BCFC: The Cotterill Rumours

Rumours have intensified on Social Media and Blues message boards that Steve Cotterill is close to receiving his marching orders. The Cheltenham-born manager has only been in charge for ten games but with Blues only having won twice and only scoring three goals the knives are out already.

Birmingham City FC

I have to admit, the only thing I have heard in the last 24 hours is that Cotterill’s departure is not imminent and that nobody has been sounded out to take the job on.

Of course I have been wrong before – many times – but I can only report what I’m told by the various sources I have.

I must admit that I’m torn anyway whether Cotterill should go or not.

I have to be honest and say he wouldn’t have been my choice of appointment. After what looked to be a promising start in the Cardiff game Blues have settled into a pattern of very defensive line-ups and currently look a team devoid of all creativity.

Cotterill himself seems defensive and snappish in interviews – although I think he deserves a little bit of credit for talking to fans after the Fulham game.

I’m of the belief whereby I feel any manager who comes in will struggle to improve on what Cotterill is doing.

I can accept that people said the same about Lee Clark – and that Rowett quickly disabused them of that notion – but any manager coming into the club now has a far different situation to inherit than the v-neck jumpered one did back in October 2014

It’s obvious that the squad is horrendously imbalanced.

The lineup picked by Cotterill on Saturday showed how little cover there is at the back in comparison to the pile of defensive central midfielders in the squad.

Again, I accept maybe I wouldn’t have picked the same XI but the truth remains – the squad is a mishmash of players from different windows and managerial eras with nothing that seems to unite them.

And sure, we’ve got a window coming up – a time when a new manager can change things.

However, that presumes that a) teams will come in for players from Blues; some of whom are on high contracts and more importantly that b) that any Blues manager will have the final say on players coming in.

I have to admit, I don’t believe that will be the case. People close to Harry Redknapp have made noises that the players signed weren’t his choices and while I’m in no way Redknapp’s biggest fan I’m inclined to believe that more and more.

The problem as I see it is deeper than Cotterill, and lies in the powers that be.

I keep repeating myself but I think the influence Darren Dein has on Birmingham City is inexplicably high – especially bearing in mind he has no official role with the club.

For me, Dein is the symptom of the bigger problem – a club where the owners don’t want to listen to any advice contrary to what they believe. If what is rumoured is true – that the manager doesn’t have the final say and that Dein is more responsible for transfers, then it’s less likely a new manager can do anything.

I feel for Cotterill but I think we’d better hope for him to get improving results because I don’t see anything else changing in the future.

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