDermott before he'd even been through the door, and was chased around Elland Road that night Even if some will never see wrong in the multitude of disgraces we've seen.

Zola will have to do an incredible job, and based on the fact they seem to have money in place for January, what happens if he doesn't get top 6 this year? Out?

 

[GodsGift]

Not a sacking but...

Bild reporting David Wagner will take over at Wolfsburg during the winter break.

 

[TomPNE94]

That'd be a huge blow for Huddersfield. Can't begrudge him that though, it's a huge job and probably a massive pay rise.

 

[JJH]

Announce Gary Rowett....

 

[SMH]

I actually think Gary Rowett might not be a good fit for Huddersfield if Wagner does go. Him and Wagner have completely different styles of play and of course a lot of those players will have been brought in specifically by Wagner for those tactics especially the Germans. Would be a risk for sure.