Latest Birmingham City news from BirminghamLive as Oxford boss and former Blues manager says club have ‘real chance’
Ex-Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett is now in situ at Oxford United
Gary Rowett saw his Oxford United team beaten by Birmingham City and then delivered his verdict on where the club have come from since relegation… and where they might end up by the end of this season.
Rowett, a former Blues player, has had two spells in charge of the club – from October 2014 to December 2016 when he was famously sacked by new owners with the club 7th in the Championship, and again as caretaker boss from March 2024.
He was put temporarily in charge following the sacking of Wayne Rooney and Tony Mowbray’s decision to stand down because of illness, but was unable to save Blues.
And asked about the transformation he has seen at St Andrew’s in the intervening time following Saturday’s 1-0 Blues victory over current club Oxford, Rowett said: “I think I spoke about it in this very room on the last day of the season we went down. I felt it was an opportunity for Birmingham to really make a clean sweep of things and use the investment they’d got to rebuild. I think last season gave the club a fantastic opportunity.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
£43
£35
Sky
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
“Okay, so you have still got to get promoted, and it’s never easy, but it gives you an opportunity to get that taste of winning football and that atmosphere back, that momentum.
“We’ve been part of this club. It was eight or nine years of survival, finishing a little bit higher and thinking that was great, but you end up then struggling to do what you really want to do.
“And I think the one thing I would say is the club have been incredibly decisive, and incredibly ambitious in the way they want to grow.
“Most clubs come into this division thinking, ‘maybe we can go again, great’, but they’ve spent the money to give themselves a real chance of potentially doing that.”
Rate Rowett’s first spell as Blues boss – click HERE to comment
Get the latest Blues headlines sent straight to your phone
BirminghamLive has its very own Birmingham City WhatsApp community to deliver the latest headlines straight to your phone. Just click this link to receive daily Blues content and breaking news. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. Click on the name at the top of your screen while in WhatsApp and click ‘Exit Group’. Read our Privacy Notice.