Express & Star

Time for clubs to line up for former Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett

There'll be no shortage of offers coming Gary Rowett's way over the next couple of months.

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Following Birmingham City's decision to part ways with the 42-year-old there are already plenty of raised eyebrows, but some more with the thought of opportunity rather than confusion, writes Luke Hatfield.

Questions regarding the Birmingham City board's decision to rid themselves of a young British manager who's already garnered attention from outfits across the top divisions will be rife, but attention for him will probably be even greater.

Since Rowett joined the club from Burton Albion, Blues have steadily grown into a club which are legitimately challenging for the Championship playoff spots. What's even more impressive is the way he did it without a huge budget behind him.

You need only look at local rivals Wolves and Aston Villa to see that spending big doesn't always guarantee you a top six position in the table.

Instead, it's a solid base which is needed alongside a sprinkling of tactical nous which will really see teams climb up the second tier of English football - and at Blues Rowett seemed to have it cracked.

Unfortunately it seems that the club's new owners didn't agree.

The good news for Rowett is that he's likely to be the first name when one of the Premier League strugglers or Championship playoff hopefuls come calling, and it'll be at Blues' loss.

In his young career, he's managed 104 victories from less than 250 games, boasting a more than admirable 42% win rate. Look at this season alone and there's no doubt that Rowett is one of the brighter British talents on the managerial scene - and he's now available without a hefty fee.

Blues' board had a plan in place, considering that they're the party which pulled the trigger they needed to. But whilst bringing Gianfranco Zola has been a swift move, there's no guarantees that it will be the right one.

If they've made the wrong move it could turn Blues from the team pushing for the playoffs into a team circling the drain of one of the world's toughest footballing divisions.

But whilst his former employers might end up struggling, it's more than likely that Rowett himself could end up finding out that the grass is greener elsewhere.

Either way Gary Rowett most likely won't find it hard to find another gig in the football management biz.

Birmingham City on the other hand, face a mighty hard task to prove to their fans that they've found someone better.

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