Gary Rowett and Birmingham - An Upturn in Fortunes or A More Stylish Failure?

Gary Rowett [Photo Credit: Birmingham Mail]

When Paul Caddis nodded in against Bolton in the 92nd minute to keep Birmingham up, there was a sense of relief, like all the problems had gone away. Talks of takeovers and new players were everywhere and there was a sense of optimism.

It was futile. The owners remained; there was no cause for optimism.

When Lee Clark brought in a lot of young, hungry players with pace and talent, there was a sense of optimism. There is a feeling that maybe this season would be different, despite the fact that there has been no change in management or owners. Maybe Clark had learnt from his mistakes.

He hadn't. These players looked as lost and devoid of confidence as last season's.

Gary Rowett has taken over management duties at Birmingham City. Speaking with a gravity and poise that Clark could only dream of, Rowett spoke about his confidence in taking the Blues forward. What was most refreshing was his talk of tactics, how we would try and get the players playing. This was new to Blues fans - no more incoherent ramblings about bad luck and passion.

There's a sense of optimism around the club again.

Birmingham fans are among the most pessimistic in the country; who can blame them? A rich owner comes in promising money and success, before getting himself into jail. Even after winning the Carling Cup they got relegated. False hope is as common as a home loss at St. Andrews, but Rowett is bringing hope to the disheveled fans.

Rowett has one thing in common with Lee Clark - he is passionate about the job. Hopefully that's all and all signs so far point to that being the case. Rowett talks in a composed manner, he has the players working harder than ever on their fitness (which has been a key issue this season) and his previous club's fans have bemoaned his departure.

This is what has Blues fans so excited. However, there is a case that even the best managers would have problems keeping Birmingham in the Championship. A squad containing almost exclusively players who either are young and promising or experienced in the league below is not often a recipe for success, but those who have watched Birmingham this season will know that they do have the quality to trouble teams - in fact, they have dropped 11 points from winning positions this season. Fitness issues appear to have contributed to this second half drop off - rather than a lack of quality.

Birmingham fans need to be careful with getting too excited but it's hard not to be impressed by Gary Rowett's optimism, passion and presentation of himself. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating, and with probably the toughest fixture of the season yet on Saturday, Rowett has his work cut out. Hopefully Birmingham can put in a decent performance and maybe even get something out of the game, but organisation and fight will be enough for the Blues fans after a shambolic performance on Saturday.

Can Rowett keep Blues up? If he does, he will get a lot of plaudits. It's a very difficult task, with Blues lying 23rd and teams above them finding form. Even if he doesn't, I think Blues fans would accept it as long as they saw some fight and evidence that things were changing away from the mess that was Clark's tenure at the club. A spell in League 1 would not be the end of the world, especially if we had a forward thinking manager at the helm and decent young players coming through. Good luck, Gary, never have I seen so many people desperate for you to do so well. Never have I seen a manager so well liked before even playing a game. Keep right on.

Article contributed by:  Elliott Griffiths

Blog: Just Like Watching Brazil

Twitter: @ElliottBCFC