Latest Birmingham City manager target is far too ambitious: View | OneFootball

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 winning just two of his 15 games in charge, and his replacement, Tony Mowbray, made a strong start to life in the role, but he stepped down temporarily in February due to health reasons.

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, and the club will play in the third tier for the first time in 30 years next season.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, Mowbray is "waiting on word from the medical experts" about when he can return to work, but it seems that the Birmingham board are making contingency plans in case he is unable to come back.

Former Blues boss Steve Bruce, who managed the club between 2001 and 2007, is said to be keen on a return to St Andrew's, while Liam Rosenior, who was surprisingly sacked by Hull City last week, is also on the club's list of targets.

It is understandable that Rosenior is on Birmingham's radar, and there is no doubt that he would be an excellent appointment, but it is difficult to see him dropping down to League One.

Birmingham City's Liam Rosenior pursuit will likely end in disappointment

Rosenior did an outstanding job at Hull, and after arriving with the club sitting just above the relegation zone in November 2022, he comfortably led them to safety as they finished 15th in the table last season.

The Tigers then continued their progression this season, recording an impressive seventh-placed finish and only missing out on the play-off places on the final day of the campaign as they lost 1-0 at Plymouth Argyle.

It was an incredibly harsh decision by Hull to sack Rosenior, and owner Acun Ilicali revealed that the dismissal was due to Rosenior's style of play rather than results.

Rosenior's reputation will not be damaged by his exit from the MKM Stadium, and in addition to his strong results, the development of the likes of Jacob Greaves, Regan Slater and Jaden Philogene under his guidance underlines his excellent coaching ability.

The 39-year-old will certainly be a man in demand this summer, and it would be a huge coup for Birmingham to land his signature.

The Blues will be hoping that Mowbray is well enough to return to his role, but if he is unable to come back to the club, there would be few better options than Rosenior.

Rosenior's track record in the Championship suggests he would be more than capable of leading the Blues to promotion from League One, and he is no stranger to the third tier after having a spell as interim manager of Derby County last season, during which he won seven and drew two of his 12 games in charge.

However, Rosenior reportedly rejected the chance to take over at Plymouth Argyle this week, and if he is turning down a Championship vacancy, it seems highly unlikely that he would be willing to accept a League One job.

Birmingham owner Tom Wagner is known to have ambitious plans for the club, including the building of a new 60,000-seater stadium, and his vision will not change despite their relegation.

If there is any League One club that would be able to tempt Rosenior, then it would be the Blues, but no matter how enticing the project, Rosenior will surely wait for the right Championship job, and he will have no shortage of second tier suitors over the coming months.

Birmingham are right to pursue Rosenior, and it would be a big statement of intent from the club if they were able to convince him to join, but with little prospect of him making the move to St Andrew's, the Blues must have other options in mind if Mowbray does not return.