Former Sunderland Boss Tony Mowbray Favored for Birmingham City Manager’s Job

Former Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray is emerging as the favorite to take the manager’s job at Birmingham City.

Potential Candidates

Former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper and ex-Leeds manager Jesse Marsch were mentioned as potential candidates to take over.

Mowbray’s Support

However, it is understood that Mowbray has a lot of support among the club’s hierarchy.

A Radical Departure

Appointing the 60-year-old would be a radical departure from the process that led to a celebrated figure like Rooney replacing John Eustace in October.

Current Interim Boss

Steve Spooner is currently interim boss at St Andrew’s and will be in charge for Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie at Hull City.

Experienced Head Needed

An experienced head is needed after Birmingham plummeted from sixth place to 20th in the Championship under Rooney.

Mowbray’s Managerial CV

Mowbray has a solid managerial CV and spent five years in charge at Blackburn before being appointed Sunderland boss last season.

Play-off Defeat and Sacking

He guided the Black Cats to the play-offs, but they were beaten by eventual winners Luton in the semi-final and he was sacked on 4 December after a run of two wins in nine league games.

Third Job in the West Midlands

If appointed by Blues, it would be Mowbray’s third job in the West Midlands, having guided West Brom to the Championship title in 2008 and later led Coventry City for 18 months between March 2015 and September 2016.