Birmingham City hold talks with Alex Neil | OneFootball

The Blues are preparing for life in League One after their relegation from the Championship, and they are searching for a new manager after Tony Mowbray stepped down due to health reasons.

Former Hull City manager Liam Rosenior, who was surprisingly sacked by the Tigers earlier this month despite leading them to a seventh-placed finish in the Championship, was reportedly on Birmingham's list of targets, but according to journalist Alan Nixon, he is not currently interested in the role.

It seems that the Blues have now turned their attention to Neil, who has been out of work since being dismissed by Stoke City in December following a disappointing stint in charge at the bet365 Stadium.

Neil is said to be "regarded as a good option" by the Birmingham hierarchy, but discussions with the 42-year-old are only in the early stages, and the appointment process is "still ongoing".

Alex Neil emerges as a contender for the Birmingham City job

It is a big summer for Birmingham ahead of their first season in the third tier for 30 years, and they must get this appointment right.

The Blues made the controversial decision to replace John Eustace with Wayne Rooney in October, despite sitting sixth in the table at the time, and it is fair to say the move did not work out.

Rooney was sacked in January after just two wins from his 15 games in charge, and his replacement Mowbray made a strong start to life in the role before stepping down in February.

Mowbray's assistant Mark Venus initially took charge in his absence, but after Birmingham picked up just one point from six games under his guidance, former manager Gary Rowett returned to the club as interim head coach.

Rowett did improve the Blues' fortunes, winning three and drawing two of his eight games in charge, but it was not enough to prevent relegation.

Birmingham CEO Garry Cook admitted that he was hopeful Mowbray would be able to return to the club this summer, but he insists that preparation is already underway for the new season, and says the club will conduct a thorough search for a new manager.

"We have been looking forward to Tony returning to the Club and to continue the great work that he started earlier this year," Cook said in a statement on the club's official website.

"Unfortunately, it is not to be. Preparation for the new season has already begun and Tony told us that, based on his treatment and recovery programme, he would not be able to do the job that is required before the new season begins. I would personally like to commend Tony for informing us of his decision so soon after the end of the season. It provides us the opportunity to undertake a rigorous search process to identify the right leader to take our club forward and have that person in place before the start of pre-season."

Neil may have endured an underwhelming spell at Stoke, departing in December with the club sitting just above the Championship relegation zone, but his managerial track record is impressive.

Prior to his move to Stoke, Neil guided Sunderland to promotion from League One via the play-offs, achieving his third career promotion having previously achieved success with Hamilton Academical and Norwich City.

Related

Birmingham City take John Ruddy action as Blackburn Rovers lurk

John Ruddy's Birmingham City contract is set to expire this summer

Alex Neil would be an excellent appointment for Birmingham City

After a turbulent season, Neil could be the safe pair of hands that Birmingham need to bring some stability back to the club.

Neil struggled to make an impact at Stoke, but he did an outstanding job at Sunderland in League One in the 2021-22 season, losing just one of 18 games on the way to promotion via the play-offs.

It is his spell at the Stadium of Light that will make him attractive to the Blues board as they look to make an immediate return to the Championship, and he would certainly be capable of guiding them to promotion.

League One looks set to be an incredibly competitive division next season, but having a manager of Neil's experience at the helm would give Birmingham a strong chance of being successful, and he would be a sensible choice.