Next Birmingham City manager odds: Super Steve Cooper to save Blues?

Rooney's 2024 started in the worst way possible, as he heads to the departure lounge at St Andrew's following a dismal time in the second city.

After winning just two out of 15 games and taking Birmingham from the lofty heights of sixth place in the Championship to the gloomy depths of 20th, just six points above the relegation zone.

The appointment of Rooney has made Birmingham a laughing stock, with this surely in the running for the worst managerial appointment of all time, as the new owners dropped the dependable, but 'unfashionable' John Eustace like a ton of bricks for the more 'glamorous' prospect of having a big name to lead their new era. 

Now that the experiment has failed, Blues fans will be hoping that the owners opt for a sensible option, otherwise they could be trading trips to Leeds and Middlesborough with journeys to Burton and Shrewsbury at the end of the season. 

The bookies have been trying to predict who will be next in the St Andrew's hotseat and we have taken a look at some of the favourites as well as some of the outsiders.

 

Steve Cooper

Steve Cooper is only fresh out of a job after being sacked by Nottingham Forest two weeks ago and he would be a wise choice with plenty of experience of the Championship. 

Despite the dismal end to his Forest tenure, Cooper will forever hold legendary status at the City Ground, as he took the side to bottom of the second tier to play-off glory within the same season.

Before his stint at Forest, Cooper managed Swansea City and took them to the play-offs in two consecutive seasons, with them losing out to Brentford on both occasions, once in the semi-finals and once in the final.

Cooper would be a shrewd appointment for the Blues given his previous experience and is currently favourite with most bookies with odds of 6/4.

 

Tony Mowbray

If there as ever a dependable manager who could get you out of a pickle, then it would be Tony Mowbray. 

Mowbray lost his job at Sunderland last month after taking the Black Cats to the play-offs in their first season back in the Championship. 

His track record is good, with promotions at both West Brom and Blackburn. He also get relegated with Rovers but he was only in charge there for the latter stages of that season.

Mowbray would be a solid appointment, and his experience could help banish relegation fears among the Blues faithful. The bookies have Mowbray at around the 4/1 mark.

 

Gary Rowett

Now this would be a popular appointment in the West Midlands, as Rowett was dismissed in a similar vein to Eustace. 

In the 2017/18 season Rowett was sacked when the Blues were just outside the play-off places and supporters were not happy, as the owner opted for the more notable name in the form of Gianfranco Zola, who then dragged the team into a relegation battle after a run of two wins in 24 games. 

Rowett has since gained lots of experience at Championship level, with stints at Derby, Stoke and Milwall, where he achieved top-half finishes in all four seasons.

The new owners could get the fans back on side with the return of Rowett and the bookies think it's quite likely, with his odds currently at 5/1.

 

John Eustace

Now this woud be the U-turn to end all U-turns, sacked in October, only to be reinstated in January, surely this would never happen.

Well the bookies have Eustace at 7/1 to return to the post, but surely the former Watford midfielder would not trust the owners after the brutal way the club got rid of him when the team was in the top six. 

There's no doubt that this would be welcomed by the fans, but surely Eustace would not go back under the current ownership. He wouldn't? would he?

 

Other contenders

All of the above seem to be very sensible appointments, but if the new owners decide to go with the 'glamorous' name approach, then Frank Lampard could be worth a punt at 20/1.

Meanwhile former Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch is at 8/1 and England Under-21's manager Lee Carsley is at 14/1.