Birmingham City will always be haunted by decision involving Gary Rowett: View | OneFootball

The 2016/17 season was a whirlwind as far as everyone connected with Birmingham City is concerned.

Regardless of any off-field tension, the previous season-and-a-half under the management of Gary Rowett gave Blues some much-needed stability on the field, as the former Burton Albion manager made his side notoriously hard to beat, as well as looking upwards after a dismal period prior to his appointment.

However, there is a school of thought that says the club took a lengthy period of time to recover from a bizarre decision that involved the club's current interim manager, when giving him his P45 back in December 2016.

The beginning of Birmingham City's 2016/17 season

The previous season was solid as far as Birmingham were concerned, as they continued to be on the coattails of the play-off places after Rowett achieved a 10th place finish in his first half-season in 2014/15.

After a second successive 10th place finish in 2015/16, there was real optimism that his side would be the 'dark horse' to reach the top six in a Championship that included numerous strong outfits such as the three who would eventually achieve promotion in Newcastle United, Brighton and Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town.

The consistency Rowett had built within his side was there for all to see, as the St Andrew's side were only defeated twice in their first twelve Championship outings, including notable victories against Leeds United, Norwich City and Sheffield Wednesday.

Granted, form afterwards took a slight dip, but Blues remained between fourth and seventh place prior to Rowett's final game in charge - a 2-1 win over Ipswich Town on 13th December 2016.

However, the then 42-year-old was dismissed a day later, just weeks into Trillion Trophy Asia's tenure in charge of the club.

"Such a parting of the ways is always difficult," director Pavlos Pavlakis said via the BBC.

"I would ask that our supporters trust our judgement and look forward to and embrace the future as we begin to implement the exciting vision of Trillion Trophy Asia Limited."

Gianfranco Zola's controversial period as Birmingham City manager

In hindsight, its clear that the club will regret the decision to part ways with Rowett and appoint Gianfranco Zola, who was given a two-and-a-half year contract in B9, and tasked with fulfilling the ambitions of a return to the Premier League after relegation in 2011.

However, it couldn't have transpired any differently, as the former Chelsea icon oversaw a drastic slide down the table, despite January additions which included Craig Gardner, Kerim Frei and Emilio Nsue.

It took Zola nine games to record the first of just two wins in charge - a dramatic 1-0 win at home to Fulham - with his other success coming in a West Midlands derby against Wolves just 20 days later.

Many supporters failed to take to Zola, which was emphasised no stronger than after a 2-0 defeat to Burton Albion at St Andrew's, which saw the club fall to 20th place in the table, with just three games remaining.

"I decided to give in my resignation. I am sorry because I came to Birmingham with huge expectations. Unfortunately the results have not been good and I take full responsibility."

Birmingham's eventual survival escape

Ultimately, it was down to Harry Redknapp to keep Birmingham in the second tier, and he would achieve as many victories as his predecessor managed in 23 games in just three, with crucial wins against Huddersfield Town and a vital Che Adams goal at Bristol City on the final day doing enough to maintain the club's Championship status - finishing two points ahead of Blackburn Rovers in 22nd place.

There have been shades of the same events taking place this season, as Birmingham have endured a season with a multitude of permanent and temporary managers. The irony is that Rowett is now back at St Andrew's to aid yet another survival bid whilst Tony Mowbray continues to recover from a health issue.

However, there's no doubt that the club remains haunted by the initial decision to part ways with Rowett all those years ago.