Daft as many people may think it, I think the news Monk is taking over at Wednesday is really good news for Blues.
Since his departure, there have been questions hanging over the coaching staff left behind and how long they will remain at St Andrew’s.
While I am sure that Pep Clotet will not leave for Sheffield, I would not at all be surprised if the Owls decide to come in for coach James Beattie, head of performance Sean Rush or head of analysis Ryan Needs.
While it would mean the loss of three experienced members of staff, I believe their departure would be beneficial to the club – especially as there clearly appears to be friction between Beattie and Clotet.
It would be a good thing from a financial standpoint too, as I have no doubt the board will want money for Beattie, Rush and Needs.
Should that happen, it would also vindicate Blues CEO Ren Xuandong’s decision to hold on to Monk’s staff this summer.
There are other implications too should Monk come in for his former staff and they be allowed to go.
I noted in my previous piece the impermanence of Clotet’s role as manager and I believe it will be possible to infer just how stable his role is by who he is allowed to bring in as replacements.
As it stands, Clotet could potentially be left with just Paco Herrera and Craig Gardner; although it should be noted that under 23 manager Xavi Calm has also been working with the first team.
If Blues decide not to bring in any replacements then I would think that would be very telling about Clotet’s role.
It would say to me that the club don’t want to bring in any of Clotet’s men as they know they will probably be removing them again in the short-term future.
However, should Clotet be given the opportunity to bring in new coaching staff then I would think that would give more credence to his role being a more permanent one than a caretaker role.
One of the interesting bits of fall out was the remarks made by Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri.
“I looked at his CV and he did very well in Birmingham and other clubs also even though they don’t have good players. I think he can do this job.”
It clearly rattled some cages, with Blues director Edward Zheng Gannan emerging from Twitter silence to make a rebuke of some sorts.
Anyway，football is always about a teamwork and we always have the best 11 players on the pitch for it. #KRO pic.twitter.com/nkAq9fRpDL
— Edward Cheng (@Birmingnese) September 6, 2019
While I agree that Chansiri’s remark could be construed as derogatory towards the Blues team, I’ve always believed that actions speak louder than words.
To me it would have made more sense to keep my mouth shut and to let the team do their talking on the pitch when they face the Owls at Hillsborough on November 27.
Instead, Zheng faces the possibility of having his own words rammed down his throat in Sheffield at the end of November.
One thing is for sure – even though it’s the international break it’s never boring being a Blues fan.